The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-21 00:00:00

disgraceful conscription. No wonder that the
cheers of the House supported that assertion, and
that the Opposition by the voice of the ex-
Foreign Secretary joined in espressing their
sorrow at such proceedings. Lori MALMES-
BURY asked, moreover, whether tho con-
vention bound the Prussians to surrender
refugees, a question which Lord RUSSELL was
unable to answer, but which is unhappily an-
swered by some news which we give to-day. Three
Polish youths, students of St. Cyr, in Paris, who
abandoned their studies to share the fortunes of
their countrymen, were captured in passing through
Prussia and handed over to the Russians. Such an
act as this will stimulate still further the indignant
sympathies of the French ; and let us hope that the
warm and unanimous protest of the two foremost
Governments of Europe may serve to inflaenee the
decisions of St. Petersburg. Let us hope, too, that
, the concluding words of Lord ELLENBOROITGII's
eloquent address may prove no empty phrase,
bat a political prophecy ; that dark as is the night
that has long overshadowed Poland, the dawn is
now at hand ; and that dreadful as are the suffer-
, ings, the bloodshed, the fire and sword which are
now desolating her provinces, the present struggle
may yet, under GOD, be the first step towards her
politieal regeneration.

When people have no desire to do what they
ought, according to promise, the next best thing is
to throw dust in the eyes of their dupes, by way of
a make-believe in their good intentions. Thus
Reform in Parliament has stood the brunt of public
expectation for some years. But it was far easier
to promise than to perform, and as performance was
a matter specially disagreeable, advents ge was taken
of any delay that offered a plausible excuse. So
those most anxious for the good to be were chagrined
the more in proportion to their disappointment.
,‘ Man never is but always to be blessed " was the
only consolation in their case. Some shook
their heads at the confident assertions of
those prophets who made sure that all was right—
because it was solemnly promised on the faith of the
minister who came into power chiefly if not solely
on that ground. But events only proved that the
best of promises sometimes are sure to fail in spite
of everything. And so it has proved. The prophet
and the minister of promise found that circumstances
had somehow or other changed, and the times were
out of joint for the performance of what was nevez
really intended to " come off"—but what was well
considered to serve as an excellent sham, prepara-
tory to shelving the question for that session at
least, and trusting to providence for the future. So
it has fared with Reform—some coolly declaring
that nobody wanted it—while others laughed at the
credulity of the dupes.
But the matter was still thought too grave to be
trifled with altogether, and Ministers deemed it
necessary to do something. So a bill was brought
in to check the corrupt practices at elections, and to
amend the former Acts, which had resulted, as in-
tended, in leaving matters worse than before. As
there was little hope of making electors honest
against their will if it did not suit their interest—
the greater the profession of patriotic virtue,
the better for public show and ministerial sincerity
So clause followed clause, each more stringent than
its predecessor, till at length a goodly bill of pains
and penalties figured before the wondering eyes of
some admiring and many more unbelieving mem-
bers of long standing in the House 4 lit might do
very well as a bone to pick a harmless quar-
rel about—but as for reforming an elector
determined to do what he had found to
answer so well before, it was all moonshine. And
so thought these old members who were in the
secret. All electors were good honest fellows
who had voted for the sitting member, and it
was only the unlucky candidate who found out
just too late that his rival got in by bribery and
corruption, as he would be sure to prove by
petition. Taus every unfortunate finds some
consolation in plucking his rival's laurels in vin-
dication of his own virtuous intentions.

Sir G. GREY, in bringing forward the bill for
abating the corrupt practices at elections, did not
hope to make converts of those who know as
much as himself of the utter futility of the measure.
But it would serve as a show of doing something,
and might amuse if it did nothing else. Indeed,
the member for Bristol contended that the measure
was not one worthy of consideration. It professed
to meet an evil which its promoters knew could not
be effective. Its principle was to spare the candi-
date at the expense of the elector. The agent is to
be made the scapegoat of the candidate in all elec-
tion " doings ;" and the candidate will take his seat
whitewashed and pure, leaving all corruption to the
tender conscience of other "disinterested" parties.
For example, all that BROWN, the agent named by
the candidate, had to do was to keep his own hands
clean, and to take care that the candidate was not
drawn into any illegal proceeding. Meantime,
however, JONES and RoßissoN, not being agents
in the sense laid down in the bill, might do as they
pleased, and the candidate would not be responsible
for their acts. But, as Mr. BERKELEY justly

observed :
" Such was the way in which the bill dealt with the ques-
tion of agency, but how did it provide against corruption
generally and intimidation ? Everybody knew that one of
the most effectual modes of corruption was treating, and that
the most successful mode of treating was the giving break-
fasts to the electors on the morning of the day on which
the poll was to take place, A stranger, for example, in
company with some person well known in the locality, went
into the house of a licensed victualler—he was speaking on
the evidence of facts which had come within his own know-
ledge—in the town in which the election was to be held, and
said to him—' I want 40 breakfasts at 7 o'clock on the elec-
tion morning.' The innkeeper, pulling off his hat re-
plied, ' Certainly, sir; the breakfasts shall be provided.'
The breakfasts were provided ; they were duly eaten by a
corresponding number of electors at the appointed hour,
who went to the poll early, and thus opened the proceed-
ings with an eclat which had its effect throughout the day,
while if those breakfasts were not given to them they
would get breakfast at their own homes, would probably
continuo at work during the first half of the day, and then
go to the poll after dinner. This bill attempted to dea 1
with bribery and treating of that sort, but it entirely
failed to accomplish its object. The Government
threw out a tub to the whale ; they satisfied them-
selves and thought that all the world went with them.
Intimidation was perhaps the greatest evil of all, and how
was it dealt with under this measure ? There was a clause
in the bill inflicting a penalty upon any individual who
should affect with loss any person for giving his vote, If,
therefore, you took away your custom from a butcher or
baker, or turned a man out of his home or his employment,
and you did so because he declined to vote as you desired,
you might be punished ; but how easily this provision could
be evaded was shown by what occurred after the late elec-
tion for East Kent, when a landlord gave a tenant notice to
quit, but added, ' Take notice,that it is not because you
voted against my wishes at the election." The bill was so
rotten and so Mad that he felt it to be his duty to call at-
tention to it, but he did not intend to ask for a division,
All he would say was that if this bill were in force at the
next election the richest party must win."
Other members spoke against the bill, and Mr.
BENTINCK considered the annual discussion of such
a subject as an annual farce—for neither in nor oat
of the house was there any feeling that the act of
bribery involved any moral culpability. One mem-
ber complained that his voters could not be bribed
without being found out; while another thought
that in a contested election, where matters w ere
run hard,
everything was fair ; and as this was said
by Liberal members, it only provoked the laughter