Mr. Arnold on Tuesday raised the annual debate on house-
hold franchise in the counties, his plan being, when a uniform franchise had been conceded, to divide the country into districts -containing 50,000 souls, as nearly as might be, each rural district created being called, when possible, by the name of a disfranchised borough within its boundary. Mr. Glad- stone made a very persuasive speech in favour of house- hold suffrage in the counties, but declined to enter on the redistribution question in a Session when the facilities for transacting public business were so small. Mr. Blennerhassett asked for more inquiry, chiefly on the ground that with a uni- form suffrage, a single class—the wage-receivers—would rule; and Mr. Stanhope, for the Tory party, admitted that this was his principal objection also. The debate was interesting, but un- real, as a debate on Reform in a Session when reform is impos- sible always is; and it ended in an indefinite adjournment. Perhaps the best thing said in it was by Lord Lymington, who said that a minority would be most efficaciously represented by 4' a properly-constituted Second Chamber." That is true; but may it not be over-represented, as-the Tory minority is now P
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