The Sun.
London, England, 1830-03-06 00:00:00

that the time was not far distant when the Govern-
ment itself would find the sense of the country call
upon it to bring forward some plan to give the right
of representation to the commercial interest.
The gallery was cleared, and the House divided,
when the numbers appeard----
For tranferring th. franchise to Birmingham... 119
Against it
Majority 33.
On our return to the gallery we found
Mr. O'CONNELL moving an instruction to the
Committee, that the poll at each contested election
should be taken by ballot. The object of any elec-
tor in voting for any Member of Parliament ought
to be, because he thought the individual the best
suited for public business; and the most fair way of
election in his (Mr. O'Connell's) opinion was by
ballot. Votes were influenced by two motives—
those of terror and corruption. It would scarcely be
asserted gravely in that House—at all events the
assertion would be met with something very dif-
ferent from gravity elsewhere—that men are not
compelled to vote at elections by improper influence,
by bribery and by corruption. Now voting by
ballot would altogether put an end to that. That
would protect the tenant against the oppression •of
his landlord, and enable the elector to give his vote
with perfect freedom, and for the candidate whom
his conscience called upon him to support. They
had been called upon this night to extend the fran-
chise from East Retford to the hundred of Basset-
law, because the electors of East Retford had been
convicted of notorious bribery arid corruption. But
would the extension of the franchise remedy the
evil, unless they provided at the same time some
means to prevent its recurrence ? That remedy, he
contended, lay in the adoption in this instance of the
principle of taking the election by ballot. The elec-
tor could then give his vote with perfect freedom,
uninfluenced by terror and proof against corruption,
for the attempt to bribe him would be useless, as the
giver of the bribe cauld never be certain how
the taker of it would afterwards vote. These
were the advantages of voting in secret.—
They were so palpable that the system had
been adopted in all voluntary societies in this
country. The Election Committees of that House
were chosen by ballot. In all chartered Companies
that system was adopted. In the Bank of England,
in the East India Company, election by ballot was
the system which was adopted. In nine out of ten
of the States in America election by ballot prevail-
ed. But they had not to cross the Atlantic for an
exemplification of the beneficial effects of the sys-
tem. In France, where the Government patronage
far exceeded the patronage possessed by the Go-
vernment in this country, the popular sentiments
were nevertheless universally declared at the late
elections, in consequence of the electors giving their
votes in secret and by ballot. The introduction of
such a system in this country would put an end
effectually to bribery and corruption. He might be
told that there was something revolting in this mode
of election, and that it tended to suppress the sen-
timents of free-born Englishmen. He should like
to see those free-born Englishmen who had received
notices to quit from the Duke of Newcastle, and he
would ask whether the introduction of election by
ballot was calculated to suppress the sentiments of
men placed in their situation.—(Hear, hear.) He
(Mr. O'Connell) knew that this proposition would
be opposed by the opponents of every species of
Parliamentary Reform, but he thought he had a
right to reckon upon the support of all Reformers
its that House. It might be asked why he confined
his proposition in the first instance to East Ret-
ford. To this he would reply, that though con-
vinced of the advantages of election by ballot,
he conceived that it might be better not to in-
troduce it by a sweeping measure, but gradually,
so that its effects might be seen and appreciated, and
he thought that the present instance afforded a fa-
vourable opportunity of trying the experiment. If
the Bill were passed with the clause in it which he
should propose, they would very soon see how the
system worked, for an election should immediately
take place. The people of England were not re-
presented as they ought to be in that House. It
was the people of England who forced from the
Crown the unlimited power it formerly possessed,
and converted unconstitutional despotism into con-
stitutional prerogative. The struggle was made by
the people of England, but the fruits of the victory
were reaped by the overgrown Aristocracy of this
country. The people had formerly to contend
against the regal power; now the struggle lay against
an aristocracy that had swindled them out of their
rights—against an oligarchy that lorded it over them
with despotic sway. It was the aristocracy that
had burdened the country with 800 millions of debt,
and who, by the possession of the enormous pa-
tronage connected with the Church, the Army, and
the Navy,—by their immense wealth and vast pro-
perties, had been enabled to render the majority of
the Members in that House their mere nominees.—
(Hear, hear.)—The Hon. Gentlemen who sat on
the other side were, generally speaking, the mere
nominees of the aristocracy of the country.—(Hees,
hear.)—The Learned Member concluded by moving
that it be an instruction to the Committee on the
East Belford Bill to insert a clause in the Bill to
make the election to be taken there by ballot.
The Speaker informed the Hon. Member, that the
question now before the House was, that he (the
Speaker) "Do leave the chair." When that was
carried, and the House went into a Committee, it
would be open to the Hon. Member to move the
insertion of the clause he proposed in the Bill.
The question was then put and carried, and the
House went into a Committee, Sir A. GRANT in
the Chair.

After several clauses in the Bill had been agreed to.
Mr. O'CONNELL moved the insertion of a
clause, to the effect that the election should be taken
by ballot.
Mr. PEEL objected to the clause in the first
instance, on the ground that it did not specify how
the ballot was to be taken. In justice to his pro-
position, the Hon. Member should specify the mode
in which the ballot was to be taken. This, besides,
was not the proper place to propose such a general
principle.
Mr. HUME said, the insertion of the words,
" hereinafier to be mentioned" in the clause, would
meet the objection of the Right Hon. Gent. The
Right Hon. Gent. had himself, in his Jury Bill, recog-
nized the principle of election by ballot, without any
specification of details, and he should not oppose that
principle now. He (Mr. Hume) would support this
proposition, and he could not understand how any
one of the 140 Members who voted the other night
for the motion of the Noble Lord below (Lord J.
Russ(ll) could consistently vote against such a
proposition.

Mr, 110BHOUSE was a warm friend to the
principle of election by ballot : be had had some ex-
perience of popular elections, but he was convinced
that that was the best principle upon which elec•
tions could be conducted.

Mr, PEEL said this was not the time for discus-
sing so great a principle as the Learned Gent. had
laid down.—(Hear, hear.)—lf the Hon. Member
for Aberdeen would look to the preamble to the
Jury Bill, he could see that the mode in which the
Jury was to be elected by ballot was specifically de-
tailed there. He (Mr. Peel) was decidedly opposed
to the principle advocated by the Hon. and Learned
MeraL,er for Clare.—(Hear, hear.)—He was sure
that such a principle, ►f adopted, would be produc-
tive of far greater abuses, and of more hypocrisy
than at present prevailed—(llear)—and he doubted
that it would have the least effect in preventing
bribery and corruption at elections.—(Hear, hear.)
Whenever the Hon. Gent. should bring forward a
proposition of this kind in a more regular form, he
(Mr. Peel) would be prepared to meet him and to
oppose it.
Mr. O'CONNELL explained.
Mr. WESTERN was decidedly opposed to the
principle of election by ballot.
Mr. WARBURTON supported the amendment.
Mr. MARTIN declared his intention of opposing