Chapter 392 What Is More Terrible than Civil War?

The spider weaves its web in the palace of the empire, but the owl has finished singing its vigil song on the tower of Afrasiab.

——Mehmed II

"After the last reform bill was rejected, we have made thoughtful amendments and additions to the bill, and we hope that this new bill can receive more extensive and full support. Although the reform bill has been widely discussed, based on the needs of the parliamentary legislative process, I would like to reiterate the position of reform to the gentlemen of the House of Commons.

First, under the current electoral system, the 10 counties in southern England have a total population of 3.26 million and 325 seats in the House of Commons. The 6 counties in the north have a population of 3.6 million and only 68 seats. In Cornwall, which has the most declining constituencies, they have only 300,000 people, but occupy 44 seats in the House of Commons. The emerging industrial area of ​​Lancashire has a population of 1.33 million and only 14 members of parliament.

Some emerging industrial cities, such as Birmingham, The unequal distribution of seats between the north and south, between urban and rural areas, has lagged far behind the development of the times and has affected the realization of social equity.

Secondly, there has never been a clear and unified regulation on voter qualifications. Not only do urban constituencies and county constituencies have different interpretations of voter qualifications, but even the qualifications of voters between urban constituencies vary significantly due to the historical status and development of the cities.

At present, our regulations on county constituencies still follow a decree issued by Henry VI in 1430, which stipulates that freeholders with an annual net income of more than 40 shillings have the right to vote. However, with the advent of the industrial age and the development of the agricultural revolution, the number of freeholders in rural areas has decreased dramatically, and then As a result, the number of voters in county constituencies has been decreasing. According to our incomplete statistics, as of 1831, the total number of voters in county constituencies in England and Wales did not exceed 250,000.

In urban constituencies, the existing voter qualification regulations are very cumbersome. Since the Middle Ages, each urban constituency has successively made its own different regulations. However, in general, the regulations on voter qualifications in each urban constituency can be roughly classified into four types:

The first is to have a house in the constituency, pay parish taxes, and not receive relief as a voter condition.

The second is to have real estate tenure in the constituency. However, due to the development of the city, those properties with voting rights are limited to the extremely narrow old city area, and those properties built in the new city area are not eligible to vote.

The third is the municipal group of the constituency. The conditions for electoral qualifications are usually vague requirements such as good social reputation and certain economic foundation.

The fourth is that the so-called "freemen" have the right to vote. There are three ways to obtain freemen. One is to sign a 7-year apprenticeship contract in a specific industry and complete service. The second is through blood inheritance. The third is directly granted by municipal groups.

In summary, we believe that in order to reform these unbalanced, unfair, corrupt and backward electoral systems, 60 seats in declining constituencies should be abolished, 47 seats in declining constituencies should be reduced, and another seat in a joint constituency should be reduced. Of the 168 vacant seats, 97 seats will be allocated to England, 1 seat in Wales, 5 seats in Scotland, and 3 seats in Ireland, and the remaining seats will be abolished.

If the reform bill is finally implemented, the seven emerging industrial cities in England can each get two seats, and 20 medium-sized cities can each get one seat. As for the electoral qualifications, we accept the enthusiastic suggestions given by the gentlemen for the reform bill after the last bill was rejected.

We fully understand your doubts and agree with your call that "the country should be handed over to people with sufficient talents and insights to manage." Therefore, we give up the demand for universal suffrage and support lowering the threshold for suffrage instead of directly abolishing it.

According to the Duke of Buckingham's suggestion, we will add a supplementary clause to the bill to grant suffrage to landowners with an annual income of more than 10 pounds or any tenant farmers with an annual net income of more than 50 pounds in county constituencies, and to urban residents with an annual rental income or an annual rent payment of more than 10 pounds in urban constituencies.

After the reform is completed, the bloated seats in the House of Commons will be streamlined, which will help us eliminate the ills and reduce the number of seats to balance the party forces in the House of Commons, so that Britain can go into battle lightly and move towards a new era better..."

Swish...

In Arthur's office, Earl Grey's speech in the House of Commons was played.

Arthur, who was leaning back in his chair with his eyes slightly closed, also raised his head and looked at the gentleman sitting opposite him in a tuxedo with a goatee.

This was not the first time Arthur had met him, but the last time they met was four or five years ago.

Arthur smiled and stood up and shook hands with him.

"Hello, Mr. Price. The last time we met was on the university campus. Although my time at school was short, your speech still left a deep impression on me. "

Price said, "Mr. Hastings, I heard Bentham and Lord Brougham mention you, an outstanding young man. Let me guess why you invited me to Scotland Yard today. Maybe it's because of the National Political Alliance under my leadership?"

Arthur nodded slightly, and he took out the list that had been prepared long ago from the drawer and placed it in front of Price.

"The National Political Alliance you lead is a very outstanding organization, running around for parliamentary reform. You yourself braved the heavy rain on the streets of London and insisted on giving speeches every day to encourage supporters' enthusiasm for reform. To be honest, if I still still When I was a student, I would definitely join your team. This is why I have always tried my best to facilitate the National Political Alliance's gatherings within the scope of my authority. But..."

Arthur paused and asked with a smile: "I don't know if you have noticed that the behavior of many people in the National Political Alliance under your leadership has crossed the line. The law protects their freedom of association and speech, but it does not Their rights to destroy other people's property and threaten and intimidate good citizens are not protected.

Of course, I know these are definitely not your instructions. Because since you established this organization, you have always emphasized the need to support the government in promoting parliamentary reform in a peaceful, decent and useful way. And your efforts are now paying off.

As you have heard, Prime Minister Earl Gray, in order to respond to the enthusiasm of his supporters and preserve the results of everyone's battle, proposed a reform motion to the Parliament for the third time this morning. "

Having said this, Arthur took out the pocket watch in his pocket and took a look: "Looking at the time, this Reform Bill has most likely passed the third reading of the House of Commons. It will be submitted to the House of Lords in the near future, sprinting towards final success. I am not qualified to ask you to do anything, but I ask you to consider the position of the majority of London citizens and temporarily stop all protests by the National Political Alliance.

In the near future, it would be best not to organize a parade to celebrate the bill passing the third reading in the House of Commons. Because according to archived documents from Scotland Yard, when the second version of the Reform Bill passed the third reading of the House of Commons last year, members of the National Political Alliance under your administration engaged in violent activities during the celebration parade.

Some people participated in the siege of the houses of opposition MPs and citizens who did not support the reform position. During the siege of the Duke of Wellington's house, the mob threw stones at the Duke's house and tried to set fire to the houses near the house and Hyde. Trees in the park.

You are a lawyer by training, so you should know better than me that although the Bloody Act has been reformed, the crime of arson is still on the hanging list. As for the Duke of Wellington's personal injury activities, Scotland Yard and the London District Attorney's Office both have good reasons to believe that such behavior should initially constitute treason. "

Price stared at the young man in front of him who was neatly dressed in uniform. His pair of flawless white gloves and his soft smiling face made people unable to figure it out.

No one knew how such cold words came out of this seemingly innocuous young man's mouth.

But Price also knows how to measure things. He is a professor at the University of London and an activist. If Wellington's cabinet was still in power now, he would reject Arthur's request without hesitation.

However, the Gray cabinet is now in power. He does not want to embarrass his old friend Brougham, and his mentor Mr. Bentham is also a person who does not agree with using violence to solve problems.

Price explained: "Please rest assured about this. I am also very worried about the violent tendencies among our members. However, similar behavior is only a small probability event. Because our members are basically decent gentlemen with a certain social status. , lawyers, journalists, small shopkeepers, vendors, craftsmen, etc.

We gather to express our demands, not to oppose the government. On the contrary, we rallied precisely to support the government. We enthusiastically support the cabinet's push for the reform bill and are happy to help them put pressure on the opposition. But this kind of pressure is mostly based on public opinion, peaceful, and non-violent pressure. "

When Arthur heard Price let go, he knew that a crack had been opened in the turtle's shell.

He hurried to strike while the iron was hot: "It is really gratifying to hear this assurance from your mouth. In that case, can you promise me that the National Political Alliance will not join the 60,000 people in London scheduled for three days? assembly."

"this……"

Once Price heard that Arthur wanted him to withdraw from the meeting, his soft stance quickly wavered.

Seeing his attitude, Arthur didn't rush for his reply, but stood up and poured him some wine.

"Mr. Price, you don't need to worry too much. It's just a gathering. If you must participate, it's the same as finding another venue elsewhere. Besides, you should know that we have not stopped you during this time. Submit a petition or protest to the government and parliament with your supporters.

In addition to this, I can also assure you that the NPA members currently detained will not be officially charged by the London District Attorney's Service. Of course, I do not rule out the possibility that they will still be subject to civil lawsuits from parties whose property was damaged, but I can promise you that as long as they pay compensation according to the price, these charges will not be transferred to the criminal level. And when the situation in London calms down, they will be released soon. "

Agares, who was lying on the window sill, heard this and sneered at Arthur's remarks: "My dear Arthur, listen to what you said? Do you think that this level of mercy can make people suffer?" They read you, okay? Remember what I said, not shooting when it's time to shoot will only make things get out of hand."

Arthur glanced at the Red Devil, but he didn't pay attention to Agares' sarcasm.

Arthur had already figured out why he invited Price, the leader of the National Political Union, instead of the workers' representatives of the British Workers' Union.

As Price said, most members of the National Political Union are guys with some industries and savings. In other words, these people will consider gains and losses when doing things.

It is very simple to negotiate with them successfully. Either make them feel that they can get a lot after the negotiation is concluded, or make them feel that they will lose a lot after the negotiation fails.

Although Arthur said it very obscurely, he believed that with Price's intelligence level, he could fully interpret his subtext.

First, Scotland Yard is very worried about the violence in the current protests.

Second, if the reform bill is rejected in the House of Lords, Scotland Yard believes that there may be large-scale violence at the London rally three days later.

Third, Scotland Yard will dispatch a large number of police forces to the London rally site for monitoring.

Fourth, all violent crimes in this rally will be punished to the maximum. If the National Political Union agrees to withdraw, Scotland Yard will not only guarantee their right to peaceful protest at other venues, but also forgive the members who were arrested previously.

Fifth, Arthur called Price over alone because they were all from the University of London. If he was ruthless, he could have wiped them out.

Considering that the current Whig cabinet was in power, Price had to carefully consider whether Lord Brougham had instructed him to lead his people to withdraw from the London rally.

After all, the National Political Alliance had been acting fearlessly on the streets because many of them believed that the current government would definitely support them.

If the London rally showed something contrary to their expectations, Price's reputation as a leader would also suffer a devastating blow.

Seeing that he was slow to speak, Arthur added indifferently: "Mr. Price, I have to tell you very sincerely that the trial of the Swain Riot is a special case, and the phenomenon of extrajudicial leniency will not happen again for a long time.

After the Reform Bill was rejected by the House of Lords last year, the leaders of the mob who set fire to the Duke of Newcastle Castle and attacked Glasgow City Hall will all be hanged, and their followers will be sentenced to exile.

The reason why the Lord Chancellery has not announced the trial results until now is, first, because there are a large number of participants and the trial cycle is relatively long. The second is because it is worried that announcing such a severe punishment result under the current situation will trigger the confrontational emotions of the British people.

But not announcing it temporarily does not mean that it will never be announced. If the Reform Bill is finally implemented, their judgment will be executed immediately. In While the parade is celebrating, their heads will also fall.

As you said, your supporters have a certain economic foundation. Even if you want to express your voice, you can use some peaceful but effective means. Why must you be carried forward by violence? "

Price's face turned pale when he heard this, but he frowned again in an instant: "What effective means do you mean?"

Arthur did not answer directly, he just held the wine glass and looked out the window: "Do you remember what happened when I, the first batch of graduates from the University of London, just entered school? My God! It was from that time that I realized that going to the bank to withdraw money together was more worrying for the bigwigs than going to war with Napoleon. "

Price heard this, and suddenly his eyes lit up, he slammed the table and stood up and said: "Are you talking about the banking crisis in 1825?"