The Express.
London, England, 1852-05-18 00:00:00

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LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 18.

"TRUTH is stranger than fiction." This may well
be said of a correspondence between the Marquis of
LONDONDERRY and his nephew, Mr. Reel n STI:w.:
KER, relative to a sent in parliament for the county
Down, which has just been published. The delicate
chapter on
.pocket boroughs in the theory and prac-
tice of British electioneering is ample and explieit;
the chapter on pocket counties has hitherto been a
blank, but the letters of Lord LoNnoxnettitv sill g,
fur to supply the desideratum.
Lord Cesri.eite.l6ll—" be courtesy"—member for
the windy Down, but in reality representative of his
father's pocket—Ls received notice to quit at next
election. He is to be "evicted" for the unpudonabie
offence of thinking fur himself on the question
" tenant right." The vacancy thus to he created was
offered to, and accepted by, the eldest nephew of the
Marquis, Mr. Davin STEWART Ken. Mr. KER,
ever, having given symptoms of what is considered
by his patron a muttuous spirit, has been deprived of
the reversion and sent packing after his cousin. .1
younger and more dutiful nephew, Mr. Jolts \ AN.
DELECR STEWART, is now the political flunkey elect
of the Marquis of Losnoxininitv in county Dunn.
The quarrel is essentially a family one, but in the
indiscretion of auger, the Marquis and the senior
nephew have appealed to the public to judge betwei a
them; and thus the public is enabled to appreciate
at its true value the political morality of both; and
has, moreover, obtained a glimpse into the myst/ ry
of the management of pocket counties. The Most Notre
the Marquis of I.oxiioNnentev claims an entire
and absolute proprietary right in the represeuediqn
of the county 1/own, on the title of purchase. Ile
speaks of " the immense treasure expended by
my family on this county scat," and declares,
" after all my forefathers have spent, I ought not
to yield this prize." He has bought the electors,
and will make them do his bidding. He mill
not share this property even with a son. "After
the immense treasure spent by the family on
this county seat, I cannot reconcile it to my.
self, my position, and my political name, to abandon
it, during, at least, my tenancy, to even CAsrLD.
REAGII, paying his own means, as he must even
then be dependent on my I otes." In the course of
nature exsThenearal must succeed to what his an.
cestors have bought, but the Marquis cannot bear
the thought of the young dog's stepping into the pa.
ternal shoes, before the father has gone where no shots
arc worn. Respecting the duties of the party whom
the Marquis is to place in the seat, his lordship is
perfectly explicit. There can be no mistake. lie tells
Mr. D. S. KER. that on no one question is he to think
for himself'; he is to leave his uncle to think for him.
" Otherwise," says the Marquis, "you would be in
the seat with my money, and my means, in a very
great degree, and my friends and others would
laugh at me for your boasted and acting indepen-
dence." To insure the " absolute, unconditional" obe-
dience of his nominee, the Marquis insists that
ho shall leave the Marquis to canvass for him, or only
ask votes in the Marquis's name. It was upon this
point that the negotiation with Mr. Kee was broken
off. Mr. Kan, to strengthen his position, asked ,owe
of his personal friends to vote for him, in addition to
his uncle's voters. Among others he wrote to this
effect to a Mr. ALEXANDER STEWART. Fearing that
a member who had been only in part returned by his
influence, might in future submit only in part to his
dictation, Lord LONDONDERRY immediately with-
drew his support, and transferred it to Mr. N-ANDE-
LEUR STEWART.

The question at issue between Lord LONDONDERRY
and his senior nephew has nothing to do with public
principle. In their political views they arc entirely
agreed—both arc out-and-out supporters of " Loel
DERBY, and protestant and censer% ally° principles:'
Nay, it does not appear that even on the delicate
question of their relations, as patron and nonliuc.,
there is any essential difference between them.
Mr. KER apologises for canvassing, in his
own name, by suggesting that some regard
ought to be had to appearances. "It did
not appear to me necessary or advisable to make our
arrangements known to each indb•idual and puttie:y,
because as regards our opponents and the `'..Ahern
Whig, it would confirm their insinuation that the
county was to be handed over to a political crab,
and because there are many landlords, and I believe
tenants, who would be offended by assuming that
they could be influenced by anything but their
own conscience and opinion. The nephew had no
disinclination to be his uncle's flunkey ; but lie dis-
liked the idea of wearing livery, and tried to per-
suade the old gentleman that the county gentlemen
and farmers, though willing to do his bidding, would
like to appear to act by their own impulse. The tru-
culent senior, however, would listen to nothing of
the kind; his parliamentary slave must be branded
as such ; the electors must not only do his biddin.t,
but proclaim to all the world that it was their sole
motive for acting. Ile had bought them, and all the
world should know it. Not even a semblance of free-
will should be left them lest it should keep alive a
hankering after the reality.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY is clearly of
opinion that the electors of the county Down see
as completely in his power as his horses, dogs, or
cattle. They must do what he bids them; they
must let all the world see their implicit obedience.
Lord CAMELFORD, when ho gave the burgesses el
his pocket borough to understand that if he com-
manded them to elect his black servant they must
obey, did not speak with more imperious insolence
than the owner of the pocket county of Down. We
shall be curious to see how that election goes. If
the Marquis of LONDONDERRY carry his point, the
electors of Downshire must take rank below those of
St. Albans. But is Down the only county that is thus
degraded? Viscount. SEsnsts, aeon of the Marquis of
LONDONDERRY, sits for North Durham, in which the
Marquis has large estates. By what means has his
return been secured ? on what tenure does he hold
his seat ? Ilan "immense treasure " been expended
on the voters of North Durham ? Is Lord St:sitte';
subjection to the will of his father also "absolute,
unconditional ?" Is he too debarred from caneassinq
for votes in his own name, lest he should follow the
bad example set him by his half-brother? Alta
the exposure of the relations which exist bete eta
the Marquis and the electors of the county Down,
east the electors of North Durham, for very Aime,
return his son to another parliament: if they do.
they will seek in vain to convince taw world that
their votes have not been bought.
Were this disgraceful affair a laughing matter, it
would be easy to place it in a ridiculous point e,f
view. Lord LostuosicEniev's magnanimous dictation
to his nephew—" I must not be the dupe of my own
affectionate credulity"—is the boldest burlesque on
the pathetic that has ever been attempted. 141 r..
VANDELEUR STEWART'S appeal to "the electors el
this independent county "—published after the se-
pearance of the correspondence upon which we hale
been commenting, and his exhortation to them " as
independent electors," to "be guided by principle
alone, and enrol your votes under the old STEW.% It r
banner of honour and honesty,' and pitch the tat-
tered standard of expediency to the winds"—is the
sublime of impudence.
But the subject is too serious to be treated in this
manner. The bought and sold, and " ballyrag:
gated" elections of county Down are but types el.
all their tribe. Tho revelations of the Marquis of
LONDONDERRY tell us what is the condition of nearly
all our agricultural constituencies. The most venal
boroughs are scarcely a whit more venal than most
counties under the Chandos clause of the Reform Bill.
Electoral corruption has 'grown to such a head that
the abuse can only be remedied by an extensive and
sweeping measure of general reform. The time for
paltering with bit by bit remedies has gone by.
Electoral corruption can only be cured or diminished
by a large infusion of new blood into the etcetera
ranks, by breaking up the organisations by which
constituencies arc managed, by withdrawing the d.
pendent from the surveillance and controul of flux
wealthy and powerful corruptors. To accomplA
the first of these ends, whole classes now excluded
front the electoral franchiso moat have it ck