The Sun.
London, England, 1852-07-29 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY

cracy, which has not its representative in the Mi•
nis'ty whom accident has called into existence,
and still chooses to keep in being. In the person
of the Premier we have a man whose horror
_of
democracy is as great as that which is felt by
.the
despot whose throne is established in the icy regions
of the north; while in the person of the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, the Premier in the House of Com-
mons, we have not only an abettor of political demo-
cracy of the moot ultra character, but a Mail whose
rampant Socialism cannot fail to endear him to the
hearts of Robert Owen and Louis Blanc; for if Mr.
Disraeli was serious in what he said some months ago
about enfranchising the industrial classes, and invest:
ting them with powers which the great mejoritY
of
their number never coveted or dreamt of attaining, be
has an undoubted right to have his name place.d in the
category of the abettors of Socialism. " What," saYs
Sir James Grahem, "are the elements supposed to be
the ingredients of democratic power ? Universal
suffrage—the ballot. What,
then, is the language
with regard to the extension of the suffrage used
by the leading Member of the House of Com- '
mons? He proposes the enfranchisement of
labour. Well, what is that ? That is very much
of the character of the wildest propositions we have
heard of in France. It is not education—it is not
property—it is not successful industry that is to
be taken into account,
but it is dealing with the
humblest class first—those upon whom undue in-
fluences may be brought directly to bear. It is going
the whole length of universal suffrage, without .any
safeguard." But by far the most practically im-
portant part of the speech of the Right Hou. Baronet
is that in which he refers to the ballot. The lan-
guage of Sir James, without being so explicit as it
might have been made, leaves no room to doubt that
he is prepared to give in his unconditional adhesion
to the ballot, whenever he thinks that the proper
moment has arrived. Bat bear what he says on the
subject. "With regard to the ballot," he remarks,
I have always told you that I cannot myself be
satisfied that the ballot is not a security against
bribery and intimidation. At all events, it is a very
specious and attractive remedy. You must be very
careful—l mean those in power—that you do not
abuse your power or overstrain it, otherwise the de-
mand for the ballot will be universal." We have
no reason to doubt that in thus expressing him-
self on the subject of the ballot, Sir James
Graham is giving utterance to his honest convic-
tions in favour of the right of secret voting ; but we
have no idea that we do the Right Hon. G-entleman
any injustice when we assume that when he thus
alluded to the ballot he had an eye to the Premier-
ship—an office on which his heart and his eye have
been notoriously set for the last three years. Nor
can we withhold from Sir James the credit of being
an excellent tactician, in thus taking care to let the
country know that he is prepared, should he be
called to office, to bring forward a measure in favour
of secret voting. The country was clamorous for
the ballot before—it will become doubly so now
after What has been seen and experienced in the
course of the elections just brought to a close.
Never was bribery so gross and flagrant, and never
was it carried on to so great an extent as on the pre-
sent occasion. The ballot would have prevented
this wholesale bribery. And there is no other
remedy for the evil. In respect to Ireland again,
the intimidation and coercion far exceeded any-
thing aver before seen or heard of. The ballot
would have greatly diminished, if it Lad not entirely
prevented, that gigantic evil. The events of the last
six weeks, both in England and Ireland, will do more
to advance the cause of the ballot, than scores of dis-
cussions on the subject. It is now sure to be adopted.
Sir James Graham is shrewd enough to foresee that
the ballot will be among the first questions which
will be carried. Ile plainly intimates that he will
be quite prepared to propose the measure. It would
not surprise us much to see the Netherliy Baronet
make the ballot the steppingstone to the Premier-
ship. Fortunately for his ambitious aspirations,
though unfortunately for themselves, both Lord John
Russell and Lord Palmerston are resolutely opposed
to it. We especially regret that the latter Noble
Lord persists in his hostility to the vote by ballot.
Were he to express himself in the name terms on the
subjec*, as Sir James G-rabam did at Carlisle, he
would be compelled, by the force of public opinion,
to accept the Premiership before the first fortnight
of the session had posted away, however indisposed
he might be to assume the reeponeibilities of that
office.