The Express.
London, England, 1856-04-16 00:00:00

expreOpl.

ant. Intended for "The Itzpreaa,.Lottdot jt
salt be at the Oiler, 10, Robearioaltroat, by Taro Osiook os
day of pabUomos.

lion WATER AT LONDON BRIDOE.
Dma DAT—lltnneur, OL. Afternoon. OIL 10*.
Tonnonsow—SWrning, Oh. lita .... ...Altrtscos. oe. 54%.

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16.

TuE abuses of our representative system will not
escape discussion this stssioo, although no general
Reform Bill is to be submitted to Parliament. The
attention of the House of Comm will le drawn, at
different times, to three important elements of Par-
lialosetary Reform. Mr. BIHEILLET is to renew his
motion on the Ballot; and Sir JOSHUA WALMILET is
to stopple with thequestions of suffrage extension and
_ . .

• • too of t►e extiactino el consomme=small to admit
of a free end unbiassed exercise of the franchise. Mr.
Bursexcr submits his prorositioa in the ken of •
resolution. Sir JOBIIOA WALMOLEY boa embodied
ku twe propositions in the form of bilis. The ran
form is a matter of little moment except se a insider&
tion at Parliamentary tactics. Into this masiders-
tioe we do not propose to enter; what we have to
ay relates exclusively to the merits of the gentle=
intended to be raised. In the present state of parties
and of opinion it appears to es that the cause of
reform is more likely to be promoted by challenging
a discussion of each of the three points we have 011112111.
rated, apart and upon its own merits, than by pro-
mating them combined with others as parts of a
comprehensive scheme of Parliamentary Reform.
With regard to the Ballot, oar opi•ian b.• been
so often recorded that we have little left to
may at present, except that it remains unal-
tered. We look upon Vats by Ballot simply
as the mesas to an end—Secret Voting. It appears
deal:tibia that this should constantly be kept in vin►,
for thus we escape all cavils about the practicability
of any particular mcde of collecting the votes of
electors. The first point to be determined is, whether
seek man's vote for a Member of Parliament should
be openly avowed, or given in secret. A correct
judgment on this question can only be formed after
begonia( which mode of voting is the more likely to
leave the elector free from undue bias. There can be,
no doubt that • vote given in secret, like an opinion
cherished in silence, is mom likely to be sincere
than one which is subjected to the criticism of
others. When we vote is public, as when
we speak aloud, we are apt to be biassed by a
desire to cultivate the favourable opinion
or to evade the diaapprebatioe and perhaps the *amity,
of others. Whoa we vote I. private, ea when we
thick la silence and seelasios, we are mom likely to
give free and fearless merle to oar real °pick= and
impale= The vote of every =divided, when given
in secret, is • more sinews =pre mien of kis halid—
e his convictioa—that this or the ether candidate is
most eligible for the treat repssad in a Mamba
of the Legislature, than whoa it is gives is pantie
and, ccasequatly, the real agreed, Judgment of a
whole coaatitemmy oa tbseempseades merits of rival
madidass will be mon arreslig asmetrined by a sys.
tem of secret than by • system of epos voting. If the
assent of a majority of the Legislature to this prin.
sip)* can mat be obtained, it will be an easy matter
to devise • mode of voting by which it will not only
be Impassible for others to discover how my elector
bee voted, but for any one elector to prove to the
satisfaction of other, how he has voted. On these
grounds our unreserved and unoonditimal support is
gives to Mr. BERYISLIT'S

With regard to the extension of the =Sege, it is
universally admitted that, under our existiog system,
whole classes of voters are excluded from =moral
privileges who us bet= qualified to examine the
franchise judiciously and hooestly than some
classes who are admitted to perticipate is
these privileges The @tardiest Conservatives
will admit this, for the qualifieationa re-
quired in a voter are frequently lot possessed by
men whole education, =perks= of life, and pro-
perty, ought to bring them within the electoral pale.
And every Reformer, deserving the name, will admit
that among the =enfranchised of oar waking classes
—among our skilled artisans—there are many who
world be an acquisition to any cosetltoesey. Wean
contested to rest the decision of the question of
satrap extension at peewit upon them cossiders-
lions By this means we escape all Dios diaensolose
regardieg the length to which salmi extessies
may be safely carried, or the abstract principles
which ought to determine who are entitled to the sof-
frogs. !kr J. WAL/ISLIT appears to have kept this
consideration is view, when fruiting his bill for the
extension of the suffrage. He doss not ioterfore
with, at attempt to abrogate, any =Sties qualifier
tics. He simply proposes to pleas the misty and
borough cesstitosocies on the same footing, by ex-
tending the franchise to all householders He thus
meets the views of the Conservatives who =splay,
with jostles, that the existing qualificatioss =elude
many men of education sad bade= experience, and
of the Rtfoessers, who would give a Tau in elude=
to the Nits of the =skis( classes. He wales@ the
goodies to= simple an he.. as pessible, and to one
that has great authorities in its favour.

By his messed bill, 81r Immo proposes to dish...-
aim a small number of boroughs, each of which
ntune one member to Parliament, althoset the •
popeletion of every ore of them is below 4,0001 and
to take me member each from 42 berosghs in sack of
whisk the population is respectively below 10,000.
The meats teas vacated he proposer to allot to a num-
her of la►ge towns—with populations eagle, from
10,000 to 40,000—at present entirely unrepreesated,
end to a few opacities and boroughs which ars at
puma inadetreately ',promoted. The great maw
emendation of this tosser* is that it will weeder
err represeatation is the Home of Oommoss
more real. There will be fewer representatives of
jobbing clique and coteries and ma repre-
sentatives of numerous and istelligont portion
of the gametal community. We Wa—
fer, it es de what we will, so cm esnedtrtienal
question is. be entirely abstracted from crime—that
without some mach preliminary arrangement as is eon-
templated by this bill, it will be impartible to carry
Leto effect any plan of mast voting.
Here, thee, we have three proposals about to be
submitted to the House of Commons. upon nab of
which every member who expressos an opinion nest
pialaly and frankly say either "Tee' or "No." They
area simple, so clearly diluted, that they admit afro
evasion. If majorities out ha persuaded to erne all
err my of them, they may then be serried on imps-
roily or embodied in me pineal swore. Apar
semis of the principle of each will gain in sionegool
- irreleventesseideratioss.
slestims impending, it IP
easstitosseise mhari/•1e
views their ropreseningern
to these vital qualities&

vii.mS,7o7`4

by the nelasian of all irrelevant etweideratioss. Wi
the prorpoot of a veinal skeins ispeadiag, it
penile:ly desirabi• that anatiteneles should
sesitied to know what views their rap resestatie
Gannon with Menne to then vital gentians.
CHIRAL PALACIL-0113 SHILLING DAT, TIII
DAT, APRIL 15.—Mmirslows es peva/at, Len ; OM.
isms tisket.. 323; total visitors, 2,004.
111111