454 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



the Board from the charge of extravagance, 

 and contended that results would amply com- 

 pensate for the expense. Lord G. Hamilton, 

 on behalf of the Government, admitted that 

 the expenditure was very large, and indicated 

 several points on which it was considered that 

 limitations might be imposed, 

 i On May 5th, in the House of Lords, Lord 

 Houghton moved the second reading of a bill 

 to legalize marriage with a deceased wife's sis- 

 ter, of which the Prince of Wales, in present- 

 ing a petition from Norfolk, signified his ap- 

 proval. The Bishop of London and Lord Cran- 

 brook opposed the second reading, which upon 

 a division was rejected by 101 to 81. The 

 Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, and 

 the Bishop of Ripon voted for, and fourteen 

 bishops against the second reading. 



The suffrage question was repeatedly the sub- 

 ject of discussion. On March 4th Mr. Trevel- 



yan moved resolutions favoring the extension 

 of household suffrage to the counties and a 

 redistribution of representation. One reason 

 why he pressed the question was that house- 

 hold franchise was the only mode of correct- 

 ing the abuse of fagot votes. He dwelt on 

 the "sin and the shame" of depriving large 

 classes of all voice in legislation and all control 

 over the administration of the country. Sir 

 0. Dilke, in seconding the motion, asserted that 

 manufacturing of fictitious votes was carried on 

 to a large extent in the southern counties, and 

 that the anomalies of the present system were 

 as great as any which existed before 1832. 

 Lord C. Hamilton moved as an amendment, 

 " that it is inexpedient to reopen the question 

 of Parliamentary reform at the present time." 

 The "abstract right" and "representation of 

 classes" arguments, if insisted on, would sweep 

 away the old Parliamentary system, and Eng- 



GREAT SEAL OF ENGLAND. 



land would come in the end to equal electoral 

 districts and universal (including female) suf- 

 frage. He denied that a class was necessarily 

 unrepresented because it did not possess votes, 

 and contended that of the small boroughs at 

 least seventy-five would disappear under this 

 law. In Ireland the proposal would place entire 

 power in the hands of the ignorant and bigoted 

 Roman Catholic peasant, and certainly end in 

 the return of ninety obstructionists. The com- 

 position of the House of Commons had deterio- 

 rated under household suffrage. Sir C. Legard, 

 who seconded the amendment, predicted that 

 the proposed change would lead to universal 

 suffrage and to the ultimate establishment of a 

 democratic House of Commons as the sole pow- 

 er in the state. Mr. Lowe repeated his well- 

 known objections to further reductions of the 

 franchise, insisting that it must be considered 

 not from the philanthropic point of view, but 

 solely with regard to the permanent interests 

 of the country. Each further change in thia 



direction would alter the structure of the House 

 of Commons, in which now all power was cen- 

 tered, and the result must be the establishment 

 of an unchecked democracy, which all history 

 showed was devoid of stability. Mr. Knowles 

 and Mr. Courtney argued earnestly in favor of 

 the representation of minorities. The Chan- 

 cellor of the Exchequer remarked that it was 

 not desirable to reopen the suffrage question, 

 which was settled in 1867 with the assent of 

 the Liberal party. The Marquis of Hartington 

 avowed himself as averse as any one could be 

 to reopening the question of reform, but ob- 

 jected strongly to the attitude of the Govern- 

 ment. Mr. Trevelyan's resolution was nega- 

 tived on a division by 291 to 226. Lord Ham- 

 ilton's amendment was then unanimouslyagreed 

 to, after (on motion of Mr. Lowe) the words 

 " at the present time " had been omitted. The 

 suffrage question came up again for discussion 

 in the House of Commons on March 7th, when 

 Mr. Courtney moved a resolution in favor of ex- 



