The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-23 00:00:00

CONVEYANCE OF VOTERS.

A bill passed through committee in the House
of Commons on Friday evening, containing the fol-
lowing very important clause :—" It shall be lawful
for any candidate or his agents to provide convey-
ance for any voter for the purpose of an election, but
it shall not be lawful to pay any money or give any
valuable consideration to a voter for or in tespect
of his travelling expenses for such purpose." This
is an attempt still further to diminish the expenses
of contested Parliamentary elections, and to prevent
money passing on any pretence whatever from the
purse of the candidate into the palm of the voter. We
entertain considerable doubt whether it would not
have been well to go a step further, and to declare
that the cost of bringing up voters to the poll
should in no case or shape be paid by the candi-
date. Indeed, so far as borough elections are con-
cerned, we entertain no doubt at all, for the voters
at such elections always reside in or near the place
where their votes are to be recorded, and if they
care anything about the result of the election 99
out of 100 of them might easily come up to vote at
their own costs and charges, which would only con-
sist in the expenditure of an infinitesimal amount
of shoe leather and half an hour of time. There are
few sights more repulsive to us than to see half-a
dozen sturdy fellows brought up in a hackney
coach from the corner of the next street to
the polling-booth at the candidate's expense
—knowing, as we do, that these men made the
coach a condition pi cc( dent to their voting, and
had absolutely refused to exercise their franchise
without receiving this most paltfy consideration.
We can hardly say that they have been bribed
or corrupted, for they really get nothing that
a sensible man would regard as of any value
whatever ; but they show that they understand
nothing of the importance of the franchise to
themselves, except In so far as it confers upon
them the privilege of a ride at the expense of
the candidate or his supporters. It is not at all
to the interest of the community that such men
should exercise the right of voting, and they might
well be allowed to abdicate altogether their political
functions. There are perhaps a few poor and in-
firm persons who could not come to the poll unless
conveyance were provided for them, and there are
always some voters absent at a distance from home
who could not afford to return at their own ex-
pense ; but all these taken together are compara-
tively few in number, and it is not worth while
continuing the obnoxious system to which we
adverted for their benefit. Under the best con-
ceivable system there will always be some cases of
individual hardship, and, however much we may
regret their existence, a gigantic evil ought not to
be perpetuated for the sake of obviating them.--
Leeds Mercu) y.

Country Markets.

MANCHESTER-JULY 22.

There was a slender attendance at our market this morn-
ing, and the business passing was very limited. Wheat,
all but the choicest qualities, must be noted is to 2s per
qr. lower for English, and 21 per 701bs for foreign. Flour
a slow sale, at 61 to is per sack under the currency of
this day se'nnight. Oats and oatmeal were firm at fully
previous rates. English beans is to 2s and Egyptian 6d
to is per quarter dearer.