Hawke's Bay Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY. MONDAY, JUNE 24, 1867. THE REFORM MOVEMENT IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XI, Issue 487, 24 June 1867, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY.

MONDAY, JUNE 24, 1867. THE REFORM MOVEMENT IN GREAT BRITAIN.

“ fVioViW aJtVhius jurare in verla maghstri?

Wh Imve this morning transferred to our columns an article from an Kiigiisb contemporary on the subject nf houseiudd tuffrago, such being believed to be the feature ( f the new Reform Bib on which the Derby Ministry will in sist, and at the same time that which the Liberal party cannot graceAilh offer any decided opposition to. Tin ITU itself, when brought forward, con lained certain other marked features, as well us that of household suffragesuch as a dual or multiple vole fur persons possessed of property, or of superior education, —tiiese being intended to ceuulei balance the additional number of votes that would be given to the walking classes. These dual votes would be opposed, and possibly the

.•lauses coiifi-mitg them abandoned by :he Ivlinistiy, while the main principle —that of an extension of the suffrage -o as to virtually include every bouselobler —would be insisted on, and pro '.ably pass, the Liberal party, as wc nave said, being unable to oppose i. neasure that, iu justice, the people o! K.ugland should have expected to have ■mauated from them rather than from ihe Conservatives.

This brings us to consider the somewhat curious fact that, although the Whigs profess to be the party of progress. and the Conservatives the obs!motives, f. in the period of the pas sing of the Reform Rill up to the present time the people are rather indebted to the Conservative (or obstructive) party for every concession of value that lias been made to them by the Government; even the Corn Law monopoly was swept away by Sii Robert IV-cT —then the leader of the Conservative paity —at a time whenj the Liberals (so-called) were not prepared to concede more than the reduction uf the tariff to a low fixed fluty; and the reason was then pre cisely as now. The concession pro posed by the Liberals was not sue.h as would satisfy the people. The Tories were bound to oppose them, and on conquering and occupying their places found that there was an actual necessity to concede sometiiinglo the people.| To offer less than that offered by the Rings would have been madness, licit iiic Sole 1 ciiSOH lor tllO IoS3 Oa office by that party was the insufficiency of the measures they proposed ; hence they must offer more, and it was only wise to take a position which would satisfy and end agitation. This it did lor the time, though it was really but; | I the first step ia tb,Q glorious policy of j

FREE Trade, which has since that

tune been acknowledged as the truth, ami more and more developed and adopted. The mail which we expect to receive to day from home will give us details of the great Reform debate, and put us in possession of information as to the present position of the people of England as regards the suffrage. Un-

it! moss particulars are to hand we leave the question—merely remarking that we do not think the working classes of the Colony would be so anxious for the suffrage if they had it not as are their follows at home. At all events their conduct does not show that they duly value their privilege as they ought to do.