The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-28 00:00:00

of men being in more fear of affronting their cus-
tomers. But notoriously they are more dependent.
They resemble rather the miserable farming tenants,
since their whole dependence is ordinarily on one
man whom they dare not affront. We have, how-
ever, lying on our desk three essays by working
men on the Ballot. One is by a lithographic
printer, another by a book canvasser, and the third
by a wool-comber. They were all written in
answer to a prize offered by the Bradford
Review to working men—the subject being
" whether, in the present state of English
society, the Ballot be a necessity in any compre-
hensive measure of Reform or in case of
the enfranchisement of the working classes—all
ratepayers for instance—are there any practicable
means apart from the Ballot, by which the inde-
pendence of thi' class of voters can be effectually
preserved." These essays, and they all, especially
the first, do great credit to the ability of the
writers, completely answer the Kidderminster
appeal of last week to working men. They deny
that there is any known means of conferring inde-
pendence on the operative who is a voter, but the
Ballot. They show that even in the case of a good
master and a skilful hand, it is impossible for the
receiver of wages to feel himself free to vote as he
pleases. Even if there be no present danger of
discharge, he will fear standing in the em•
ploycr's black book as the first to be turned off
when a slack time comes.

pardon (1) was supposed t 0 be given on account of
the anniversary of the 2d December, a day to
which 5;1, DE MONTALE: 1113ERT must have looked
back with anything but /pleasurable feelings. It
was recalling to the Pe ,ople of France that the
illustrious writer had, for a time, participated in.
the measures which 'changed the whilome prisoner
of Ham, the exilt.' or Camberwell, the special con-
stable of April, 184 e, t he President of the Republic
for a limited period, in to a despotic autocrat, who
could trample out the remains of French liberty
without difficulty or impunction. This must,
indeed, have proved a bitter reminiscence to M. DE
MONTALENIBERT. It "Wag adding insult to injury,
and could not fail to indueA) him to reject the ten-
dered amnesty.

But, so far as can yet be known, the present
pardon is clogged by no such humiliating condi-
tions. The battle has been fairly contested, and the
party vanquished, not by tl ie weakness of his cause,
but the partiality of his judges ; cannot insist on
undergoing the undue penalties which they pro-
nounced for his quasi offence. lie cannot, if he would,
spend three months in prison. The gates would
not be opened to receive him, or if he did obtain
admission, and endeavoured to remain, he would
either be forcibly ejected or speedily starved out.

- .
The payment of the fine would be equally rejected,
unless, like some of the income-tax defaulters, he
sent it, anonymously, as conscience money—and
that would be a practical confession of guilt.
It was, as we have stated, the result which we
anticipated. The EMPEROR could not punish a
minor, when he had previously declared a higher
°me worthy of pardon ; nor could he see the mere
publisher, who had never seen the article com-
plained of, punished in person and in pocket, while
the author had been relieved from all the conse-

quences of the publication in which he had spoken
too justly of England and the English to be pleasing
to some ears in the vicinity of the Tuilleries.

Kidderminster versus Birmingham is the grand
contest with which the year is closing. The
honourable member for the great borough person-
ally advocates his own bill from the platform
the honourable member for Kidderminster enjoys
the anonymous advocacy of the Times. We know
editorial etiquette, of course, too well to think of
asserting that Mr. LOWE can be the writer of the
series of articles epitomised in his Kidderminster
oration, and of others which followed in commen-
dation of the views which thus for once found a
voice as well as a pen. The coincidence, however
exact, was doubtless casual. If we knew the
anonymous writer, we should find him to be some
gentleman of the same habits of thinking, of
the same political connexions, and the same inde-
pendence as the honourable member for the Carpet
Borough. We cannot, however, be thought to
violate any reasonable etiquette, if, regarding the
Times as leading counsel for Kidderminster, we
speak of the pleadings in the cause in the names of
the principals.
Now, what has struck us as rather remarkable
n these pleadings is the intense aversion of
Kidderminster to the Ballot. It does not like
extension of the suffrage ; but it plays fast and
loose with that. Any near approach to
equality is totally rejected, still, something
must be done in correcting the glaring anomalies
left by the Reform Bill. But the Ballot—that is
not to be endured. Contempt, invective, ridicule,
attacks on "the American elective system," exclu-
sion of answers to the attacks, even from one so
entitled to a hearing as the hon. member for
Bristol—everythingis fair provided it be but to get
rid of the Ballot, or only to keep it out of sight.
Yet most provokingly, as every fairly reported
meeting shows, the only point on which reformers
exhibit no variation of opinion is just this—that
in any Reform Bill, meant to satisfy the people the
Ballot must form an essential part. If, therefore,
Reform of Parliamentary Representation is not to
be octroyed to us by Tories and Whigs, but to be
adapted to the wishes and wants of those who elect
the representatives, there can be no question about
the matter.

We were even warned the other day in some re-
marks on the dictation of Trades' Unions to those who
belong to them, that it would be awful to put such
an engine as the Ballot•box into their hands ; and
this, after a picture of the terrorism exercised by
the Union over its members ! Why, the Ballot-box
is the very antagonist of all terrorism, whether it
be that of a wealthy landlord or of a union of poor
men. But, in the same trial, it was recorded that
" the rats"—those who refused to join the Union--
outnumbered the Unionists. They surely might
be relied on to out-vote those who
wish to oppress them. If there be
any means of thwarting unfair combinations, none
can be so effectual as the ballot. It is in secrecy
that the guilt of deeds, which we half forget when
acting openly with others, most strikes us. If

secrecy and silence be ofttimes opportunities for
fraud, they are also the most effective awakeners
of conscience. Men will not do individually
what they will often do in a crowd or even in a
corporation ; isolate the voter by secrecy, and he
will recoil from giving the very vote to which he
had wrongfully pledged himself.

A CHANT FOR CHRISTMAS DAY.

(From the Derbyshire Courier of Dec. 24.)
The scythe of Time is mowing
Another swath of life,
And the seed that we've been sowing—
Grain of Peace or tares of Strife—.
Has been gathered safe and fast
In the garner of the past,
To lie for ever !

Have we done the best we could
With the ways and means we hold ?
Have we wrought the things we should
With our judgment or our gold ?
Have we played our mortal part,
By our hand, or brain, or heart,
With fair endeavour ?

The steeple pulses beating,
With rapid strokes of mirth,
Loudly tell our days are fleeting,
Like molten snow, from earth ;
And the fitful carol strain
Is a warning once again
To the soul!

Have we dozed among the sleepers ?
Have we stirred among the quick ?
Have we comforted the weepers ?
Have we watched beside the sick ?
Have we dwelt in open kindness,
Or groped in selfish blindness
Like the mole ?

Come, let us ask our bosoms
If we earnestly have sought
To nurture all the blossoms
In our pathway as we ought ?
Let us ask if we are giving
As much love to all the living
As we can ?

'Tis a fitting hour to reckon,
Not only yellow store :
For passing old years beckon
Where no wealth can win the shore !
'Tis a day for Age and Youth
To sum up their debts of Truth
To God and Man!

The glossy branches twining
In beauty o'er our head ;
They are but garlands shining
In a pomp that greets the dead.
And a trace of holy gloom
Makes a temple of the room
Where they are seen.
Let the feasting and the drinking
Be as goodly as it may;
Yet the wise ones will be thinking—
As they hail the festal day—
Time is hushing us to rest
As he rocks us on his breast,
Of Christmas green !

Year after year is going ;
So work while there is light ;
Let us keep the rust from growing,
Let us wear our spirit bright.
And 'tis only honest labour,
And the love of friend and neighbour,
Cai do this.

So, while Old Time is mowing
Another swath of Life,
Let us pledge the cup that's flowing
To the heart that shuts our strife;
For, amid all selfish blindness,
It is only Peace and Kindness
Make our bliss.

ELIZA COOK,

MEDITERRANEAN TELEGEAPII.—It is appre-
hended that telegraphic communication between Cagliari
and Malta will not be resumed for some little time to come.
Advices received in London mention that her Majesty's
steamer Caradoo had been placed at the disposal of the
agents of the Mediterranealt Extension Telegraph Com-
pany, who were thus enabled to examine both ends of the
cable. The result of their kvestigations leads to the belief
that a fracture will be met with about the centre of the
cable, the shore ends being Perfect. Fortunately a steamer
belonging to Messrs. Newall and Co., who originally laid
the cable, is now in the Mediterranean, and will prove very
useful in the carrying out of the requisite operations, which
will probably include the raising of the central portion of
the cable, and perhar the splicing on of a new piece.
GOVERNMENT EMIGIATIoN.—The Government
emigrant ship Conway, 1,167 tons, Captain W. H. Duguid,
which sailed from Liverpool on the 10th of June, in charge
of Surgeon-Superintendent John Carroll, with 19 married
couples, 233 single women, 77 single men, 34 boys between
the ages of 1 and 12, 32 girls between the same ages, 11
male infants and 3 females, kasking a total of 428 souls, equal
to 381 statute adults,
arrived at Melbourne, Victoria, on the
15th of September. T
births occurred during the
voyage.

HIE SU N, LONDOA TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 28, 1858.