The Express.
London, England, 1857-04-18 00:00:00

privileges mos only to De probated at the Floe of
sorrow publicity, mid Alcoa* sad popular

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New, off emcee, we don't mean in the present stage
et the ems at "The Green e. BAuswett (Clerk)"
to vi nay anticipation as to what the facts
lay ultimately turn at to be. Only one side has
yet bees bmrd, and it is possible that the incrimi-
nated party may explain away or negative the elle-
satires made against him. We go no farther than
this, that the case is at any rats ens that, on the
face of it, calls for prompt and searching Jaw:stip-
tiny sad that if the facts of the case are as repre-
sented in the ex parte statement of Mr. Swam, it
is imperil& to conceive a state of things more im-
peratively sailing for all those powers of repression
which the Legislature has recently conferred on the
law marts. The allegations on which the snit
sin was granted are in substance these:
the party against whom the criminal information
was moved is the Rev. E. L. Beau watt, the nuiter
of the Endowed Grammar School at Bathos. ia
county of Denbigh. The pasties applying flte
rule are • father and son, of the IMO Whitman..
bakers in the same town. TY pale Ely !err fore
Denbighshire boroughs was Axed tre *DIM at
lest month. Mr. Townsman Mailiwatuno ssi
Mr. Luna Mows were the esallatee. Both
the Tiesumnas had votes, and both were
eagerly convened by the supporters of the
rival candidates. On the day of the poll, ties
Rev. Mr. Basurweas several times ealkd en the
Taaneana and premed him to vale
far tango. The answer was, that he (Tan-
anan s) had several persona to please beside lb.
amaewszt—(that is about as ides
Ado of the British shopkeeper sass be nu
pods' to rise under a system el open voting)—
mil teat he should either vote for Mout, ett
dal moder. Mr. BAz.urma. then throelmed
'ltman that if he did not vote for MAntermturo,
"he would he churchwarden own year, and would
rake the *hardy breed from Ann." This re-
ferred to a charity in the town, for which
Timm= was baker, end out of the funds of which
20 loaves weekly were given away by the church-
Wardens. The reverend canvmmer is further repre-
stands, having threatened this free and independent
bakes, that in case of refired, "he would look black
at him" and take away his own custom. Not moo-
wading to his wish with the husband, he tried the
TS. "Ha eolled a mood time and told Tatiszates
wile if her husband did not vote us he wished he
should toke no more bread for the church." Ile
is also stabil to have called a third time and node
similar theists. It was all labour in vain. The
Tummunuboth father and sca,resorded their votes
kr Mr. Mom= Thersupenoa they swore, Mr.
Smarm= imuoMetely poseedod to carry into
keel ass partite of hb threat. From the 10th
el lest Merck this zealous sad outraged dogmas
hes wholly withdrawn his ennom from them coats-
neasionaly independent bakers.
Now, as we said before, it is possible that these
allegations may be negatived : we confess we hardly
see how they can be explained. If not materially
modified, it seems impossible to conceive a clearer
or a greenroom of the very kind contemplated by the
" Corrupt Practices Prevention Aet." It is greatly
to be wished that in all similar indexers mesas
could be found of bringing the easier' within
the reach of the law. We tryst it in ennecesiery
to express a hope that whenever a ems of the kind
is brought home to the incriminated party, the
Courts will exert without stint or scruple the fall
power with which the law invests them. As it is,
the penalty provided is scarcely adequate to meet
the gravity of the offence. The convicted party
is to be deemed guilty of a misdemeanour I
thus leaving to the Court the option of imposing a
fine or a sentence of imprisonment, at its plasma.
The option thus left is objectionable. The manna
should be one of imprisonment in every use.
Ofhnene of this clam are beet punished by inflictions
that carry with them something of degradation, but if
the option is left to the Court, it is a difficult matter to
secure the apportionment of the severer alternative.
The injury to the community is too apt to be for-
gotten, when the convicted party, an eminently
respectable member of society, is brought bodily
before the Court for sentence, having secured on his
behalf the ablest rhetoric of extenuation that the
bar of this eountry can supply. After all, there is
one, and but one, effectual protective against the
abominable immorality of intimidation, and that is
secret voting, and the enlargement, if not equalisa-
tion, of the constituencies. Meanwhile, let the re-
pewees of prohibitive and penal law be fully and
fairly tried.

Tax storm bus suddenly swept over Pullen,
and the place thereof knoweth it no more. In as
night its loftiest and fairest spreading boogie
have been rudely snapped, and now lie wither-
ing in the dust of dissolution. Piueu, PIM-
Lugo's, 11000, and LATE/ are gone; not even
the willow-like pliancy of Cannuml. could save
him ; and the very remembrance that Mr. FREDERICK
PEEL had once been his father's son was too much
for the Whip at Bury. Nor can these heavy blows
and great discouragements be said to have been the
worst. With the exception of Mr. GLADSTONE, none of
the Peelites seem to have stood with uncompromising
mien and attitude at the hustings. Bo great was the
pressure felt to be, that the toughest and haughtiest
were forced to yield. Sir JAKES GRAHAM indulged,
u is hie wont, in a host of bitter things at Carlisle,
directed against the Ministry ; but he thought it
necessary " to hedge," as betting men would phraae
it, by a vehement repudiation of the Puseyite ten-
dencies and tenets of his right hon. confidant, the
member for the University of Oxford. In Notting.
hamahire, the Duke of Nrwcaerta advised his
brother to coalesce, not only in votes but in pledges
and profusion' of principle, with Mr. EVILTP
Denison : and the new and the old Whig are es-
cordingly returned without any trouble. Still more
significant is the rumour current with regard to
North Wilts. Hitherto it was supposed that Mr.
SIDNEY HERBERT RSA there impregnable by RAM
at hie numerous connexions, personal friendships, and
large territorial possessions. Few could pretend to
vie with him in wealth or electioneering apti-
tudes of any ether deseriptien ; he was on
all hands admitted to be personally popular, and,
as compared with any competitor that was likely
to enter the field, a political celebrity of the first
Nevertheises, it is freely stated, and very
illy beim& that without Lord Arun I
smors giro Mr. 1/11DERT would not have been
elastics; and that the noble marquis
caus•
ed it to be known very distinctly beforehand
that his goodwill was not to be won by any one who
did apt give sande:tory assurances of an intention
sustain in future the Liberal party. It is not for
is to say how cheerfully or how cautiously the
right hon. gentleman gave the pledge adverted to.
Par from alluding to the incident in any spirit of
levity or lament, we hail it as a good omen, and re-
ifies to find that so many valuable waifs and
alp have drifted after the tempest to the
Id* ism It was only while men of Mr.
Rileinellte 'and Sir J. GRAHAM'S stamp per-
sisted in attempting to occupy a false position as