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trat to the fundamental principles of the bill . The twil / was altogether experimental , and would prolong instead of terminating the agitation on the question . —Mr ., Robekt Paisier disliked the bill in many particulars ,: and preferred the scheme of reform suggested by Mr . Walpole . Regarding the resolution * however , as a mere party move , he intended to vote against it . —Mr . Wesxhead opposed the bill , which he believed would injuriously disturb the existing balance of parties . — -Major Ejdwakds accepted the bill as conferring a great boon on the country , by enfranchising at least 300 , 000 persons who at present were denied electoral privileges .- —Mr . Coi-liek was ready to support the resolution irrespective of all
consequences . The bill was regarded in the country as , a sham and delusion . The public were quiet , not because they were apathetic , but because they relied on its rejection by the house . —Sir J . Walsh opposed the resolution . —Mr . O . Stanley explained the reason which had induced him to give notice of a vote of censure , which he had subsequently withdrawn upon the announcement made by Mr . Whiteside , that if the present amendment was carried it ¦ would be regarded as equivalent to a vote of censure by the Government . — -Mr . K- Macaulat contended that the bill effectually threw open the franchise to every class of the community . He also approved of the measure upon its broad principle . —Mr . Mjellor alluding , to the speech just delivered » ; noticed that one member had at last been found who seemed to
approve of the bill in Its entirety . He retorted on the Government members the charges of disunion and faction which they had flung out against that , the opposition , side of the house , and . declared his resolve to support the amendment . —Mr . Hardy commented upon the conduct of the opposition in ' burking" a measure in which there were avowedly many provisions for extending the franchise and improving the System of representation . Reform bills which Lord J . Russell himself brought in contained propositions of disfranchisement quite as large as that he so much censured in the present measure . The amendment by which it had been encountered was , he argued , indirect anddisingenuous ,-and he proceeded t < k point out the inconsistent nature of the arguments advanced in its support . If the success of the resolution enabled its concoctors
to form a ministry hie prophesied that before long they would be assailed by their own supporters with propositions for sweeping ; reforms , and obliged to shelter themselves tinder the protection of their Conservative antagonists . —Mr . J . D . Fitzgjebald characterised the bill as a delusion , and entered into the history of the former Reform Act , to show ' that the proposed disfranchisement of the borough freeholders was inconsistent with the spirit arid intention of that enactment . Only a single member had ventured to approve the bill , though many professed their intention of voting for the second reading . He : waa prepared to support the resolution , even at the sacrifice of the bill , though he did not see why
that sacrifice should be incurred , even if the amendme nt was carried .- —On- the motion of Mr . Du Cane , the debate , after some remonstrance against a premature close of the discussion , was again adjourned . The House adjourned at a quarter before one o ' clock . Wednesday , March 3 . 0 . TRIAL BY JURY ( SCOTLAND ) BILL , In the House oj ? Com ^ ons ^ MtI IJunlop , in moving the second reading of the bill , explained its object , which was to reduce the time of deliberation of juries in Scotland , when nine jurors agreed , before a verdict could be received from the majority , from six
hours , according to the existing law , to three hours . Ho observed that the question was totally distinct from that of the bill which had been thrown ^ put in the House of Lordjj on the preqeding night , verdicts of the majority being receivable in Scotland in both criminal and civil cases . —The Lord Advocate cordially assented to the proposed change .- —No opposition was offered to the bill , but a short debate ensued , in whioh the English jury law came incidentally under disousaion , and several English members expressed their regret that the House had been deprived of an opportunity of considering the question of the unanimity of juries by the decision of the Lords .- — The bill was read a second time .
The Law Ascertainment Bill also passed tho stage of second reading , on tho motion of Mr . Dunloi * .
THE BANKRUPTCY ANP INSOLVENCY BILL , Lord J . Russell moved that tho bill bo referred to a Select Committee , expressing a wish that the Government ; toill * which' had passed tho other House , should be referred to the same Committee . —Tho Aw'KQKnmy .-Geneiiai , entirely agreed to tho course proposed , and had . no , objection to referring tho other bill , whjbli had come down from tho Lords , aria had boon road ft . first time , to tho same Committee . —After some discussion as to whether tho Committee should take evidence , tho motion * was agreed to . Tho Admiralty Court Bill and tho Charitable Usos BUlworq respectively road a second tlmo .
The House went into committee -on the Markets ( Ireland ) Bill , and passed several clauses . The House adjourned at six o ^ eiock : Thursday , March 3 . 1 . ¦ In the Hotjse of Lords , the third re ading of the Indictable Offences Bill was , on the motion of Lord Campbell , postponed , and the Railway Transfer Ticket Bill passed through Committee . The Lord Chancellor , in moving the . second reading of the Manslaughter Bill , explained that the object of the bill was to enable coroners to admit persons in certain cases charged with manslaughter to bail . The bill was read a second time . The Vexatious Indictments Bill and the Evidence by Commission Bill were both read a third time arid passed . _ In the House op Commons , in reply to Mr . Brady , Mr . S . Estcourt stated that a bill for the reform of the City of London Corporation was being prepared , and would be introduced after Easter . Lord Elciio , in a few remarks upon his speech on Monday , gave ( as he intended ) an opportunity to the Solicitor-General to explain certain expressions he had used in reference to Lord J . Russell—namely , " political aggrandisement and private advantage , " which some friends of Lord .. John , he said , thought were injurious to . his personal honour and private character ; with which explanation Lord John was perfectly satisfied . .
THE REFORM BILL . After a conversation of very confused and indeterminate character respecting the duration of the pending discussion , the adjourned debate on the Reform Bill was resumed by Mr . Du Cane , who claimed much credit to the Government for having ta k en in hand , under circumstances of peculiar difficulty , the settlement of the controversy respecting Parliamentary Reform . In this endeavour the administration , he submitted , had fairly succeeded , at any rate in so far as to merit the only concession which they asked from the House—namely , permis ^ - sion to have their bill considered in committee . The question could "be settled in no other way than by a
compromise , and among the various propositions introduced in former sessions , or indicated in the course of the present debate , the measure brought forward by the Government wasj he maintained , on the whole most acceptable to the country . The resolution of Lord John Russell was , he thought , vexatious and vague ; and he trusted that the House would not , by adopting it , frustrate the chance now offered of passing a Reform Bill in " the present Session , with the inevitable result of leaving the question open until the time for compromise had passed away . —Sir R . Peel remarked upon the bewildering conflict of opinion which' had been expressed on different sides of the House respecting
the bill under debate . He cited many passages from speeches that had been delivered in the course of the discussion , accompanying his quotations with a running commentary , which afforded much amusement to the House . Contending that the resolution now proposed was perfectly regular and parliamentary , he declared ( and the declaration was received with cheers , in which Lord John Russell joined ) , that its adoption would be immediately followed by the introduction of another bill better calculated to satisfy the country . He was indeed prepared to wait , even for three years , in the hope of obtaining at last a better measure than the crude and undigested scheme of the Government . Whatever
dissonances might have existed in times past among the Liberal party , they were now united at a moment of crisis , ifor dn object in which they considered the gravest interests of the empire were involved . — - —Mr . GASKELL'said he regretted that the Government had introduced a Reform Bill , which , he believed , had not been called for . The Ministry , ho was persuaded , had brought in their bill rather in fulfilment of pledges than in accordance with their convictions , But whether tho bill were good or bad , susceptible of amendment or deserving total rejection , ho exhorted , tho House to negative the resolution of Lord John Russell . —Mr . Slanjsy said , tho disfranchisement of tho borough freeholders , however , and some other features of the bill , appeared to him very objectionable , and he should therefore
support tho resolution . —Mr . Eomrton also disapproved of many details in the bill , but fooling anxious to sec \ iro an early afcttleraont of the question , consented to vote against the rcsolution . ~ - ~ Mr . Cobhktt deolarod his intention to vote for tho second roaming of tho bill . —Mv , Collins opposed tho resolution , believing it to bo designed not to amend tho bill , but to destroy tho Ministry . — Mr . Whsteun supported the resolution , whfoh was opposed by Mr / . W . N . Hodqson . — -Mr . Wyvill thought tho bill good onough to bo mondod in committee , and consented to support tho second reading . —> Mv . Hudson characterised the resolution as a ory and claptrap . Ho defended the bjill , which ho said was attacked merely in a scramble for placo by men who , while calling themselves reformers , wore practically frustrating , all endeavours to obtain reform .
- —Mr . Walter , commented upon the disagreeable character of the alternative placed before the House arid stated the reasons which induced him to vote against the second reading of the bill , and-to abstain from voting for the resolution . The distinctive principle of the bill was the identity of the suffragebut there had been a confusion between identity and equality of suffrage . After pointing out provisions in the bill to which he objected , he observed that the Government were about to devolve upon the House the duty of making a Reform Bill , which he did not think a proper course of proceeding . There were two distinct . modes of effecting the object of extending the suffrage—either by lowering the qualification for the suffrage Or by a -process of selection
—and the question was whether it was . not better to raise the people to the suffrage , by putting it . within the reach of the industrious 'working man . The whole question of the suffrage was a serious and difficult one , and he did not see on what ground , if the franchise were reduced below ioz ., they could stop short of household suffrage . IJe should be sorry ,: he said , if the result of this discussion should be the resignation of tlie . Ministry ; he saw no reason why they should not withdraw this bill and bring in another . — -Mr . . Gheenall opposed the amendment . —Mr . Gilpin said lie should vote for the , resolution . The bill was no Reform Bill at all , and if he were asked whether he would have '¦ this '
bill or nothing , he would say he would prefer nothing . He did not wish , 'however , to see a change of Government , and should not join in any vote of censure upon the general policy of the jjresent administration . —Mr . Henley said , lie had listened with great attention to tlie whole of the . debate , and if he had heard anything to shake his opinion he should not hesitate to say so . Tins was , in his opinion , a very large measure , —large in itself arid in the principle it contained . He proceeded to analyse the bill with great minuteness of- criticism , stating Ms objections to it . In considering the amendment , ' - ' which was the real question . before the Iloxise , he observed that the first part of tlie
resolution was met by the clauses brought forward-by the Government ; and the last part was as vague as possible , so much so that no huriian being eorrirt assign any definite meaning to it . Then , what did the Government say ? If he interpreted'it rightly , they had said as much as they could be expected to say , and as _ much as would . relieve the I louse from any difficulty in voting ^ for the ' . Secondreading . of the bill . He was ready to go into committee upon-it , and he hoped , when it got there , tlie opinions of the House would have their weight with the Government , and that the bill would be put into a shape that would satisfy the more moderate people—all would not be satisfied with any measure . He concluded with a strong denunciation of all changes that would assimilate our mixed constitution to that of America the other
on the one hand , or that of . Franco on . . — Mr . Roebuck described the changes which the House of Commons had undergone since its first establishment , tracing the steps of its progress until it had become practically tlie ruling power of the . State . 1 lie last stage was accomplished in the Reform Act ot J w-They were about to reform the Reform Act , and tue questions were—what was it that required reform , and what were the means to attain that end t une great blemish in the Reform Act of 18 . 32 was the exclusion from power of the working classes . Xiioee classes had since been increasing in intelligence , showing themselves worthy of participating m power with tho other classes , and tho two great objects of any Reform Bill were , to extend tho sutfmerft f . o the * work in i ? classes , and to regulate , tue bill oi
distribution of tho electoral bodies , pid tho tho Government attain either end ? He hohoyea that it would bo anything bufc satisfactory ; to tne working classes f but . he believed , in opppsxtion to Mr . Bright , that good could be got ft' ° > " * f X Was it 'best to leave the . bill in tho hands of Ue present Ministers , or ta . . tlie chance oi tron « o 1 ' ring it to Lord Palmerstbn nnd Lord John Uuss The fox-mer ho could not rcgwrd as a roft > rnior . ^ Jj" ® tho latter was tottered by party ties , and nod long boon accustomed to lgok upon powor as no ai wmgo of . Whig statesmen . On tho wholo , lie P ^ 2 present Government , and would voto for tl o « JJ « fading , if they undertook not to throw up tho , toil , should certain extensions , including a A « boionsi franchise , bo carded in oomnuttoo . Ont » nj ™ suranco , ho did nob soo why tho present nmondn eiic nP bom-Bssod . aa tho House would have tho mea ¦
sure in thoir own hands , and might mpiiia u »» i ^ pleased . —A number of mombors rose fromJowj tho gangway , bu , t Mv . Pjbkabm roso also , » "J * £ greeted with loud ohoere from n house rap dly * o qoming crowded in every corner . Almost his " sj sentence elicited a burst of applause iron . tl 10 ' ? H , behind him , which was continued 1 t Jntoivmo . Ho said that after reiterated pledges given by sue cossive ministers , fpr the introduction of ft " ^" 0 Bill , no measure , had over ^ ro booi mutmoa jo tho stage of second reading . In this bill throo grcai
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42 ^ THE LEADEE . [ No . 471 , Ap ril 2 , 1859 .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), April 2, 1859, page 422, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2288/page/6/
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