Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-08-18 00:00:00

select committee that sat in the House of Commons
produced a file or blue-book from these commis-

;inners four feet high, and

weighing up warc

[red-weight

_ .
,f. Mr. COBDEN, on rising, was received with tremendous .. ---.-- ----, ---,
it cheering. When the applause had subsided, the hon. F Well, commissioners have been appointed to enquire
iv gentleman said :—Ladies and gentlemen, I am rather into those brutal boroughs where they had reasons to
out of practice now, for it is now somewhere about two- suppose that the corruption was more than usually
and-a-half years since I addressed a public meeting out vile. And what did it amount to ? A few young
iv . of Parliament ; and lam afraid that, with the disad- barristers were sent down to a little borough in
os•j vantage of being under canvass—(a laugh)—l may fail Gloucestershire, and they heard stories from Tom and
Y I to make myself heard by every one here present, Harry, and then a blue-book was presented to the
g unless you indulge me with silence" dur- House of Commons, which was never read ; the con-
ing the short time I shall occupy your at- sequence was, that the country was put to an
tention. And first, let me thank you—let me tender enormous expense for those blue-books, and Li
you my too long-delayed personal acknowledgments and result came from them, and no result was in-
thanks, for the kindness you showed me when I was tended to come from them. Now, he voted against the
more than 4,000 miles distant from you, for having ce- appointment of a commissioner in the case of Gloucester,
turned me as your representative, which I make no because he knew the utter futility of it, and therefore
secret of telling you is an honour I court beyond that of he would not lend himself to what lie knew was a
any other constituency, in having returned me voluntarily delusion. Ile was perfectly satisfied that any man who
andthwithout solicitation. I thank the gentlemen who took would resort only to existing means to suppress bribery,
er the leading part in my committee, and I also tender my must have more credulity than he possessed. He had
anks to all those gentlemen—many of whom I now no faith in the existing means, and he would not lend
f see preser.
,

were never read by any member in. the commit

if I may not be travellingbeyOnd the strict line of
-
discipline, I would also thank our opponents who
sheathed-their swords and granted me an armistice, which

mmseit to them any longer. Beyond the means they
at present possessed, they alight at least to allow the
experiment of the ballot. (Hear, hear.) He did not
speak of.the ballot as the cure for all evils. He
lid not speak of the ballot as a political measure,

when I read and hear of the transactions at the late
general election, I think my acknowledgments
are still more due to you for having thought of
me during my remote absence_ ; for, if I judge

mixed up with other questions oft organic change_
Tie spoke only of the ballot as a measure to exercise a
cheek on this moral corruption—this rottenness which
was sapping the very foundations of our electoral system.
They had also observed, very likely, the

it was this, that the

than— usual struggle

:ss I am gitly

surer made by the recent 'Election. Committees.
In the small boroughs the price of votes had risen as
the day had advanced from £5, £lO, £2O, at twelve
o'clock, £lOO at half-past three o'clock, and in some
cases even £2OO five minutes before the clock struck