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TSTn . 471 . April 2 , 18591 THE LEADEB , ' 423
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wiheiples were comprised ; first , to enlarge the constituent body ; secondly , to give representation to the large populations which had grown up since the Sst Reform Act ; and , thirdly , the maintenance of the present thorough system of representation in i he country . Apart from these principles , ; every . Proposition in the bill belonged merely to matters of detail To every one of them lie promised a candid consideration in committee , though ^ declining to ¦ nledgethe Government beforehand to the course they miffht adopt should certain changes be effected in the measure -Adverting to Lord John Russell ' s resolution he insisted that it touched no questions but those ' detail , which its supporters sought to prevent ev ^ en comi ng under discussion . Two objections
to the bill were raised in this amendment , one relating to the . disfranchisement of borough freeholders the other enforcing a lower minimum of the borough suffrage . On the former point he urged that no disfranchisement was contemplated in the measure , while Lord John Russell had himself proposed in tills brought in during previous sessions to disfranchise considerable bodies of the electorate . On the suffrage question Mr . Disraeli described the propositions offered by different governments or suggested by independent' members since 1832 . In 1854 the Whig ministry had prepared a reduced to
Mil in which the county franchise was the precise tariff—namely , a 1 Q ? . occupation franchise—which the members of that administration so heavily censured in the present measure . In the resolution no scheme of reform was indicated ; but in the speech of Sir J . Graham , who was one of its avowed authors ^ a programme was very definitely drawn out , in which an . extensive redistribution of seats , the disfranchisement of a large number of small boroughs , a municipal suffrage , and vote by ballot , were all included . "If these , " said the right hon . gentlemari , " be the opinions of the right hon . member for Carlisle and the noble lbrd the
member for London , practically speaking , I want to know what difference there is between their political system and that of the hon . member for Birmingham ? ( Cheers . ) The hon ^ member for Birmingham , speaking out of doors , arid colouring more highly than he does in this assembly , and confessing as he always does with the frankness of his nature that he would take less than he asked , and asked somewhat more than he wishes , may in some points that I cannot recall to mind , exceed and excel the programme of the confederates ( ' Hear , ' and laughter ); but I have no doubt that the hon . member for Birmingham , as a practical man , has no objection to these conditions , and , for the purpose of
obtaining these results , would not decline to act with the noble lord and the right lion .. gentleman in any manner , and in any place . ( Cheers . ) As to the ulterior views of the hon . member for Birmingham , we know that they have been brought forward . The' Throne has not always been spoken of , perhaps , by him with that reverence which I believe all Englishmen feel for it . ( Cries of Oh , oh ! ' and pheers . ) The House of Lords may , by chance , have been denounced as a , public nuisance to the country , ( Loud cheers . ) The ecclesiastical establishments have not yet received disapprobation ; but , although the noble lord and the right hoii . gentleman may not be yet so advanced , or , if so advanced , may not know that
yet choose to announce their opinions , we in all Cabinets there may be open questions ( laughter and cheers ) , and , practically speaking , on the programme , I see no reason whatever why the hon . member for Birmingham should not be adopted as a trusted and honoured , colleague of the right hon . gentleman and of the noble lord . " ( Laughter nnd cheers . ) Mr . Disraeli echoed the sentiment that there was no reason to fear the people . But if a democracy were established , it would in duo season be followed by the evils of a democracy—in an impatience of public burdens , an aggravation of public expenditure , intemperate wars , and ignominious peace . These consequences would ensue if the principle were adopted that tho working classes should ho admitted to tho franchise , not as individuals , ' but in a multitude . To avert such results , ' and yet afford the moans by winch the
most industrious and meritorious of those classes could obtain doctoral privileges , had . boon tho objects of tho Government when devising tho various franchises contained in thoir bill . This end , lio contended , had boon attained by mothods which would enable every man of industry and intelligence to obtain tho suffrage , The uniformity of franehiso , so much censured , ho denied to exist : in fact , tho moaeuro comprised a greater variety of suliVagos than had over boon included in any bill offered to Parliament , Vindicating 1 in othor particulars tho Government bill , tho right hon . momber proceeded to examine tho motives -which had prompted tho amondmont by which ifc was mot . lio attributed no , personal design to Lord J . Russell , but observed , I am euro that tho noble lord will not fool offended with mo if I toll him that I think there is one quality in his oharactor which has rather marred
than made his fortune . It is a sort of restlessness which will not brook that delay and that patience which are sometimes needed in our constitutional Government for the conduct of public affairs . ( Hear , hear . ) The moment that the noble lord is not in power he appears to , me to live in an atmosphere of coalitions , combinations , . coups d ' etait , and cunning resolutions . ( Cheers and a laugh . ) An appropriation clause may happen to every man once in his life . ( Renewed cheers and laughter . ) But there is only one man living of whom it can be said that in 1835 he overthrew the Governmen t of Sir R . Peel upon an impracticable pretext ; that in 1852 he overthrew the
Government of Lord Derby with an objectless coalition ; that in 1855 he overthrew the Government of Lord Aberdeen by a personal coup d ' etat ; and that in 1857 he overthrew the Government of the member Ibr Tiverton by a . parliamentary manoeuvre . ( Cheers . ) Now , I beg the noble lord at this moment to throw the vision of his memory for an instant back to the year 1852 . He sat before me then , the head of a mighty host . He drew the fatal arrow that was to destroy our Government . He succeeded . He destroyed in breathless haste the Government of Lord Derby ; but did he destroy anything else ? Did he not destroy also the position of a great statesman ? Did he not destroy almost the great historic
party of which lie was once the proud and honoured chief ? ( Cheers . ) What has the noble lord done now ; and what is the moment he has chosen for this party attack—an attack which it was not necessary to the vindication of his policy , or for the assertion of those principles which I believe he sincerely holds ? What is the moment which the noble lord has chosen to precipitate this struggle ? It is the most critical in the history of the affairs of this country that has existed for many years . The noble lord could not be ignorant of it . He knows . that some weeks ago I came down and informed , the House that important negociations were pending . He has other means of information beyond the communications which are made to this House by the servants of the Crown . The noble lord , I
doubt not , is well informed of the present state of foreign affairs . He could not have been unmindful of them even in that address on the introduction of his resolution , which , though it related merely to domestic subjects , furnished the noble lord with an opportunity to cast a sneer against that Minister to whom is entrusted at this moment the most awful responsibility that can . be conceived ., ( Cheers . ) At a moment when it was of vital importance that the authority of the Government should not be . assailed —at a moment when , of all other men , the Minister for Foreign Affairs should not be held up to public scorn—the noble lord chooses such a moment fora party attack and a personal sneer . ( Cheers . ) Sir , I should not be acting with frankness to tho House , if I concealed from it that the conduct of the noble
lord has been most embarrassing to the Government : ( Loud cheers . ) I declare , upon ray responsibility as a Minister , that the conduct of the noble lord has produced injurious effects upon the public service . " ( Renewed cheering . ) Alluding , finally , to the position of the Ministry , the Chancellor of the Exchequer touched briefly upon the chief questions with which they had had to deal since their entrance upon office , during which period they had , he submitted , administered the affairs of the country sedulously and successfully . " Tho noble lord / ' said he , " has talked , a nd he always does talk , about a dissolution of the present Parliament . These are words that cannot escape my lips , and I must , with the permission of the House , refrain from touching upon such a thorn © . But I lord
may be permitted to say , in answer to the noble , that , if in the course of time , the present servants of the Queen find themselves upon the hustings before their constituents , I , for one , have that cpnfldencein a great and generous nation that I believe at such an hour they will not forget th © difficulties under which wo undertook tho administration of affairs , nor perhaps bo altogether unmindful of what under such difficulties we have accomplished for their welfare . ( Cheers ;) It is by our conviction in tho justice of the people of England , it is because we believe in the power of public opinion , that wo have beep sustained in this Houso during our arduous struggle , and arcs sustained , ovon at this moment , amid all the mancouvrqs of parliamentary intrigue , and all , the machinations of party warfare ( The right hon . gontlomiin resumed his seat amid loud and prolonged cheering . )
At a quarter to ono , tho Si'isaiceii having put tho question , the Houso proceedod to a division . ( Tho greatest excitement prevallod , and upwards of 600 members wore present :. At length the tellers made their appearance , and then there woro cries of . " Order , order ! " nnd " Bar , bar I" As tho tollers took thoir places , it was Boon in nn instant on winch side tho majority lay , and as tlioy advancod to tho table a vooU ' grous cheer , in anticipation of tho actual
result , rose from the Opposition side . The numbers were ;— ¦¦ " ¦'¦ ¦ .. •; . ¦' ITor the second reading of the bill ... 291 For Lord J . Russell ' s resolution 330 Majority for the resolution ......... 39 As the numbers were announced , the house again rang with a triumphant shout from the Opposition benchea . It will be perceived by the division that 621 members were in attendance—a number unprecedented , except on an extraordinary occasion , such as this . The Resolution was then put , when Mr . Wild moved as an amendment to add , " and that at any election of a member or members to serve in Parliament the votes shall be taken by ballot , " Mr . H . Berkeley rose amidst much confusion ; he declined to support the motion , as not being brought forward at a proper time and in a proper manner . Mr . M . Gibson and Mr . Clay in vain endeavoured to be heard , and the latter moved the adjournment of the debate ; bu , t this . motive was negatived , and the House divided upon Mr . Wyld ' s amendment , which was negatived by 328 to 98 . . The Resolution was then agreed to . The House adj ourned at ten minutes to two o ' clock , until Monday .
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GATHERINGS FROM LAW A 5 TD POLICE COURTS . At the Kingston Assizes on Monday , a case , " Grenville v . Richardson and Wife , " was brought before the court , but it was not gone into , an arrangement having been effected between the parties . The plaintiff was Miss Pauline Granvillej the daughter of the eminent physician in Curzon-rstreet , and the defendant , Mr . Charles Richardson , was a solicitor : The action was brought to . recover damages for a libel that had been published by his wife in certain letters and a printed pamphlet . In consequence of these libellous statements , a marriage that was in contemplation , between the plaintiff and a gentlemari of position had been broken off , and she was compelled to bring the action to vindicate her character . The defendants now admitted that the letters were written under a misapprehension , and not only expressed regret for having written them , but they were willing to submit to a verdict of . £ 1 , 000 as compensation for ' any injury plaintiff might have suffered through them .
In the Rolls Court on Saturday was tried the case of Bradbury and Evans v . Dickens and Wills . Tjhe plaintiffs are the publishers and part proprietors of Household Words , and filed a bill against Mr . Charles Dickens and Mr . Wills for a dissolution of the partnership in that periodical . The present was an interlocutory motion to restrain Mr . Dickens from publishing an advertisement to the effect that Household Words would be discontinued after May next . For the plaintiffs , it was contended that however valuable Mr . Dickens ' s services , as editor may have been ,, the periodical did not cease to exist on his secession , and that ho had no right to damage its future prospects by announcing its
discontinuance . Counsel for Mri . Dickens , argued that tho title " Household Words , conducted by Charles Dickens , " showed that the identity of the publication depended on Mr . Dickens being the editor , and that no future publication under the name Household Words could be regarded as a continuation of the same work . The Master of the Rolls said , 14 The property in a literary work is , I believe , confined to the mere title , and the title to this work is Household Words ,- and that is settled in a partnership i and accoi'dingly that is part of the partnership assets , and that may be sold , such as it is , provided it has ' any existence . 3 STow , I think , as I stated to Mr . Selwyn and to Mr . Hobhouse , that putting in
the words " by moj" " by the editor , " or " by the authors , " which is another expression that may bo used , after tho word " discontinued" in tho fourth lino of tho addross , and " by him" " . by the editor " after the word " discontinued" in the last lino of tho addross , would mako tha matter •* free from all cavil . Mr . Palmor . presses on me vory strongly that Mr . Dickons has no powor to put an end to tho work ; but I urn not clour that he has not . I am not clear that his mororetiromont will nob ijtso facto uunihiluto it , and that it is not considered oiitlroly and solely associated with his nanio , and that In point of fact ? 1
tho naino , " Household Worth , ' would bo literally worth nothing us soon as it is porfbetly well known that ho has nothing- more to do witli It . That ono cannot . toll till tho rosult shall happen ; but I am satisfied tho ntutoniont that ho has nothing more to do with it i $ properly ronrosontod by saying "It is discontinued by mo , " and that that does not impart ! tho Hied that it i » cllscontintiod absolutely and positively , beouurio It ; morely assorts' tjint he himself , so flirufi ho Iiiih nny" thing to do with it , has discontinued j and I think that is ull that the plaintiff is entitled to
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), April 2, 1859, page 423, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2288/page/7/
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