The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-12 00:00:00

A RETURN REVERSED AT LEEDS.

When Sir William Clay, M.P., proposed, and
Edmund Denison, Esq., M.P., supported, the proposal for
placing parliamentary electors on the same looting u the
election of poor law guardians, they must have been pro-
foundly ignorant of the frauds practised under the latter
mode of election. At Leeds, the system of election under
the poor law regulations is regarded es in the highest degree
unsatisfactory. Here it is notorious, and hes been proved
on oath, by witnesses of the highest respectability, that
the voting papers delivered and collected by parties duly
appointed, have been destroyed, tampered with, and falsi-
fied, in such a manner as to secure the return of cadidates
of one particular party, even when it was known that the
bulk of the rate-payers had voted for others. In conse-
quent* of the disgust excited in the minds of
many of the rate-payers, the dominant party have,
until this year, been glowed to remain in un-
disturbed possession of their seats at the board of
guardians. In May last the Poor-law Board was memroisl
iced to snake an official inquiry into these practices, as re-
, garde the last elections for the north ward, and the
then l'oor-law Board, with Sir John Trollop, se
' president, declared it to be proved that the grossest
, irregularities had been practised in that election; and that
the whole proceedings reflected the greatest discredit upon
I all parties concerned in them. After this, at the instance
of the ratepayers, the Poor-law Board ordered their inspec-
tor, Mr. Fursall, to scrutinise the voting papers for this
ward. The scrutiny was completed last month, and this
week the Poor-law Board have sent down an order, unseat-
ing Mr. Stead, the vin-chairman of the guardians, and Mr.
Singleton, both of whom were in April last declared duly
elected by a considerable msjority of votes, and declaring
that their opponents had the majority of good votes, and
ought to have been returned. In consequence of this,
Messrs. Linsley and Broadhead have now, at the end of ten
months, been allowed to take the scats which, during that
period of time, have been usurped by the parties before
named, who belong to the tory party. As is generallyknown
the clerk to the guardians acts as returning officer, and at
the last election he declared the number of good votes
given for each of the candidates for this ward to have been
—for Mr. Stead, 248 ; for Mr. Singleton, 238; for Messrs.
Linsley and Broadhead, 209 each. The Poor-law Board,
after a long and tedious examination of the voting papers,
and after receiving evidence from the ratepayers, have
now decided that this return was erroneous, and that the
number of good votes for each candidate was as follows :
Foe Mr. Broadhead, 236; for Mr. Linsley, 235; for Mr.
Steed, 177 ; and for Mr. Singleton, IG9.
Messrs. Broadhead and Linsley have consequently now
taken their places at the board of guardian., and the two
tory have, according to directions from the Poor-
law
cased to act. It is believed in Leeds that this
frau/dna won has been in operation ever since the first
mamba stpur km guardians.

local Rape= •
Total Reaelpta Working IFT. tore on Re-
ffslf Year. on Ramona pommel vanes Account
Amount. Railway. Including Tau-
nts.
£ a . a d. £ ad.
Jan. to Jane, 1830 .. 21,168 10 11,703 11 3 16,331 10 0
July to Deo., 24,904 1 1 11,296 14 0 17,009 12 1
lan. to Jane, 1631 .. 13,633 11 11,611 311 11,668 1
July to Der, „ 33,581 13 11,499 11 4 13,613 3 0
Jae. laicise, 1333 .. 17,688 6 11,011 1 3 14,789 4 4
July to Dee., „ 83,839 IS 10,8811 6 6 14,496 7 7