The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-31 00:00:00

BOROUGH or SOUTHWARK

(THIS DAY.)

A public meeting took place this day in the Town-hall of
the Borough of Southwark, for the purpose of petitioning Par-
liament for Vote by Ballot, the Extension of the Suffrage,
and Trienial Parliaments, and also for placing the name of
Mr. Daniel Whittle Harvey, one of the Members for the
Borough, on the Committee upon the Pension List.
At a few minutes past one the High Bailiff, JOHN HOLMES,
Esq., who was accompanied by several respectable Electors of
the Borough, entered the Hall, and was received with cheers.
The HIGH BAILIFF having taken the Chair, said he had re-
ceived a requisition for the purpose of calling the present
meeting, and as he was always ready to meet the wishes of
the electors, he had appointed an early day for that purpose.
He trusted they would give every person nho was anxious to
address them a candid and patient hearing.—( Cheers. )
The requisition calling the meeting, which was signed by
about 150 electors of the Borough, was then read.
Mr. RUSHTON moved the first resolution, which he regretted
his inability to do justice to; but the cause was a good one,
and one which he had at heart.—(Mr. R. here read the rm.
lution.) It was well known that bribery and corruption had
proceeded to a greater extent during the late general election
than at any former period, and something was absolutely
necessary to put a stop to it. Nothing would be so
effectual for that purpose as the Ballot. The conduct of the
Ministers upon the subject of the Ballot, as well as on the
Pension List, was such as must excite the disgust and disap-
probation of every liberal man in the empire.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. JONES seconded the resolution, and congratulated the.
meeting on the recovery of the High Bailiff from his recent
indisposition ; he was proud to see him again presiding over
their meeting. He fully concurred in the observations of the
gentleman by whom the resolution had been proposed.
Major Cartwright was the father of the Reform Bill, and he
looked upon Mr. Grote as the father of the Ballot.—( Hear.)
He hoped the exertions of that Hon. Gentleman would be
ultimately crowned with success.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. RUSHTON wished before the resolution was put, to show
the meeting a model of Mr. Grote's Ballot-box. The expla-
nation of Mr. Rushton appeared to give much satisfaction, and
was received with much cheering.
Mr. ARROWSMITH begged to ask the Chairman if the two
Members for the borough intended to be preSent ?
The CIIAIRMAN had had no communication from them, and
could not say whether they would attend or not.
Mr. ARROWSMITII hoped he would be allowed to offer a few
observations upon the subjects they were met to discuss.
The ground on which the Ballot was agitated was this—the
poor and honest elector could not have the necessary protec-
tion. If he considered the Ballot would have.the effect anti-
cipated, he would be one of the first to support it. But what
he had seen of the men in power for the last few years had
made him completely of opinion that secret voting would be
protection for tyranny and oppression.—(No, No.) As soon
as the Legislature of this country should sanction the Vote by
Ballot, the days of the British Constitution would be num-
bered.—(Disapprobation.) It would be the precursor of
revolution.—(Cries of" No, no.") If the Ballot should be
negatived, he was ready 'to support the second and third
propositions —(Laughter)—but if they were to have the Bal-
lot he would oppose them. They asked now for an extension
of suffrage.—( Cries of " Universal l") Within seven years
there had been a great diffusion of liberty among the people;
first the Reform Act, next the Municipal Act, and then the
Poor law Act, which had taken a great deal from the Magis-
trates, and given it to the people.—(Disapprobation.) He
wished now to call the attention of the meeting to what took
place among the constituency in this borough during the last
summer. Under the old system the constituency was less than
5,000 ; by the Reform Act three populous parishes had been
added, and the constituency was now not less than 10,000.
What was the meaning of the propositions brought forward,
except to promote good and cheap Government ?—( Cheers.)
What was the conduct of the electors on the last occasion ?

(To turn out a Tory.) Yes, of course.—(Great laughter.)
It was highly creditable to the electors that they did so.—
( Cheers.) He knew nothing of the proceedings of the last
election, but he understood that no public principle was in-
volved in Mr. Richards's coming forward. He believed that
out of 10,000 voters, only a few hundreds voted for Mr.
Richards, and out of that great number—( Cries of " There
are not so many")—he would say 6,000, then; out of that num-
ber only 3,000 had thought it worth their while to vote at the
last election.—(Cheers.) It was not his wish to detain the
electors ; but he trusted the meeting would allow him to read
his resolution as an amendment. His resolutions were, first,
that whatever might be the defects in the representation
of the people in Parliament at the present time, either as re-
garded the mode of voting, the limitation of the suffrage, or
the duration of Parliament ; yet taking into consideration the
important changes that have taken place within a few years to
improve the condition of the people, and the additional faci-
lities afforded to open voting, it is the opinion of this meeting
that it is inexpedient to petition Parliament on the subject,
except to revise the law as it now exists with a view to its
amendment ; at the same time, if local voting should exist,
the voting by householders would be most beneficial to the State.
—( Cries of r"
That's only your opinion.") The next resolution
was—Resolved that the question as to the duration of Parlia-
ment appeared to the meeting to be one totally immaterial,
inasmuch as the county and the people within the last eight
years, if they had not had annual had had triennial Parlia-
ments : that quartennial, or quintennial Parliaments, were to
be preferred to septennial ones.—( Laughter.) His next
resolution, which was intended to meet the fourth resolution,
was—Resolved, that although the meeting regretted the cir-
cumstanc3 of the exclusion of the Honourable Member
from the Committee on the Pension List, still the rea-
sons assigned by the Right Honourable the Chancellor
of the Exchequer appear satisfactory.—(Great upraor, amid
which Mr. Harvey entered the room, and was received in the
most enthusiastic manner.) The worthy speaker, when quiet
was restored, resumed reading the resolution, which was the
cause of further confusion. The worthy Gentleman then
again read over the 4th Resolution which be intended to move;
at the words " appears satisfactory"—he would not detain
them longer, but would move them at any time that was thought

most convenient.—( Cries of" Move, move.") As they pleased.
He then moved his resolutions as an amendment on the

first resolution.

The HIGH BAILIFF asked whether there was any elector
who appeared as a Seconder to the amendment.—(No one ap-
peared, and therefore the amendment fell to the ground
amidst loud laughter.)
The Ist resolution was as follows;—" That bribery, intimida-
tion, and corruption prevailed at the last general election—that
in the opinion of this meeting electors cannot freely choose
their representatives without protection ; and that vote by
Ballot affords the best security against all such evils."—
This was put and carried amidst loud cheers, and laughter at
Mr. Arrowsmith's single hand being bald up against it.
Mr. QuELcrt said he rose with great and pleasurable feel-
ings of satisfaction to move the second Resolution. He was
an ardent friend to an Extension of the Suffrage and the
shortening the duration of Parliaments, but the Ballot was
absolutely necessary. Was it not monstrous that one man
should have the power of saying to his brother, If you do riot
vote for that man, you shall not work for Loud cheers,
and cries of " It is, it is")—or that another should say,
If you do not vote for so and so, send in your bill ;
and thus many honest tradesmen were almost ruined for

honestly exercising their franchise. Then again what in-
famous system was that which made it necessary for every ono
t• see Mr. Collector and Mr. Tax-gatherer before they could vote.
Give them the Ballot, and then they would get all the others.
Mr. GOODE rose to second the resolution, which he con-
sidered to be one of great importance, and not less deserving
their candid than it did their cordial support.—(Hear, hear.)
He would take the liberty of making a few observations upon
this resolution, which he considered to be his text. He con-

sidered the extension of the suffrage to be necessary for good
government, because while the elective franchise was cramped,
every man's liberty must be trampled upon, if not destroyed.
flow eften had they seen the Tory leaders called upon to
preside at a Bible meeting, while they trampled upon the_
rights and first principles of religion? Mr. Arrowsmith had
stated that they wanted to establish a democracy, and he
would ask was there a man among them who did not ? If any
such there were he was only a being in the shape of a man.
Mr. Arrowsmith, while he thus in his resolution trampled upon
the rights of his neighbours, sought to obtain them for himself.
From the High Bailiff down to the'humblest tradesman in the
Borough, were only the tools of ministers and of poor-
law Commissions, who took the money out of their
pockets, and then did just as they liked.—(Cheers.)
It was asserted that if the people obtained power they would
bring about a revolution. lie denied that, and he would say
that there never could be good Government in that country
until the people obtained power.—( Cheers.) If he (Mr.
Goode) was in the House of Commons he would make

all bribery—whether by an agent or the representative
himself—a felony, and punishable as such.—( Cheering.)
Mr. Arrowsmith, who objected to the Ballot, saw only one
side of the question, and that was the narrow side.—
( Laughter.) lie (Mr. G.) never wanted the Ballot for him-
self, but nevertheless he would contend for it for his brethren.

All threats were without effect upon him, for he defied all
nations to move him from his position of truth and honesty.—
( Cheers. ) With respect to the rate-paying clauses, he was
satisfied that their repeal would cause a great extension
of the franchise.—( Hear, hear.) The payment of the
shilling for registration was a very improper thing. Under that
system if a Parliament sat for seven years, a man would have
to pay 7s. before he could give a vote.—(No.) He would re-
peat that that was the case, for he had a shilling to pay every
year, which no doubt went into the pocket of some Vestry
Clerk, or lawyer's clerk.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) If
they could get better representation it would be well, but
he thought they would never do without the Ballot.—
(Cheers.) Some were for Household Suffrage, others for
Universal Suffrage ; he would go the whole hog with
any man.—( Hear, hear, and laughter.) But he must
again say he thought they would never do without the
Ballot. The House of Commons was called Honourable, but
very improperly so in his opinion. Having occupied the
meeting so long, he would conclude by seconding the Resolu-
tion, which was to the following effect :
" That the present elective franchise does not sufficiently
secure the representation of the people in the House of Com-
mons ; consequently the suffrage should be greatly extended,
and the rate-paying clauses in the Reform Bill repealed."
The CHAIRMAN put the resolution to the meeting, and de
dared it to be carried unanimously.
Mr. BARNES moved the third resolution.
3d. That according to the Bill of Rights and the Act of
Settlement, it is enacted that Parliaments should be frequently
holden, in order that the representative should be accountable
to his constituents. And it is the opinion of this Meeting that
without Triennial Parliaments, which are in unison with,
and formerly was the practice of our Constitution, such ac-
countability cannot be secured.