The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-25 00:00:00

n•

LONDON :
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1840.

A somewhat strange article appeared in the Leeds
Mercury a short time back which purports to prove
that to establish household suffrage will increase
the power of the aristocracy, and secure the con-
tinuance of the Corn-laws. It startled us to sce
it stated in so many words, that to give more votes
to the democracy would extend the power of the

aristocracy ; a paradox so sweeping, that it anni-

hilates ail our preeent political science, and so
warming, that it extinguishes the only light of
future political improvement. It is supported, how-
ever, by much positive assertion, much dogmatic
reasoning, and by a formidable display of statistical
facts. It has made accordingly, a considerable im-
pression in several quarters, and therefore it is
worthy to be examined, and, if possible, to be refuted.
The basis of all the arguments is laid on the
votes of the present House of Commons, on the
two questions of the Irish policy of Ministers, and
on the Corn-laws ; on the assertion that the main
strength of the Liberals, lies in the town population,
am! on the assumption that the population /cities
and boroughs sowsending members to Parliament,
is the only town population which, under the sys-
tem of household suffrage, would be invested with
the privilege of voting. The assertion we grant,
but we affirm that the votes of the House of Com-
mons, as now constituted, are not a correct index to
the votes of a House of Commons formed by house-
hal suffrage ; and the assumption that the town
population nom represented, is the whole town po-
pulation which would be represented with house-
hold suffrage, is a complete fallacy, and the source
of the Mercury's paradoxical conclusions. If there
be an error here, if the Mercury have taken much
too small a figure for what would be the town popu-
lation with household suffrage, it necessarily obtains
a figure correspondingly large for the agricultural
population, and the errors of its conclusions are all
doubled. We copy its statement on this point :
What is the populatien:of the cities and boroughs
which now send Members to Parliament ? This is shown
in a Report made to the House of Commons in the year
1884. by a Select Committee on the Expens,s of E:ec-
tions. The following table exhibits it :
POPULATION; OF CITIES AND BOROUGHS SENDING
MEMBERS TO PARLIAMENT.
Populatiou of cities and boroughs in England 4,754,742
Wales 196,314
Scotland 865,007
Ireland 739,892

Total in the Unitcd Kingdom 6,355,955
Then ecmpare this number with the whole popula-
tion of the United Kingdom, according to the census
of 1831 :-_.

. -
Populath.o of the United Kingdom 24,306,719
Population of the Parliamentary boroughs 6,555 955

Left for the county population
ep
17,750,7640-
Proportion ofthreeebnotrough population to the hOl
pulation, 27 pe
Thus the proportion which the population of the re-
presented cities and bKorionuggiknyirnhiea,rs to the a hole popu-
lation of the United
some-
thing more than one:hunk.
arc pop/datio of the If,s 27 her cent., or
the towns bear
this proportion to
according to Yourerip)rzosed.measure,
r United King-
dom, they would,
bar the slime proportion to the
United Kingdom. Now, 27 per cent nctrion of the
representation (the entire number of the whole
Members being
658) would be 177.
That i.„ your plan would nEDUCE the -rows ft, p
SENTATION from 405 Membcts—ifs present number
--
to 17; _,l/, tnbers !! ! You :.(itilil tale away 228 Meo
hers from the town representation, and give them to the
country representation ! Let us put aide by side the
comparative numbers of the town and country represen-
tatives 'is they are at present, and as }our plan would
make them :
PROPORTIONS OF TOWN AND COUNTRY REPRESENTA-

iTIVES.
At present. Under the new scheme.
Town Representatives 405 177
Country Do. 253 481

Totals
Town Representatives 61i Town Representatives 27
Per cent. of the whole, per cent. of the whole.
At Present the Towns, with 27 per cent. of the pope
jation of the United Kingdom, have Gil per cent. of the
representation. But the new scheme would beautifully
equalize the thing,and make their shire in the House
of commons just the same as their share in the popula-