The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-09 00:00:00

Stage Manager, Mr. It. Phillips.

CANTERBURY HALL, Westminster-road.—
Proprietor C. MORTON.
The public is most respectfully informed that the FINE
ARTS GALLERY, in connection with the above Hall, IS NOW
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT, from 11 o'clock a.m. until 12
o'clock p.m. The New Callery contains an extensive Collec-
tion of Pictures, by Ancient and Modern Masters .and is also
devoted to Art productions generally. The Proprietor feels
he may confidently assert that, viewed altogether, the exist-
Musie hall, the New Fine Arts Gallery, and the recently
added Ante-Hall, will present an attraction which, whether
as regards the architectural beauty of the structures them-
selves, or the varied and hitherto unattempted combinations
within, will be found to be wholly without parallel in the
Kingdom.
The MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT commences as usual at
Seven o'clock.
In addition to the usual entertainment, the SAUVLET
FAMILY, of Amsterdam, Eight in number, whose varied
instrumental performances have created so marked a sensa-
tion in the principal cities and towns of the COntinent, will
perform every Evening at Nine and Eleven o'clock.

THE WEATHER.—Stng OFFICE, DEC. 9.

THERMOMETER, IN TUB SHADE.

43—highest since noon yesterday.
43—lowest this morning and during the night.
44—this day at noon.
B AROMETER-30 .36—rising.
WIND, South-Easterly ; light, with foggy weather.

THE SUN.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1858.

The Hon. MILNER. GIBSON addressed his consti-
tuents at a crowded meeting on Tuesday, the
Mayor presiding. We may probably take his
views as those of the working Radical members of
the House of Commons, the men who think not of
theory only but of action, and who ask not only
what is perfection, but what can we do? After
justifying his upsetting the PALMERSTON Admini-
stration, in which business he took so prominent a
part, aid declaring :that he would do it again if
the circumstances should ever recur, that indeed he
thought the Tories getting an "innings" had
been of considerable service, and would do
considerable good in the political training
of the Whigs themselves, he came to the grand
question which must now be the question of the
next six months at least. Every one who speaks
in public, and of course Mr. M. GIBSON, must de-
liver their views on Reform, and Mr. GIBSON is in
the very position to do so ; he is the old colleague
of one of the three Reform Bill-makers for 1859,
and he has a Radical constituency.
Is Reform wanted? What sort of Reform would
we have ? And how is any Reform Bill to be car-
ried ? These, says Mr. GIBSON, are the three im-
portant questions, and the last is practically the first
one. Radicals, in their now quasi official capacity, feel
the difficulties of office. They have to look obstructions
in the face. We therefore find Mr. GIBSON, like Mr
'BRIGHT, insisting on the necessity of compromise.
Those who wish to go a little way must be content
to go a little further ; those who were prepared to
go a great way must. be content to stop somewhat
short, and thus, by fair compromise, a valuable mea-
sure might be carried. The Bill of 1832 was car-
ried in that way. What we want is a real House
of Commons as well as a _House of Lords. A
house returned by the people, and not nominated
by the Lords. This is the gist of the question
fairly stated. At present the aristocracy possesses
the whole of one house and nominates a majority of
the other. Let the QUEEN and the people, through
their representatives, be substantive powers in the
State.

We are pleased to notice that Mr. M. GIBSON
decidedly asserts the absolute necessity of the
Ballot to secure us fair representation. He dwells,
indeed, on the importance of removing the anomaly
that four millions out of five millions of adult males
should not be represented, and avows himself in
favour of giving the working classes a much larger
share of political power; but he will on no consi-
deration forego the Ballot. Many, he observes,
think it an unimportant question : "he held it to be
vital to freedom of election in a country like this."
He might have said", in almost any country
under heaven. So numerous everywhere arc
the unfair influences which may be brought
to bear on electors, that if the object be that per-
sons shall " do their own voting," and not the
voting of those whom they do not wish to displease,
the Ballot is the only known means of enabling
them to do it. " They might depend upon it,"
Mr. GIBSON truly enough observed, "there was no
real ground for opposing the vote by Ballot but a
fear of the existing constituency of the country."
With these views we entirely concur. So far from
deeming the Ballot a "mere convenience," as some
Reformers talk, or a device of cowardice, as those talk
who are too great cowards to face the free votes of
the people, we believe it to be, of all the reforms
now demanded, the one which is by far
the most
important. It would create hundreds of thousands
of independent electors out of the present limited
constituency—out of men who now either do not
vote, or who vote under fear or influence; and it
would thus substitute election by the electors—that
is, by the people—for nomination by the peers and
the wealthier classes.

The Duke of BEDFORD may enjoy the pleasure,
so rarely known, of experiencing political gratitude.
He has always, we believe, been noted, like his
political and agricultural friend the late Earl of
LEICESTER, for his political liberality, never con-
straining his tenants to vote against their prin-

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