The Express.
London, England, 1850-03-08 00:00:00

ought to bu'eergo:7o;
parry publicity of • mgrano'suiviodte. Ice the
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hers of pulirment, they (the candidates) would no longer appeal to • mere unthinking cry
trict. Every candidate, thus knowing that eviry voter was at liberty to vote as he thought fit,
would wore maturely consider the subjects on whirl he had
to adder" the constituency. The rank would be a change
for the better In hustings speeches, and the introdurion of g
higher and more considerate tone to rolitical exposition'.
The electors would also be induced to give greater considera-
tion to poliiieal questions, and feel mere tercet in their in-
' vestralion. It was a fact, which be could vouch for, that
many area at present would rather know mord,' of tat*
political crustier of the day than be Informed of them, end
felt a great reluctance to investigate them, simply bemuse by
being ignorant of the MUSS they were about to tasks, they
avoided the risk of having their convictions running ouster
to their intimate. (Hear, bar ) On these gr undo, with
the view of improving the political intelligence of the people
of improving also the character of the vetches end appeal;
of eandidurs, and believing that it would create greater
tranquillity at elections by doing away h mobbing sad
other such proceedings, by which men were deterred from
the ordeal of passing through two lines of °pre irg voter
In order to retried their rob a, he held that the electoral body
ought to pones, the protection of the ballot. (Hen, heat)
Mr. 7. WILLIAMS taid, npreseasing as he did in that
house a large portion of that particumr class of her Ma-
jeety's subject* who desired to be enabled to use the
, franchise, without the permission, and not under the corn.
pulsion of their landlords or their customers, he deemed it
to be his bounden duty to speak their sentiments, w'ienever
the to them most important subject should to brought for.
weed. Ile hed nit much pleasure, when his hon. friend the
member for Brissol last anion "eked leave to bring ie a
bill, in seconding his motion, and boldly repulsing his sen-
timents on the question. Ile then corroborated to the ut-
most eztent the statements of the disgraceful rate of
thraldom in which the iuhabitante of this metropolis, es well
as other cities and boroughs, were plunged. And be wee
enabled to point out the dentoralitation of constitusheies in
Wales, his native country. Well had the hon. mem-
ber celled attention to the fact, that although ;ear the
last few years the screws and engines of compulsion
had not been resorted to, unless particular invent's,
with that fierce determination which marked their use .ut
xtirmotesuloefingrtoeatpxpoetelintidealthmexcittehmereearotr;e yet it
wee:tut:l2:i miserable
argument
out of fashion. Let the aristocracy now, it they could, stir
up an election, and the sire scenes would be creamed which
he bad ventured to describe last union. Cerrisgs I, with
their titled occupants, would toll from door to door, es they
1841. The threats rteoatsa ameurldicajgolreerynee
extent
with
Gtiarirddehistnmeten than their male relatives dared to to. (Ironical
cheers.) Now, as a plain man, but he trusted au honest
one, he contested that he was utterly unable to comprehend
how hon. members could defend the present sjo.em. Why
would they not be undid, and say that it was fully to entreat
the present class of voters with the franchise, but that emu
should vote so many times, according to hie property ? Ha
could understand that, although he should not approve of it.
But that they should by law qualify one set of men to
elect representatives, and then permit that privilege to be
usurped by another, did seem to him to be a state of things
contra., to reran and common sense. It was with greed
pleasure that he supported the motion of his ten. friend.
Mr. HEALD entirely differed from the right hen. gen-
tleman the member for Manchester that the motion might
to be agreed to on the ground that the electors required the
protection of the ballot. lie did not aemit the Mika w
ould
be • protection—(scar, hear)—and it it were said that a
large portion of the people agreed with the right hon. gen-
there, Ilia (Mr. Heald's) answer was Coat the electoral
body di i not ask for nor desire it. He represented a popular
borough, and was prepared to state that rot m.rely Nin-
eteen of his constnuenta, but niee tenths t them,
did not want the b.lbt. lie opposed its adcir.iiin a.so be-
cause he thought it would amount to a charge upon the in-
tenrity of the electoral body, and because he deemed pubii.
city essential to our national character. He hoped the
house would not cousent to abolish the present long Main
tithed and greatly honoured system.

Mr. BRIGHT raid it would be extremely 'sties:eery if
the very favourable character which the hon. gen•leman
gave of his own coortituente cou'd be received as a hair one
of the electoral body generally. The hoe. gentleman re-
presented Stockport —a borough certainly not remarkable foe
its purity.—(a laugh)—nor for the little cat of :ta elettioes
—(hear, hear)—but somewhat remarkable for the tumultorme
and disgraceful prom:idler% by which several of in geeloma
had been characterised. lie knew something of that bourant,
end would let the house kuow something 01 it. (Heart
bear.) Crossing the enormous viaduct by which the
North Western Railway traversed that town, the
passenger might observe en either side several lug, mills and
tall charades. indeed it was well known that Stockport
was almost entirely supported by its cfftou trade, and twat
many of the ctern.n of these mills employed from :aO.) to
2,000 persons each in carrying on their business. Now, not
only over these, but likewise over nearly all the tradesmen
in the town who supplied the hundreds of articles required
in the wear and tear of those large ara..ufac-
tones, did the owners exercise a direst influence,
for a large employer was, in tact tile the great tended pro-
prietor with numerous tenants Led labourers dependant on
him. lie was himself much in the polities he sou de-
limiting. He employed large numbers of persona who at
frequent stated intervals attended at his couuting-house to re-
crier payment and orders—men employed at subtidiary trades
and manufactories. As a matter of mune, that spec es of m-
Hoene* which the ballot was intended to guard against
existed to a large extent in aura ease-, and at was
left wholly to the morality and conscientiousness
the parties having that influence—(laugeteri—whetbee
it was exercised or not against the rignts of tae rumors who
were subject to it. He was not ab cut to say that the em-
ploy, re at Stockport were lets pure or Ina eispmed to em-
uss their influence than those of Rochdale or of this metro-
polis, or elsewhere. Ile merely asserted that such sa influence
existed in the bands of men employing musseds of persons
likely to be affected by it, without caarging any one man
more then another with abusing tt ; asap be asked
whether, when party spirit ran high, as it
often did in null towns and sometimes where
there was little to fight about, sometimes through private
and sometimes through personal motiveo, they could lay their
hands to their hearts, end say, that that influence was not
exercised by candidates and employers connected with all
political parties. (Hear, hear.) lie believed tbat no one
could conscientiously declare that in the great ma-
jority of elections, whether for counties or for
boroughs, particularly where the constituencies were limited,
. such influence had no: been exercised adverse to the lade-
' eendence and commentious voting of the electors. (lieu,
hear.) The borough of Stockport was no exception. The
hon. gentleman said that nine tenths of the electors of that
borough did lot went the ballot. Nine tenths of the elec-
tors did not vote for him, and be could not speak for more
than did. (Hear, hear) The hon. member would, per-
haps, before long, be asked to present a petition from
the majority of his constituents in favour of the
ballet. (Cries of "Hear, hear.") In Lone entre, when
all deems were as independent as in any portion of the king-
dom, he (Mr. Bright) could assert that the gnat milord,
were in favour of the ballot, and the principal region achy it
was refused to them by hon. gentlemen opposite was,
because they knew that in many instructs wars the ballot
granted, the returns to that house would be very dif-
&rent from what they were. (Hear, hear.) They
had had one night's debate on parliamentary re:orm,
and they should have many more on the subject.
(Hear, hear.) The thing was so monstrous upon the
face of it that we were subjected to the rithcale of
every. foreigner who examined into it. ( Laughter on the
opposition benches.) It would be wise for hon. gentleman
it stud of raising an unmeaning laugh to give name argu-
ments to the house in favour of the system they upheld, a
system which was ridiculous in theory, end which, in prac-
tise, was found to occasion great evils through:ut the
country. (" Hear, hear," and cheers.)

Mr. MASTERIIAN advocatad public swing, and was
understoGd to say that his constitusats did aid dame the

Mr. MUNTZ said that he should give his vote in favour
of the motion. The hon. member for Stockport had said that
only one-tenth of his constituents were anxious for the ballot.
The experience of him (Mr. ?Junta) of the borough ,d
Bir-
mingham led him to believe that a very large proportion. of
the electors would like to have it, and that that properties
consisted of the moat respectable clam, principally shop-
keepers, who did not think it just either to themselves et
their families to have the system of open vat ig continued.
lie asked hon. gentlemen whether they should save
the franchise is such a manner as the: it became prejudicial
to the Steeliest' of those who openv and consciei,tinusli
exercised it;? He advised those who •travelled on the con-
tinent to ask what had been the effect of the ballot is Bel-
gium, where it had been established in the >ear P4O. Be
bad inquired about is operation in that country, and found
not • single instance in which it had operated
If it hail worked well in Belgium, why should it not work
equally well in K:glead ? His own 'solid was that they
would realise the independence of the people of this
country until they bad given them vote by ballot. (Hear.)
Col. SIBTIIORP hoped that England would never imi-
tate Belgium or any_ other country. He oirjected to thew
foreign imitations. He objected also to the ballot, and would
despise the support of every voter who wished to have
to such a subtlety. Open and honest reptseentatom
ought to be eleo:ed by open and honest voting.
Mr. HUME referred to the clubs of London as " Erglish"
=tsen for the ballot, employed by the most oinn and
able gentlemen. Patitious he bad lately received
contradicted the assertion of the member for Stockport, that
the majority at his constituents did not densaud the measure.
The enfranchisement of 750,000 voters in inland had bees
resisted on the plea that they would be driven like sheep to
the poll.
Mr. BEALD explained that he had nut eluded to the
constituency of Stockport specially, but to the average of the
esnatituenctie of the empire.
Mr. H. BERKELEY replied. No arguments had been
adduced against his motion, bat some assertions were made
that the necessity foe the ballot had direini‘he t. hear-
minions he met by showing that intimidation and corrupts,*
were still as rife as ever.

The boon than divided—
For dm mottos
Against It
lie
Majority -16
SCHOOLS IN SCOTLAND.
Titcount MELOUND obtained Move to bring is a bill W
reform and extend the school umblidiseats of doot)Aad.