162 RAILWAYS, HIGHWAYS, AND CANALS. 



upon by the legislature, or much taken into consideration by the 

 public ; and the point on which these notions are founded, though 

 only secondary or incidental to Mr. Grahame's ultimate object in 

 this publication, is yet of such deep interest to the welfare of the 

 country, that we shall feel justified in stating it at some length. Ithas 

 hitherto been the constant aim of the people of this country to get the 

 management of all means of public accommodation as much out of the 

 hands of the government as possible, and placed in the hands of in- 

 dividuals having local interests or local influence. The achievement 

 of this has always been regarded as a diminution of the influence of 

 the crown, and consequently as something gained to popular rights 

 and popular enjoyment. The state of the government, and more es- 

 pecially of that branch of it, the House of Commons, which has 

 more immediate control of money matters, whether for the support 

 of the state itself, or of accommodation to the public, perhaps ren- 

 dered this mode of proceeding necessary. The people felt that they 

 were not represented in that house ; they knew full well that seats 

 in it were sold for money, or even for more unworthy purposes; there 

 was no barring the conclusion in theory, that those who bought seats 

 would sell votes in order to indemnify themselves and make a profit ; 

 and daily practice, which could not be concealed, and of which the 

 concealment was often not even attempted, gave the theory all the 

 force of demonstration. 



Now, though the remedy which the people sought by thus getting 

 the control of matters out of the hands of the executive government, 

 naturally suggested itself to those who had been in the habit of say- 

 ing till they had taught themselves to believe what they had said, 

 that these corrupt practices emanated primarily and wholly from the 

 executive government that is, from the administration for the time 

 being instead of being, as they were in truth, in great part aiding to 

 the corruptibility of the influential part of the public themselves, it 

 became the most efficient means of continuing and extending the mis- 

 chief. Had it not been for the blinding influence of this false view of 

 the matter, the people would have seen that there was one single 

 step on their part which, once properly taken, would have put an 

 end to all corrupt practices, both of government and of individuals, in 

 the matter of public accommodations. This step is that of getting 

 the government itself wholly under the control of the people. Not 

 of course that the people are to dictate all the measures of govern- 

 ment, for that would be tantamount to having no government at all, 

 but that all the members of government, from the highest to the 

 lowest, shall be responsible to the people for their whole public con- 

 duct. Whether the people of this country are, even now, in a state 

 of enlightenment capable of exercising this high control with the 

 requisite judgment, firmness, and moderation, is a doubtful question ; 

 but the Reform Bill has made a beginning, and, with caution and good 

 management, matters will rapidly improve, though not till some fur- 

 ther consolidation has been made, and a vast number of local and 

 other petty governments, which stand in the way of the general go- 

 vernment of the country and embarrass its operations, are removed. 

 Mr. Grahame shows the bad effects which these have had on the 



