The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-31 00:00:00

of the ballot on the people of Rome. He quoted that ad-
mirable passage from Pliny descriptive of the Roman voter,
who had lost all sense of dignity and all consciousness of
right or wrong when exercising the franchise by ballot :
Tabellas poposcit, stilum accepit,
.fidem alyecit, caput demisit,
neminent veretur, se contemnit."—( Cheers.) In a moral aspect,
I maintain that the ballot would be found seriously detri-
mental to the character of the people of this country; and
my firm belief is that, though by the introduction of the
ballot you may by possibility prevent some undue influence
of bad over good, yet you will not allow that legitimate
influence to have the operation which it ought always to
have—the influence of good over bad.—(Cheers.)
Lord D. STUART contended that it had been admitted
by Lord Derby that that House did not represent the people,
for he had declared that he would not attempt to carry a
question, to which he had attached great importance, by a
majority of the House of Commons, unless he was also con-
vinced that he had the great majority of intelligent people
at large in its favour. Something, then, must be done to
Place that House on a wholesome basis. The eonstituenciee
of the count were beset by two monster evils—corruption
and intimidation and therefore the voter required protection
country
in the exercise of the franchise. For a long time he was him-
self an opponent of the ballot. The idea of a man boldly
discharging his duty was pleasing to him, and he also wished
to give the Reform Bill a fair trial, and see whether it
would put down corruption and intimidation. That was in
1833 and 1831, and about that time an address was published
to the constituents he now represented, advocating in the
strongest terms vote by ballot and triennial Parliaments.
To that address was append the name of Benjamin
Disraeli. The Right Hon. Gentleman declared that since then
he had sown his wild oats, and h
appended
he supposed that that was
the only description of grain which the Right Hon. Gentle-
man would have escaped duty. lie had come to an opposite
conclusion to that arrived at by the Right Hon. Gentleman,
and he thought they ought to try some remedy to prevent
corruption and intimidation. Ile agreed with the Right
Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Walpole) that the best mode of pre-
venting bribery and corruption was the moral elevation of
the people, and nothing could more tend to that
end than the ballot.—(Cries of "Divide.") The most
humiliating position in which you could place a man was,
after bestowing on him the privilege of a vote, not to
allow him to give that vote as he thought proper,
no-
thing could elevate him more than to give him thatand
protec-
tion in the exercise of his privilege which would be afforded
by the ballot. There was no measure more dear to the people
at large than this; it was now their favourite question; and
founded, as he believed it to be, on truth and justice, it
would, so far from promoting demoralization, increase mo-
rality among all classes—among the upper as well as the
more humble.—(Divide.)
The House then divided, when there appeared,—
For the motion ••• ••• 144
Against it .. 246
Majority ••• ••• —lO2
Mr. HUTT, amid some laughter, declared that it had been
his intention to vote in favour of the motion, but that by
mistake he had voted against it.
The House then adjourned at Twenty minutes after Twelve
o'clock.