The capitalists have contrived to mutilate the partnership law. On
Monday Mr. T. Baring moved in committee that the word " registered " should be signed after the name of the firm in all dealings and transactions, and the amendment was c 'flied by 58 to 43. The object, of course, is to make the Bill useless by branding every firm which uses it as one which is- employing borrowed money, and Mr. Scholefield was so annoyed that he tried to with- draw his Bill. Mr. Gladstone, however, interfered, and thought the Bill so valuable that it ought to be proceeded with; so it will pass, the Lords, we hope, striking out the obnoxious clause. Mr. Baring's argument is that people dealing with a firm have a right to know that it has a limited partner. Did Mr. Baring, in the course of his experience, ever hear of a firm with a "Co." tacked to its name, because if he did he must have known he was talking non- sense? Of the thousands who deal with Baring Brothers how many know who they are, or what their means are, or whether they have sleeping partners or not, or whether they have ever borrowed money? However, if one great firm signs itself "registered," this bit of petty spite will be unimportant.
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