The story of the three members’ constituencies is a simple one
and can soon be told. Many attempts to stop and destroy the
Reform Bill were made under the guise of liberality. The project
respecting the three members was one of them. It was thought
that Mr. Disraeli had got to the length of his tether, that
his party would go no further, and that if at this time they
could be induced to recalcitrate, the Liberals who had hitherto
supported the Government must vote with the real enemies of the
Bill, that the Government would be put into a minority, must
go out, and that the Bill would then be defeated. Mr. Disraeli
said in the debate that the Government could not accede to the
proposal, and that the defeat of the Government in the motion
would seriously endanger the Bill. We knew what this meant--viz.,
that his party could not be induced to go further in the way of
concession. Seeing this we said: “We will not throw away the
good we have attained for the purpose of adding six members to
large constituencies, and taking away six from small ones. This
benefit, if it should be desired, can easily be obtained from the
new Parliament when it meets. In the meantime we will insure the
Bill.” We voted for the Government, put them into a majority,
and saved the Bill. But Mr. Disraeli, upon consulting his party
again, found that they deemed the trouble of the contest a
greater evil than yielding the point, and they yielded so far as
four members were concerned. I complained of this, and strove for
Sheffield; but I was told that the party of Mr. Disraeli would
go no further than four members, and so, according to my own
expression, Sheffield was left out in the cold. This is the plain
history of the case. It is a story that could be told of many
other similar attempts to defeat the Bill, which attempts were
defeated by our steady determination to carry the Bill, spite of
calumny, spite of threats, spite of abuse. The Bill is now law,
and is law because a number of Liberals were more far-sighted,
ay, and more disinterested, than those who called themselves
leaders of the Liberal party.