The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-02-02
The Opening OF Parliament.

The Opening Of Parliament.
The work that will occupy the session Of
Parliament which opened on Tuesday was
outlined in the Queens speech and the en-
suing debate. It is expected that the Home
Rule bill will be introduced next week.
Until its provisions have boon discussed in
detail by Mr.. GLADSTONE. 1t may be we'll to
reserve any expression Of judgment. for
the unofficial synopsis OF them cabled on
Sunday may turn out not to have been ex-
haustive. This is the more probable. be-
cause the advance report Of the Queens
speech proves to lave been defective.
Lord SALISBURY. referring to the several
features OF domestic legislation suggested
In the Queens speech, seemed to think that
none OF these. except nome rule. deserved
consideration, because. as lie assumed. the
Government had no intention Of pressing
them. He will probably discover that this
assumption Is ill founded. No doubt Mr..
GLADSTONE deems 1t due to himself and to
the Irish Nationalists that the first measure
put forward should be n home rule bill for
Ireland. Nor Is he likely to allow any
other legislation to delay the passage OF
that bill through the House OF Commons.
But in taking for granted that the rejec-
ton Of that measure by the House Of Lords
will compel an immediate dissolution Of
Parliament, Lord SALISBURY may DO rcck-
| oning without his host.
There was o significant passage Mt the
beginning of Mr.. GLADsroNE's speech. He
had noticed. no said. that with the con-
| tinued growth o; legislative arrears tho
easerness Of tho country for vigorous legls-
lation increased. He had. therefore. he
said. decided to loso no time in satisfying
this cagerness. This means. X 1t means
anything. that should the Lords throw out
homo rule. Mr.. GLADSTONE will not play the
gamo OF his opponents by appealing forth
with to the electors on a single question. but
will consider it his duty to go on and try to
carry ont the other substantive reforms
enumerated in the Newcastle programme
mt in the Queens speech. The truth Is
that the Tories. while acknowledging the
power OF Mr.. GLADsTONE's oratory. con-
tinually overlook his amazing parliament
tary dexterity. They suppose that his
great age must impair his experiences and
sagacity. The contrary Is. in fact. the case,
as they may find to their discontinue.
Among the reforms proposed in the
Queens speech two are OF capital impor-
tance to the masses Of the people. We re-
fer to the amendment OF the registration
laws and to the abolition Of plural voting.
At present the registration lists are COM
piled in July. and no one can be placed
upon them unless he has resided for the
preceding twelvemonth In one place. II,
after he has been registered. u workman
changes his lodgings before a new list Is
compiled. he loses his vote. The practical
effect OF these regulations is. when the gen.
eral election takes place in June. as 1t did
last year. that every workman who has not
lived for the preceding twenty-three
months in the same place Is DISTINGUISHED.
By the working OF this unjust system
scores. and perhaps hundreds OF thousands
OF votes were lost last year by Mr.. GLAD
STONE. He does not mean to suffer such q
loss again from such a cause.
Plural voting. OF course. means that n rich
man can vote in every district where he
possesses certain specified kinds of real
property. The numerical value of the in
jury suffered by the Gladstonians from this
cause Is not so great as that inflicted by the
registration provisions. But |. Is serious
enough to justify the cutlery which II has
provoked. The Tories will not venture to
oppose openly the abolition Of plural voting.
but they will insist that the "one man. one
vote" principle shall be enforced In COM
b~inution with that OF zone vote. one value"
What they have specially In mind Is the
fact that many Irish constituencies arc very
much less %populous than many English
electoral districts and that consequently a
mans vote counts for much more In the ono
case than in the other.
Addressed particularly to tho Progress
sivos Of tho METROPOLITAN District Is the
promise to introduce a bill giving larger
powers to the London County Council. On
the other hand. tho interests OF the agrlcul-
tural voters are deeply concerned In the
projected measure for the creation OF par
ish councils. to which the distribution Of
small a~llotIncnts Of land will probably BIO
assigned. Then. again. the wishes OF Mr..
GLADsToNE's supporters in Wales and
! Scotland ere to DO deferred to By certain
suspensory bills, whose details arc rs yet
unknown. but which are intended to cut
short the growth OF vested interests in the
Church establishments In those two rouI-
tries. This means. apparently. that vacant
rectorshirs will not be filled. Wo observe,
finally. that MIR. GLADSTONE will try to pro-
pitiatc the temperance people. without too