boroughs which have been disfranchised or that have had their writs suspended. By the statute of 2 Will. IV. c. 45, commonly called the Reform Bill of 1832, the English county constituencies were increased from 52 to 82, by dividing several counties into separate electoral divisions, and the number of county members was augmented from 94 to 159. In Scotland and Ireland, the county representation remained the same as before. By the Reform Act, 56 English boroughs, containing a population, in 1831, of less than 2,000 each, and returning together 111 members, were totally disfranchised, while 31 other boroughs, containing a population of less than 4,000 each, were reduced to sending one representative instead of two. On the other hand, 22 new boroughs, containing each 25,000 inhabitants and upwards, received the franchise of returning two members, and 24 other new boroughs, containing each 12,000 inhabitants and upwards, that of returning one member. In Scotland, the town members were increased from fifteen to twenty-three-making fiftythree in all, while the Irish representatives were increased from 100 to 105. The next great change in the constituency of the House of Commons, after the Act of 1832, was made by the Reform Bill of 1867-68. By this Act England and Wales were allotted 493 members and Scotland 60, while the number for Ireland remained unaltered. In a borough a man was entitled to vote who was of full age, legally competent, had been an occupier of a house as owner or tenant for twelve months previous to July 20 of any year, and had paid his rates; a lodger was entitled to vote who had occupied the same lodgings for a year, if these lodgings, unfurnished, were of the value of at least 10l. a year, paid by him. Every freeholder whose freehold was of the annual value of 40s., every copyholder and leaseholder of the annual value of 51., every householder whose rent was not less than 127., and every tenant whose rent was 50l. a year, was entitled to vote for a county representative. In Scotland the ownership franchise for the county was 51. a year; householders who had paid their rates, and lodgers who paid 10l. a year for their lodgings, had a borough vote. In Ireland freeholders of 10l., copyholders or leaseholders having a sixty years' lease, the value of whose copyhold or leasehold exceeded, by at least 107., the rent or charge upon it, had a vote for the county. Leaseholders having a twenty years' lease of the clear value of 207. had also a county vote. The borough franchise in Ireland was confined to householders rated at not less than 41. a year. The following table exhibits the number of electors on the county and borough registers in 1883 under the different qualifications: P England Total Scotland Total G. GREAT BRITAIN." way' sider sie saged 419,398 477,645 897,043 1,524,169 21,664 36,533 1,582,366 33,095 36,581 69,676 68,056 254 1,05669,366 452,493 514,226 966,719 1,592,225 21,918 37,589 1,651,732 54,987 44,665 99,652 184,813 323 25,653 210,789 ་་ 507,480 558,891 1,066,371 1,777,038 22,241 63,242 1,862,521 IRELAND. Rated Lease- Rent- Free- Owners Others Total England and 13,688,992 966,719 12,285,537 1,651,732 25,974,529 2,618,451 2,082,834 99,652 1,645,290 210,789 3,728,124 310,441 Great Brit. 15,771,736 1,066,371 13,930,827 1,862,521 29,702,563 2,928,892| There were, besides, 30,642 University electors in 1883. In the second session of 1884 an Act was passed extending the borough franchise (as above stated for England and Scotland) to counties, introducing a 'service franchise,' and placing the three kingdoms on a footing of equality as regards electoral qualifications. 1 Including 1,216 lodgers. It is calculated that this measure, which comes into operation on January 1, 1886, will add about 2,000,000 to the electoral roll. The following are the essential provisions of the new Act: A uniform household franchise and a uniform lodger franchise at elections shall be established in all counties and boroughs throughout the United Kingdom, and every man possessed of a household qualification or a lodger qualification shall, if the qualifying premises be situate in a county in England or Scotland, be entitled to be registered as a voter, and when registered to vote at an election for such county, and if the qualifying premises be situate in a county or borough in Ireland, be entitled to be registered as a voter, and when registered to vote at an election for such county or borough. Where a man himself inhabits any dwelling-house by virtue of any office, service, or employment, and the dwelling-house is not inhabited by any person under whom such man serves in such office, service, or employment, he shall be deemed for the purposes of this Act and of the Representation of the People Acts to be an inhabitant occupier of such dwelling-house as a tenant. Every man occupying any land or tenement in a county or borough in the United Kingdom of a clear yearly value of not less than ten pounds shall be entitled to be registered as a voter and when registered to vote at an election for such county or borough in respect of such occupation subject to the like conditions respectively as a man is, at the passing of this Act, entitled to be registered as a voter and to vote at an election for such county in respect of the county occupation franchise, and at an election for such borough in respect of the borough occupation franchise.' It is stated in a Parliamentary paper issued in the session of 1884, that if the 658 members (inclusive of disfranchised boroughs) were distributed according to population, the numbers would be 494 for England and Wales, 71 for Scotland, and 93 for Ireland. If regulated by contributions to revenue in 1883, the numbers would be 525 for England and Wales, 73 for Scotland, and 60 for Ireland; and if regulated by the mean of the two numbers, 509 for England and Wales, 72 for Scotland, and 73 for Ireland. In the second session of 1884 there was introduced into Parliament a Redistribution of Seats Bill; the points of which are the abolition of what is known as three-cornered constituencies,' the introduction of single seats, addition of twelve members to the House of Commons, Scotland getting these, England getting six seats (including two from Ireland) rendered vacant by disfranchisement, and Ireland standing at 103 in place of her original 105. Under an Act passed in the session of 1872, and which was to continue in force till December 31, 1880, but which has since been continued from year to year, all elections for members of Parliament must be by secret vote and ballot. The sole qualification required to be a member of Parliament is to have attained the age of twenty-one. But all priests and deacons of the Church of England, ministers of the Church of Scotland, and Roman Catholic clergymen; all government contractors; and all sheriffs and returning officers for the localities for which they act, are disqualified both from voting and from sitting as members. No English or Scottish peer can be elected to the House of Commons, but Irish peers are eligible. To preserve the independence of members of the House of Commons, it was enacted, by statute 6 Anne, that, if any member shall accept any office of profit from the Crown, his election shall be void, and a new writ issue; but he is eligible for re-election if the place accepted be not a new office, created since 1705. This provision has been made the means of relieving a member from his trust, which he cannot resign, by his acceptance of the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds, a nominal office in the gift of the Government. In the session of 1883, the numbers in the House of Commons were returned as follows: ENGLAND AND WALES: : Members Thirteen seats were, however, vacant, owing to suspense of the writs, making in all 639 representatives. Four boroughs with six seats have been disfranchised. The following is a table of the duration of Parliaments of the United Kingdom, from the period of the Union: The union of Ireland with England was carried into effect January 1, 1800, and the Parliament which sat the same month is styled the first Imperial Parliament. The powers of Parliament are politically omnipotent within the United Kingdom and its colonies and dependencies. The parliamentary authority extends to all ecclesiastical, temporal, civil, or military matters, as well as to altering or changing the constitution of the realm. Parliament is the highest Court of law. The executive government of Great Britain and Ireland is vested nominally in the Crown; but practically in a committee of ministers, commonly called the Cabinet, which has come to absorb the function of the ancient Privy Council, or the King in Council,' the members of which, bearing the title of Right Honourable, are sworn to advise the King according to the best of their cunning and discretion,' and 'to help and strengthen the execution of what shall be resolved.' Though not the offspring of any formal. election, and unknown to the law, the Cabinet is virtually appointed by Parliament, and more especially by the House of Commons, its existence being dependent on the possession of a majority in the latter assembly. As its acts are liable to be questioned in Parliament, and require prompt explanation, it is essential that the members of the Cabinet should have seats in either the Upper or the Lower House. |