26 OCTOBER 1867, Page 3

Mr. Clay, Member for Hull, in a speech to his

constituents, in which he warmly supports the Reform Bill and his own course in joining the Tea-Room party, strongly advocates national education. In a previous speech, however, he had explained that he was -opposed to compulsion, for on compulsion English workmen would not drink nectar. Did people drink leis port then at the time when to pass the bottle was to insult your host, and incur a salt- water penalty ? We do not believe there is the faintest dislike to 'compulsion in any Trades' Union, the whole cry about liberty being in this matter invented for the people by their Ministers. Mr. Clay, we are glad to peiceive, thinks there is a good chance -of a strong Bill next session against electoral corruption, a Bill with a clause in it depriving briber and bribee of electoral rights for life. He himself suggested that clause ; but he did not ex- plain why if the bribee is to be punished he is expected to peach, -or how if he does not peach we are to find out bribery.