Mr. Disraeli will not say whether he is going on
with the Bribery Bill or not,—probably not—but he is going on with the Telegraph Bill, and going on very cleverly. The principle of the Bill is to be affirmed by the House, and the private interests to be dealt with by a Select Committee, which will report in time for the Bill to pass this year. The Companies have most fortunately ensured their own doom by an act of incredible insolence and folly. They have, according to Mr. Norwood, tried to " intimidate" the provincial press by notices that they would " reconsider " their contracts for supplying news, that is, in fact, would ruin the journals which supported absorption. It would be necessary, Mr. Norwood said, to introduce a short Bill to protect the pro- vincial papers against the consequences of their crime in preferring the interests of the State to those of individuals. Government, say the supporters of the Companies, will have too much power ; but just imagine a Government defending a proceeding of that sort in the House of Commons !
