The Sun.
London, England, 1837-12-18 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

A numerous meeting, called to petition Parliament
for the Ballot, was held in the Town-hall, Sheffield,
on Thursday last, at which Mr. Ward, one of its
representatives, was present. An attempt was made
to mix up with the question for which the meeting was
called Universal Suffrage, and shortening the duration
of Parliaments. But many who were friendly to an
extension of the Suffrage said they would sign another
requisition for a meeting to consider that subject, but
they objected to travelling beyond the subject for ,
which the meeting was called. The motion was
carried. We regret that our limits will only
allow us to give a brief outline of the proceedings
of this important meeting. Mr. Ward entered into
a history of the opinions delivered by Lord John
Russell on the subject of the Ballot, and ob-
served that however unseasonable Mr. Wakley's
amendment might be, there was nothing in that
amendment, or in the speeches in support of it,
" to warrant or excite the strong feeling which
appears to have influenced the mind of Lord John
Russell, and led him to commit a double wrong ; for
his speech was unfair to his true and disinterested
supporters, the Radical Reformers, between whom
the Ministry he erected a wall of principle that had
never before existed, converting those which had been
questions of time and expediency into questions of
principle, in such a manner as to render it as unpalat-
able as possible to those who feel as I do. I could not
then, and I cannot now, understand:what could induce
him to appeal from the town constituencies, by whose
aid the Government have done every thing that they
have been able to accomplish, to those landed inte-
rests which have opposed him from the first day of his
Ministry, and by whose votes he stands judged and
condemned at the present hour." But, instead of re-
commending the course proposed by the Birmingham
Political Union and Sir William IVlolesworth of direct
and open hostility to the Government, he considered it
to be by far the wiser and more practical course, to bring
the opinion of the country to bear upon the Govern-
ment, and force them back out of the false position
they have taken up. When Lord John Ruesell "is
shown his mistake," observed the Hon. Gentleman,
" I am sure he will be the last man to set his private
wish against the national judgment." We quite coin-
cide with Mr. Ward in opinion that " we must press
on in our course step by step successively, for nothing
can be done in this country by sudden jumps and
starts." " I advocate the Ballot," lie observed further,
" because I believe it will be the road to everything
else." We ourselves have no doubt, that if this pru-
dent course be followed, and the country make one
general declaration in favour of the Ballot, it must be
carried. We have often observed, and we now repeat
the observation, that the Ballot is the real test between
a sincere and a pretended Reformer. We can well
understand how a Tory, whose principle is to govern
by foul influences of ail sorts, should oppose the Bal-
lot ; but we cannot understand how any man who
thinks that those who ale in possession of the fran-
chise ought to exercise it independently, and who
knows that they are not allowed to exercise it inde-
pendently, can refuse to support a measure for afford-
ing such protection to electors as will enable them to
vote according to the dictates of their consciences. No
other mode of? prorecting electors than the Ballot has
been pointed out ; and, therefore, lie who is against
the Ballot is against Reform, and is opposed to the
principle of the Reform Bill.—Morning Chronicle.
It has not been very usual for the House of Com-
mons to sit on a Satuolly, which the day before yes-
terday they did ; but still less usual had it Bien, until
the advent of the present Government, to commit a
blunder such as that by the repeated exposure whereof
this Saturday's sitting kYIS signalized. On Monday
last a message was presented to the House from her
Mejesty, recommending to them an increased provi-
sion for the Duchess of Kent. No time was lost in
bringing it under consideration, which was done on
Tuesday ; and on that night a Committee of the whole
House resolved that her Majesty be enabled to grant,
out of the Consolidated Fund, an additional yearly
sum for her Royal Highness, not exceeding 8,0001.
Such a resolution, by the usage of Parliament, is a
necessary precursor of any Bill for authorising a
grant of this description. The proposal was not
perhaps a very popular one ; but there was no division
upon the resolution, and consequently nothing to
frighten or flurry the Ministers—nothing to disturb
the calm exercise of their legislative wisdom. More-
over, the course of business being that a resolution,
passed in Committee, be reported on a following day to
the whole House, they had a second opportunity of
considering their resolution, with reference to the Bill
which they intended to found upon it, ere they pro-
ceeded to report it, which they did on the Wednes-
day. On that night, before they introduced their Bill,
Mr. Herries, who, in his successive offices of Secre-
tary of the Treasury and Chancellor of time Exchequer,
had acquired' a knowledge of financial and Parlia-
mentary business, apparently not transmitted by him to
his successors, good-naturedly warned them that they
were getting into a difficulty. There was great doubt
whether that portion of her Royal Highness's income
of 22,000/. which was given for the education of the
Princess Victoria had not ceased on the accession of
the Princess to the Crown ; and, at all events, it
was clear that as £6,000 (part of the 22,000/.) had
been given expressly for the life of the daughter, and
not of the mother, it would cease in the possible,
though we trust improbable case, of the Queen being
taken from her people during the lifetime of her illus-
trious parent, in which event, therefore, the 22,000/.
would be reduced to .16,000/. Thus the proposed Act
of Parliament was not merely to increase the former
provision of 22,000/. by a new grant of 8,0001. more,
it was also to prevent the lapse of 6,000/., part of the
,original 22,000/. ; and, consequently, for the purpose
04rounding a Bill which would secure to the Duchess
of Kent both the 6,0001. (part of the 22,000/.) and
the fresh annuity of 8,000/., it was clearly necessary
that a Resolution should be voted by a Committee of
the House of Commons for the 6,000/. as well as the
8,0001. Nay, even as to the remaining 16,000/., al-
though it was hers already and absolutely for her own
life, yet, if it were to be the subject of a new settle-
ment by an Act consolidating the whole into one pen-
sion of 30,0001., it might very properly be required to
go through the usual stages of a Resolution prelimi-
nary to the Bill, in order that the Resolutic,-.1 and the
-.8,..11 might, upon the face of them, correspond hi amount.
Min esters, however, disregarding the timely admonition
of M. Herries, proceeded with their Bill, read it a
first timet on Wednesday night, and a second time on
Thursday night, but named it for Committee 'for
Friday, a day on which there was too much business
to leave it a chance of coming on. Now this gave
having made a blunder, they had
them time, amp if,
possessed candoeir and good sense enough to profit
by a hint for its correction, here was plenty of op-
portunity to set the mistake right. But that might
Lot be quite convenient. Indications had appeared
svhch showed that the grant was not a very popular one,
and any new resolution voting, not 8,000/., but 30,000/.
and rcqu;.riog a good deal of discussion and explanation,
might perchance have put the whole in hazard ; so it
was found expedient, in postponing the commitment of
the Bill, for which, as even/body had foreseen, the other
business of the House left no time on Friday, to appoint
the Committee for Saturday, a day on which, as Mem-
bers in general expect no sitting of the House, the
Government might reasonably calculate upon a thin
a:tesidance, and, consequently, upon a safe and easy
passatire of the Bill through this its most difficult
and critical stage—the stage in which the blank fir
ithe sum of money was to be filled up. But, unfor-
tunately for this ingenious calculation, Mr. Goulburn
said Sir E. Sugden were in their places. They ex-
posed the whole matter in detail ; and at last, after
:tome uneasy demonstrations from the Chancellor of
jthe _Exchequer and Lord John Russell, the Ministers
vs eri .compelled to admit their blunder, and withdrew
time Bie ! It must now, therefore, be begun anew,
41rld passed again through all its stages, just as if no-
thing had been done : which is not, hewevcr, exactly
' - the case,• because scmething has been done which is
Atws 0. er worse than nothing. The Ministers, however,
pik• tth.lited, in the strongest light, bile, though
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