The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-07 00:00:00

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LONDON: •
WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 1841.

Whatever we can say, which is at all likely to
influence the county elections, we have already
said, and said over and again, when we have en-
deavoured to show that the Corn-laws are inju-
rious to the farmers. We should not, therefore,
now refer to the subject, being quite sure that the
time is passed when newspapers can influence the
present elections, though they may catch hold of
the principles which are likely to actuate the
freeholders, and claim for themselves the merit of
having inspired them; we should not, we say, re-
fer to the subject were it not that we see pomp-
ous boastings put forth under the authority of the
great Earl of CHATHAM, of the respectability of
the county representation. Whatever the county
electors might have been, in Earl CHATHAM'S
time, we know from experience that there is not
a more dependent, and, generally speaking, a more
ignorant class of men, as to political matters,
than the voters for counties. " Such persons,"
says the Bishop of DURHAM, in the sensible letter
which appears in another part of The Sun," have
had but little opportunity of forming a correct
judgment of what is passing in Parliament, and
various arts are resorted to, to conceal from them
the true character of public men." Few of
them read newspapers, except occasionally,
' and it is therefore quite impossible for
them either to know or appreciate what is pass-
ing in the world. We should, therefore, ldok on
their decision on any public question with much
doubt, but on the present public question they
unfortunately believe that they have an interest
adverse to the measures of the Zilinisters, and
ailverse to the interests of the towns, and we re-
gard tLeir verdict as that of self-interested men.
They are it; ages in their own cause. They are
vhich only an impartial man can
voting on that )'
d their votes will be given
Correctly decide, atL
under a mistaken view,in their own favour.
With the first abundant ha: vest they will be
ready to reverse their own decisio:h Admitting
in the agricultural e;;ectors, we
thq.power vests
must assert that on this question they vi ill not
exercise itjuatly.
The electors of towns may be superficial; they
may pass a hasty judgment; but at least in the
majority of cases their opinions are their own.
The agriculturists, says the Bishop •of DUR-
/1 " lean upon the opinions of those with
whom they are connected." The electors of
towns form their own judgments. The land-
lords dispose of the votes of the freeholders; the
electors of the large towns are neither to be in-
fluenced nor bought, except by reason.. A re-
pre.ttutative for a county, therefore, though his
constituent, may nominally be seVe;_al thousand,
really represents only a few landlords, and the
representative of a Kroll town population cal; in
reality boast of a larger independent constituency.
As an index to public opinion, we regard the returns
of the towns to be infinitely of more importance
than the returns of the bounties. riiip latter will
undoubtedly be against the 'Whigs, but that the
former is in their favour is a complete proof
that they are nearer right than their opponents,
and must, in the long run, be successful.
We do not know any instance of the inbabi-
tant of the towns going back to the opinions of
the inhabitants of the rural districts. All the
organs of public sentiment are esiablished in
towns. Almost all improvements, whether in
house-building or clothing, and many even in
agricultural instruments, have taken their rise in
towns. All the discoveries in science, nearly,
have originated in the same places. The inha-
bitants of towns march in the front rank of civi-
lization, and the Minister who has their suffrages
may be sure of obtaining those of the agricul-
turists at no distant day.
It is consolatory to know that Catholic,: enian-

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