The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-15 00:00:00

Inning would, as my learned friend the Lord Advocate has j
justly argued, be hostile to the general spirit of liberty in
this country. (Hear.) That spirit of liberty has grown I
in this country by the boldness and courage with which
men have stood forward and were ready to suffer sacri-
fices in behalf of those opinions and that free Government
which they wished to establish. (Hear.) From the day
when Sir J. Eliot allowed himself to be imprisoned until
death to the day when Sydney was willing to be con-
demned with unmoved pulse by the verdict of an adverse
and packed jury—men were ready to make any sacrifice,
and at any cost, to establish the principles of liberty.
But if you depart from those principles—if you say men
are to exercise secretly any of the public trusts of this
community, and that they shall be saved harmless, what-
ever their motives may be, you do much to quench that
spirit, and you produce an opposite spirit, that of skulking_e
from the responsibility atttached to such a trust. (IFlar •
)
I will not now go into arguments with regard to foreign
countries, with one exception, to which the honourable
member for Manchester has alluded, and it is worthy cer-
tainly of remark, because we have usually heard that
the example of the United States of America no
doubt a great and free country was one that ought to
be held forth for our example and worthy of our imitation;
but, if it should appear that some of the United States of
America themselves have great doubts with respect to the
value of secret voting, I think it is an argument for us to
pause, at least, before we adopt a plan which they for a
long while pursued, but upon which they do not seem to
have decided as an advantageous plan. (Hear.) The hon.
gentleman has, I believe, truly related, that in Massachu-
setts the ballot has for a long time been established, but
the law establishing the ballot stated that the name of the
voter was to be written ou a paper, open and unfolded—
(hear, hear)—there was no secrecy whatever about the
vote—(hear, hear)—it was a mode of voting different from
ours, but a mode of voting which did not imply secrecy,
which did not practically carry secrecy with it ; and there-
fore in principle resembled our mode of voting, rather than
the secret mode proposed by the hon. gentleman. (Hear,
hear.) It is true that the party who had the majority
stated that there were such abuses, such intimidations,
that it was necessary to establish the secret ballot; a great
party opposed that change, but it was carried. However,
within a year after it was carried there was a majority of,
I believe, 184 to 7 in favour of the repeal of the secret bal-
lot law. The hon. gentleman says there has since been a
convention, and that the majority of that convention are
in favour of secret ballot, and will make it part of the
constitution. We do not know how that may be, but we
know that after the secret ballot which the honourable
gentleman proposes had been tried for a year in that
noble and free State of Massachusetts it was abandoned
by a large majority, and that majority, I may say, con-
tained some of the most distinguished men, and was
supported by the opinion of some of the most patriotic,
moat learned, and most eminent men in the State.
(Hear, hear.) Then all I argue from this is not that the
State of Massachusetts may not finally establish secret bal-
lot, but, at least, it is matter of contention among them ;
and one party, at least, having this year a majority in the
Legislature, refuses to carry on that secret ballot, and de-
cided that it should be repealed. We know, likewise,
that, as my right hon. friend the Secretary at War has
stated that the Government of New York has stated
openly that bribery and corruption are making great ad-
vance in that State, and was an evil that required to be
checked by a new law. Can any man any longer state that
for bribery and intimidation they have a perfect and infal-
lible remedy when you have such accounts from the United
States of America, where it was said to have been most
successful ? Well, I say, not that America certainly will
finally have recourse to open voting—although au old pa-
triot of America, John Randolph, said that secret voting,
if it did not find a nation scoundrels was sure to make
them so—(laughter)—for it may be that the United States
of America may think it expedient to adopt some course
of secret ballot • but what I believe is, that they will not
persist in that law, but will prefer the open ballot. If
that is the case—if we, in fact, have no example, either in
ancient or modern times, of this mode of secret voting be-
ing successful (the only example of its success being in the
Republic of Venice, where it established despotism), then
I say, at least let us pause until we have some surer foun-
dation to rest a belief on that this secret voting is a suffi- ,
cient remedy for the evils complained of ; and let us keep
that mode of voting which has been found consistent and
compatible with all that is noble, with all that is manly,
and with all that is free in our institutions. (Great cheer-

ing.
Lord D. STUART moved the adjournment of the de-
bate. (Loud and general cries of "Oh !")
Lord J. RUSSELL appealed to the noble lord not to
persist in his motion for adjournment.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS hoped the noble lord would per-
sist in it. (Oh, oh !) The question was of vast importance,
and members representing large constituencies should have
an opportunity of expressing their sentiments. (Oh, oh !)
The house then divided.
For the adjournment
Against it

• Majority against the adjournment 264
The house again divided, on the motion that leave be
given to bring in the bill, when there appeared—
For the motion
Against it 232

Majority against the motion 6O
The motion was accordingly lost.
Mr. AGLIONBY, at the request of Mr. Wilson, post-
poned for a fortnight his motion for an address for certain
returns relating to the appointments under the Commis-
sioners of Woods and Forests.
On the motion of Mr. BOWYER an address for further
papers regarding the relations of foreign states with the
'Court of Rome was agreed to.