The Sun.
London, England, 1840-05-12 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

ROM TEE DAILY PAPERS OP YESTERDAY.
(From the Globe.)
No one, with means of observation upon the election
contests of the last two general elections can be ignorant
of the fact, that Cambridge and Ludlow are but speci-
mens of the proceedings which prevailed in towns
where the parties were nearly balanced, and where
bribery, in the various forms it can be made to assume,
could be practised with a probability of success. Ips-
wich, Norwich, Maidstone, Canterioury, and a host of
other places, are but Cambridge and Ludlow under
other names ; and hence the remedy to be supplied
must not be local but general. It would be but to lop
the prurient leaves of a noxious plant, while the root
was left to be nourished by those who derived a profit
from its existence, were the Legislature to confine its at-
tention to solitary instances of corruption. The system
must be attacked with a vigilant determination to extir-
pate it from the country it has so long cursed, and
which it threatens to destroy, by poisoning the sources
whence the means of political liberty and the principles
of good government can alone spring To Lord John
Russell, as the leading champion of the Reform Bill
in the House of Commons, the country naturally di-
rects its attention, as the Member of the Legislature
from whom some measure should emanate, the effect
of which hall smite the hydra heads of the foul mon-
sters who seek to effect the ruin of the country by an
extensive corruption of the franchise.
(From the Standard.)
Lord John Russell knows well, nobody, except per-
haps Mr. Coppock or Mr. Revis, knows better, that if
the elections for Ludlow and Cambridge proceed in re-
gular course, and without bribery—which the late sharp
lesson will sufficiently guard against—a Conservative will
certainly be returned for each place ; and such is the
precarious condition of the Ministry, that an addi-
tiv of even two to the force of their opponents
will go near, if not go the whole way, to administering
the steath blow to the Cabinet. Does any rational
man believe that if the Government expected a favour-
allle result in the two vacant boroughs, they would
labour to whip up a majority to suspend the writs?
The case is quite clear : Ludlow and Cambridge
are to be left unrepresented, in order to pre-
vent the already threatening increase of the Con-
servative Tr..rty. We should like to see any one
except Mr. O'Connell or Mr. Joseph Hume, bold
enough to deny that such is the fact, because then we
should be able to say that Messrs. O'Connell and Hume
had Piund a rival ? Here then is the particular car-
rup'L motive for a proceeding which must lead to the
es version of corruption. We have pointed out one
Yerocess by which the proposed meddling with Sir Ra-
llntPeel's Act mu.tt corruptly iaflucnce constituencies—
the corrupt motive iu the instance before us pouts
plainly to anotLet.

(From the Courier.)
it is a great mistake to suppose that the business of
the Coroner is limited to the examination of the nature
of the crime which has produced death, and that the
ulterior investigation should be committed to the consta-
ble and Magistrat:e. So far as regards the detection of a
criminal, the Coroner, strictly speaking, is the prinei•
pal and the representative of the whole police inclu-
ding the Magistracy. The powers vested in him of dis-
charging er cnrurnitting a person charged by the in-
quest are a sufficient answer to objections of this kind.
the same time, we rvould not be understood to de-
fend the " impertinence" which unfortunately too often
is suffered to intrude itself in'o what is of its own na-
ture a solemn investigation on the cause of one death,
and &ffecting the lite or lives of others. We care not
sor the fact, that persons committed on the Coroner's
evarranto are semetimes acquitted on the last trial ; the
same thing Deem: with the prisoners who arc sent Le-
fore the Judge by the Grand Jury; but who ever
Ihouzht of sboli.dling the latter?