The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30
".

Lord Durham was the leading member
Of the so-called Committee of Four" by
which the Reform bill was framed. 1t was
to Durham in the first instance that Grey
turned in view of the great task. What
took place MAJ be told in Durham's words:
Shortly after the formation Of the Govern
ment. Lord Grey asked me il / would assist
him in preparing the Reform bill. l an
swered hat l would do 80 with the greatest
pleasure. He then said, You can have no
objection TO consult Lord John Russell I
replied: Certainly not, but the REVERSE
The outcome OF the converse ion, Durham
goes IN TO state, was that he placed himself
in communication with Lord John, who
came to his house to discuss the matter.
They determined to summon to their aid
Sir James Graham and Lord Duncannon,
and in this Informal way the historic Com
mittee Of Four came into existence. Ora
ham seems to have been included because
the more timid Wings were afraid that
the Premier's son-in-law would drive too
furiously, an apprehension which the po-
litical caricaturists of the hour were quick
TO seize, since they represented Graham as
the man In charge of the brake on the new
reform coach. Lord Duncannon la been
asked to make a fourth member of the COM
mittee, partly because he possessed a great
mass Of practical information about the
counties and boroughs both Of England and
Ireland. but mainly because he was persona
grct1 to William w, more trusted by the
King han perhaps any other Wing.
Durham, as we have minated, was. the
chairman Of the committee; in that capacity
he signed the daily minutes of the proceed
ings and received populations from all
parts OF the United Kingdom. The real
question at issue in the Committee Of Four
was whether a cautious and incomplete
measure should be proposed, or one which
was bold and comprehensive. Lord John
Russell, who has generally received most
Of the credit for the bill, was not, asa matter
of fact, won over TO the holder course with
out a struggle. He succeeded in frustrating
Durham's wish for t~riennial P~arliaments,
and at first resisted Durham's proposal
that the voting should be by ballot, assent
ing finally, on condition that the borough
franchise should be fixed at G20 instead Of
Gl0, which latter figure was preferred by
Durham. Lord John ever advocated a
graduated scale for the franchise, and de-
clared thai he wanted the measure 10 be
one that would be able "to stand the test OF
a severe scrutiny from its enemies" Dur
ham took a different view Of the committee's
duty in the premises. In his report of the
proceedings he said that the trainers of
the bill had been ctuated by the belief that
il was not the wish or the intention of his
Majesty's Ministers to concede only as much
as might for the moment evade and stife
the general demand for a complete altera-
ton Of the existing system or to propose
the adoption OF such a measure as should
merely be considered a bare redemption
Of their pledges TO their sovereign and the
country; on the contrary, he and his col
leagues we're convinced, he said, that il
was the desire of Ministers to effect such a
permanent settlement Of a great and i'm
portant question as would no longer render
il, agitation subservient to the designs Of
the factious and disconnected, but by it's
wise and comprehensive provisions would
inspire all classes Of the community with the
belief that their rights and privileges were
at last duly secured and consolidated.
To that end the committee proposed a
measure not only of acknowledgements but
also OF acknowledgements. They would dis
franchise, Durham said, all boroughs the
population OF which amounted 70 less than
1000 inhabitants, and they would also de-
prive OF one member all those boroughs
whose population amounted to less than
1000. The publication Of this latter class
OF boroughs, as we'll as Of those cities and
boroughs where the right OF voting had
been confined 70 close corporations. would