The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-18 00:00:00

IMPORTANT MEETING ON TEE BALLOT.

A meeting of the friends of the ballot was held on the
14th, at the Freemasons' Tavern, Great Queen-street,
Lincoln's-inn-fields. The meeting, which was convened
by circular from the Ballot Society, was called with the
view of enabling that body to confer with the friends of
the ballot movement on the best means of insuring its
success. The attendance on the occasion was highly in-
fluential, while the letters received from leading re-
formers in the country proved how wide-spread is the
feeling in favour of the ballot among the constituencies
of the empire. At the hour fixed for the meeting, one
o'clock, there were, among others, present, the Hon.
F. H. F. Berkeley, M.P. ; R. Cobden, M.P. ; J. M'Cann,
M.P. ; J. Brady, M.P. ; J. Ball, M.P. ; W. J.
Torrens M'Cullagh, T. Prout, H. Bateman, Donald
Nicholl (who handed in a contribution of five five
guineas), G. Pouncey, T. B. Parker, G. E. Dennes, R.
Dawson, J. Evans, W. Simpson, J. Ledger, A. New-
ton, W. D. Saul, W. Geeson, J. Prout, W. Wickham,
H. Dixon, W. Roberts, R. Cassidy, Monstrevern ; H.
Kennedy, Brighton ; J. Sothern, Yarmouth; W. Gibbs,
Aylesbury ; R. Cosens, Barnham, Sussex; T. Falvey,
Southampton, and other gentlemen.
Previous to the more immediate business of the meet-
ing, the Secretary of the Ballot Society read communi-
cations, expressive of concurrence with the ballot move-
ment, and of regret at their inability to attend on this
occasion, from Baron Rothschild, M,P., through Mr.
W. J. Hall, with a contribution of twenty guineas ;
Mr. Scholefield, M.P. ; H. Hussey Vivian, M.P. ; R.
W. Crawford, F. Bennoch, Dr. Lee, of Hartwell-house,
Bucks ; Mr. J. Etches, Derby, with a contribution of
51. Letters to the same effect were also read from Ha-
vant, Landport, Haverfordwest, Swansea, Enfield,
Stroud, Inverness, Banagher, Cheltenham, Bristol,
Great Marlow, Sand other places.
The Hon. F. H. F. Berkeley, having been called to
the chair, stated the object of the meeting, which was
to confer on the steps to be taken at the present im-
portant juncture (when a measure of Parliamentary Re-
form was in prospect), for obtaining such an expression
of public opinion in favour of the ballot as would secure
its adoption in the place that would be proposed by her
Majesty's Ministers.
Mr. Berkeley was followed by Mr. Cobden, who ad-
verted to the means of effecting this object. Mr.
Cobden thought that the constituencies should make
the ballot an indispensable condition to their support of
candidates at the next election. The whole energy of
the country should be concentrated on this great ques-
tion, which involved equally the national character and
public morality. As a means to this end the hon. mem-
ber dwelt on the importance of local organisation for
the promotion of the ballot.
Mr. Cobden was followed by Mr. W. J. Hall, Esq.,
who said he had been requested by Baron Rothschild in
handing in his subscription, to express his regret at his
unavoidable absence. dr. Hall then expressed his
concurrence with the views put forward by Mr. Cobden,
and added, that, as *itizen of London, he hoped to see
the City soon take up the question of the ballot.
Mr. J. M'Cann, M.P., adverted to the unanimity of
the Irish Liberals on the ballot. All that was neces-
sary to be done so far as Ireland was concerned, was to
give the constituencies timely notice of the question
being brought forward, and they might safely be left to
deal with their respective members. The resolution
which affirmed the support of the ballot as a duty in-
cumbent upon the friends of purity of election having
been supported by Messrs. Dawson and Geeson was
unanimously adopted.
The second resolution, which adverted to the import-
ance of an immediate expression of public opinion in
favour of the ballot being made a feature in the 'new
Reform Bill was moved by Mr. Richard Cosens, of
Barnham, Sussex, who, on announcing himself as a
tenant farmer of 800 acres, was welcomed by the meet-
ing with a hearty English cheer. Mr. Cosens, after
alluding to the well-known fact, that the farmers had
"no voice of their own" in county representation, dwelt,
at some length, on the mode in which the ballot move-
ment was to be promoted among the agriculturists. In
the course of his speech Mr. Cosens declared his convic-
tion that an appeal to agricultural constituencies, on
behalf of the ballot, would now meet with a welcome
response from tenant farmers.
The resolution was seconded by Mr. Torrens M'Cul-
lagh, who hailed the sentiments of the last speaker as
an earnest that on the question of the ballot, town and
country, the tradesman and farmer would become one.
Mr. M'Cullagh, after adverting to the silent, but not
ineffectual, labours of the Ballot Society during the past
few months, stated that tracts were now in preparation
on current objections against the ballot, some of which,
such as the proposed failure of the ballot in America,
had been endorsed by high authority even in the House
of Commons. He believed it would be found that this
supposition arose from the want of accurate information
as to the real facts of the case. Such information it
would be one of the earliest duties of the Ballot Society
to supply.
The resolution having been supported by Mr. J. Ball,
M.P., and Mr. J. Gibbs, of Aylesbury, was carried
nem. con.
The third resolution, which embodied the hearty as-
sent of the meeting to a subscription in aid of the object
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thist, who re e-
s-
tion showed that they were only such as could easily be
overcome by a response to the resolution which he had
the honour of proposing ; that responsew as, however,
of paramount importance to their success.
Mr. Henry Bateman, in seconding the resolution, ob-
served that it was the pith of the whole question. He
had no fear that the movement would fail for the want
of money, but under existing circumstances prompt and
energetic aid in the way of contributions would go far
to obviate the evils resulting from a protracted agitation
of the question. His support of the movement was in-
duced mainly by his confidence that the ballot was the
most effectual means of putting an end to the present
debasing and demoralising practices of contested elec-
tions.
The resolution having been supported by Mr. Robert
Cassidy, was carried unanimously.
The fourth resolution, which urged the formation of
local societies for the promotion of the ballot, was moved
by Mr. T. Falvey, of Southampton, who gave valuable
illustrations of the importance of local organisations.
The resolution having been seconded by Mr. R. Daw-
son, and supported by Mr. A. Newton, was carried.
A. vote of thanks to the chairman cloned the proceed-
ings.