Vrauinrial.

E.EFORM.

The meeting at Leeds to promote Parliamentary Reform was attended by some 3000 persons. Mr. Lueock, in the absence of Sir Peter Fair- bairn, occupied the chair. He gave a comprehensive explanation of the object of the meeting, and did not scruple to show where the shoe pinched.

The extent to which that suffrage should go was a matter upon which re- formers were greatly divided in opinion ; and they of the middle classes might, perhaps, be considered by some of their more ardent friends as rather timid. It might be thought that because they had obtained the franchise themselves they were not satisfied and willing to extend that franchise as far as their more ardent friends would desire, m but what they asked the to do was this—They asked the more advanced reformers to go with them so far as they could—for they might rely upon it that it was their wisest and best policy ; and when they had gone with them as far as they could, they could then strive to go a little further, arid take them with them. ("Hear, hear !" and applause.) This was the policy of wise men ; but if, instead of that, they were determined to pass a resolution which was in opposition to their wishes, and which they could not conscientiously support, they would be under the necessity of withdrawing from them. (" Oh, oh! " hisses and disapprobation.) This did not alarm him, for he told them what he believed would be the practical working of any such imprudent proceed- ing. (" No, no !") If they passed a resolution that night which was not in accordance with what those around him believed to be the policy of this country, and they could not go with them, the consequence would be that they would be standing alone, and they would stand alone—("1%'o, no ! " and renewed disapprobation)—or they would secure nothing. Mr. Edward Baines was more successful in keeping the meeting in good temper and in avoiding a definite statement on the contested point. He has always thought that our representative institutions aro the eory of our land, and the chief support of the liberties of England. He has always been anxious to free them from every defect and abuse, and to extend the franchise as fast and as far as the moral and intel- lectual improvement of the people justified us in extending it. ("Hear, hear!" and cheers.) He venerated the constitution of his country. He believed it is the means of giving us a greater amount of true and well regulated liberty than existed in any other country on the face of the earth. He also venerated the Reform Act of 1832, which he, amongst others, did his best to obtain. But nothing is perfect. It is in vain to say that the institutions should be immutable when-the people for whom they existed were changing and ever improving. We live in an age of great and rapid advancement, and it is a happy circumstance that we have now arrived at another of those great constitutional epochs which would be considered memorable in the history of our country, which calls for another great improv ement in the representative institutiona of our land. The resolution he had to move was—" That this meeting is decidedly of opinion that an extensive and effective measure of reform in the representation of the people in the House of Commons is of urgent importance." He declined to define the limit of the extension of the franchise, but he showed by using copious educational statistics that the suffrage ought no longer to be confined to the middle, but extended to the working classes.

The resolution was carried as a matter of course. The other pro- minent speakers were Mr. John Holmes, Mr. W. Brown, and Mr. Carter ; and the other resolutions adopted proposed the ballot, a rate paying franchise in boroughs, and a 101. occupancy franchise in coun- ties; and shorter parliaments.

At Bolton a reform meeting by a narrow majority declared for man- hood suffrage, and "nothing less," instead of accepting such a measure that "meets with the concurrence of reformers generally."

Mr. Bright met the committee of the Northern Reform Union at New- castle on his way home from Glasgow, and expounded to them the sub- stance of his reform bill. Mr. Bright is said to have admitted that

1 1,‘ "logically " no reason can be adduced against manhood suffrage ; but that the question is what measure is practicable. The result of the interview was that the Union will hold by its own scheme while it sup- ports Mr. Bright.

It A public meeting was held in Hull on Monday, with the Mayor for chairman, and Mr. Clay for chief spokesman. The meeting adopted re- solutions in conformity with the views of Mr. Bright. Mr. Clay insist- ed that there is a great demand for reform. He argued against equal electoral districts, and for the ballot. He also explained why the re- ormers in London had selected Mr. Bright to bring in a bill. "If the Government brought in a reform bill—some improvement on the 'present system—I do not quite see how the liberal Members of the House of Commons could have voted against that bill on its seeond reading, when its (, --.fliple came to be discussed—presuming it to be some improvement on the It ge" srstem, if they had no bill of their own to vote for. They would have si m obliged to vote for it and go into committee. Once in oommittee, Heaven inelp us—(aughtse)—two or three months in discussing all sorts of details, ;amidst which you folgot its principles—spent in the hottest weather, with 1 the Thames in its most offensive state, and opponents wily, careful to take i 'every advantage of the disunion which would be sure, on sonic points, to \ vail amongst us—fighting one part of the party against the other, the re- ult would be, that after months of the hottest work, and with a vast (tmount of confused labour, we might probably pass a bill which would be I ttle better, or perhaps worse than none at all. Nos?', if the radical party

A

iroughout the country meet as you have met—define as you have tlehned, 1which they require—if Mr. 3right, who is not pledged to any particu- ar in this matter, but who is most anxious to collect the desires and the wants of the country on the subject, embodies in his bill those your requirements, we then have a very proper and legitimate weapon to oppose la 4Iie Government bill, if the Government bill, although an improvement

, e present state does not go far enough to satisfy us. We then vote t nit that bill because we have had the courage to propose a better of our

• (Cheers.) It was for that reason that the conference in London se-

1 Mr. Bright, and requested him to prepare a hill. That conference

ailed by the Parliamentary Reform Committee—a committee of which 'rt have the honour to be a member, and which has been in existence for telbout a year. Its duty had been to collect from all parts of the country, , Ind by very voluminous correspondence, the opinions of all sections of re- mense mass of correspondence that we have, we decidedly made up our minds that the great majority of feeling in;the country was in favour of pre- cisely that measure of reform which you have embodied in your resolutions tonight. He besought them to sink minor differences and unite for the best bill that could be obtained.

Meetings have been held in Doncaster and Stockton-on-Toes, to put forward the claims of those towns to the honour of having representa- tives in Parliament. At Stockton one of the burgesses said.

"I think we ought to let Lord John Russell and Mr. Bright know. I ta. this here, that the franchise ought to be extended to direct tax-payers—Cc the people that pays the taxes. I'm sure the intellect of this country it grown so much, and the ideas, that people have now, and the way they", educated by cheap publications and cheap pope's and what not—I say the here, that any man that pays direct taxes ought to have a vote for Member, of Parliament. (Laughter.) It's fruitless to talk about 10/. ideas in Stook- ton here. Stockton is an increasing town, a town that's rapidly increasing, and ought long ago, gentlemen, to have had a representative. But, how- ever, this is a very important town is Stockton, whether people looks at with this idea or the other idea; but they must see this here, that int,- gence is rapidly extending in Stockton. ("Hear ! " and laughter.) It. say it should be 101. or 51. or- what it should be—(Cries of" Question, g4 Lion I ")—but I say that all intelligent men, all the men that pays tau., ought to have a vote." (Roars of laughter.) •