The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-06-09 00:00:00

PRESS OPINIONS: ON THE CORRUPT
PRACTICES BILL.

The Times notes that nearly all the objections to the
Corrupt Practices Bill proceed upon the assumption
that voters ought to be solicited, canvassed, circularized,
and generally whipped up by the candidate who wants
their votes. The general effect of the measure will be
to make this impossible, and to leave the result of an
election to the ttpontaneous action of the electors.
When the Bill becomes law, it will probably increase
the number of abstentions and it will operate in
favour of that party which is most in earnest through-
out its rank-and-file. An abiding and intelligent
interest in the party programme will take the place of
mechanical marshalling of careless voters on election
day, and this would seem to be a distinct gain to the
country, howevtr inconvenient it may be for a party
destitute of a programme capable of inspiring the
mass of its nominal supporters.

I The Morning Post considers that one of the greatest
blemishes in the Bill is that it goes a great deal too
far in its penal enactments, and so cramps the action
of candidates and their agents as to leave them almost
entirely powerless to prevent the commission of acts
which would not only invalidate an election, but visit on
unoffending persons the most severe and humiliating
punishments. The extension of severity is too great,
whilst the numbers of the cases to which that severity
is applied is out of all reasonable proportion.
The Standard pays that generally the proposition is
sound that legislation in advance of the average mor-
ality of the age does harm rather than good. At the
same time, it must he recollected that something
definite will be gained by branding a conventional
practic3 with a legal stigma. The giving and receiv-
ing of bribes will be discouraged by popular opinion
when it is known that the transaction is regarded by
the law as morally on the same level as petty larceny
or theft. For this very reason it is essential that the
penalties imposed should net be impracticably severe.
The Daily News thinks it greatly to the credit of
the framers of the measure that hardly anything was
said against it which would not have been more
appropriately aid to better practical effect when
the whole House in Committee is discussing the Bill
clause by clause. Sir Richard Cross while taking ex-
cepticn to some of its provisions as unduly severe,
avowed hearty agreement with its aim; and the
Attorney-General professed his readiness to accept
reasonable amendments. The Corrupt Practices Bill
attempts-to accomplish what previous measures have
confesst dly failed to do. Mr. Cowen described it as a
fair and honest attempt. The Daily News goes a good
deal farther, and calls it on the whole a very well-
planned and skilful attempt, and one which is likely
to prove successful.

The Daily Telegraph takes it that the principle of
the Bill is contained in the propositions that the
expenses which may be lawfully incurred at elections
should be fixed by statute; that the definition of
corrupt practices should be at once wore widely ex-
tended and more accurately defined ; and that the
penalties attached to these practices should be rendered
more severe and deterrent than they are at present.