The Express.
London, England, 1860-04-02 00:00:00

NSW PALACE al WISTMINEITIR,
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and BONE DRESSING-CASES are the
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SECOND-HAND PIANOFORTE&
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gte erPrefOS-

TO 0011ESTONDICIFTS.
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RATILUiII.

Titre I! rime", Ws ANY INLOWICL will give Mr POIRILLA
ILIADINOM from Dsomills red What welbus.--AS the amikailla•
a the Reeduege NW •Willa Vellmbour ea WOW
Addeem written by Tam lis.,—Omiurre at L

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sarturzu.
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TZSTAIIINNIrs lnisarie =11•04=
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etas WATII. AT LONDON ttIDOL
T DAT —MAMA& HR. 61s. A/taw" Ilk sta.
Toaosam— aforsing. lb. lba. Altoresea. Ob. fa

LONDON, MONDAY, APRIL 2.

As the period recurs for the annual election of
Guardians of the Poor, the defects of the system
under which the opinions of each ratepaying
community are collected force themselves on
general attention. For many years past there has
been a growing sense of the un-reliability of the
process by which owners and occripien of property'
now signify their choice of persons charged with
the duty of settling the local taxation for the rup
port of the poor. Between six and seven millions
sterling are every year levied and distributed in this
way in England and Walea A considerable portion
is paid by the owners of rateable property is town
and country, but by far the greater part is contri-
buted by those who occupy as tenants lands,
dwelling-houses, or places of business. Without
questiouing, therefore, the justice and policy of
securing to the smaller and wealthier class above
mentioned • reasonable influence in the election
of Poor-law Guardians, it cannot be fairly dis-
puted that the prime rv9l lutes in any method of
electing Guardians ought to be—its efficiency in
securing the actual suffrages of those who form the
great body of ratepayers, and their general confi-
dence in the honest working of this portion of the
law. Unless these conditions are fulfilled in
its practical operation, it is impossible to believe
that any law can, in a community like ours, prove
of long duration. Favoured by popular en
itiorties, it may for a tune maintain its place on
theletatute-book ; but eventually, like all that is
fraudulent and false in legislation, it is sure to
yield to the gathering force of public reprobation.
The provisions of the Act of 1834 relative to the
mode of b.-king elections for guardians, are
unmistakeably marked out in popular judgment
for inclusion in that doom. More mischievous or
demoralising enactments do not exist in any de-
paitnient of modern legislation. Under the
plausible pretence of seeking only to ensure time
for independent deliberation in the voter, univer-
sality of voting by all who are entitled, and op.
portunity fur scrutinising accurately the suffrages
that are recorded, • mechanism of deception mil
delusion has been constructed hardly to hi
matched in its working for the extent ti
which it silently and Imperceptibly diefran-
elitses some, falaides the votes of others,
and destroys in the minds of all every-
thing like confidence iris the veracity and validity
of its results.

Previous to the Poor-law Amendment Act
complaint had frequesitly been made that Guar.
dimis were elected wholly by the minority of the
parishioners who happened to attend the vestry
at a given hour on a given day ; while the indo-
lent or busy majority who were absent or l►te in
their attendance were deprived of all participation
or electoral yoke. To remedy this acknowledged
evil the system of election by voting papers,eopied
from the proceedings of certain Joint Stock Com-
panies, was adopted. We all know the apparently
simple and conven: jut details of the system. The
busy houaisholder, on his return home, finds a
paper left for him by the police, which be may
fill up and sign if he pleases, or which he may
leave blank if he likes. Next day the paper
is called for by the policeman, and taken to the
clerk of the pariah or union, with whom it remains
until, on the day or two after, it is subjected to the
scrutiny of the parochial authorities. Nothing
can be more fair or unexceptionable in seeming ;
yet nothing can in point of fact be more unreal
than the pretences to efficiency and fairness which
it sets up. It is matter of painful notoriety that
the greatest irregularities occur in the service and
transmission of these papers. Where great num-
bers are to be delivered and called for, it would
perhaps be difficult to enforce any eflicieut check
without incurring considerable expense. Be that
as it may, none whatever is now attempted ; and
moons of omissions in particular districts are of
constant occurrence. One man forget. all about

it till the tune is past ; another man will not take
the trouble to complain ; and if a third should do
so, he can get no sort of satisfaction. But this is
about the least of evils. While the Voting Papers
he or are about to lie at the houses of the rate-
payers, they are found to be constantly filled up
surreptitiously, altered, obliterated, or otherwise
tampered with. The constables or collectors,
se the case may be, can give no account
of the contents : it would, indeed, be
impossible to make them answerable in this re-
spect ; and alter a sheaf of papers has been handed
in to the cle,k, and flung by him into the general
heap, all trace of how or where any inscription or
alteratem has been effected is practically out of
the question. The records of the Poor-law De-
partment testify to the number of instances in
which the validity of parochial elections has
been impeached on the ground of such taniperings;
and in several remarkable cases where inquiries
have been instituted by the authorities of Gwyder-
house, elections have been set aside on account