The debate on Mr. Walpole's amendment was not a good
one. A single idea ran through it, that county representation ought to be the representation of agriculture and "property," without anY admixture of either trade or wealth. Mr. Walpole said the 14/. franchise would give power to men unconnected with land, and was promptly told that so would the 201.; while Mr. Disraeli argued that agriculturists would be swamped by suburban resi- dents, unless these latter were absorbed in the boroughs. Mr. Gladstone repeated his pledge to bring in a Boundary Bill, but added that the idea of conflict between urban and suburban interests was not one on which they could legislate,—most of which on both sides has been heard before. The newest point in the debate was Mr. Disraeli's denial that his party intended or wished to take all unrepresented towns out of the counties. He only wished not to include " large " towns ; but large is only a word of comparison, and he did not name his standard.
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