I.

Chapter XIII. Reform. (1866)

L'aristocratie, la democratie ne sont pas de vaines doctrines
livrees a nos disputes; ce sont des puissances, qu'on n'abat
point, qu'on n'eleve point par la louange ou par l'injure; avant
que nous parlions d'elles, elles sont ou ne sont
pas.--ROYER-COLLARD.

Aristocracy, democracy, are not vain doctrines for us to dispute
about; they are powers; you neither exalt them nor depress them by
praise or by blame; before we talk of them, they exist or they do
not exist.

I

Mr. Denison, the Speaker, had a conversation with Mr. Gladstone almost
immediately after the death of Lord Palmerston, and he reported the drift
of it to Sir George Grey. The Speaker had been in Scotland, and found no
strong feeling for reform or any other extensive change, while there was a
general decline of interest in the ballot:--

Gladstone said, "Certainly, as far as my constituents go, there is
no strong feeling for reform among them. And as to the ballot, I
think it is declining in favour." He spoke of the difficulties
before us, of the embarrassment of the reform question. "With a
majority of 80 on the liberal side, they will expect some action."
I answered, "No doubt a majority of 80, agreed on any point, would
expect action. At the time of the first Reform bill, when the
whole party was for the bill, the course was clear. But is the
party agreed now? The point it was agreed upon was to support Lord
Palmerston's government. But was that in order to pass a strong
measure of reform? Suppose that the country is satisfied with the
foreign policy, and the home policy, and the financial policy, and
wants to maintain these and their authors, and does not want great
changes of any kind?" I was, on the whole, pleased with the tone
of Gladstone's conversation. It was calm, and for soothing
difficulties, not for making them.... I should add that Gladstone
spoke with great kindness about yourself, and about your
management of the House of Commons, and said that it would be his
wish that you should lead it.(139)

(M55) The antecedents of the memorable crisis of 1866-7 were curious.
Reform bills had been considered by five governments since 1849, and
mentioned in six speeches from the throne. Each political party had
brought a plan forward, and Lord John Russell had brought forward three.