The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-26 00:00:00

THE BALLOT.

Last evening a numerously attended public meet-
ing was held at the Whittington Club, Arundel-
street, Strand, with a view to the consideration of
the best means of bringing the question of the ballot
before the House of Commons ; the Hon. F. Berke-
ley, M.P., in the chair. On the platform were Mr.
C. E. Whitehurst, Mr. Wyld, M.P., Mr. Ayrton,
M.P., Mr. W. Lawson, M.P., the Hon. W. F.
Campbell, M.P., Mr. G. H. Whalley, M.P., Gen.
F. P. Thompson, Mr. S. Nodes, Mr. W. Wilk'
(Carlisle), Mr. Sergeant Gaselee, Mr. Sergeant
Storks, Mr. W. A. Smith, Mr. S. Tulk, Mr. W. E.
Dawes, Mr. S. Elliott (Plymouth), and other gen-
tlemen interested in the movement.

The CHAIRMAN said, the meeting had been con-
vened by the committee of the Ballot Society for
the purpose of inviting the attention of the gentle-
men of the metropolis to the question of the ballot.
It was not so much his province to address them
on that subject as to direct their proceedings. The
gentlemen who would address them that evening
would explain the state of things as they existed at
present. There had been a meeting of the council
of the Ballot Society, who had come to the conelu-
sion, in conjunction with a large number of consti-
tuencies, to bring the question before the House of
Commons, and also before the House of Lords. The
great council of the nation, the House of Commons,
merely performed duties which were delegated to
them, and it was their intention to bring the ques-
tion before them at the earliest opportunity to test
the members of the present house as to the manner
in which they performed their duty in respect to a
question without which no reform would be perfect.
The great principle of elections should be that the
elector, whatsoever his quality might be, should be
enabled to go to the poll, remain there, and return
free, with no punishment awaiting him. He con-
gratulated the meeting on the advantages they had
gained by discussion, and referred to the Times, the
vast ability of which he was prepared to admit, but
against which they had to struggle on the present
question, but he did not see that they were in any
way shaken. He believed that nothing could carry
the measure but the majesty of the people, and ft
was necessary for them to speak out. A body of
gentlemen might use their utmost endeavours to
bring the question to a sxceessful issue, but they
were of little use without the support of the body-
of the people. He would not enlarge upon the sub-
ject further, as they were about to be addressed by
a member of one of the largest constituencies of this

great country.
Mr. AYRTON, M.P., said he had been invited by
the Ballot Society to address them that evening, and
he considered that occasion a very opportune one.
So long as it continued a part of our Government
that everything should be discussed out of doors,
the council of the Ballot Society had adopted
a wise course in inviting discussion. After
referring to the views of the Whigs of 1831, which
were their views now, ho said if the ballot were
necessary then how much more necessary was it
now ? It was a great political inheritance, and
every one must be aware of its principle; it came
in with the Saxons, and there was no change pro-
posed that was not constitutional. They were not
radicals nor revolutionists, but desired to give effect
to the ancient principles cf the constitution. Inti-
midation was the earlier foam in which freedom of
election had beeß attacked; then Governments be-
came more settled, and the last phase came in with
William 111., and the last change in the constitu-
tion. The great contractors, professional men who
came in then, found that they had opportunities of
jobbing and intriguing ; then came tippling and
treating, and the member got the great places and
his supporters got the small ones. The last phase
of political corruption was that of buying the
voters. The borough was either bought wholesale,
patron, voters, and all, or else it was purchased re-
tail. Then stringent acts were passed, and almost
everything connected with an election was rendered
the subject of legislative enactment. Still bribery
prevailed, and a plan was at length adopted which
was to prevent anything of the kind—that was by
the appointment of an election auditor. The most
recent scheme was that of the declaration. Having
pointed out what he conceived to be the fallacies of
this plan, he went on to say that he did not see
why the scheme they proposed should be considered
as something so very startling and novel. Was
there anything so extravagantly new in it ? Its
principle was not new, and its operation was cha-
racterised by simplicity ; the mode of taking votes
was eminently simple and perfectly pure. The
best thing was that the voter should not be ex-
posed to annoyance in giving his vote or after-
wards. The ballot might not be a nostrum that
would cure everything, but it would diminish an
acknowledged evil, and would deal with intimida-
tion, one of the greatest evils to which an elector
could be subject. He reviewed at considerable
length the evils of the present system of voting
which the adoption of the ballot would remove, and
concluded by urging on the meeting the adoption
of the measures best calculated to insure the attain-
ment of the object they had in view.
Mr. W. F. CAMPBELL said he had come down
there to-night, not to deliver arguments in favour
of the ballot, but to protest against the doctrine
which had been broached, where it could least have
been anticipated, that reformers ought to pass by
the opportunity afforded by the impendiansg a
mea-
sure of the Government on organic change, to be
law,
silent on the ballot until that measure was
and to support it, however devoid it was of all
concessions to the object they had most at heart,
passionst
and had met that night to urge upon the public.
The doctrine was condemned at once by reason and.
experience. Reason pointed out that after an or-
ganic change had been thus effected, the
of the country would flow for some time
in other channels ; and if they waited
the Government had carried a bill without
w
the
s
ballot, they would wait until the earpubliNew
altogether deaf upon that subject.
avowed purpose of a change in the Reforym, tActhe
an d
now among all parties in the Legislature was to
close discussion, to put an end to agitation,
keep all other changes at a distance on this topic.
Now then for experience. Before 1831 the vindi-
cation of the ballot was as ripe as it was at present.
In 1832 reformers might as easily have carried it
as they did put an end to the existence of either
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eeen Awhisper from Birming-
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of thatsufficient day they
eyn
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fortunate and mistaken generosity to waive it,
force hoping to have it by the of the new law
Thewhe n
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.What was the result ?
these topics. New
questions crowded upona
dParliament. Not all the
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iilt remarkableeoutdi
at erudition, n, acumen of Mr. Gale—
notplishments of Sir W.
theaenetetmenius and authority of
of the chairman who sat theree intodenfaigtihgta—blhealdabboeuerisi
Lord Macaulay—not all the
able to move the House of Commons on the subject.
Once more a crisis had arisen ; once more our re-
presentative arrangements would be opened ; once
more it was in their power to get the Ballot or to
want it. Would they again commit the fatal error
heihad pointed to ? Would they again let the tido
pass by, and only launch their vessel on themauidddeyd
strand it left behind it ? Fortune never
those who refused to aid themselves. And in
a case they would deserve the humiliation suchhich
which
they courted. If, however, they desired to be
moderate and tender to the Government, for
whom he had himself a great esteem, their
moderation and forbearance might assume a