The most noticed passage of the speech, however, referred to
a possible "compromise." Lord Hartington utterly rejected the idea of introducing the Redistribution Bill this autumn, in. order that it might go up to the Lords with the Franchise Bill, "and both be dealt with together." "That," be said, " would not be a compromise, but a surrender." If, however, Lord Salisbury and the Conservative majority in the Lords would agree, after seeing the provisions of the Redistribution Bill and satisfying themselves that they were fair, t3 pass the Franchise Bill and then to help in settling the details of Redistribution, there might be, in a proposition such as that, the basis for a compromise. He would, in fact he hinted, leave them the power of wrecking the Redistribution Bill, but not of rejecting the Franchise Bill, which must be passed. He firmly believed that moderate counsels existed, within the Conservative Party, and he trusted they would prevail.
