The Sun.
London, England, 1853-11-02 00:00:00

Mr. Acland—•The interests of the members of the
Corporation and the interests of commerce are at issue.
For instance, the London Docks were opposed by the
Corporation because it thought they would interfere
with the dues which it levied upon ships.
The Chairman—Can you suggest any mode of con-
necting more closely the Corporation of London and the
great merchants of the City /
Mr. Acland—Yes, but the Corporation is utterly ir-
remediable in its present state—it is an anti-commercial
body, and it refused to assist in the making of docks
when they were necessary, to accommodate the shipping
of the port of London. It opposed, at an expense of
7,0001., the extension of the Blackwall Railway to the
City ; and after it was beaten on that in the year 1845,
when the Direct Manchester line was projected, it re-
fused the application for permission to bring that railway
into the City.
Mr. C. Lewis—Did the opposition you speak of pro-
ceed from the Court of Aldermen or the Common
Council ?
Mr. Acland—l don't remember, but it could not have
proceeded exclusively from the Court of Aldermen. The
Court of Common Council has the aldermen as a part of
its components.
Mr. C. Lewis—ls it not often inconvenient that a
small portion of London should oppose bills in Parlia-
ment affecting the whole of the metropolis ?
Mr. Aciand—lt is.
Mr. C. Lewis—And may not the City often be sup-
porting its own interests, while• it is injuring the in-
terests of the rest of the metropolis ?
Mr. A.cland—l believe that is often the case. The
corporation of the city represents but a small portion of
the area and the population of the metropolis, and a
minority of the area and population and rateability even
of the city of London itself.
The Chairman—Will you go to the next point, the
governing bodies ?
Mr. Acland—l would first call your attention to the
anti-commercial dues exacted in the City. The corn
metage alone last year amounted to 9,596/. The cor-
poration asserted a right to measure everybody's corn
by its own bushel, whether the owner wanted it mea-
sured or not.
The Chairman—ls it measured without there being a
sale ?

Mr. Acland—lt is. An action had been pending for
the last 14 years, and it was still undecided, against the
house of Combe, Delafield, and Co., because that firm
malted its barley out of London, and transferred it from
the malthouse to its brewery in its own barges, and the
corporation insisted on measuring it, although the firm
did not want it measured. The fellowship of porters
had also instituted an action against the same firm, to
recover 10,0001. for porterage which had never been
performed. The metage was so onerous an impost, that
to escape it cargoes were frequently sent away from Lon-
don, without breaking bulk, to the port of Liverpool,
there to be discharged. A toll of 2d. was also levied
upon carts belonging to non-freemen on entering the
City, and upon carts of freemen carrying the property
of non-freemen. These tolls amounted in 1852 to
5,1801., the sum received by the corporation from the
contractors ; and it was not extravagant to say that the
cost of collection and the contractors' profits raised the
sum exacted from the public to double that amount.
The inconvenience and stoppages caused to the traffic •f
the city consequent upon the collection of such a large
sum in separate twopences could easily be imagined.
Before he left the question of the freemen, he ought to
have told them that the average constituency of each
Common Councilman was twenty-nine in some wards,
and as low as twelve in others ; and the average rate-
able property represented by each Common Councilman
was 1,9431., and in some wards as low as 7001. He
would now come to the third head of the inquiry—the
governing bodies, which were the Court of Aldermen,
the Court of Common Council, and the Court of Com-
mon Hall.
The Chairman—Begin with the Court of Aldermen.
Mr. Acland—The Court of Aldermen is composed of
twenty-six tradesmen and members of professions. It
comprises two auctioneers, two wharfingers, two stock-
brokers, two builders, one ironmaster, a retired saddler,
a china manufacturer, a bookseller, a silk manufacturer,
a drysalter, a stationer, a retired office-keeper, a corn-
factor, a winemerchant, a coal factor, an upholsterer, a
tea dealer, a printseller, a grocer, a solicitor, a clock-
maker, a salesman, and a banker. They are magistrates
by virtue of their office, and elected for life ; they decide
the vilidity of corporate elections, and even of the eleic-
tions of their own body. They are elected from the
municipal lists issued by the aldermen of the several
wards. There is a money influence frequently brough
to bear upon the election of an alderman.
The Chairman—What do you mean by a money is
fluence !

Mr. Acland—l mean that money is paid by or for a
candidate who desires to be elected an alderman.
The Chairman—Do you mean that there is bribery at
the elections ?
Mr. Arland —I mean that there is bribery, be it in
bribery or treating. That expense is incurred in order
to induce men to vote for an alderman who would not
otherwise vote for him ; and that seven of the present
body, whom I am not prepared to name, but I am pre-
pared to establish the fact by satisfactory evidence if
necessary, have been elected by a direct money influence,
exerted by themselves through other parties, by money
payments.
The Chairman—Do you mean to state that in your
opinion there was what may fairly be called a corrupt
expenditure of money in influencing the election of alder-
men ?

Mr. Acland—There is no question about it.
Mr. C. Lewis—Do you mean payments made from the
private funds of the candidates ?
Mr. Acland—Yes ; I have spoken of seven cases at
least, but I believe there have been more.
Mr. C. Lewis—Do you believe that this has been a
recent practice ?
Mr. Acland—l believe it has been the practice for
many years, but not very recently. I think there have
been fewer cases of corruption recently than there were
formerly, but that may arise from a variety of circum-
stances. A party may be a candidate in a ward where
there is no opposition, and where therefore there is less
occasion for the introduction of a money power.
The Chairman—Do you believe the wards differ
materially as to their comparative purity ?
Mr. Acland—There is no question about it. lam
satisfied money influence is most exerted where the
wards are small.
Mr. C. Lewis—You say you are not prepared to men-
tion the names of the seven persons who have exercised
a corrupt influence at the election of aldermen—are you
prepared to indicate any means by which that statement
will be supported ?
Mr. Acland—l shall be prepared to put before you
witnesses who can establish it.
Mr. C. Lewis—Then I presume that these witnesses
will name the parties ?
Mr. Acland—l have no doubt of it. An alderman
possesses very considerable influence and patronagee. ~Ze
for
the city of London, and he is a magistrate
possess'u
office is, therefore, coveted by persons w.
pecuniary means.
Mr. C. Lewis—ls there ever any treating ; and are
the public-houses open ?
e very p -
Mr. Acland—l believe the publicans
ar
' nent agents on these occasions.Thefuenters municipalromiregof; public-
houses, smoking-rooms, electors
ect ore of
London are to a far greater extent
politicians congregate,
than the occupiers who have not
the municipal franchise.
They herd together, and the
more or less influence with those small
men
publican has
makehas
and unmake the representatives of the
municipality. A publican seems very naturally to pre-
sent himself as an agent for corruption on these occa-
sions, whether as a primary or a secondary.
The Chairman—Do you believe that political conside-
rations enter much into the choice of aldermen ?
Mr. Acland—They did while the division between
parties was more obvious than it is now ; and they do
sot enter so much as they did formerly.
The Chairman—Can you suggest anything to remove
these sources of corruption in the election of aldermen
which you speak of ?
Mr. Acland—l would make all municipal offices in
the city of London worthy of the ambition of the higher
classes. I would give such a constituency with such
checks on the exercises of the franchise as might, with