The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-09-24 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE

We wish it to be distinctly understood that by inserting
letters in this soltann, we do not thereby identify nu rsel reN
with the opinions of our Corr,spundents.

ELECTION OF COMMISSIONERS.
To the Editor of the" Observer."

SlR,—Your correspondent," Amieus," in • letter which
ippeared in your last issue, asks how it is that so few of
Use townspeople voted at the late election of Commis.
',loners, and regrets the want of public spirit evinced by
the inhabitants of Stourbridge. According to the great
principle laid down in Bacon's inductive philosophy,
there is never an effect withirit a cause, and lotting en
this I will, with your permissimi, point onto few things
which I believe to be in a great measure the caw, of the
!adobe apathy which your correspondent deploe•s.
To begin with, I think the circumetances under which
the voting takes place has a good deal to do with the
,owneity of the voters. The great majority of those are
corking men, and it is next to impossible for them to
register their votes unless they are willing to sticritive
nall-wdey, which means a portion of their wages which
is an object to them, and which all but a few can ill af-
ford to lose ; even supposing their employers would he
willing to let them stay away for that time in the hominid
portion of the week. Ia the next place, if a man wishes
to vote he has first to go to the Clerk's office, to get a
voting paper. Well, I will suppose that he goes to the
Clerk's office, gets a voting paper, and duly file it lip.
He knows that the hours for voting are from Pam
pin., and so he swallows his dinner as hastily as he can,
and rushes off to the polling place. Imagine his dragnet
on finding that it is closed, and consequently that all Ids
trouble has been to no purpose, as he cannot register his
vote; the cause of this being that an hour has elapsed
in whieh a voter has not pat in an aropeerance anit,
cording to the law provided in such a- rase, the poll has
been closed. This will answer the arguments of those
, who say that a working man might vote in the dinner
• hoar without losing anytime, as this is what occurred on
the lest occasion. With refer-ace to the other portion
of the voting public,! mean the tradesmen of the town,
I think the reason that they do not vote in greater num-
bers is that they ore afraid lest if they should happen to
have given their support to the beaten eandidatos the
successful ones should revenge themselves loy pt•tty ty•
sunny, such as preventing, them from exposing their
goods for sale outside their doors, or from making all,
rations in their premises, or is the many other ways in
which little (would be great) men in office manage to
make themselves disagreeable.
Another :muse of the little interest taken in town mat-
ters is the disregard for the public interest evinced by
the Commissioners themselves. Ido not say that this
is true of Al th, toenthere of that body, hut that it ti
Rome of them. was, I think, very clearly demoustrated is
the late removal of the post office, when, although a
pehlic meeting of the ratepayers hail unanimously tie-
ei,ted that it would he most convenient for the great ma-
jority of the inhabitants if it was removed tar a central
pvsition one OA tWO who hail places of lousiness at the
bottom of the town strained every nerve to ;let it re-
staved near to their own establislimeets, and eventually
succeeded in 4loiog so. If they had had the intereot of
the town at heart, and not been et a self-seeking nature,
they would of course have sacrificed their own conveni-
ence to the public weal.
_ .

Now, I woruld offer as a remedy that, in the firrd place
every voter should have a voting paper or form left at
his house; and that the day of polling should be alb-reil
from Thursday to some other that would be rind, eonve•
nient—my Saturday, when most of the working men
now have a half day's holiday; and that the poll should
be left open for the whole of the time adveriised, whether
voters came or not. If, in addition ts this, the Commis-
sioners were now and then to call meetings when aI,Y
matter of public importance was before them, I think
they would not have to complain of the indi (fere°, as
to their doings which now prevails.
Trusting that these few suggestions will b • re,eis, ho
the spirit in which they.are_tendered,. .

1 remain, Sir, yours truly,
NlOlO NO If ).
Stourbridge, Sept. 20th, 1870.

CRICKET.

W. RICHARDSON'S ELEVEN I'. THE HEATH. Tliif
match was played on the ground at Amblecote on Moo-
ds,' last. nnd, as the following score wiil obow. ierulied
in a victory for the Heath Club. The batting of Mr. W.
Richardson, in the second innings of his tide, ions very
line, he scoring 40 out of the 83 runs that were male
itn the side of the Heath, the bowling of Mr. J. Bowell
was very Sue, be taking nine wickets in (be two innings.
The batting of Messrs. Boron, Yates, and Leeson Was
also very good: