The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-09-07

sort OF training will become more and more
general. The schools Of mechanic arts al
ready established have done 30 well that the
number Is sure to be greatly multiplied.
The Redistributioa Problem In England.
1t is certain that reapportionment Of
seats in the British House Of Commons must
Immediately follow, II 1t does not accom-
pany, that extension Of the household SUI
frage to counties which tho GLADSTONE
Ministry are resolved to carry out. Wemay
find 1t useful, therefore, to keep In Wow tho
intricate and hard conditions Of problem
about which we shall hear great deal dur
ing tho next few months.
There would, OF course, be nothing compli-
Gated In this matter II Englishmen could
bring themselves to apply the simple princi-
pie Of making Parliamentary representation
proportionate to population. But although
this principle is adopted In France and the
German empire, as we'll as In the United
States, and although 1t is strenuously advo-
Gated by the more logical and sincere Eng
lish Radicals. there seems at present little
chance Of its being accepted by either tho
Conservative or the Liberal party. The great
majority OF English politicians still refuse
to recognize the fundamental axiom OF true
democracy namely, that not only should
every man have a right to VOTE but each
mans vote should have tho same elective
power Under the existing system ono man
owning property In several places may vote
for several members OF Parliament, and.
moreover, tho vote of an electOr In one
borough may count for twenty times as
much rs that OF an elector In another
borough That some OF these grotesQue
inequalities must be smoothed away is &C.
knowledged on an hands, but the difficulty
lies In this, that no plan short OF the drastic
one OF allotting seats according to population
will avert bitter heartburnings and sharp
complaints on the part OF some constituencies.
To get clear idea OF tho grievances to be
rcmcdied, lot us leave out OF view tho two
sister kingdoms and coniine ourselves to
England. which now returns 4G3 members,
quota almost exactly propOrtiOned to Its
| &c, 900, 900 inhabitants. or these members
are elected bv universities, and. although
| this traditional anomaly will be vigorously
assailed, II Is likely to remain unshaken for
some timo longer. There remain, then, ass
| seats to be rcdistributed among the English
| boroughs and counties. But after the house,
| hold suffrage has been extended to tho
counties, these, taken as whole will require
more than GO additional seats In order to
place their voters on an equal footing with
| the borough electors, viewed collectively.
Whence are these seats to be procured? At
| first sight the answer seems obvious enough,
for there are Ct small boroughs in England,
/ with populations under $1,000, each OF which
returns but one member to Parliament. 1t
has been proposed to disfranchise these bor-
oughs and turn over their seats to the coun-
ties. or, what would come to the same thing.
t. enlarge the boroughs into countydivisions
by anneying the adjacent rural populations.
But these CT boroughs would deem them
selves the victims OF u most unfair discrimi-
nation II they were totally or partially dis
franchiscd. while a town like Tiverton Is
suffered to return not merely ono member,
but two members, to tho House of Commons
Tho truth Is that tho problem OF rcdistri-
button cannot be summarily solved by simply
transferring sixty seats from the boroughs
to the countless for there arc gross Unequal
tiles among tho boroughs themselves.
For example, Huddcrslold with nearly 600
inhabitants, is allowed but ono member,
whereas Truro. with only 10000. has two.
1t follows that vote In the latter place
| counts LOT elXnlOeu UlInCS us mucn uS
vote In the former in respect OF Par
liamcntary representation. There are, in
fact, no less than eleven boroughs besides
Huddcrsflcld, with populations over 10000
which control but ono seat each. while there
are twenty-one bOroughs, besides Tiverton
and Truro. with less than 10000 inhabitants
which have two members each. 1t Is plain
that no scheme which does not aim to rectify
such intolerable inconsistencies will OF
should be sanctioned by public opinion. The
case OF London also calls loudly for redress
The municipal population of the British cap
ital is about three and half Millions yet il
has but twenty-five representatives in the
legislature. That Is to say, more than 10000
souls are required to return one member il
the metropolitan district. whereas in Knares
boro 5000 can exercise that function.
We have cited only few fragrant exam
pies, but they will suffice to show how ur
gent is the necessity OF redistribution, an(
howperplexing and difficult will be tho task
80 long as an attempt is made to evade tn,
true solution and postpone the inevitable
hour when historical presidents and vestet
rights will be rudely brushed aside and seat.
in the legislature apportioned In the jus
ratio Of population.
Two Questions of PrOpriety.
| We must give prompt and careful ntten