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

Obientna

LONDON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 1852.

It is with feelings of great gratification that we
acknowledge the receipt of the following communi-
cation from Mr. SOTRERN, 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. SOTHERN'S communication:—
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Six,—lt 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 leadieg 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, Hon. Secretary.
Great Yarmouth, Jan. 19.
With the above letter Mr. SOT/3ERN 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 should 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 :
" Whil.t urging every true friend ~t the ballot to join
this association, we wish it to be understood 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 purpose of promoting
secret voting; and we thought it better to confine our-
selves to that one question, than to embrace any other.
We think that no one cad conscientiously assert that the
present system of voting collects the opinions of the
electors. And a system, which all parties acknowledge
to be b 0 bad, that no candidate can succeed ha any con-
tested ward in this borough, without the aid of money,
and the power which man is found to exert over man,
cannot be a good one.

" With a desire to do all that can be 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 thinks best, with-
oat 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 shall 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 valuelessq
Fas est ab hoste doceri; and when we find that the
Morning. 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 reforms, denounce in
the most vehement language any attempt to
afford to the voter the protection of the ballot,
we may judge of the vital importance 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 acquired such ex-
ten.ion, that some organization to secure cooperation
between the various societies, and, perhaps, even-

wally to amalgamate all into a great ballot league,
may become necessary. The matter may, however, be
lefto for consideration until after the meeting
f Parliament;
n_u_sBELt,lis reform action, so as to strengthen the hands
of Ivl • atiitrßmEoßevasKe an
measure should
the Hon. Member for
Bristol, who will m
amendment
it
noton iLordncl u
include
°tab:
ballot, is
Kingdom will, within
February, utarruys: have din
whattbat is now more especially necessary,
petition:.:tpoarthheseeeufnoeltderewadsa:brb:de. 1
voting to the House
ofommoncs.onstituency is in
one week from the 2nd of
the representative petitions in favour of secret
favour of the In cases where
representativecom for pre-
for warded to
to the ballot('
sentation, and we
recommend those constitu-
encies who have the misfortune
Members opposed
BaxaLav, for
question of
Hon, Member for
1 Bristol, the Hon. F. lIENRy P. B
their
presentation within the first week e
That Lord Jowl RUSSELL will endeavour to shirk
the ballot question—perhaps the whole
reform— there can be very little doubt;
already do
we perceive preparations made for a vast deal of
red•herring tr.-ailing to draw Reformers off the
petitions
sbwutaooocl flhuoltCd
the
eeh ae constituency
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 judicious Ministerial
management, be made to last until Easter, and then
Sir CHARLES WOOD and the property-tax will
occupy the remainder of the session, until it will be
too late to think of proceeding with any measure of
reform. Such, we have reasoa to fear, will be the
Ministerial tactics, unless Lord JOHN RUSSELL shall

at the very beginning of the session be gently sub-
jected to "the pressure from without," and to pre-
vent the success of these tactics petition ! petition
petition !

There has recently appeared an elaborate refutation
of the arguments by which the Prince PAUL ESTER-
on
nAzv endeavoured to cast discredit upon the promo-
ters of the lute nu"Tar= revoluti . The author