The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-05 00:00:00

AFTER WHAT I—After Mellon's Promenade
Concerts, EVANS' to sup. We shall meet there.

OUR erillreoo*

TO COILEMPON DEN TS
Advertisements =tended for "The Expresa," London Evening
Paper, must be at the Office, 10, Bouverie-atreet, by Two
o'clock on the day of publication.

PRINCJCWS.

Tins Evininto, THE HuiITE.WYT JAPTAIN. Mews. Vining,
and 0. Honey; Misses Nethon, Augusta Thomson, end LR
iiiirilng.—And QUM LODULVOS.

BRITA NNIA:

.......
THIS EVE:MI(I, THE GE,ANdE GIRL. Mrs. E. Tarn°ld.—
Miss Lydia Latimer: Mr. H. Mai:unity, the Great American Actor
and Singer The Marvellous Martinettes, from the Hippodrome,
Paris--And THE GUILTY MOTHEIL Mrs. E. Yarnold.

HIGH WAWA AT LONDON BRIDGE.

---
THIS DIY —Morning, 1011. 3irn Afternoon, 11h. 19m.
TO-MOliutOW—Mornlng, 11h. 5..im Alternoon, Oh. Om.

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5.

OF the four Election Commissions now sitting,
it is hard to say which has the best claim upon our
notice to-day ; but we are disposed on the whole
to let Totnes and Lancaster rest until Mr. PENDER
or Colonel DAWKINS have told us something about
the one, and Mr. SCHNEIDER or Mr. LswaeNcssome-
thing about the other. Ithappens, too, that even thus
late in the inquiry, there are a few facts still to be
gleaned from the evidence in the case of Great
Yarmouth. Though the most salient features in the
sketch have already been filled in, there are little
touches added from time to time by successive
witnesses which help to give force and life to this
remarkable picture of an important English bo-
rough in the yearlB66. In this instance the Liberal
party in the town seems to have very much neg-
lected that prudent reserve which usually
marks the practised and veteran briber.
On the other side, when Mr. NIGHTINGALE had
made up his mind to see his partner safely through
the contest, he kept his determination to himself,
and only communicated with his " illegal agent"
by means of an "illustrious stranger." But his
opponents scorned this careful division of labour,
and Mr. BitoonEN's legal agent describes himself
as taking " about an equal part in the illegal ope-
" rations." In fact, there was no veil whatever
thrown over the latter element in the election. "It
" was arranged on the Monday morning," says Mr.
W. J. BRAND, " that money should be spent on I
" the Liberal side," and he further tells us that,
" when this determination was come to, all the
" leaders of the Liberal party were present," in-
cluding the two Liberal candidates, Mr. BROGLEN
and Mr. VANDERBYL. A minority, indeed, "were
" for a pure election," though only, it appears,
" with a view to a subsequent petition," but the
" contrary opinion prevailed." In justice, however,
to one of the "leaders," we ought to note, on the
authority of another witness, that when they
" began to talk of bribery, Mr. J. W. NEAVE,
" who is a religious man, generally walked out of
4' the room." Thus, even in Great Yarmouth,
there was an ABDIEL, not, indeed, quite faithful
among the faithless, but still preferring to stand
outside the door while his fellow sinners discussed
their plans within. Indeed, his example seems
to have been followed to some extent by a shoe-
maker, who let a room in his house as a Liberal
committee-room, but stuck to it that the bribery
which went on there was " all done when he was
" out." This last witness gave utterance when
before the Commissioners to a natural expression
of regret that the election had not lasted longer,
since, if it had, ho believes " the price would
" have got up high enough to make it worth the
4‘ Mayor's while to take a bribe." Another rather
remarkable person is" Mr. JONEs," whose real name
it appear, is SATTERTHWAITE, but who often calls
himself JoNEs "even at home," because his name
" is a difficult one, and people do not easily catch
" it." He protests that if he had had any idea
there was going to be bribery he would have
" declined to be introduced to Mr. BROGDEN."
All he intended to do was to secure about forty
votes for his party "by a little strateKv" with
which he was acquainted. It shows a trustful
and innocent spirit in " Mr. JoNE.s" to expect
that strategy without money would have any
effect in Great Yarmouth ; but unfortunately the
discovery that the Conservatives were bribing so
shocked and upset him that he took straightway
to the same evil courses himself, and even invented
a more effectual system of reaping the fruits of
corruption by guarding against double payments.
Altogether it appears that, on the lowest compu-
tation, there are 500 voters in Great Yarmouth,
nearly a third of the whole constituency, whose
votes are a simple matter of purchase ; and, con-
sidering the extent and completeness of the
organization by which the demoralization of the
borough is carried on, there are probably many of
the remaining two-thirds who are either assisting
or consenting parties to this state of things. Under
such circumstances we cannot say that the compo-
sition of the House of Commons would be injured
or the good government of the country interfered
with if Great Yarmouth should disappear for the
future from the list of boroughs that return
members to Parliament.

The Reigate Commissioners seem disposed to be
satisfied with nothing less in the way of material
for their report than an examination of
every voter. The list of witnesses goes
on increasing from day to day without, so
far as we con see, any material variation in the
character of the evidence. Where we left the
case a week ago there we find it now. There is
leas of systematic bribery, perhaps, than in some
other places ; but, as far as we can judge, nearly
every man in the borough gave his vote on a vague
understanding that he was to be a pound or two
richer for giving it ; and the only two clearly
marked classes in the constituency are those who
got actual money and those who only got pro-
mises. Occasionally, however, the failure to turn
promise into performance lost the economical can-
didate a vote. Thus one witness, who bad
worked for Mr. Mowsfes as a messenger for a
month before the election, made up his mind on
the moniing of the polling-day to vote for Mr.
GOWER. He voted, he said, " on his own system,"
which seems to consist in getting all you can
from the opposite party, and then enjoying the
further pleasure of reflecting how little they have
got out of you. Another elector not only pocketed

Mr. DlossoN's money, but even went to his com-
mittee-room, and heard him sing a song, and yet, in
spite of all these privileges, voted for his opponent.
We regret to add that this witness shows traces of
exposure to Jesuit influences, since when Mr.
MONSON, after the song, told him to " stick
" true," he replied that he would, meaning, as he
now explains, "stick true to Mr. GOWER." We
recommend Mr. WIIALLZY to move for a committee
to inquire into the part taken by Romish instruc-
tors in the promotion of bribery and corruption.
We dare say it is quite as conspicuous as their
share in the New Zealand insurrection and in the
Fenian movement in Ireland.

- _
Bribery that contents itself with an average
outlay of from 1/. to 21. may seem insignificant
by the side of such figures as we have had
occasion to quote lately. But the effects
of the process are not to be accurately
measured by the figures in which it is expressed ;
and in some respects Reigate is a better example
than some more conspicuous places of the real dis-
tribution of blame in regard to bribery. Corrup-
tion does not wear the same startling aspect as at
Totnes or Yarmouth, but it is none the less gene-
rally diffused ; and in the journeymen and small
tradesmen who think it a " nice day's work "
if they can put thirty shillings into their pocket
we may see the elements of those more finished
men of business who rate their political adhesion
at prices varying from 10/. to 5001. What chance
has a poor man, with keenly felt physical needs
and weak political instincts, of keeping himself
' aloof from bribery when he sees that the classes
above him have no scruple whatever in having
recourse to it 4 If he were left to give his vote
as he thought best he might give it indeed igno-
rantly, but he would give it with a certain sense
of having wants and interests which he would like
Ito see stated and discussed ; and when once that
I wish is consciously acted on a first beginning of
true political training has been made. But in
such a rudimentary stage as this the upward pro-
gress may be checked with the utmost ease.
The vague and distant prospect of some future
good to result from having a representative to his
mind is altogether obscured by the present benefit
of a week's wages for a day's idleness ; and the
real responsibility of the substitution of the one mo-
tive for the other must fall upon the men whose
patriotism is of that remarkable kind which leads
them to think nothing of the degradation of any
number of their countrymen, if by that meanirthey
can arrive at a six hundred and fifty-eighth share
in the government of their country, with whatever
personal and social honours it may bring. How to
fix the consequences of bribery more distinctly on
the candidates themselves, or upon the convenient
friends, political and personal, who supply them
with the necessary funds, is the great and, as yet,
unsolved problem that seems to show itself with
continually increasing clearness as the upshot of
all these investigations.