At a meeting at Tiverton yesterday week to celebrate the
return of Mr. Denman, Mr. Acland, the member for North Devon, made a very good speech on the true principle for the expected Reform Bill. Mr. Acland described it an the right object of the proposed Bill to bring the people, in the words of Mr. Pitt, into " the closest union and the most perfect sympathy with the Legis- lature," which every one will admit that they are not now. He thought this would not be effected by giving the work- ing man so. much 'influence as to swamp all other classes, but he did wish to see " a real voice " in the council of the nation secured to him. " He had never been partial to the uniform ten-pound franchise, and he did not think matters would be mended by taking a ruler and drawing another arbitrary line 21. or 41. lower down." He advocated apparently a prudence franchise—a franchise Bounded on such insurances as should show that the elector had provided against living on the poor-rates in his old age, or leaving his family dependent on them at his death. Mr. Acland spoke modestly of this proposal as ic hobby, and asked for it, as Wilberforce used to do, .that " it should have a feed; and be pai3sed on." The real difficulty in the way is not intellectual or moral, but mechanical. Such qualifications could be but too easily manufactured in lots for a special occasion, and might prove therefore a wholly fictitious recommendation after all.
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