f the house, but he said "nobody spoke against it." Nobody
spoke against the bill on this side, but I remember some most
remarkable speeches from the right honorable gentleman's friends.
There was the great city of Edinburgh, represented by acute
eloquence of which we never weary, and which again upon the present
occasion we have heard; there was the great city of Bristol,
represented on that occasion among the opponents, and many other
constituencies of equal importance. But the most remarkable speech,
which "killed cock robin" was absolutely delivered by one who might
be described as almost a member of the government--the chairman of
ways and means [Mr. Massey], who, I believe, spoke from immediately
behind the prime minister. Did the government express any
disapprobation of such conduct? They have promoted him to a great
post, and have sent him to India with an income of fabulous amount.
And now they are astonished they cannot carry a Reform Bill. If
they removed all those among their supporters who oppose such bills
by preferring them to posts of great confidence and great lucre, how
can they suppose that they will ever carry one? Looking at the
policy of the government, I am not at all astonished at the speech
which the right honorable gentleman, the Secretary of State, has
made this evening. Of which speech I may observe, that although it
was remarkable for many things, yet there were two conclusions at
which the right honorable gentleman arrived. First, the repudiation
of the rights of man, and, next, the repudiation of the 6 pounds
franchise. The first is a great relief, and, remembering what the
feeling of the house was only a year ago, when, by the dangerous but
fascinating eloquence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, we were
led to believe that the days of Tom Paine had returned, and that
Rousseau was to be rivaled by a new social contract, it must be a
great relief to every respectable man here to find that not only are
we not to have the rights of man, but we are not even to have the
1862 franchise. It is a matter, I think, of great congratulation,
and I am ready to give credit to the Secretary of State for the
honesty with which he has expressed himself, and I only wish we had
had the same frankness, the same honesty we always have, arising
from a clear view of his subject, in the first year of the
Parliament as we have had in the last. I will follow the example of
the right honorable gentleman