The Express.
London, England, 1858-06-08 00:00:00

SPORITNO INTELLIGENCE,

A SPECIAL EDITION of the „EXPRESS,"
attaining the results of the day's Rams, is pub-
lished every evening during the Sporting Season, at
Aim o'clock.

Mn. H. Beeixamte will ask leave, to-night, to
bring is his Bill to moss the votes of Parlieeseatary
Electors to be taken by Ballot. The °bioptic's• to
each &proposal are stereotyped. They resolve them-
011ie/ into two heads. First, it le alleged that if
votes are allowed to be gives smelly all public
virtue will be destroyed. And then it is added that
it is impossible to give a secret vote. The one Neer-
ties seetraliess the other ; but that is no concern of
these who glibly utter them. Their object is to address
sot the reason but the prejudices and imagine-
tires dams. They seek to put their hearers into
'tech a (eight that they may be unable to use their
logic and detect self-contradiction. They denounce
• the Ballot as a new and unheard-of innovation ; they
declaim against the unmanliness of • man's
reeking to conceal his opinions ; they enlarge upon
.the meanness of meting a lie ; they expatiate on the
onblimity of that virtue that is strengthened by
temptation and adversity. All this is sot arguing ;
it is raising a pother about men's ears in order to
frighten them from listening to argument
Who are the opponents of Secret Voting ? First
OR the list come your great landowners, who hold
with the Nottinghamshire Squire that it is a sin end
a shame for a tenant to vote against his landlord.
They hare an interest in opposing Secret Voting, for
under its protection some of their tenants might
venture to vote against them. Next come keen,
relentless democrats, of the working clue, who, living
in the outskirts of some manufacturing town, compel
the few shop-keeping ten-pounders who dwell
amoug them to vote for their candidate under
the penalty of loss of custom. They have
RR interest in opposing Secret Voting, for
under its protection some of these shopkeepers might
take the liberty to vote according to their convic-
tions. Then come managers of elections, both from '
the Reform and Carlton Clubs, whose craft would
be in danger if Secret Voting allowed the objects, f
their persecuting solicitations to give them the slip
al the last minute. And, lastly, there are a great
many worthy people who object to the Ballot,
simply because it is not the way in which they have
been accustomed to give their votes. Now, we
appeal to all men of common sense—when we find a
motley crowd, composed of Tory squires, ultra-
Radicals, and venal electioneering agents, all com-
bining to discredit and cry down • me sure which
it is alleged would put an end tI the foul play
of one and all of them—does not their con-
duct somewhat resemble that of an insurgent
Swell Mob trying to bonnet a constable ? We do
not say that the suspicious chirecter of the op-
ponents of Ballot is conclusive as an argument in its
favour. We only maintain that their palpably
interested motives ought to Wince men to pay no
attention to their exaggerated vitoperstive declama-
tion ; and to examine the argumer.ts foe and against
Vote by Ballot with the same coolness that they
would follow the steps of a mathematical demon-
stration.

The duty of every man invested with the Elective
Franchive is to give his vote for the candidate whom
he conscientiously believes to be best qualified to
discharge the functions of a legislator. His belief
will rest first upon *he general accordance
of the candidate's principles with his own ;
next, upon hia conviction of the candidate's
moral eoarage, sincerity, and freedom from Mois-
ter self-eeeking. These are the oorsideratioas
which ought to decide his vote: if he allows any
other to have weight with him he acts dishoneetly.
Now the human power of self-deception is enormous.
Men have an extraordinary elpacity for persuading
themselves that their most perverse motivesare purls
Does a landlord threaten ; they discover that party-
spirit is unjust. Is the mob uproarious; they become
convinced that the rot populi is really the cox Dei.
And to such prewar, they are inevitably subjected
whenever their vote is to be given in public. They are
not left a moment to themselves. They are solicited,
watched, flattered, badgered from the moment
the seat is vacated till their vote has been
gives. Amid the incessant urging of appli-
cants their conseience has not an instant to
make its voice heard. They are out-clamoured, out-
argued; for almost every man can form a tolerably
shrewd judgment ea to who is the most eligible
candidate, but few can explain or defend the
process by which they arrive at the ocariction. It
is in the interest of honest voters that the system of
Secret Voting is demanded. It is inspossibla to save
them from bewildering solicitation in all its shapes;
and therefore it is entreated that they may be re-
leased from it at the decisive inoment when the irre-
vocable act of voting is to bo performed- Let them,
then, be left alone, with Clop and their own con-
sciences for the only witnesses of what they do, in
order that they may have some chance oi.seting muord-
ing to their real convictions, and in such a runner as
shall not expose them to after self-reproacil. Let
the man who wishes to vote for an unpopular ran-
dictate, whom be is perfectly right in thinking ti.No
beet, though he wants the glibness of tongue to
outtalk his deluded neighbours, be allowed to vote
for him without incurring the persecution of unjust
imputations. Let the man who is liable to the
weakness of seeking to conciliate the wealthy
and powerful be relieved from temptation, by I I

111Iiiissms.