As to the Franchise Bill, Mr. Chamberlain said, "We are
going to interfere as little as possible with existing arrangements. We are going to proceed, as my right honourable friend here (Mr. Bright) has advised us to do, on the old lines of the Con- stitution, and we are going to disturb as little as we possibly can existing rights and existing privileges. We shall have to put a stop to faggot-voting, by which persons with no interest either of property or responsibility in the constituencies, are brought in on the day of election to swamp the votes and nul- lify the action of the real electors of the place. But even the Tories do not defend this particular abuse. Why, then, should they oppose our modest little Bill ?" It is obvious that at pre- sent at least, Mr. Lefevre's prognostic as to the humility of the Ministerial Reform scheme, is in a fair way to be verified.
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