The Sun.
London, England, 1830-12-23 00:00:00

lIASTINCIA ELECTION.

Thus at a crisis like the present, and in the teeth of the
verdict of a former Committee, as if in mockery of the
signs of the times, and the feelings and opinions of the
country, an infamous family compact has been legalized
by a violation of the principles of all law, and the public
interest sacrificed to faction and conspiracy.
You must by this time be convinced, or you must be
impervious to conviction, of the utter and glaring inn.
tility of appealing for a redress of grievances to that
which is of itself the greatest grievance, and the parent
and guardian of every other—an unreformed House of
Commons.
Fortunately the present Government stands pledged
.to
Parliamentary Reform, and there can be none in reality
by which you will not be emancipated. Were it not
fur this assurance, I should have flt it my duty to
recommend to you --lather than acquiesce any longer iu
the mock representation of your town, to petition, in the
first place, for its disfranchisement altogether ; and in the
event of your prayer being disregarded, I should have coun-
selled you to make such a display at the next eleeti an as might
induce the self-styled patrons or proprietors of your borough,
either to throw off the mask at once, and return their no-
minees by compulsory means, or to desist henceforth from
the re-enactment of their insulting farce within your pre-
cincts.
But I trust that no such course can now he neeesury.
Were it not, however, fur this auspicious change of Admi-
nistration, it might have been for you to have considered
of the propriety of forming an association for the pratic-
tion of all duly qualified resident householders of Batt-
ings, who should refuse to pay local imposts with-
out admission to local privileges. If your absolute
existence As freemen be denied by your pre-
tended corporation, why should you voluntarily incur
the responsibili des attached to it? And, if you, are, to
have only the advantage of what is miscalled virtual le-
presentation, why should you not insist on virtual tax-
ation also?

Patiently for more than a century have you submitted
to the usurpation of your franchises, though by the letter
and spirit of your charter, as well avi of the Constitution,
it is ordained that all who bear equal burdens are entitled
to equal rights.

Iu
cases like yours, and under circumstances such as I
have contemplated, resistance to illegal outrage is An lart
of morality anal duty—the time and mode are questions
merely of calculation and expediency.
I have the honour to remain, Gyntkluelli
Your faithful friend and sersant.
R. OTWAY CAVE.

London, Dec. ?.3.

THE BALLOT.

(From the Greenock Advertiser.)
The soul emancipated, unoppressed,
Free to prove alt things, and hold fast the best
Learns much," ,

TO Mr Erwrott OF TUX ORRENOCK ADVIRTISFi.
Ma EDITOR,—In opposition to what your corre.pnn-
Oent G. s oys against the ballot, permit me to state a little
of what can be sa'd in favour of this plan of voting, which
recommends itself by 50 years' C 3 perience of its good effects
in America; which saved France from the despotism
dra-
tined for it by Polignac, and which all England, taught
by the evil effects arising from the want of it, calls loudly
fior. It is
,tune generally understood that the new Ministry,
and the friends of Reliant in Parliament, contemplate an
extension of the eective franchise in Scotland to the
mid,lle classes; anti it deceives notice, that very, few
of the meetings or petition* es yet got up advueate either
universal suffrage or annual Parliaments. This preset:re
good : all seem convinced that too gretit changett are by 'too
means advisable ; the geveral aim seems to be, to build up
the present Constitntion, not to pull down—to repair, tobt
destroy; and all are agreed that to effect this thcie
must be a new distribution of the representation,
by taking Iran the old and decayed boroughs, and
giving to large and populous cities and towns, at
present unrepresented, and particularly us it regurls
Scotland, a very considerable extension of the deo:title
franchise. All that seems wanting in England is
the former, with vote by ballot. The people of England,
especially in places where all who pay scot and lot, or as
in Preston where all the inhabitant householders vote at
election'', surely cannot complain. of a narrow suffrage :
what they complain of is, that undue influence is exer-
cised by the Aristocracy. Thus inhabitants of several
places find this overbearing influence so intolerable., that
they are just now petitioning Parliament either to lie
protected by the ballot, or to do away with the vei..kei
and degrading farce of elections as at present carried on
altogether. Who can think otherwise, who has seen
or hearth of the late flagrant warning sway, and owing
of tenants, because they preferred, instead of peijuring.
themselves, to act independently, according to con.
science and judgment ? Or who can fur one moment
hesitate as to the absolute necessity of the
after hearing of the dreadful teems of britety, per-
jury, corruption, and debauchery exhibited at the
late Liverpool election ? Can any friend to vittue end
morality (as G. protestor,' himself to be) not Int ebonite
to adopt almost any pie') that would protni,e to cure this
shocking degradation of morals, and prostration of every
independent and honourable feting ? The, e are two
kinds of influence exercised by the Wealthy awl affluent,
over the classes below them ; a good and a bad. Wisdom
and virue when joined tat wi:l always command
iedpect, and those who possess these will bs /wood with
attention, and their example followed; this is the good
influence to which none can have any objection. Out
when the wealthy entleaveour eo carry an election by threats
or promisee, by operating on the minds of voters by the
hope of reward, or the fear of evil, then the had influence
comes into action. The pod influence will still opera,tai
with the ballot—the bad will cease to act, and beteosom
extinct, and such is the c Immolation devoutly to he
wished fur by all friend!), to the ballot. It is now al-
lowed on all hands that it would he beneficial to the
empire at large, to extend the elective franchise in Scot-
land to the middle class s. Here then the qu atiutA
comes into a narrow compass: are they to give 4 free
expression to their (opinion of the merits of rival earoli.;
dates, without the debasing influence arising from the'
hope of reward, or fear of punishment ; ur, are they to
be Licit a prey to the bad influence of the ambition, and,
unprincipled : in short, are they to exercise the I,autodse
themselves for not, in order that all the good to be es-.
front the extension of the franchise may be realized
In the ono case, as supposed in the first question, they;
will; in the other, . they will not. 100 voting by ballot
they will act as free agents ; by open voting they will ire
too many meta become tools anal inotruments in the hands
of those who ran, and will (if they are not prevented by
ballot), turn the Wooing of ...vended suffrage into a cum.
As to Mr. G.'a unworthy supposition of extensive pions
being formed to put clown, by sect et voting, the 1110.1'
exited and virtuous eheractere, it is a libel on his coon- •
trytnen. Whet! will men combine without temptation
to do so, to injure themselves and their count.y ? not
exulted and virtuous characters the very men they would
choose if left to their unbiassed judgment ? To "PP"
the rev, roe of this, as Mr. O. has done, is to ,OPP°SO his
countrymen actuated by a ptinciple I dare baldly name;
of perpetrating evil for the fiendish pleasure of doiog
If Mr. G. belongs to the exalted and v.rtuotts class, be
need be tinder no apprehension of their bovine by ballot
that legitimate influence which is the sure concomitant of
worth and excellence. Hut if lot feels attached to those
who would still retain the ascetulatwy by any wher means,
and who by their (opposition to the ballot seem afraid their

count+ poen are byit likely to make their escape from
deha%ing influence—no enlightened refornier having the
good of his country at heart, can have any fellowship with
him ; why should they, with the man who gr,ouitoto4
pours forth such a copious flood of contempt on theist who
have long been convinced of the necessity, and I.honceit ire
the calve of Reform?

I am, Sir
A I.IIIEND TO vivre fly nALLar.
Littemek, Dee. t,

Air. COKE now site for the county of Nor-
folk, in the twelfth Parliament, without any intermiesion.

REronNi....-.-.A petition, drawn op by J. T.
ittAyNe, Esq. of Tefiont House, ne.ir Salisbury, praying
for Reform ,stol reduction of taation, his lately obtained
10,000 signatures in the county of Wilts. We have tett,
the signatures to the petition, and can vouch fur tile re-
spectability of a great portion of them.--.llal/1 Chronicle.
Mr. Caomt still enjoys the place of Pay
master of the Widows' Pensions ; it is held by Hera, Nod
he cannot therefore be deprived of it The attached salmi
is 5001. a-year ; betides which, Le enjoys his retirix4
pension of 2,000/, per annum, which mity, be 01441_31.08.
sidered a greeter income than the full salary he 110 ein'' as
Secretary to the Admiralty, as be had des tiMend "ter"'
tahnnonto to prorhlt...Scora Ztioarri

TO THE BARONS AND'; REEMEN (.17 TfiE
TOWN AND PORT Or HASTINGS.
GICNTLEIIIRN,
Your cause and that of the Cinque'Ports ;has beett'diZ•
dried by the Rye Committee. By that dteir4on ,the
suffrages of a borough of four thousand inhaliftents
have been given back, and again mule saleable, as priiate
property, to an individual.