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[Letter of Francis William Newman to Dr. Chapman] 7 Park Village East
NW, I think I have a remarkably near agreement with the views of your note about Parliamentary Reform; and I think I could write with some zest & fulness as to all the latter part. Only I have a fear that my views on the former part (the mere extension of the franchise, & the etcaetera of the Radicals,) would seem tame & languid to all the old fashioned supporters of the Review. Any thing which makes a constituency to be less & less a body that can meet for debate seems to me to secure that the representative shall be irresponsible to them except on some one topic which has been the cry of the day. Then a dishonest man who will gratify them or pretend to gratify them on this one point, steps in and sells them for his own gain. I have had the materials, but have them not, for writing in detail about the schemes & "platform" of the recent movers for Reform. Is there more than one afloat? Mr. Cowen of Newcastle is one centre. Is it another, or the same, that met in St. Martin's Hall early in the year? If you can furnish me with materials on this matter, ("the various remedies proposed") & are not afraid of my damaging you by languor, I think I could undertake the article. Sincerely yours,
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