The Express.
London, England, 1846-09-17 00:00:00

League, the', Lad no reumkto believe

(although the freeholds were miquired avowedly for the
purpose of obtaining_ votes for a particular object) that
they had been paid fur otherwise than out of the
funds of the purchasers themselves. The League
had, however, contributed to this object by affording, in
many eases, the assistance of their agents to facilitate the
negotiations and purchases; for which purpose, also, the
sums paid by persona desiring qualifications in various coun-
ties, had been collected into accounts with certain bankers,
to the credit of certain agents of the Anti-Corn-law League."
The report then goes on to deal with the question which had
mainly occupied the attention of the committee, namely, the
power of making objections ; and, after noticing the recent
changes in the mode of objecting under the Registration
Amendment Act, 6 and 7 Vict., c. 18, which enables the
objector to leave the notice of objection at the place of abode
of the person objected to, as described on the hat, or a dupli-
cate notice at the residence of an occupying tenant,
and makes the production of a duplicate notice stamped by
a postmaster conclusive evidence of service, proceeds to state
that an alleged abuse had arisen out of this facility of prov-
ing service. That it appeared that the agents of the Anti-
Corn-law League posted at Manchester, on the 22nd, 23rd
and 24th of August, but principally on the 21th, the last
day permitted by law, at least 2:1,000 notices of objection to
voters for North Warwickshire, North and South Cheshire,
North Staffordshire, South Lancashire, East Gloucester-
shire, and Buckinghamshire, many of which were not sent
until tinplate, their number being so great that the post-
master was unable to despatch them. The consequence
was that, the objections not reaching the persons
whom they were directed to in sufficient time, many
persons of undoubted qualification were struck off the list
for want of appearance, while a very small proportion of the
objections were, in fact, valid. fhe persons object d to
were, in most instances, deprived of costs by the objector
declining to sustain the objections, and thus relieving him-
self from liability to costs, or by reason of some trifling
amendment in description, when, by the rule of the Registra-
tion courts, no costs are allowed. The agents of Vie League
were said to avail themselves of this rule to shield them-
selves from costs, their objections being directed to the de-
scription. Invalid notices were also created by the objectors
hanng employed other persons to sign the notices for then, and
this invalidity was held to deprive those persons of costs who
appeared to defend their votes, although their votes would
have been lost if they had not appeared. Upon this point
the difference between the two parties sloes not appear to be
as to the number of objections, but on the proportion claimed
as successful, which would show how far the course taken
by the League was vexatious or justifiable. On the one
hand the League claim as successful all objections which ter-
minated either in amending the description of a vote, or
expunging a name, whether upon an investigation of the
qualification, or from the non-appearance of the voter ;
without reference to either being at the instance of the over-
seer or of the League. On the other hand, it is argued
that the League are entitled to take credit only for those
votes which being really had were struck off on the hearing
of the case, and through the interpo-itic n of the agent of the
League. One party claims the right, as strictly in accord-
ance with the terms and spirit of the law, to object to every
voter in whose description of claim there is any, the smallest
error; while the other maintains that it is u great hardship
that a voter of undoubted qualification should be compelled
to prove his vote every year, upon trivial or technical
grounds, without the power of obtaining costs from the
objector; for if the parties do not appear, he is successful,
and if they do, he can avoid the payment of coats by with-
drawing his objection, thus placing the bond fide voter in a
position which might from its vexatious nature deter him from
coming forward to defend his vote, while as the law stands he
has neither protection nor redress.
In order to deal with this the committee have em-
bodied in their report the following suggestions :
" That when a voter has cstubliahed his right to vote,
the word 'proved' shall be written against his name:
but every one intending to prove his vote, shall have
the words ' claims to prove his vote' inserted in the list, on
giving notice to the overseer. That claims to be registered,
and notices of objections sent by post, shall have toe name
of the post town from which they are seat inserted." " That
theobjector shall reside within the limits of the same polling
place as the person objected to claims to be registered. That
a double entry of the same name for a different qualification
shall be a ground of objection. That objectors shall state
the nature of his objection, whether on the merit,' of quali-
fication, misdescription, or double entry; on the first, he
shall be confined to questions arising out of the third column ;
on the second, he may point eut errors, omissions, or mis-
takes or inaccuracies in the first, second, and fourth columns,
or any mere verbal error in the third column, but not go into
the merits or nature of the qualification ; and that objections on
the ground of double entry shall he confined to that head."
That every one objecting to a voter already on the register
shall deposit with the overseers 2s. 6d. with every notice of
objection ; and that every " proved registered niter" whose
vote is objected to on the merit of qualification shall be en-
titled, on establishing his vote a second time, to recover 40s.
from the objector over and above the 2s. 6d. deposited; while
every voter not being " a proved registered voter" whose
claim is similarly objected, on establishing his vote, shall
receive the 2s. GI. deposited, and such burn not exceeding
40c, as the court shall award. That where a party has been
objected to on the ground of misdescription, and an alteration
or addition is made to his claim, he shall not be entitled to
coats, but where there is no alteration or addition he shall
recover the 2s. Gd. deposited, and such additional sum under
40a. as the court thinks tit.—" That persons objected on the
ground of misdescription may make a declare ion of the proper
description of their claim to vote before& magistrate, and that
on the production of the magistrate's certificateof such declara-
tion at the revision, the claim may be amended, and the
vote allowed without further evidence. That the name
of a party objected to on the ground of double entry,
may be retained on the register for all or any of the
qualifications on which he claims to vote, but he shall
be bound to elect at which p-aling place he intends to
vote, and he shall not be permitted to vote elsewhere,
and whenever his name occurs on the register no entry
shall be made against it to this effect. That where a
person is objected to on the ground of double entry, and
the objection is sustained, no costa shall be given, and
the objector may receive back the 2s. Gd. deposited. That
in all other respects the power of the reusing barrister
as to costs shall remain as it is under the 46th section
of the 6th & 7th Viet., c. 13, except that the limit of the
sum shall be forty shillings instead of twenty. That to the
list of persons on the register or claimants to be trans-
mitted to the clerk of the peace under the 6th & 7th
Viet., c. 18, sec. 9, shall be added a column containing
the names of those persons who claim to prove their vote,
and in the list of persons objected to be transmitted under
the same section, shall be added columns specifying under
which of the three heads of objections, in the suggestion
relating to the nature of the objection, the parties are
objected to; and the clerk of the peace for each county shall,
before a certain day, file the same in alphabetical order, and
retain it till produced at the revision open to the inspection
of any registered voter."
Such are the suggestions offered by the committee as the
foundation of such future legislation as will meet the evils
which they consider to have been proved to exist under the
law as it now stands. The report concludes with stating
an opinion on two points well worthy of consideration as
materially tending to the correctness of the registers,
namely, that the registration should be a matter of official
duty on the part of responsible and competent officers to be
employed in forming and correcting county registers., and
that some alteration should hike place in the mode of remu-
nerating revising barristers, as the present plan appears to
have led to a greater hurry of business than is compatible
with that minute and deliberate investigation, which is neces-
sary to ensure a complete, clear, and accurate register.