The Sun.
London, England, 1837-09-15 00:00:00

L ~ z flfv

LONDON.
FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 15, 1637.

There is no subject which at the present moment
"gages the attention of reflecting persons so much
as the Ballot. The bribery, the intimidation, the cor-
gt influence: of all sorts which were resorted to so
erally by the Hanoverian faction at the late elec.
tier), have impressed upon the tnind of every man
who thinks about political matters, the necessity of
atTnyiding some remedy for an evil which, if not reme-
died will soon render our electoral system much
!ors* than it was before the passing of the Re-
lortb Bill,4tr
It will scarcely be denied, even by the
iinngiat opponent of the Ballot, that every man who
43 a vote to give is presumed, according to the Con-
adtititiON, to be in all respects fit for discharging that
utY. No one can be so absurd as to insist that the
Privilege of voting is conferred on men merely that
hsey may be made the instruments or tools of other
en) without exercising any will or discretion of their
wn.. The perfect freedom of the voter is not only
implied,, but is essentially and absolutely necessary
made
nit; voting constitutionally. It ought in fact to be
permitted
part of the qualification. No elector should be
viermitted to give a vote, who cannot take an oath
Kist he gives it according to the unbiassed dictates of
five.
own conscience, and not from any personal mo-
:`:e. We verily believe that such an oath would have
skd thousands, and tens of thousands, of honest
pen from the miserable degradation to which they have
va,lely been subjected of violating their political con-
,ll7etions at the mande.te of an imperious landlord. A
ory
aristocrat thinks himself at liberty to claim
thedis vote of his tenant under the penalty of his high
oatpiii easure ; but he would hardly venture to claim his
th ---to insert a clause in the lease binding him to
commission_ of perjury when expedient.
th there is, however, only one sovereign remedy for
eevil, and that is the BALLOT. Secret voting is
the
freedom. It fulfils the conditions required by
it e Constitution ; and therefore our conclusion is that
attended with
intent evils greater than those which it is
at d'ed to redress. We have occasionally seen this
tempted, but never with any other effect than the
e
eentraetion of our risible muscles. The Ballot is
:iled nu-English, like everything else that promotes
vn.iiidependent spirit, and strikes at the root of Tory
,lelnciPles. And who are the loudest in this
mi?seless, or rather selfish cry ? Those very persons
411:1) use the Ballot most. Go to the India House,
1,4 t nther public Institutions—to the Clubs, to all pri-
tit,ed Sneietics, and you find the appeal every where
tell ei to the Ballot box. And why ? For the very rea-
'halt 'at we demand it for the Parliamentary electors—
enti,,the consequences of giving offence by the consci-
ns discharge of a duty may be obviated. If the
andliitn proud aristocrat does not think it beneath
right to
Practise this un-English custom, has he any
sit, stigmatise it ?If he has not the courage requi-
te; brave the consequences of an open vote, but is
is it Pelled to shelter himself behind the shield of secrecy,
p,ntgtnerous, decent, or just in him to refuse the same
at
tieeti°n to the poor man, who is so much more
jeetiie mercy of the rich whom he offends? The ob-
-14137,4 i% futile in the extreme.
iti„ re are glad to see pamphlets on this subject issu-
Fahlish°?' the press. EFFINGHAM WILSON has
ties-
(0 ,Ld a short but excellent one entitled " The Mti-
e (,)` Voters, and Vote by Ballot," to which we
nt° direct the attention of our readers. We
bettiv to have given a few extracts from it,
till find we must, for want of room, defer them
civil
anldorrow.
In the meantime let every friend to
tni)it religious freedom do his utmost, as oppor-
terfete serves, to ripen the question for legislative in-
he nee. The more the Ballot is discussed,
ten, tnore will it gain ground among the in-
'gent
s'ert3 , classes of the community. Many con-
te .I,,,n.ave been made to it by the excesses of
4nton:ries ,
at the late election, and that, too, from
1 6 the
a
.14Ve lit who were formerly its opponents ; and we
tote the t e doubt, that if the Press continue to agi-
t 8u1; • ject, and if the people also petition the
C‘nts, ure vigorously, we shall soon hare it made a
kuriet
""tion—an open question it is already.
th The _
„ et imers begin at the eleventh hour to see
It
der es..it
t Yof having recourse to Tory tactics in
h e,tfor'" m realize the advantages secured to them by the
such They could not at first comprehend °Perativ measure could he rendered comparatively
t/11 that e' by indifference on their part, and vigilance
ar their • • Poetane political enemies. They attached no
e the
machinery of the Bill —foolishly ima-
who b that it
rtt Put: must work beneficially, no matter by
requisition.n~l
in
ett elted them • The late general election has
ut,'or the The , and we are happy to find that in the
eo fiBhti, societies are in progressofformation
1g the
tirta. battle of Reform in the Registration
ef tht 74e
hi._ e Proceedingsgive at a public dinner which took
fence yesterday
-4r, th
hy mr.w e ',tag Tavern, Fulham Road, at-
el
4AtvEs, 4.4,,1181T.1tT0N,M.P., Mr. Hum E
SirJ. S. Li L Li E, and other, leaders