The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-23 00:00:00

THE' SUN,

ebeLv AA:t_ina t
LONDON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 1852.

It is with feelings of great gratification that we
acknowledge the receipt of the following communi-
cation from Mr. SOTHERN, the Hon. Secretary of the
Great Yarmouth Ballot Association—gratification not
only at the compliment paid to ourselves personally,
which we gratefully acknowledge, but at the know-
ledge of the fact that the ballot movement is spreading
in every direction throughout the length and breadth
of the land, and spreading in that determined, yet
calm manner, which is the sure harbinger of success.
The following is Mr. SoTHEEN's communication :

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SU.N.
is with pleasure I inform you that, at a
meeting of the Great Yarmouth Ballot Association,
held January 16, 1852, the following resolution was
unanimously agreed to, viz. :
" That the warmest thanks of this society be ten-
dered to the Editor of The Sun newspaper, for his
talented advocacy of the principles of the ballot in
the leading article of the 14th inst., and that the
secretary be requested to transmit to him a copy of
the printed rules and address of the society, solicit-
ing his kind attention thereto."
In carrying out the request of the meeting, I wish
I could at the same time convey to you the feeling of
animation and satisfaction which pervaded the meet-
ing upon your observations being read to it. The
extract from the South Wales Society was considered
to take an extremely practical view of the state of
towns like our own, where we have both a Liberal
Registration and Financial Association, each with
various objects, and to which certain classes of Re-
formers cannot subscribe, and which are, therefore,
somewhat distracting in their tendencies.
The committee of the Ballot Society would esteem
it a favour if you could forward them a copy of the
South Wales address, as it is very likely to contain
suggestions which may not have been thought of by
them. I am, Sir, yours, &c.
W. A. SOTHERN, non. Secretary.
Great Yarmouth, Jan. 19.

With the above letter Mr. SOTHERN has also for-
warded to us the circular of the Great Yarmouth
Ballot Association, of which the object is described
to be to endeavour, by every constitutional means, to
obtain from the Legislature a law enacting that all
votes, whether for Members of Parliament or for
local purposes, shall be taken by ballot, and to co-
operate with any other association in favour of any
useful measure, if it shoull be thought desirable by
the members of the association.

The following is the address issued by the com-
mittee of the Great Yarmouth Ballot Association :
" Whilst urging every true friend of the ballot to join
this association, we wish it to be und.erstood that we
do not interfere with any other society, nor impede the
advocacy of any useful measure. We established the
Ballot Association solely for the purposie of promoting
secret voting; and we thought it Letter to confine our-
selves to that one question, than to embrace any other.
We think that no one can conscientiously assert that the
present system of voting collects the ()pinions of the
electors. And a system, which all par ties acknowledge
to be so bad, that no candidate can stioced IM any con-
tested ward in this borough, without the aid of money,
and the power which man is found to exert over man,
canuotbe a good one.

" With a desire to do all that can le done to allay
the angry and bitter feelings which open voting gives
rise to, every voter who is really of opinion that a man
has a right to vote whichever way he ft.inks bast, with-
out being exposed either to the influence of money, or
the loss of trade, ought as a matter of principle to ad-
vocate the vote by ballot. We, at all events, will keep this
society in existence until the question shalt become the law of
the land."

We cordially recommend this last sentence of the
Great Yarmouth address to the attention and adep-
tion of every ballot and of every reform association in
the kingdom ; let it be well understood that without
the ballot every other reform will be nearly valueless!
Fas est ab hoste doceri; and when we find that the
Horning Chronicle, the organ of the sacerdotal intimi-
dators, and the Morning Herald, the organ of the
territorial intimidators, while declaring their willing-
ness to accede to sundry other refo rims, denounce in
the most vehement language any attempt to
afford to the voter the protection of the ballot,
we may judge of the vital important :e which we ought
to attach to the subject from the importance attached
to it by those who only consent to extension of the
suffrage, because they know that without the protec-
tion of secret voting such extension would only add
to the power of the intimidators.
The ballot movement has now a.:Nuired such ex-
tension, that some organization to SE cure co-operation
een thebetw.
various societies, and, perhaps, even-
tually to amalgamate all into a gr eat ballot league,
may become necessary. The matter may, however, be
left for
of Mr. Consideration until aft, .tr the meeting
of Parliament; action, to strengthen the hands
11"1::.,,B itrcalays, the IL
Fon. Member for
now
should it
Bristol, who III move an amendmE nit on Lord JOHN
ballot, is what is
RUSSELL'S reform melts
We trust that ever not include the
more esp ecially necessary,
wocnoastituencry in the United
Kingdom will, within'
petitions
from the 2nd of
February, have forwarded
in favour of secret
voting to the House of Commons.
the representative of a cln cases where
01
0,
stituency is in
favour of the ballot the
petitia
r by
should ,be
forwarded to such represent t; et•
pre-
sentation, and we would recomincradwe thosefor
constitu-
encies who have the misfortune to be
represented
o
Members opposed to the balGtot to forward
their petitions to the 110,2. Mem ward
ber for
Bristol, the Hon. F. HENRY Pe BERKELEY, for
presentation within the first week of the session.
That Lord JOHN RUSSELL will 'endeavour to shirk
the ballot question—perhaps the whole question of
reform—there can be very little doubt;- already do
we perceive preparations made for a vast deal of
red-herring
trailing to draw :eLeformers off the
scent. The discussion of our foreign policy and of the
question of national defences may , if Reformers are
not on the alert, with a little ju eiicioue Ministerial
management, be made to last untisl Easter, and then
Sir CIIARLES WOOD and the :property-tax will
I occupy the remainder of the sessi ell, until it will be
prcceeding
t too late to think of with any measure of
reform. Such,
we have reason to fear, will be the
Ministerial tactics, unless Lord Yous RussELL shall
at the very beginning
of the less ii )n be gently sub-
jected to " the pressure from wit' n, and to pre-
vent the success of these tactics
'petition ! petition !
I, Petition !
_____

There has recently appeared an el aborate refutation
of the arguments by which the Prince Palm ESTER-
HAZY endeavoured to cast discredit upon the promo-
ters of the late Ilungarian revoluti on. The author