The Sun.
London, England, 1831-05-02 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The cause of Reform proepers beyond the most
ranettine anticipations of the most ardent reformer'.
A week has not yet elapsed since the elections begat.,
and already we can count victories more than Foal-
dent to assure us of ultimate triumph. The elec-
tors of Dover led the van against the borough.
mongering faction, by driving from their represenehe
ta•ion the nominee of the anti-reform Warden of t
Cinque Porte. London followed with such an una-
nimous shout in favour of the Bill, that it frightened
from the field of contest a candidate against whom
no other objection was made but his vote against
Reform, though supported by nll the unconverte,l
Tory interest of the city. Southwark re-echoed the
triumphant sound, and sent forward two staunch
friends to the Bill, instead of a reformer and an apose
tate. Even Bristol—the stronghold of slavery anti
Toryism, which sent up to Parliament the only
petition against the Bill that deserved the least at
rention—has di-carded its long-tried representative,
Mr. Hart Davis, because he is opposed to the men-
ewe. Sir T. D. Acland has retired from Devon-
shire, to make way fur Lori John Russell ; and.
etrenee to say, the proprietor of Corfe Castle is
likely to be driven from the representation of Dorset-
shire, to take refuge in his own electoral fortress,
from which he cannot be dislodged but by the irre-
sistible at tiltery of the Bill. Mr. Caleraft, his oppo-
nent, t hough at one time wavering., now comes for ward
ae a staunch reformer ;and even Mr. Bankes has dis-
covered that, unknown to himself, he has been
friendly to important changes in the representation.
Did Corfe-Castle seem threatened by these
contemplated changes ? We refer to another part
of our paper for other victories which it would be
etipetfluotis here to repeat. Wherever there is a
numerous constittrency—whereeer there is a body
of free and independent Englishmen intrusted with
the power of sending a delegate to represent their
views and their interests in the great Council of the
nation,—the nature of their choice in this great
crisis has not been for a moment doubtful. They
;lave felt the cause of Reform as their own—they
have obeyed with alacrity the call made at once upon
their patriotism and their loyalty, and in serving
their country and their Sovereign have promoted
their own interests and those of their posterity. On
the other hand, the opponents of the Bill are sent
only from places where the inhabitants are sold or
ertslaved,—where the interests of the electors ate
different from those of the great mass of the people,
—where they are 'etriving to maintain an unjust
monopoly for themselves or their pa•rons,—and
where their representatives represent nothing
but their own purses and the corruption of
their bribed or btillied constituents. The appeal
which the King made to the sense of his
people by the dissolution of Parliament has thus
every where been answered in the spirit with which
it was issued, where the popular voice can be heard;
but it could riot be supposed to meet with a cor-
responding assent from mouldering walls, or dilapi-
dated tenements in places without inhabitants, whose
whist and absurd privileges the Reform Bill was
intended to abolish. It is pleasing to observe, that
wherever reformers are returned, there is no dif-
ference or cavil about the extent of Reform, and
that " the Bill, and the whole Bill," is the device
on their triumphant banner. We I ave heard, how-
ever, that in some quarters a groundless suspicion
has been expressed that the qualification of alO/.
house-rent in large cities would be almost equivalent
to universal suffrage, and would admit great mobs of
the people to the poll. We cull this suspicion
groundless, because it ought to be recollected, that a
man who occupies oe owns a house of the annual
value of 101. must pay at least 51. or 6!. more in
hetes, and must then be raised above absolute
poverty. Be;ides, the tenant or occupant must
be registered a year before the election, and
the mere mob in the lower quarters of a large
town generally, hire their houses at a shorter
term. But it is evident that the rate could
not have been made higher without making
a difference between the qualification in smell
and large boroughs. In the small boroughs in
country places, or in towns below a population of
2,0,000 or 30,000, a higher rate of qualification—
say 201.—would have left a very small portion of
the inhabitants in the enjoyment of the eleetii,e
franchise. This is evident from the circumstance,
that in order to make out 300 voters for each of the
boroughs which come under, schedule B. (having
between 2,000 and 4,000 inhabitants), it is /ewes-
fury nearly in all cases to take in neighbouring pa.
riches, viltagee, or townships. let many populous
towns of the second or third order, which are either
now in possession of elective rights, or which are to
receive diem by the Reform Bill, the proposed qua,
lifteation will reduce the constituency to as small arid
select a number as the greatest aristocrat could de-
sire. Though, then, it were even admitted that the
Members for the British metropolis, for Dublin, for
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Bir-
mingham, Leeds, Bri-tol, and few other cities or
boroughs, were to be returned by a consti-
tuency embracing a great portion of the itilea
bitant householders, the effect, if undesirable,
would be counterac,ed by the overwhelming
tohjority of the Commons' House returned by
the mo:c limited constituency of the small
towns. Consider how small a proportion, even
under the new Act; of the representatives of the na-
tion will be returned by the great towns, in compa-
rison with the number of Members for counties and
small boroughs. They will not certainly amount to
more than a fifth, and therefore would not, to any
material extent, alter the character of Parliament,
though they were elected by universal suffrage, or
as those for Westminster are at present. Iu con-
cluding these desultory remarks, we have an obser-
vation to make respecting ourselves. The calumnies
of certain daily and weekly prints we so heartily
depise, that we never think of troubling ourselves
to refute them : but we confess we have seen with
some regret, that a Sunday Paper, which is zea-
lously fighting on the same side with •ourtelvee, has
completely misunderstood au article which we pub-
lished on Saturday. Let any person read that are
tide with a calm unprejudiced spirit, and he will at
once allow that our object wits to prevent outrage,
not to encourage it. What ?is it cruel to warn
men against putting themselves in a situation of
peril ? If we see, or think we see, a mine ready to
explode, is it ferocious to advise people who are ig-
norant of the danger not to walk over the ground
about to burst asunder beneath their feet ? The im-
putation is contemptible and monstrous. We re-
peat that we should have disdained to notice it, had
it not proceeded from a friendly quarter.—Times.
Nothing can exceed the dismay of tie borough-
mongering faction at the now unequivocal result of
the appeal made by our patriot King to his people.
They freely admit that all the open places ave.
against them—an admission which goes the whole
length of allowing that the impartial steece of the
nation is favourable to the measure of Reform pro-
posed by the King's Ministers. We hear that the•
nomination borough proprietors mean to bold firmly
together, and that the close representation of Scot-
land will furnish its support
be
ort; and we dare say, that,
i
when the Members fairly marshalled, the
be found
array against Reform will to bear those
distinctive marks, which mast
disputation the nature of the motives l beyond cavil or
ranke.rh governing the
men who join those
tj
Cambridge promises better than earlier anticipations
h
sittr of
ons
may have led many persons
to eepact
also, we trust, the good cause will prevail.an t Certainer e
it ie, that champions less worthy the representation
of a learned body than the disgraced ex-Chancellor
of the Exchequer and the booby brother of the plau-
sible Sir Robert cannot Le imagined. A University
must be disgraced in preferring etchpersons to the,
able and eloquent Minister who has lung possessed
their suffrages, or to the distinguished bets of the
house oi Devonshire, less distinguished by that err,.
peetancy than the scieroac attaintrutritswhich,in
tthe
fair strife of mind, made him the first roan of his
If Lord Palmerston and Mr. ,Cavendish
year.
*tumid be thrown out, what Olt reapect will ,the