The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-30 00:00:00

IRELAND.

Donut', Ku= 29.
Mr. Anstcy has informed the electors of Youghel
that be will not again beck their imffrtgels. He
says, it now appears that
As Irish constituency, embracing Roman catholic glee.
OM 1. any to be reached through the favour and influence
of a foreign hotly, sitting in Dublin, but whose branches
are spread into every part of the United Kingdom, sad all
whose movements, political and religions, In prompted,
deeitltd, and carried out by an English cardinal and a coun-
cil of prelates; and, though neither proud nor impatient,
he cannot stoop to canvass any electoral body, except in that
way which the law prescribes, and through thine organs
wh,eh ths cdnstitution designates.
The lion. Mr. Mostyn, son of Lord Veux of Her-
rowden, will, it is said, positively start for West-
meath, where his father has lately purchased the
property of Sir Hercules Robinson. He will, of
source, be recommended by the Catholic Defence As-
eedenen. Sir Richard Levinge, who is in the field
for the same county, has oontrived to put forward a
political creed, which seems to satisfy both the
liberal and tory parties.
The lion. George Handeock, brother of Lord
Canktuaine, is likely, it is said, to contest the eePee"
'citation of Athlone with Mr. Keogh.
l'rincc de Joinville arrived et Cruise's Hotel,
Limerick, on Wednesday, and left next morning for
Galway, on a fishing excursion.
Th., committees of the approaching Cork exhibi-
tion are working with great earnestness in Cork,
Dublin, and Belfast. Almost all the necessary funds
have already been collected, and it is expected that
all the arrangements will be made in a most satis-
factory manner.
At a sale of land held in Limerick, under the
order of the Encumbered Estates Court, an estate
yielding a profit rent of between 7001. end 800/.,
sold for 12,620/. The incumbranees on the estate
mounted to 20,0001.

Our liberal members of parliament made a
mistake when they allowed the debate on Mr.
Hunt's maim for parliamentary reform to peas off
such an cosy fashion. There may be danger
la making the same blunder • second time. An
opportunity wil! be afforded them, this evening,
of repairing to some extent their mistake. They can
muster in force to support Mr. BEAKELET.B motion
for vote by ballot.
There is no ono of the reforms which are required to
impart purity and efficiency to our representative
system that is more provokingly trifled with by many
reformers—and professing reformers—than vote by
ballot. When hard pressed, they graciously con-
descend to say that, if a majority of the electors shall
appear to wish for vote by ballot, or if the anti-re-
formers shall persist in their corrupting and intimi-
dating practices, they will be compelled reluctantly
to support vote by ballot. They speak of it as a
thing indifferent—likely to have little effect one way
or another—and which may therefore be conceded to
unreasoning clamour; or ns an evil in itself that
may nevertheless be preferable to the continuance of
worse evils. So long as the ballot is advocated in
this disparaging manner there is small chance of our
getting it.
Now, it cannot be too often repeated that vote by
ballot—or, more properly %masking, secret voting, is
a principle, or practice, that cannot but work
deeply and extensively either for good or ill. It is
no mere crotchet, no indifferent matter, that may be
yielded to importunity, or disregarded, if the people
are not clamorous for it. Nor is it one of two
or more evils, that may be tolerated as the least
mischievous. Vote by ballot is spoken of in this way
by only two classes ; by those, who dreading its
effects—as likely to put an end to undue influence in
eleetions--seek dishonestly to prejudice the public
against what they know would work for good, or
to make the public esteem it lightly; and by those
who give themselves little trouble to understand
aright the nature and tendency of reforms which
they advocate for the purpose of winning popularity.
There are but too many of both classes in the reform
ranks. _

The rationale of vote by ballot is simple, and
obvious enough if people would but take time to
consider it. Vote by ballot is only a means to an
end—that end is secret voting. By keeping this'
steadily is view we get rid at once of • number of
tidy or dishonest cavilling objections to it. Tho nal
'Nation at issue is—ought votes in the election of
11111sbers of parliament to be given spesjUr
searetly ? If this question is decided in the
tive, then comes the second, subordinate, auxiliary
question—how are we to ensure secrecy in voting?
I'•
Where there is a will there is a way." Lot us
adopt,
in the w_, . _ .
as instance, the mode that appears
most likely to promote the end he view : if it fail. it
can be amended se another salethilmil for it. Ex-
perience will teach us how. The devise of seeking to
obstruct reforms the utility of whisk minuet be de-
nied, by cavilling at the mime for their
attainment, is slat mid
In the electies of ineetbste of the Nana
object is to ensure the chaise et andiales who
rally penes the confideese of the sentilensiss i
when essamesdadee le the deem h die envie.
tin that ponds that, they
_lnnen the lift
_sad
tie Monty raceutred in lesbian. It is able
that dis should the solo reams why mat vets for
say anilines : in the first place, bemoan the jedg-
met farmed by the majority of the thenster of can-
didates, though liable to err at times, is always right
in the main and in the long run; and hi the second
place, because a firm faith entertained by the manses
of the ability and integrity of their representatives,
is the best, the only guarantee for loyalty to our
representative institutions.
Now, a very little dispassionate, patient reflection
will show that individual electors are most likely
to vote for candidates solely from a conviction of
their honesty and ability, if they give their vote in
sock a manner as renders it impossible for any one
is knew what it has been. When a man votes in
all the world knows how he votes—he
iableale-slotill multitude of contending influences. Ho
asks himself what will this man say of my vote ?
How will that man feel towards me on account of it ?
His better and more amiable feelings are quite as
likely to mislead him as those of a baser nature. He
is liable to be induced to vote against his deliberate
convictions by intimidating, or by selfish regard
.to
his own interest ; but he Is equally liable to be In-
duced to vote against his ounistions by terre:ltt
thought lukewarm in theparehe cause, se se
of baring he view solely the-pesnetioe of his private
Wants. The giving of a nee is private is an act
between a saes and his own seastinse ; he
it free fron_paesies, with a ism seen performs
mimeses. Misgiving eta vets tali& is with timid
natures an set el enierdice ; with the boil mad FM-
IVO it is too apt to he a men ast of bravado. The
Xto of seas at an elution where they are
negopenly an the result of the Waned powers
of were= and aniglise es ems bawl, of" anger
or party_ spirit, or umetenbay eediedena ca the
other. Theaggregate of ages at an election where',
they are gives in secret, are the real, snows =peer
eon of the convictions of ttriiil:y. floret voting
therefore stied" a better
Ise the akin of the nest the:lrter, di
kr the gameness et ilex sepsenelative institn-
them
The advocates of vote by ballet, et meant voting,
rest their cane upon a atrial g halm
mature, and a deliberate we of
means to mead. The aFgunsate by w=e by
ballot, or secret voting, is seceded, if fairly tied dis-
posassate::considered, will be found to Mat best
Vale tiona to some pit of fluted,
eth billtrgerrflecriasiniple, that '^dgaebn
of a
free nen to conceal his opinions." This fine phrase
rightly interpreted moans that " a free man" is ea.
titled to indulge a vain-glorious ostentation at the
'risk of being induced to give a bad vote. There is
quite as great a risk of men being led to vote for a
showy unreliable mob tycophant, to gratify the poor
vanity of being called fearless independent fellows,
as of their being bought or frightened into giving
their vote for a jobbing instrument of power.
Again, we Ire told that so long as the electoral
r etsurri:eiteited, the exercise of the franchise is the
of a trust, that the non-electors have a right
to know how the electors vote, and by their know-
ledge to influence the vote. If the non-electors (as
ire at least do not question) are capable of exer-
ding the franchise, let them have it ; let then give
their votes according to their consisting's, WI hi
them leave others equally free to assert dish envie,
l' Lions. To exclude the non•electore from the fran-
chise, and yet claim for them a right to direct and
control others in the exercise of the franchise, is to
make of our electoral system an " organised hypo-
crisy." Did spew end time allow, the hollowness and
of all the specious, hackneyed objections to
fraor ly ballot might be exposed with equal ease.
The question of vote by ballot is therefore a ques-
tion of urgent and vital interest. It is, consequently,