1-150-454 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

'Rest, and be Very Thankful', 1866. An old and weary Lord Russell is being told by Britannia that he should now rest. This cartoon relates to the eight night debate on the second reading of the Franchise Bill. One Liberal MP, Robert Lowe, was very opposed to the reduction of the franchise, saying it would put too much power in the hands of the lower classes. Lowe worked very hard to rally a band of Liberals to oppose the government's proposal. Government majorities dwindled and, on this night in late April, the House returned from the Lobbies to find that the government had won the day by only five votes. From Punch, or the London Charivari, May 5, 1866.