The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-27 00:00:00

•

each other." These reflections, allusions, and
ejaculations, fell from the lips of the PRINCE CON-
sort—all the more admirably, all the more ap-
propriately—upon the evening of the very day
upon which that ringing cheer of blended pa-
L triotism and loyalty went up from the
heart - speaking voices of twenty thousand
Volunteers—voices that cried aloud that ringing
cheer as plainly as the voices of the Hungarians
proclaimed in their famous oath of allegiance and
devotion to the cause of MARIA THERESA-
" Moriamur pro rege nostro"....VICTORIA

Referring to that very incident of Saturday
afternoon last, the review of the Rifle Corps in
Hyde-park by the SOVEREIGN in person—the PRINCE
CONSORT observed on giving the next toast (that
ever-popular toast of the Royal Army and the Royal
Navy of England)—" We have witnessed this day a
scene which will never fade from the memory of
those who had the good fortune to be present—the
representation of the independence, education, and
industry of this country in arms to testify their
devotion to their country, and their readiness to
lay down their lives in its defence." And his Royal
Highness added statistical information in regard to
the rifle corps movement that will be very generally
acceptable—" The volunteer force exceeds already
130,000 men, and to what extent this country is
capable of exerting itself in real danger is shown
by the number of volunteers which in 1804 reached
the extraordinary figure 479,000." To this remi-
niscence was nobly appended the remark, that
"we are apt to forget, however, that, in contrast
with every country of the world, all our services
are composed exclusively of volunteers—the navy,
coast guard, coast volunteers, army, militia, yeo-
manry, and constabulary." It is noticeable, by
the way, in regard to the subsequent proceedings
at this Trinity House banquet on Saturday, that,
while—from of course a wholesome regard to
courtly etiquette—the toast of "her MAJESTY'S
Ministers" was given by the Prince CON SORT in a
manner humorously equivocal with scant praise,
or at least ambiguous compliment—it was responded
to by the Prime Minister in a vein of delightful
pleasantry. Altogether the banquet at the Trinity
House this' year was a success—it was in good
taste, in good temper, and, above all, in admirable
discretion on the part
_of all the various speakers,
but especially on the part of his Royal Highness.

For a long time there has lain on our table a
large blue book whose weight, we are duly in-
formed, is under 21bs. Boz., and its price 3s. 4d. It
contains 316 pages, plus 22 of introductory
matter. When we open it we find that an inquest
of fifteen gentlemen had been sitting, as inquests
ofttimes have to do—over corruption itself, the
corruption in this case, however, being moral cor-
ruption; and the panel, consisting of fifteen
honourable members of the House which has been
garnished with its splendid crop of legislators by
the very corruption which demanded the inquest.
As fields, alas, have been gilded with more splendid
crops, through the death and decay on their sur-
face of the human form divine; so, if we may
judge from the verdict of this committee, has the
House of Commons become the splendid represen-
tation, which it is, of all the intelligence and moral
worth of the country, because it has sprung so
largely from the death and decay of divine moral
principles. No manure, LIEBIG tells us, like the
death and corruption of what you would grow ;
we cannot wonder, therefore, to see honourable
members " flourishing like the bay-tree," in
all their elevated virtues which perished at their
polling booths. We say the verdict of
the committee has led us to this conclusion, for as
we read its thirty-nine heads we cannot but regard
them as an elaborate attempt to ensure a constant
supply of the moral guano which has already
proved so valuable. All practical provision is
indeed made for the deodorisation of electoral cor-
ruption ; but, as it appears to us, none for its pre-
vention. We confess we have not yet had heart to
dive into the nearly 300 pages of evidence. We
mean, however, to have a dip or two. We speak
of the report only, and as a piece of solemn—we
must out with the word—of solemn humbug—we
know of nothing to surpass it. It almost entirely
passes over the universal corruption which degrades
every county; and it does little indeed towards
preventing that which is most notorious, but not
always the worst, in towns.
Payment of expenses only through one recognised
agent; publication of the expenses incurred, a month
after the election; moderated penalties; prohibition
of conveyance of voters in boroughs, a little
extension of the offence of " treating ;" the
votes of those who have been bribed to be
struck off in a scrutiny ; the assimilation of
the punishments and forfeitures for the offence of
bribery at municipal elections to those at Parlia-
mentary elections; and the ludicrous free trade with
other persons' money enactment, that an employer
shall not be at liberty to deduct anything from
wages for loss of time by any voter who absents
himself from his work for the mere purpose of vot-
ing l—These are the chief of the notable provisions
suggested by the fifteen gentlemen of the inquest
on electoral corruption. Their scheme consists in a
dropping of some of the notoriously useless clauses
of the old act, and the addition of a few more in-

,ended for the same purpose—namely, " how not to

do it." The requirement of a declaration of honesty
from the candidate at an election, and from the
member returned, is formally repudiated as useless !
—a reason quite sufficient for the repudiation of
nearly all which the report proposes. To impartial
persons the reason would rather seem to have been
because it was useful. Unless, indeed, we must
believe that honourable members are not men of
honour—that even their solemn declaration goes for
nothing. We, however, do not believe men to be,
after all, quite so bad, that they would purchase a
seat in Parliament not only with money, but by a
distinct or a substantial lie.

There seems indeed to be one new provision
which, if fully carried out, would extend to House
of Commons Committees some of the most efficient
powers possessed by the special commissions ap-
pointed to examine on the spot. No witness is to
be allowed to refuse to answer before a committee,
on the ground that his answer may criminate him-
self, and the committee is to have the same power
as the commissioners now have, of granting a certi-
ficate of indemnity. We acknowledge that this
would make an honest election committee, in cases
where bribery was suspected, a much more for-
midable court of inquiry. But we are to remember
the committees themselves are to be composed of
members, of whom the report pronounces that
it would be useless to require them to
declare that they had not paid money
contrary to the provisions of the law also,
that the expense of prosecuting an inquiry on peti-
tion is enormous, and that when danger is suspected,
resignations, and compromises between the equally
guilty would make all smooth.

When we opened, however, the voluminous re-
port, and glanced at the proceedings of the fifteen
anti-corruption gentlemen, it really caused us an
iinnvooulur on
involuntary laugh. We could but instantly compare,
minds, the simplicity of truth with the
ludicrous
pomposity or perplexity of error. We
thought of all the old speculations concerning the
movements of our solar system, 'which the grandly