The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-17 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1854.

The authorities are adopting a variety of pre-

cautionary measures with a view to diminish, if
possible, the ravages of the dreadful scourge which
has now descended upon various parts of the me-
tropolis. The Gazette is crowded with official re-
gulations in regard to the closing of the intra-
mural graveyards. The Board of Health is placed
under the surveillance of a Minister, responsible
for its acts to Parliament. An independent
member, as energetic as the hon. baronet, one of
the representatives of the borough of Marylebcne,
is judiciously nominated to the new office by the
decision of the supreme councils of her MAJEsrv's
Government. Greater attention than ever (though,
alas i that is saying but very little indeed) is be-
ing paid just now to the filthy condition of
the river Thames, and to the general inade-
quacy of drainage both north and south on
its Surrey and Middlesex side, and east and west
in London and in Westminster. Nevertheless,
though " much has been done," yet " more re-
mains to do"—and some of the evils,requiring
either removal or abatement, demand especial
mention by the public Press in this hour of ex-
treme emergency.
The mortality along the southern bank of the
river between the bridges—the fact is undeniably
apparent--has a frightful excess over the mor-
tality further northwards in the directions of
Kilburn, Highgate, and Hampstead. The reality
of this glares upon the popular appreciation from
the weekly return tables issued from the office of
the Registrar-general. It is out of the reach of
contradiction. It is there before our eyes in
round numbers—terribly visible. Ale why this
disproportion ? Any one may tell who has visited,
or merely hastily passed through, the locality on
foot, or in a road vehicle, or on the railway. The
whole atmosphere, especially in the vicinity of
Lambeth, is actually pestilential. What with
bone-boilers, and knackers, and tallow mer-
chants, and cheMical manufacturers, and
the huge establishments of one or two of
the metropolitan gas companies what with
all these, and here and there an old festering
graveyard, rotting and reeking in the midst of
dirty and dilapidated houses, filled from cellar to
garret with a squalid though industrious multi-
tude of inhabitants—no wonder the whole neigh-
bourhood is poisoned ! Why, one's hands can
actually feel the filth in the atmosphere, one's

eyes can see it littered around, one's nose can
smell it everywhere—abominably. The accumu-
' lation of these deleteriousl occupations in that
densely Peputatedocality is a matter of absolute
notoriety. And
why, in tahske being so, why, in GOD'S
name of our common humanity—
why, name,
and again,
undiTutuediate stn
by the op put to this great and' •
is not a ,uositive'
nuisance . authority of the ImperiaelryGo-
vernment? Manifesely the Government has the
• power. To Whom arew eto lock for tho exercise
of that power ? To Sir
Lord PALMEASTON ? Tth
o UENj"IN
HALL, or to
or to the Home Secrete e 9 Mini,ter
of Health,
neither ? Active measures
ory
ught n To
both, or to
in reason
to be adopted at
who perish for delay, perishce, in aconduseauthenoesee
of the delay, and therefore by thosewho
caused it. It iisa solemn thought for the m
have
who are entrusted with this serious and evenen
awful responsibility.
Something., must be done towards the removal
or mitigation of the evil to which we have re-
ferred,. Nothing has yet been attempted. When
is the effort to be made ? When ? While we are
thinking about the time, that time is elapsing and
the evil continues, and with its continuance
spreads around it in every quarter the dread
malaria of destruction. The cholera is not coming
—it has arrived. The period has gone by for
procrastination. The authorities must act, and
act, moreover, betimes, or the consequences may
weigh heavily, hereafter, upon their sense of respon-
sibility. At moments like these it is that we are
enabled to appreciate the wisdom of the " pro-
verbial philosophy"
of old—wisdom like that which
declared—

" Cleanliness is next to Godliness."

The efficiency of the new cc Bribery Enact-
ments" will be fairly tested before the end of the
current week. Five elections are about to take
place for boroughs which, although they have
attained an unhappy notoriety, and have been

visited with Parliamentary censure in the shape
of hostile- reports and protracted suspension of
their writs, cannot be considered as much worse
than many others of their class, although the
latter had not the misfortune to be found ont.
The great question, then, to be ascertained is,
whether sharp contests can be carried on for
such places as Canterbury, Cambridge, Hull,
Barnstaple, and Malden, without the adoption of
such practices as, althoegli long since prohibited
by law, have been specially legislated against
during the present Session.
We must confess that we do not look forward
with much hope to any beneficial results from
the recent enactments. Bribery, and treating,
and intimidation may be carried on in a more
roundabout manner, but they will still be exer-
cised in one shape or another. The Election
Auditor may ony receive from the candi-
date, or sanction payment by him for legiti-
mate expenses, but there is no check whatever
or account of advances made by the friends of the
aspirant for Parliamentary honours, and we can
easily conceive by how many ingenious devices
the sums thus expended may be repaid. An
apparently improvident wager—a disinterested
testimonial of friendship—or a quasi charitable
donation may fully reimburse the gentleman who
provided the funds in the first instance, trusting
to the honour and liberality of the party really
interested. In such cases few questions will be
asked—the returned member will not scrutinise
very strictly the nature of the demand preferred,
and to which he possibly owed his seat, or should
he prove of too inquisitive a disposition the
amount may be easily withheld until after ho has
delivered his own to the creditor ; and in conse-
quence of his declaration being omitted, he may,
after a certain time has expired, and the matter
can be safely done, make these payments.
As to the publication of the auditor's accounts.
These accouuts might unquestionably help keen men,
well acquainted with electioneering tactics, to hunt
out latent corruption. But, independent of the cau-
tion exercised in their preparation, we must recol-
lect that they are not required to be sent in for
three months after the election, while, generally
speaking, the petition must be leklged within
fourteen days. It is therefore quite obvious that
even a detection of undue operations will have no
effect on the position of the candidate who might
have been guilty thereof, so far as that election
was- concerned. " The publication," as has been
well remarked by a shrewd observer, " becomes
a mere gratification of idle curiosity, without be-
nefit to any one but the proprietor of the news-
paper in which it is advertised." The auditor,
we may add, is directly interested in sanctioning
a liberal outlay, inasmuch as his remuneration con-
sists partly of a percentage on that very outlay.
The more extravagant it is the higher will he be
paid, and, therefore, we cannot look for any great
strictness on his part in the way of " cutting
down the bills."

If, however, we do not anticipate much benefit
from the latest enactments, we must console our-
selves with the reflection that the Act will only
continue for one year, and that if it does no good
during that period neither can it do much harm.
Besides if, as we believe, it should prove an un-
mitigated failure, it will tend to satisfy really
conscientious men of the inefficacy of the various
nostrums that have been so elaborately puffed,
and to convince them that there is but one real
remedy, striking at the root of the disease, and,
therefore, capable of affording a complete
cure. Yes, without " THE BALLOT," cor-
ruption in all its manifold forms will
still prevail—intimidation will flourish, and
every description of undue influence be resorted
to. Landlord, priest, employer, customer will
try the various kinds of persuasion that experience
has proved to be nearly irresistible. Distresses
for rent, or ejectments, will terrify the unruly
voter. Sacerdotal threats may be hurled at his
devoted head, while notices to be discharged from
his work, 'or that he need no longer send for orders
to one or more of his best customers, will • terrify
and harass the miserable voter, who finds the elec-
tive franchise, once so much coveted, the most
injurious possession he could obtain.
For sometimes the influences are conflicting ;
to propitiate one, he must irretrievably offend
another. What, then, is the wretched man to do ?
"Incidit in Scyllam, dam volt Evitare Charybdin."
If he seeks to avoid the temporal power, of
the landlord, he falls under the spiritual lash of
the director of his conscience, or incurs the loss cf
very useful patronage ; or should he be so fortu-
nate as to please all these important personages—
to satisfy landlord, priest, customer, and em-
ployer,. he may possibly excite the indignation of
" his Majesty, the people," and be handed over
to the tender mercies of "King Mob "—not the
least formidable of the terrible despots, who
punish with stringent severity any breach of their
injunctions.
The Bribery Act will prove the necessity of
the Ballot. That is the alpha and omega of the
means for obtaining purity of election. The only
other point—though far inferior in importance—
that could conduce to the same point, is the re-
quiring a stringent declaration from every candi-
date, or, in his absence, the person deputed to act
on his behalf—and which should be confirmed by
his own, before taking his seat, that he had not
in any way been cognisant of, nor would he sanc-
tion them, or, at any future time, any corrupt or
undue influence. Such a declaration, although
quite inadequate without "the Ballot," would
form a useful adjunct, and add an additional
guarantee to that which would be as nearly per-
fect as we could hope to make any merely human
system.