The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-21 00:00:00

TIIE BALLOT SOCIETY•

The fon CT' wing letter hes been sent %7 the com-
mittee of titre Ballot Society to an elector of North
ho expressed
rqssent from th .e advice'
given by the'l,
Yorkshire, 1
committee to the friends of tho ballot
to 1 voting at the forthcoming election,
because
• candidate is for the ballot. The
a bst ai a n
e ift?hii. e 1
letter stated: tht • writer had determined to vote for
anti-ballot Whig, because he found
Mr.Milbank, the
s were unfavourable to the bal-
.
that both'c'andidatt.
I 'lank would vote for the exten-
lot, but that Mr. i‘lib.
oa certain eictent":—
I sion of the franchise "1,
ee direct me to acknowledge
"Dear Sir —The commits
) the 11th ins k
t'., and to than
the reeeipti of your letter of
9.fforts expre,,sed therein.
you for the;appreciation of thei? '
:hat ffer from the
" The committee regret to find the ballot in North
ld , you ch:
policy thex recommend the friends 0-
,
Ykshire U pursue at the present elOet f°7l,
ve unt; intelli
"the co4ittee need not remind se acii:
gent,'',, politician as yourself of the present state of tf,:e Li-
beral `arty which was lately well described as 'cebled,
debauc.lied, and humiliated, under the leadership 0. f itates-
men who citre natter reform.'
" It is We object of this committee representing th, 1 so-
ciety to r lake these statesmen feel that the ballot is re-
garded by the people of this country as a measure whi .eh
cannot be ty•sled with or delayed to suit the convenience of
any Ministty, the selfish purposes of any faction, or th 0
antiquated ptej udices of any party leader. How can the, f
so well do al ie as by indueing the friends of the ballot a t
every election /here the contest lies between an anti-ballo t
Whig and an at ti ballot Tory,‘ to treat the difference be-'
tweet the candid ates as one only of the names of worn-oat
factions, and to ta, ke no part in returning either of them to
Parliament it
As long as he fr- ends of the ballot in the constituencies
are content for the ea nvenience of party-leaders to receive
opponents of the ballot` as candidates and return them as
members, so long wily such leaders persevere in refusing to
treat the ballot as one ot the points of their political creed..
"The policy of the et.,wmittee should also be regarded ire
its effects upon the Liberal membors of the House of Com-
mons. Earl Russell in 1859 said of the ballot `it must be
carried by the growth cmd mai urit y of public opinion,' and
Mr. Bright has said ' who.). the 201-0 men now in the House
of Commons who are pledged to the ballot, or when 50 of
`he Go vernment they are re.
them are in earnest and tell 4
wiLl leas -0 any Government that
Philistines on the oppo-
solved to have it, and they
will not grant it in the hands of the
site side of the house, then, and 1 arc Thably not till then, the
t he growth and maturity
ballot will be conceded.' How can
of public opinion be so well impress'sd upon the governing
classes? How can the Parliamentan 'supporters of the
ballot be so well taught that the time is come when they
'llot that it must be
must with such earnestness demand the Ira
conceded, as by its friends in the constituent lea, voting for all
candidate who is in favour of the ballot, and abstainiag
from voting for any opponents, and thus slit, wing that- they
no longer consider the profession of the party name 1, ybil:
or Liberal as a sufficient ground of support, where such
profession is accompanied by opposition to the ballot.
" With reference to your county election the committt
must observe that no point of the Whig candidate's tree 4
was so clearly stated and so firmly held as his oppositionlo
the ballot declared in reply to ,a question put to him in your
town, while his opponent is reported to have said at the
nomination that the extent sion of the suffrage would utA
prove of the slightest benefit without the ballot—an opinion
in which this committee fully agree, and they therefore 450
not feel that a promise to suppo rt an extension of the st if'
frage to a certain undefined ex-tet.)t is any ground for voti3)
for an opponent of the ballot.
The committee arc thoroughly'(; ho
that distaste&
as this policy is to many friends st ho professing to esteeto
the ballot much but esteem Minister ial and party convent'
once more—the adoption of it by their friends in the con/
stituency will ere long bring about Oat protection to th
voter which the ballot can alone secaVe.—l am, dear sir,
yours faithfully',
JOHN F. BONTEMS, hon. secretaay.