The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MINE 23, 1864

statesmen have felt the same embarrassment, if they Utopia of Bribery and Treating. The act at present
_hsve Lot had the candour awl courage to own it,
existing to secure the purity of elections is a mere
The present Ministry have not been at all happy in
dead letter. It cornpe's the candidate to appoint
their attempts in this locality, nor did they deserve recognised agents, and any act of bribery, intimida-
tion, or corruption proved against them or against to be successful where so many wiser and greater
himself made the election void. But he must be a men had failed before them, for they seem to have
gone cut of their way an many occasions to irritate Nary simple mortal who does not see without the
and annoy the Irish, and that, too, without any telling, that while one or two immaculate agents
special cause for interference which could justify keep strictly within the letter and spirit of the
law, a dez:n unrecognised and unofficial emissaries
the risk of offendin,g prejudices and provoking ill-
will. The Irish members have often alluded to the may be promising, treating, and feasting to
their heart's content. No one can prevent the
want of courtesy which has been shown to them,
and still the same tactics are displayed, their griev- candidate's friends from working on his behalf,
ances are treated with derision, and their indigos-. no one but the friends themselves can prove when
tion meets nothing but contempt. In some cases, the little sum given in recognition of their services
indeed, the authorities have gone so fir that they is handed over to them, and if we ere to wait until
have had to draw back from their decisions, as in they are sufficiently frank and disinterested to come
the instance of the Galway contract, which was forward with that information, we fear that purity
so abruptly terminated, and in a manner of elections is yet a long way off. The strongest
that gave so much offence. They appear, however, opponents of the Ballot do not pretend to say that
to have gained wisdom from experience is some our elections are what they should be. Lord PAL-
degree, for the tone of the debate the other night
was conspicuous for the absence of that :Ise b't Cr i
questiens are on the tap's. Mr. HENNESSY called
y MERSTON himself discreetly left that point out of
his very inconclusive arguments. Mr. BERKELLY
and exaggeration so apt to be apparent when Irish
said that that all he asked for the Ballot was a fair
trial, and he might have retorted the favourite
particular attention to the condition of Ireland at accusation of his adversaries, and have added that
the present time, and especially to the serious evils
that aria() from the agricultural population leaving
it was " nn-Ecglish" to refuse it. But in fact, as
the hoe. gentleman observed, " assertion is no argu-
the country. It is unfortunate that the division on
ment." It is very easy to declare that the Ballot
the point was adverse to the proposal of Mr,
would entirely fail to do what it has done in every
HENNESSY; but it does not by any means follow
country where it has been fairly tried ; to declare
that no result will ensue therefrom, for the discus- that it would have no cff:ct in stopping
sion which was raised upon it has drawn attention bribery and protecting against intitnida-
to the subject, and at a future period we may mark tion, but if so why not settle the
the good effects that it has produced. At all events, matter by giving practical proof. Why not let the
no one denied the truth of the hon. member's pre- supporters of the Ballot be convinced by practice?
raises, if they did not exactly accord with the con-
No very great harm could eneuo if the experiment
elusions he drew from them. The fact is that the
proved a signal failure; it could scarcely make mat-
un willingness which is universally felt to making tars worse than they are now. How many of the
any changes or alteration in a system is so over- members of this very high.minded and honourable .
house
whelming in its influence, and that unless any spea would like to look too closely into the full
cial event or untoward incident calls for steps to be details of their electioneering agents, paid and un-
taken without delay, little or no heed is paid to the paid, allele' and unrecognised ? But the very fact
arguments, entreaties, and expostulations of pros- of the Ballot being so much needed is the greatest I

cient observers or earnest reformers. A private
member can eeldon manage to induce the Treasury
benches to listen to him when he proclaims the
wrongs or animadverts upon the injustice which he
has seen, and which imperatively call for a remedy.
If only a port on of Mr. HENNESSY'S recital were
true there would still exist ample grounds for the
enforcement of some remedial change. The emigre,
tion now taking place is greater than at any period
for ten years, and this in itself is a very telling fact
against the efficacy of existing legislation. It must
produce most disastrous effsets, and exercise a dete-
riorating influence on the welfare of the country,
for it to be subjected to this constant drain upon its
resources. It has been said—
" 11l fares the land to hastening ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates, and men decay."
If the former allusion does not apply to the prospects
of Ireland, it hes the additional drawback of ha': ing
to encounter the evil, unmitigated by adventitious
circumstances. The suggestions made by Mr. HEN.
MESSY seem to b 3 worthy of notice. Men will not
stay at home if they see others rushing abroad, unless
some inducements are offered to them. For this
the proposal to reclaim waste lands is an afleairable
ore. Sir R. PEEL affirmed that immense quantities
had been appropriated, but there is no reason why
all should not. Another good idea was that public
works should be organised, but this did not seem
to be much thought of. When it is considered,
however, that by this means employment wou'd be
given to vast numbers, and that many restless and
dissati,fied persons would become settled and satis-
fied in their own country, it secure a pity that
nothing should be done. Lord PALMERSTON did
not address himself to the subject with so
much cordiality as Sir ROBERT PEEL. He
seemed rather impatient with the whole thing, and
glad to fall back on the resources of his strength to
put down the attempt at interference with legisla-
tion, Lord J. MANNERS very properly said that he
thought the " hon. member for Eing's County had
met with rather hard measures from the Govern-
ment." The conclusion to be drawn from the
speeches of the Government members who took part
in the debate seems to be that great evils undoubtedly
exist in Irelend, and that it would be well if they

obstacle to its introduction.. Members and chiefs
, of parties are afraid to trust to unisflaenced voting,
, and Lord PALMERSTON, its opon and recognised
, enemy, does not attempt to deny that our elections
need reform, but contents himself with assertions
that it would be useless. First, the noble lord says
that it would be necessary to make it penal for a
man to say how he was going to vote ; next, he
declares it would be no good to have ballot boxes,
because "it is next to impossible that a mcjarity of
electors should vote by ballot without their votes
being known. He further argued that it would be
ho protection against bribery and intimidation, be-
cause the landlord or customer might go to a man
before or after the election and ask about his vote,
when, if he refused to answer, the landlord or cuss
tomer would know the worst, and that "you &light
go to an elector and say, Hare is £5 or £lO. I
trust to your honour—you shall have tht money if
you promise to vote for so and so, but not others
wise." Lard PALMERSTON is of opinion that the
electors would keep their promise, and thus the
merit of the Ballot is at an end. It is somewhat
surprising that instead of " Hear, hear" following
this declaration we do not read "Laughter." DOES
the noble Premier, after his long experience of the
world and its ways, really believe business, espe-
cially dishonest business, to be carried on in this
Quixotic fashion ? Certainly there is en old adage
about " honour among thieves" which COMC3 to
mind, but still it must be a somewhat credulous
candidate who would trust co magnanimously to
the good faith of a bribed elector when he could
not even reproach the man for his diehenesty. If
candidates and agents like. to waste their money
let them do so, and these very "English" electors
who keep their word so strictly in law breaking
may prefat by another old adage about some people
and their money being soon pared, but the Ballot
has a right to a trial for all that. The man who
takes bribes will neither stop for falsehoods nor
for broken pledges, and so the world at large very
well knows. But since Lord PALMERSTON stands
forward!as the logical annihilator of the Ballot, le
him answer us one question—Why is it mita
sively adopted in the clubs?

coald be rectified, but they also ECCM to imply that
they are not at present prepared to do anything to

.
improve the state of affe.irs, and also do not intend

to assist others in the task of reform. Such a course

of action is hardly in unison with the reauirenaents
of men in their responsible position, and it i 8 not

thus that they will gain th© confidence of Ireland

nor the rkspeet of England. They make the grave

mistake of looking upon the subject as an irksome
task they ore glad to shirk, and not as a solemn

duty which they are called upon to pertorm with

the utmost ability and earnestnesp.

Amid all the changes and chances which dis-
tinguish one Parliamentary session from another,
some events recur with unvarying pertinacity. Year
by year some subjects are brought up fcr the mere
sake of reminding the world of their existence.
Year by year they pcss through the customary
forms and quietly sink into oblivion for another
twelvemonth. We all know how long this pro-
gramme was followed by Mr. I :ILLIERS and his
Atiti-Corn Law resolutions, and now 111 r. BERKE-
LEY in his advocacy of the Ballot seems to be the
champion of as apparently hopeless a cause. Perhaps
indeed the case of the Ballot is even more desperate
than the principles of Free Trade ever wore, since
thelatter was more of a national question on which
men differed
as much from principle and conviction
as from anything else. The Ballot is a personal
matters and the oljection to it, in too many in-
stances) arises from a well-founded misgiving as to
its effect upon future elections. Of course we are
not charging
every member who opposes Mr.
BERKELEY'S motion With being a friend to bribery
and corruption, but there is
.e
ver
often an undefined
idea that matters are best left as they are, and that
any interference with the existing system is need-
lees and undesirable. Yet DO cue pretends tha'
by our present course we can boast of securing the
purity of election. No ono is sargniue or simple
enough to believe that the whole exPetee of an
election lies in the regular tees. No one supposes
that no more money changes bands than is absee
lately necessary, or that interest and influence,
that patrons,employers, and landlords have no share
in the matter. Pocket boroughs were not ell dis
franchised in 1832, although one of the great
leaders of that day now tells his followers " to rest
and be thankful." But a general who desires his
forces to sit down when the battle is half won,
does not inspire much confidence in hie own troops,
nor does he strike much terror into the hearts of
his enemies, especially when a very important part
of the work remained to be done. Mr. BERKELEY,
who, in consideration of the approaching election
broke through his usual rule and addressed the
House, referred to this famous aphorism. He said
the noble lord had a right to call upon them to be
thankful for his exertions, but when he told all
other reformers to sit still the advice savoured of
absurdity. Were there, then, asked the hon. mem-
ber,
no abuses to redress, no evils to get rid of ? had
England become Utopian ? According to the acv
count given by Mr. BEBE:ELL; which there is no
reason to think exaggerated, it is very lilac the i

men.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

IBEUTER'S TELEGRAMS.]

ALGERIA.

PARIS, JUNE 23.

Official despatches from Algetia represent the
news as daily becoming more decisive. General
Deligny has penetrated to the centre of the rebellion
in the South of the province of, Oran, and similar
SUCCCESE3 have been achieved in the Tell. It is
thought that military operations will terminate in
the bcginnirg of July.

----

SPAIN.
MADRID, JUNE 22.

In to-day's sitting of the Congresr, S2nor Pacheco,
in reply to a question from Senor Moline, said--
"The squadron in the Pacific will be reinforced.
The Chincha Islands will be occupied until the
assassins of Taiambo are punished, and it is proved
that the Peruvian Government was foreign to the
attempt on the life cf F.C307 Mezzaredo, recently
Spanish Minister in Peru."

CALCUTTA AND CHINA MAILS.
ALEXANDRIA, JUNE 22.
The Delta and Syria, with the above mails, will
leave here at 10 B.M. to morrow.

burned, thereby causing great suffering among
the population.
Advices from the blockading fleet announce the
capture of the U.S. steamer Water Witch by a
force of Confederates from Fort M'Allister, Georgia,
who boarded the vessel with launches during the
night. The Water Witch was a regular navy.
built vessel carrying five guns, and very fast. An
expeaition was fitting out at Port Royal to endea►
Your to recapture or destroy her.

The former may be expEottd at Marseilles on the
29th instant, and the latter at Southampton on the
6th July.

,

FRANCE.

BOURSE, Jane 22.—The market continues dull,
but little change in prices, Threes, for the Account,
being at Mr. sc. Mollifier has receded to 1,045 f.
Railways quiet, and some of the lines rather lower,
The market closed as follows :

41 per Cents .. 03 10
Do. end
3 per Cents
Do. end month 65 8:5
Credit Mobilier 1047 50
Do. end month 1043 75
Bank Shares 3190
Credit Ponder 1240
Roman
BAIL

Italian Loan 69 90
Do. end month 69 75
Ditto Threes .. 42 75
New Mexican .... 56
Russian
A.ustrian
Spanish Threes —
1-lorne Debt
Deferred -
VATS.

Cash. Account.
Orleans 865 870
Northern
Lyons and Mediterranean 880 .. 882 50
New ditt0...,,.....
Southern ........
Western
Eastern ....
Sarlinian ......
Austrian ......
Lombard
North of Spain
Saragossa ..
Ditto to Barcelona

615 - 648 75
550 - -
462 50 .. 463 75
363 75 .. 365 -
403 75 .. 408 75
53 75 .. 525 -
435 - 4:35 -
555 - .. 567 50

AXERICA.

NEUTER'S EXPRESS ]
Per the Etna.

NEW YORK, JUNE 11.

Secretary Stanton announces having received
despatches from G2ncral Grant up to 9 p.m. on the
9th inst. There had been no lighting eh:co the
night of the 6th, when the Confederates attacked
Burnside's corps, meeting with a decided repulse.
They also made a dash at a working party of Han.
cock's corps, with the same results. It is reported
that a portion of the 5:11 corps had arrived at a point
on the Chickahominy, near Bottom's Bridge. An
unca:ial despatch states that a portion of this force
has cccupied the south bank of the river, near
Despatch Station.

The following resolution was adopted on the 31
inst. in the Confederate Senate :—" Resolved, that
the President be requested to make an exposition,
through our commiesioners abroad, to the various
European Powers, to which they may be accredited
of the violations of the rules of civilised warfare
and cutrlges committed by the armies and Govern•.
ment of the United States in the prosecution of
hostilities against the Confederate States."

Richmond journals claim that the battle on the
3d inst. resulted is a decided victory for the Con.
federates. The Sentinehtates that fourteen assaults
were made by she rederais on the right of the line
held by Brickenridg,s_•, Hoke, and .Kershaw, all of
which were repuietAl with gront slanstator of tsic
assailants. The Federal loss is placed at from 10,000
to 12,000 men, while the Confederate loss is asserted

In the Federal S Ito Mr. Powell moved to take
up the VII prohibiting military interference with
elections. The bill was defeated.

to have been quite small, The Sentinel states that
Grant's object was to gain the strong positions
around Gaines's Mill, upon the road to Bottom's
Bridge, and connect with Batter, and that his object
had been °i signally and disastrously defeated."
The
In short, yesterday was
a happy Sentinel
day
fo o
r n c
ude s
:—"
dark one for Grant. We
clsu a
nd
have lost no ground on our right and have
gained largely on niar left. We have taken
nearly two thousand prisoners. We have
put hors de combat some 10,000 Yankee soldiers.
slight loss, thank God."
WRichmond
ff
paperser e d very
of the 7th regard General
Grant's movement as indicating a retreat to the
James River, with a view of attacking Richmond
on the south of that stream.

The town of Bowling Green,
the county seat of
Caroline county, Virginia, has been laid in ashes by
Federal troops in retaliation for the citizens firing
a Fz,:lcral train.
from their houses upon

Advices from Butler's army report all quiet on
,he 7th inst.

Mr. Lam, of Kansas, offered a resolution recog-
nising the legitimacy of the loyal State and Govern-
ment of Arkansas.

Official despatches announce that the Federal
forces under General Hunter, on t'ho sth of Sune,
defeated the Confederates under General IV. E
Jones, who was himself kited, 12 miles beyond
Staunton, in the Upper Shenandoah valley. The
Confederates retreated to .4Voyncsboro, and now
hold the mountains between Staunton, which place
is occupied by Hunter, and Charlottesville. Gen.
Hunter captured no supplies, according to official
accounts. o,,her accounts, however, represent
that he captured six guns and a large amount of
stores. Deserters report that the Confederates lost
20 guns.

The Baltimore Convention on June Bth nomi-
nated Mr. Lincoln and Andrew Johnston, of Ten-
nessee, for the Presidency and Vice-Presidency.
The Platform adopted a series of resolutions de-
claring that the rebellion shall be suppressed, and
no terms from the South listened to other than un-
conditional surrender, and a return to their allo•
giance to the constitution of laws of the United
States. Other resolutions embraced an enforce-
ment of the Monroe Doctride, and the abolition of
slavery by conatitutional Amendment. Another
resolution endorsed the course of the present
administration.

Latest advices from General S'nerman's army in-
dicate that Johnston has at last made a determined
stand, and that a desperate battle was daily ex-
pected. On the 7th of June the Confederates had
signals posted at Elenesaw and Lost Mountain.
Sherman's forces had occupied Ackworth.
Despatches from li.,:ntucky announce the inva-
sion of that State by a Confederate force under
General John Morgan, They entered the eastern
portion of the State and captured Mount Stirling.
They then proceeded to destroy the railrcad and
bridges between Cynthiana and Paris, both of which
pieces they occupied on June 8. They next captured
Georgetown and Virilliarnstown, and had, at latest
accounts, a force within thirty
miles of Cincinnati.
Communication with Lexington is suspended, and
it is feared that that town also has fallen into their
hands, They are moving in three columns. One
of these bodies, said to be about 700 strong, has
been rcpulaed by the Faderais under Gee. Burridge.
The estimates of Morgan's force are various—some
as high as ten, and some less than three, thousand

Advices from Mississippi state the Confederates
under Marmaduke have planted heavy batteries at
Greenville, Mississippi, and CJlumbis, Arkansas,
thereby effectually blockading the navigation of
the Mississippi river at that point. Southern ac-
counts state that Martnatiuke had already crippled
three Federal gunboats and destroyed three trans-
ports, securing two of their cargce2.

Southern pap:rs state that the entire number of
Federal prisoners captured during the recent cam•
paign in Louisiana and Arkansas was 16,000, and
that Col. Alexandria, on the 7th ult., captured two
Federal gunboats and three transports in the
Calasim river, in South-Western Louisiana. The
same journals allege that the Federals destroyed all
property in the Red River from Natchilochy to
some distance above Alexandria. D welling-houses,
augar-houses,cotton-gins, Bz,J.,Were indigeriminately

At a meeting of a M'Clellan Democratic club of
New Jersey, Mr. W. Cornell Jewett, well known
for his.exertions to secure European intervention,
offered a series of resolutions, which were adopted,
nominating for the Presidency andVice-Presidency
General George B. M'Cleilan and Milliard Fillmore,
and declaring that the war, if it must be continued,
shall only be prosecuted with a view to preserve
the constitution and union, independent of slavery ;
that the liberty of speech and the press shall be
maintained; that all slave confiscations and other
proclamations, and Congressional acts connected
therewith shall be rendered null and void ; that the
people of the United States shall vote upon the re.
cognition of Maximilian's Government in Mexico;
that coloured troops shall be withdrawn from the
field, and that a cessation of hostilities should be
proclaimed, during which commissioners from the
different States, North and South, can meet to de.
tertian° upon a just mode of settling the existing
difficulties by arbitration or otherwise ; the final
result to be submitted to the voice of the people
by ballot.