The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-02-19 00:00:00

elperticr.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1870.

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS.

In the Royal message, on the opcilin,tt of Par-
liament I his session, the House of Commons
were recommended to cart.) to completion an
inquiry, previously partly effected, into the mode
of conducting parliamentary and municipal elec-
tions, and this was specially recommended with
a view "to prepare the materials of early and
useful legislation." It will be remembered that
the committe who had undertaken this inquir7
examined a host of witnesses, and that they even
got so far as to issue draft reports and resolu-
tions, and, moreover, the Marquis of Hartington,
chairman of the committee, proposed a draft
report for the reception of the committee. Now
it is vetty remarkable that this report was wholly
in favour of the ballot, an' when the committee
at the close of last session, decided on asking,
at a future time, to be re-appointed, it was well
known that one leading object of such re-appoint-
ment was to enable the committee to take evi •
deuce as to the working of the ballot in other
countries. The Marquis of Hartington has now
obtained the re-appointment of this committee,
and he considers that its report may speedily be
presented to Parliament. We may, therefore,
look for that "early and useful legislation" which
was anticipated in the Queen's message. When
the report appears, it will be found to deal with
many other subjects besides the ballot, bat that
the ballot will be recommended, and that upon
this a ministerial bill for effecting this mode of
voting will be introduced, does not admit of
much question. The mo:nent is opportune,
therefore, for examining this important question
of the ballot.

We cannot undersLand how the ballot, in it-
itself, can be essentially a party question. That
should it be proposed by a Liberal ministry, and
be thus made a Government measure, the Con-
servatives may have a tendency to oppose it, is
but natural; this would but be the ordinary
coarse of political strife ; but, intrinsically, the
ballot ~ught not to be a party question. The
object of the ballot is simply to obtain freedom
and purity of election, and sorely uo one politi-
csl party ought to have any interest in opposing
so desirable an end. That electidns are not now
wholly free and pure we think needs no argu-
ment, and it is putting the proposition very
mildly to use such language. The revelations
of our election committees weal!t warrant ninth
stroogcr assertions, end probably there is
soarly one if our rea,b-rs who could not from
his own ex!wrienre, ininee many instances of
electoral bri!•ery and corruption. lime question

woiii the hailot prevent this ? Would it
secure tv the voter the po ter. as he now has the
windual right of ming his vote as he conscien-
tiously thinks proper? We believe it would.
That it weubl work a :Teat moral change in the
individual hearts and C,ll,eleheeti if CkdOrS we
do not say ; that it cou'd put an end to all at
tempts at .I,ribery and corruption, and all willing-
ness to be bribed, we da not affirm ;ht that it
would liractically seenro to it very larg extent
freedo.” or chietioi. nil tin refire pitrity, we
slam reiy biodeve. At prest votes are well
Itiviwn to he bon.,lit a A .A•i; vile is gi, on f iv
veived ; bat, if the I

va;ne i:it were he
lifbery, even sitpleisilig it e mid be attempted
!resent and f itiere saLguards
against it, woold tie a veri loutish game o Vey
at. far th, briber would a it kiiiiv that he should
Teceive value for liis motey. The ballot, too,
would raise die standard if electoral purity Iv
inducing conilidates to appeal rather to the rea-
son than to the passions and prejudices of elac-
tors, end it cattainly would have the effect of
lessening the excitement and agitation now so
characteristic of a contested election.
The argument, or rather objection, that the
ballot is un-English, me dismiss with the remark
that BO were free trade and household suffrage
un-English till they were adopted, and that the
moment the ballot is adopted it will not be nn-
English. But the objectiiin suggests a refer-
ence to other countries, and it can easily be
shown that wherever the ballot has been adopted
it has worked well. In Amoica, in Australia,
in France, and many other countries the ballot
' has for a long time existed, and no one dreams
of abolishing it; and we doubt not that the ex-
pected report of the committee we have referred
to will abundantly prove this. Meanwhile, we
assert that the ballot, as the only effectual
method of protecting voters from external cor-
rupt influence, will bo in its immediate and ulti-
mate consequences conservative, and not revolu-
tionary. It will not put into the hands of the
working classes, or any other classes, any fresh
privilege, but it will enable them to exercise a
privilege, or rather a right, they already.possess.
Vote by ballot we believe to lie a real want of
of the age, and sooner or later it must come.
The ballot is not an unreal, sentimental notion,
a cry got up for the occasion, a quack remedy
for an imaginary disease. It is something very
different. Men ask for the protection of the bal-
lot in order to enable them to exercise their po-
litical rights, and this protection will lie valuable
to many, and cannot injure the few who do not
need it. And to this protection we consider all
voters have an absolute right. Of course, they
do not all need it. Many electors are absolutely
free and independent, and many, with or with-
out the ballot, will take a pride in proclaiming
for whom they have voted. But these, it is to
be feared, are the minority; at all events, those
who are not absoluti ly free and indepetidentare
a very largo class. In too namely cases it is well
known electors are couipelled to choose between
voting for the candidate they like best and the
goodwill of customers or employers, landlords
or laud-agents. And in such cases a vote with-
out the shelter of the ballot, so far from being a
boon, is really a burden. Give us an honest,
straightforward system of secret voting, and the
secret, if the voter choose to keep it a secret—
will be no more dishonourable than the secresy
of a private letter or an income-tax return; and
with this real electoral liberty the true opinion
of the country, Conservative as well as Liberal,
will be evoked.