rds of the
minister in introducing the bill, "that there should be one uniform
government instituted, applicable to all; one uniform franchise for the
purpose of election; and a like description of officers in each, with
the exception of some of the larger places, in which there would be a
recorder, or some other such magistrate. The first thing to be amended
was the mode of election to the corporation, which was now to be
intrusted to all such rate-payers in each borough as had paid poor-rates
for three years, and resided within seven miles of the place." Lord John
Russell had considered, he said, "whether this franchise should be
limited to those paying a certain amount of rates; to the ten-pound
householders, for instance, to whom the parliamentary franchise was
confined;" but he decided on proposing to extend it to _all_
rate-payers, because, according to the established principle, to the
known and recognized principle of the constitution, it is right that
those who contribute their money should have a voice in the election of
the persons by whom the money is expended. The old modes of acquiring
the freedom of a corporation, such as birth, apprenticeship, etc., were
to be abolished, as also were all exclusive rights of trade, vested
rights, however, being preserved. The next point to be decided was the
composition of the corporation which these rate-payers were to elect,
and the ministerial proposal was that each corporation should consist of
a mayor, aldermen, and councillors, possessing a certain amount of
property as a qualification, and varying in number according to the
population of the borough; the larger towns being also divided into
wards, with a certain number of common-councilmen and aldermen to be
chosen in each ward. The mayor was to be a yearly officer; of the
aldermen and councillors a certain number were to retire each year,
being, however, capable of re-election. The mayor was to be elected by
the councils, and was to be a magistrate during his year of office. And
the body thus constituted was to have the entire government of the
borough; of its police, its charities, and generally, and most
especially, of the raising and expenditure of its funds,[239] which had
been too often dealt with in a manner not only wasteful, but profligate.
Cases had been brought forward in which "corporations had been incurring
debts year by year, while the members were actually dividing among
themselves the proceeds of th