Mr. Disraeli, as we stated in our last impression, gave
up, or appeared to give up, yesterday week the irrepressible compounder to Mr. Grosvenor Hodgkinson's mercy. This gentleman proposed to abolish altogether the Local Compounding and Small Tenements' Acts in all Parliamentary boroughs, "excepting as hereinafter provided,"—an exception intended to leave room for special agreements between landlords and tenants who join in wishing to hnve the owner rated, and not the occupier. Mr. Gladstone heartily accepted the amendment as the condition of withdrawing active opposition to the Bill, and he especially approved of per- mitting exceptions where owner and occupier agreed to prefer the economical advantages of compounding to the political advan- tages of the franchise. Mr. Disraeli, availing himself of this com- promise offered by the Liberal leader, accepted in the name of the Government the principle of Mr. Hodgkinson's amendment, but his legal supporters professed to find a difficulty in practicallyrepealing to a very large extent the Small Tenements' and other Local Com- pounding Acts, incidentally, as it were, in the course of a Reform Bill. However, Mr. Disraeli subsequently, under pressure from the House, got over this difficulty, and laid his proposed clauses (rating the occupier in every case except where the owner and occupier have formally agreed together to take advantage of the Compounding Acts) on the table on Thursday night.
