TOPICS OF THE DAY.

DEBATE ON THE MUNICIPAL BILL.

THE more sagacious Tories have profited by their experience of the consequences of offering an unqualified, headlong resistance to popular measures. Sir Romer PEEL is aware that he misma- naged the opposition to the Reform Act, and changes his tactics with regard to the Corporation Bill. He has voted for its second reedit g, and thereby severed to him •elf ground on which to fall back .f at any future time opposition to Municipal Reform should be counted among his political sins. To vote for the second read- ing of a bill, is generallv considered as sanetioniog its principle, and the main provisions by which that principle is to be worked out ; and in this light will Sir Routote PEEL represent his vote, when it suits his purpose for the tittle being. But, be it ubierved, after several days' reflection, and ample oppertunity to make up his mind on the subject, the telly rheterician still atlisets uncer- tainty, red carefully abstains f

ouin oiviug any opinioa on what he cornet') describes as the chief points, of the bill,—the qualification of the constituent body of e:itnicipal elector,; the fecqueticy of elections; the manner of elections; and the qualification of the governing holy. What would his support hitheito be stood for,

if these parts of the measure were to experience his ()pp°, it ion Though he refuted to speak plainly on those poiets, Sir ROBERT nibbled at them. The qualification .e.f the c!reforS he thought not so objectionable, previded the three tears' residence and rating were strictly required ; but lie filtered that this part of the bill might be the means of admitting paupers to the exercise of the suIlLage. Were there any danger of thie, it weal, we suspect, not be the source of much alarm to the Teries; oho have found

their account in preierving the rieht Volin_t for ,Members of Parliament to the pauper freemen of Liverpool, Bristol, and Norwich. But there can be little reasen to apprehend an intlux of paupers, when residence and rating for three years are required;

and this it is which in u recomiles us to the length of the term : it seems to be a safeguard are:intt a temporary a nenteutto ion of the constituency for corrupt or factious purpcses. As the elec- tions will occur annually, the arrear of rates w ill seldom be so large as to render it an object with the voter to sell his suffrage Mr the means of discharging it. The-c, however, are points on which we are not prepared to speak conVently, in the absence of certain information from the constituent bodies themselves. The inhabitants in each borough should ascertain, ever) separate com- munity for itself, what effect this part of the measure is likely to produce on the constituent boil).* If it ehould appear that, to require three years residence and pa) mete tit* rates, will prevent any considerable number of well-quoin:01 .ins feon enjoying.

the fraechise, uequestionably the tort lie altered; fur the

object aimed at is not to aid in the collection uf taxes, but the formation- of all extended and independent constituency. On the other hand, if it sleaild turn out that a shorter residence, and the payment of has money in taxes, would Meditate the creation of feggut voters, then let petitions be poured into the House for the preservation of that portion of the bill which requires three years' residence and rating. But, we repeat, let the people as- certain and make known the filets, without (1:,'ay, so that there may be no legislating in the dark on this mattter, through ignorance of the local statistics. A few intelhgent who choose to take the trouble, in each town, will easily ascertain the precise working of the proposed restriction in ilea particular place Lord STANLEY and Sir ROBERT PEEL have both a harm of an- nual elections. Lord STANLEY proposes " to have Town- C■ouril, elect, d for six years, instead of three, and to appoint half or one-third to go out I: lly that me.ms, the people weahl obtain as complete a control over the Councils 29 thry MTh!' to have, and the towns would lie relieved nom the excitement of incessolt ceadest."

It would seem that, according to Lord STANLEY, the people's control over the Councils weiebt to be very precariaus: as-tiredly a six years' tenure of power would render the Comte ill' very Unice, ndent of their constituents. Even Members of ParliA itent are not in point of fact elected thr so lone a term ; area nearly all the arguments by which long Parliaments are defended—un.-.1:e- ressfully defiinded, we think—are inapplicab'e to the le cal Corm- rils proposed by the bill. It is nut pretended that the Mullicipal Councils will have compliceted systems of po:icy to maintain. Their measures will not be of that desetiptien whit li it requires a long period to bring to perfection, amid whose valt e and tendency cannot be ascertained except by long trial and extensive know- itit-o,c of their various operations. 'lime matters which will occupy the attention of the Town-Councils, and be the subject of their legislative labours, are such as the people can judge of at once. They can tell, for instance, whether the town is %veil and cheaply watched; and whether the borough property is rented at its real value, and the proceeds applied as they should be.

• The Brighton Gazetfr, an organ of the High Tory patty, OW EcTs to the long team of residence, as likely to reduce tie constituency of that town too much : the Tories fear lest, in Brighton, tl:e prrmunent residents, who ate Liberal, should bare the eke Lions all their own way ; for by the long term of re- sidence required, the migratt ry aristocrats, at ho visit Brighton is " the season," without dwelling there regularly, will he deprived of influence. The journalist says—" Deduct from the total number of inhabitant housekeepers, all these who have not resided in the place three ycais, awl paid all taxes due tip to the last six months, and we questiaa whether the constitmatcy remainMg would leach the amount admitted by the Bevit-ing Barristers (b.; tbe;10/. Parliamentary trauchisej at the last registration." But Lord STANLEY fears the turmoil of frequent elections— °1 Look at the constant state of agitation and turmoil that must ari.e from such a system. Every year one third of the Council went out, and on every death vacancy there must be a new election; to that hardly six months would pass without the excitement of an election ; and animosity and pal ty. spirit would be as much engendered by local, as at present by more extended mid im- portant contests."

Tu this old objection to short Parliaments the old reply most be given. In the first place, it is mere assumption that amend c:ec- tions would be attended with turmoil and agitation. 'Da itt men up to the frequent periodical performance of any duty, public or private, and they will perform it \veil : superfluous excitement, as well as unnecessary changes, would be prevented, not encoureeed, by annual elections. Make the occasions for such exer titles few„ and irregular, and the result will be perplexity, mistakes, anal Con- fusion. Unless Lord STANLEY can perform a miracle ou the habits and mental ergaoization of his fellow citizens, this must continue to be the case, and to furnish an unaneweraVe argu- ment in favour of short Parliaments, national or municipal.

The old adage, that "short reckonings make long friends," bolds good in regard to public as to private affairs. It is manifest that he will be mole careful to represent his constituents faithful!), who knows that he will be called to account speedily for his citioltiet, than he who can put off the evil day of settlement for a length- ened term. Lord S'r.tNLEY thinks that the control of the people over their representatives would be too rigid under the seettini of annual Parliaments ; but the true theory of a represcotative go- vernment is the entire responsibility of the member to his con stiteents ; and it is the establishment of representative govern- ments in our towns, on the ruins of' the old system of irrespon- sible profligacy, which is the object of the bill.

Sir ROBERT PEEL avowed his predilection for a propriety (vial:- Motion in the members of the governing body, eepeciall) ill the Mayor : but he did not advance any thing that could be Minted an aremnent or a reason for it. That certain persons in the vicinity of Stroud, or elsewhere, would like to see their own class in the community monopolize offices of ,roverninent, is as notorious, as that the means they have provided to prevent the entrance into Parliament of men without landed property have utterly firiled. The want of a 'qualification that will pass in an Election Com- mittee, rarely indeed stands in the way of a candidate. Mercever, no money qualification is required from the Scottish Members of Parliament; and it will not be pretended that the Northern Re- presentatives are on that account less intelligent, wealthy, or in- fluential. Lord JOHN RUSSELL well observed, that to esiab*ish a money qualification for members of the Town-Council, wet•id probably defeat the end of those who proposed it; for, said I c, " lu some places, in consequence of the taking a high rating a, a qm.1 neat:. n, a man whose only recommendation was that he lived in showy prenti,,,, would he elected, while another person, putleips more wealthy, and more tit :o co:::!tict the general ailltirs of his t..wn would, itt consequence of living in a saudlec I ou,e, and paying a smaller lilting, be excluded from the choice of the inhabir.mt," It is indeed a mockery to pretend to give to the people the right of choosing the best men in the community to conduct their local aflirirs, and then to say—" But mind that your member is %vorth so much a year; he cannot be a proper person if he has a ettioca less.- The safe way is to trust to the discretion of the electors: they are not fit for the duties imposed upon them, if they ale to be circumscribed in tlieir choice of representatives in the memo. proposed by Sir Roomer PEEL and his set. Loid BoononAm, indeed, was in favour of a money qualifica- tion in 1833; and his authority is now thrown in our teeth. Eut the Liberal cause has made advances since I 833-11:o tiks to Tories and politicians of the Juste Milieu. Even PEEL RAuWS himself a Rammer in 1535; dial every body is aware that it is the Ai EL- MrOURNE, not the GItEN" Ministry, which now rules in England. The bill is not the bill which Lord BROUGHAM fraine,I, very much at random, on his own whimsical amine ity, but that whirl) bird .1011N RUSSELL has presented, with the sanction of Commis- sieners, arri%ing at their covelueions after a most elaborate iuves- tieiation. In the course of Monday's discussion on the second reading of the bill, Mr. GROTE objected to the large number of members of the Town-Councils, as being calculated to lower the averteee of their intelligence and reseectability. "A multitude to chcose, but a very small number to be chosen—that is the perfection of a pc- 'miler grnernment. You thereby have au efficient contrul—you have a concentrated responsibility—yon have uneneumuered offi- cers:** The reasons for reducing the numbers of members, so pithily end comprehensively (riven in this passage, arc of great force: aud we hope that MIJGROTE'S recommendation will be adopted, on time sound principle of giving large co:Istituto:cies, and it:creasing- responsibility by narrowing the field of popular inspection. A deliberative assembly, ninety in number, would be a mere mob: probablyAfty would be sutlicient,in the very largest towns, both for deliberation, and for the departmental committees. The mode of volute." prof oeed in the bill was objected to by Lord STANLEY, who feared that it would "not be a system of open, but of close voting." He wishedithe lists, which are to be handed in to time Mayer, signed with the voter's name, to undergo further scrutiny. Sir ROBERT PEEL did not like to trust the Mayor with the duty of declaring who were elected: he would much prefer the appointment of a certain number of scrutineers, to resting the return on the simple decision of one man. We hope that these suggestions will not be adopted. What occasion is there for toe • Roebuck's Letter to the Electors of Bath, rultlisbed as a paniphlet,by Losonss Tavistock Street, Covent Garden. lists being signed at all ? 1Vhy should not each voter deliver in a folded paper in-ebbed with the names of the parties whom he supports? There would then, indeed, be no objection to the public scrutiny of the vote-papers, in order to ascertain who were elected. The duty of the Mayor would be to see that only one lapel wasrcceivtd f; cm each it,div idual, and to ascertain that none t o ed except such US were duly registered.* If this suggestion hould not be VIII VIA (thouali it of ght to receive the support of 11 who tu'e in favour of react 101i1,;2, as it days ;ma% with the ,fiiren11Y about the Ballot-Inacitit;ora,) theo we hope that the bill will be allowed to remain as it is. No hi nourable verso') who tills the I Hire of Mayor would divti'gn. Ile secret of i,ny one's vote, if it was undetstot,t1 that pultrwity would I e injurious t r

to him. he bill, as it stands, temOdes a mode of votino that approaches a cry neatly to the scciet Irallt,I. No doubt, Ian d

STANLIN was right in his but to all the t:iontls of ret lett freedom of election, what Lord Si ',NITA' 0!1jt.T'ii011- ablc, will appear a nalit.

This Ineac t i %szing tco il,l Le pr, cerablo t‘i the taa..tity in the I 'lilted St ; where the voter puts his fohlel riper hit, a lie , hot be tit iy put in

111.:11 Ont apt I . ia .d thus e,aeti.it te to ;;ice Lis p open!) to the Wu' tiivrtt fletc'.:::dwere tl a tntcs to Va eta:) and before all who (Loa: to Le prrt-elit, w,a041 Ir•