The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-03 00:00:00

---7."/"2"--;Irl"--40ar. •

THE BALLOT.

_itinugh we are quite persuaded that a predilecfon in
savour of the Ballot is by no means extensively eieertsined
among the more intelligent and respectable electors of these
realms, yet for the sake of the few who have inadvertently been
betrayed into a support of that futile and immoral proposal, we
shall now endeavour in an article or two to sift and expose its
real character, confining ourselves chiefly to s'ich I iewe of the
matter as have not heretofore been pressed upon public nelic'.
As we learn from n heathen fable that one mode adopted by
the gods for punishing men's folly and wickedues? was IP gratil
them what they inconsiderately prayed for, so it Iles tetereti
to us that perhaps the best way of tleanittratinli evilo
the Ballot would be to inflict upon Its Supporters a pliticai
experience of its maniftild vices and ificooVehiehaegi BM pre*
vious to this) if peradventure it 4hall over he coneetitd, deem it only fair And chat liable to kewart% theitt tff
dcrtetj
attendant tliftleulties aid dsnittra Which in dor htiettitrit der this crotchet wholly inlprieticablO.
In the fiat pifices if then Is to tegattd to jultiea and
eittiency, fie Middle plan thiq htl tt(tbide.(l between the press ni
brode of voting and titiilietsal secrecy. If ?pen wring he it
grievance, then we humbly submit that the intended comes.
tive for it cannot he equitably demanded or enforced heyond
the extent to which that gi h snCe Is ascertained to exist ; is
other words, political toleration requires that all persons who
do not experience Inconveniency from the absence of the
851-
lot, should retain the right, if they think proper, of recording--
their votes without concealment. That many individua's, de-
sirous of exhibiting a public testimony of their political seutie
manta, or anxious to evince their approval of particular eatid;_
dates, may entertain a decided preference for open vol'exg,
is beyond all question ; nor will it be denied, tk:4 they
are, at the least, as much entitled to the
Ebert) of build_
ging this preference, as are the advocates Gl' the Ballot to the
sneaking and skulking expedient under which they seek to
poll.
,If the latter contend that a secret suffrage is essential
to the maintenance of their electoral independence. the former
nese argue, with infinitely mere reason, that an open vote is
indispensable es, their satisfactory vindication, as regards the
exercise of reciprocal obligations, their political discernment,
and their fidelity to bona fide engagements. If the one be
entitled to demand that their worldly interests shall be pro.
tected, the other certainly have just as good a right to insist
that their honourable feelings and principles shall be thrown
under no cloud of p.inful diiubts or injurious suspicions.
Assuming, then, that the privilege of voting in secret were
rightfully claimed by every one of those frail constituents
whose political virtue stands in nned,a such a shift, we are
warranted in maintaining that the right of the fearless elector
to give al open suffrage, if he prefer it, can never be taken
from him wi,hou the grossest tyranny and injustice. To force
the Ballot upon those voters who cortscientiously object to it,
would be downright intolerance and persecution, especially if we
keep in mind the fact that publicity is essential to the Moral
weight of any vote whatever. Apart from the opportunity of
ntalcing an open avowal of opinion, the vote of an idiot or an
imbecile person is raised to the same importance as that of a
shrewd and experienced observer. The Ballot, therefore, in-
volving as it does a complete sacrifice of all the moral effect
which justly attaches to the visible procedure of an intelligent
and upright voter Om matter on wieat.side of polities) cannot
be universally enforced witho,li. doing violence, both to the
constitutional liberts of iremense multitudes and to the whole-
some influenee wide": weight of character and sound judgment
should always here over the political fortunes of the country.
But if it he adthi:tee that the liberty of British subjects shall
b. so fir rt spected by the Ballooenongers as to reserve the
tight of voting either opeoly or secretly, at the option of
the electors, it is demons•rable that the supposed efficacy
of the Grote-box for all the purposes of concealment would
thereby be completely destros ed. For example, supposing bribes
or other ii.fleence to he still practiced under the optional system,
it is quite clerr that an open•vote would be invariably bar-
gained for and exacted as the only satisfactory proof of the
elector's fidelity to his promise ; while, by declining to
give s ich a test of his faithfulness, he would afford tolerably
c inclusive evidence, according to Scripture and common
sense, that he " loved the darkness rather than the light, be-
c ,use hits deeds were evil," and would thus incur all the penal-
ties of alierated friendship, harsh landlordship, and loss of
custom, which arc supposed to he the odium of an open suf-
friige. Taking for granted, then, that the optional system is
vistirely out of court, we have but to choose between the pre-
sent mode of voting, and the adoption of an universal gagyiss
bill. The latter, we shall suppose, is insisted on. The proud.
est glory of this free empire is taken away. The high rind
indomitable spirit of our countrymen shall dwindle P',d de-
generate to that of a sneaking succumb to Mr. Grote's threapedler. British liberty shall
d' ledl-

_aeship. pragm- tical
and despotic London banker shall subject tour entire political
currency to the standard of his scale& and to the slit of his
till ; and in future an Englishman shall have no more liberty
to evince his frre sentiments that, the veriest serf in Siberia.
Well, let it be so, and then our next concern is to ascertain
how the Ballot will work.
On this point we remark, in the second place, that the in-
vention cf rt, plan to secure perfect secrecy and accuracy in
voting is utterly impracticable. Whether Mr. Grote intends
to erect guerded booths, lighted from the top with clouded
glass, sod containing Ballot boxes inscribed severally with the
name of' each candidate, in which the unaccornpatried voter,
locking himself is for she moment, shall deposit a label or a
we have not heel curious enough to inquire. But, al-
though nueino.,itity to imagine a more eone,aled I lan of vet-.
ing may be ehergeable upon our want of ingenuity, -such, at
ail evenrie,' is the most secret mode, that we are able to con-
csive oi'; .and without pretending to compete Is ith.Mr. Grote's
capacity for cunning devices, we venture, with great humility, •
to challenge hint to produce a better. Now, with such a plan
RS we h le described (arid we know of none more secret), the
twofold urpo.e of concealment and accuracy would he coat-
slete/y fru, trete'''. There is no label or trill that would trot admit
of some urive're scratch e nark, which the candidate might pre-
viously etipulate for, as lie evidence of the voter's fidelity to his
promise.. An Act of Parliament to prohibit this would be wholly
iaeffieicul, becaus,, the secrecy of the transaction, as 'sell as the
implicated character of the voter, would place the violation
of it beyond detectinn. 0:1 the other hand, any clause in
such Act to invalidate the eleetion of candidates whose Ballots
were privately marked, would expose every representative in
the kingdom to the monstrous injestice of rejection by the un-
eletrctarde malice of any voters who might basely choose to in-
fringe it. Moreover, what is Mr. Grote to do with the innu.
merabie electors who cannot read ? They would be continually coertmitCng blunders, by putting their label or their ball into'
the wrong box ; and if the coloured ribands of the respective
candidates were placed over each box as a guide, what is to
or; vent a waggish voter front transposing them, and what is
to direct a blind one ? Some of these points are well
brought out in n pamphlet which has been sent to entitled, 't A Letter on the Ballot from a Working Man
in Loudon to his friend in the Count,w--a pro-
dection which, besides being cleverly written, is the more ern-
titled to notiee, as it cone s from a regular town Radical.
Several of his details are extremely curious, particularly such
a: iilustrate the utter iradequacy of the Ballot-suffrage, either
to prevent bribery or to secure concealment. Of this, the
Working Matt" gives a remarkable example, in the case of a
contest for a vacant lectureship in a palish situated on, the
eastern edge of the great metropolitan circle." Tho mode
of election ea; by Ballot; the number of qualified voters was
upwards of 1,400; the cenclidates were almost equally popu-
lar; and the intereit ehich the competition excited could not
he exceeded by any analogous instance, flying mentioned
these fir t', as bringing the case into a fair
parraallel with a busy
struggle for n Put liament-ry seat, the writer gives a concise
and manifestly an authentic letail of the whole progress of the
wonder-worktng system •of secrecy ender which the elec-
tion was coaducted. Canvassings, committees, promises,
threats, open pu'elie-houses, and paying up arrears of' taxes,
by way of- bribe, were resorted to with even more
vigour and aenality that are usually employed iu an
open political conflict. Acoording to a well-known prin-
ciple of human nature, voters, when once pledged to a parti-
cular side, an consequently thrown into the buo)ant compa-
nionship :aid rxelusive councils of even a party to which they
were originally not very friendly, felt committed to the con-
Nietion (by a natural and easy transition) that their adopted
cause was the right one ; and that, having given an open pledge
to a certein candidate, they must strive by all possible meaua
to escape the mortification of being found on the losing side.
In short, a clear presumption, if not a conclusive. p-oof, is ad-
duced in the pamphlet, that secrecy to any extent is wholly
unattainable. We have no room for quotation, but the whole
is worthy of perusal. The views which this Radical workman
has fouled on the favourite nostrum of his elique are highly
erodirable to his sagacity. For our:elver, we place it in pre-
cisely the same category as animal magnetism or any other
humbug of the day ; nor have we a doubt, that the eflOrts of
its patrons, tested by nelson and patriotism, will issue, as they
ought te do,. in mortification and failure. " The country"
(as the working-man would say), "is wide awake, and no
mistake."
We shall resume this subject in a day or two.--Times.

• SINGLE OPEECIIES.—SingIe speeches are not to
be thou; ht lightly of. In the course of the preceding Nke tches,
I have had occasion to refer to instances in whir;, men who
for years, Lad never had an opportunity of malti•.,g a speech at
all, because during all that time they had nerer been retained
in any case, have, by one happy forensic t'ffort, paved the way
for future eminence cud success of 0:e most distinguished
kind. Need I again refer my reatlcr.s, in illustration of this,
to the ease of Lord Eldon *Even out of doors a singlo
speech has often led to west important results to the-orator.
Tkere is now it well• known counsel practising in a certain
court in London, but who is very seldom seen in Westminster
ILI!, who had been induced by mere accident to make a speech
at a religious public meeting in a county town ; and so great
was the ialpressioa it made on the heart of a young lady, who
was present, that she became all at once enamoured of the
speaker, An introduction followed • and that was soon Sue-
ceeded by the marriago of the gentfeman to the fair admirer
of his oratory and of himself ; and as the lady had a large for-
tune; the ease may he justly referred to as illustrative of the
important results to which even a single speech may some-
times lead.—The Bench and the Bar; by the Author of Ran-
dom Recollections.

•
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