The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-25 00:00:00

VIE SUN, LONDON, MON'DA'Y EVENING, JANUARY 25, 1858

emancipate them, and to utilise to the full our
present constituency ought surely to be the first
step in any new Reform Bill. We should be
thankful to prevent at the same time, if possible,
the baser influence of bribery ; but we must con-
fess that the argument is of a different kind.
The worthless slave of corruption is indeed a
slave, but a voluntary one. He has no conscience
or judgment of his own, which it is any pain to
him to violate. It would be indeed a great gain
if we could put him into an Electoral Reforma-
tory School, and turn a base-minded man into an
honourable one ; but he wants no protection,
and is altogether in a different category from
his coerced neighbour. The latter often must
yield. He is compelled to choose between his
livelihood and his country, and he votes for his
family and his livelihood.

Hence it is that we insist on that common-
sense demand—the Ballot—as the first point in a
new Reform Bill. We do not undervalue exten-
sion of the suffrage, or equalisation of electoral
districts, or abolition of property qualification, or
triennial Parliaments : they are all good points,
important points, but all put together they are
not of the same importance as the Ballot. The
first especially—extension of the suffrage, is, we
think, both the right of the many, and would be a
great advantage to the State. It would widen
the basis of the body politic. But of what earthly
use would it be to introduce a larger number of
subservient voters into the register ? Take, for
instance, the class which we believe both the great
political parties think it would be wise to place on
the register, the more intelligent mechanics—they
are an industrious, an intelligent set of men, and
very desirable is it to give them a recognised place
in the political constitution of the country. Yet
almost all these men are servants of someemployer,
and their votes are far more likely, therefore, to
be their employers' votes than their own. The
householders, also, below the ten-pound franchise,
are certainly, for the greater part, very much at
the mercy of their superiors. Where can be the
gain to the constitution, or the advantage to the
men themselves, of giving them a vote for their
masters The latter have already their share of
political power. No one proposes to give them
more, and certainly no one proposes to give them
power by placing operative ♦otes at their disposal;
yet this is the obvious result of simple enfranchise-
ment of E, u c b classes.

Enfranchising a large number of persons, as
things now stand, is very much like convey-
ing free negroes to New Orleans or Cuba. Aboli-
tion of slavery should precede immigration, and abo-
lition of the polling-book should precede an exten-
sion of the franchise. New electors will be kidnapped
and reduced to electoral servitude as negroes
liberated from a slaver would be absorbed by slave
plantations. At Manchester an election would
be a war of master manufacturers, just as in the
counties it is a war of landlords. Indeed, to
extend the franchise without giving the protection
of the ballot to the new voters, would be but to
demoralize them. We want to raise and ennoble
them, to arouse them to free, manly, independent
action ; but to have them, as at Manchester, in
the last election, taken from the factory in an
omnibus to the polling booth, not daring to vote
against their masters' candidate, is but to create a
fresh ground of irritation between the two classes,
and to give to the great cotton spinners what we
meant for their men.

Then, as to the equalization of constituencies,
on which we shall have somewhat to say ere long
—something in that way must be done. Perhaps
Lord PALMERSTON may not purpose more than,
striking off a few of the most glaringly indefen-
sible boroughs ; but suppose any attempt made to
apportien members according to numbers, the
counties must then come in for a much larger
share of members ; so also must London and a
few other places. Now, were the counties eman-
cipated, there could be no objection to a perfectly
fair apportionment of members in the ratio of the
voters ; but while the suffrage is in reality but a
landlord suffrage, such a result would of course be
simply intolerable. To give the counties votes in
proportion to the voters, without the ballot, would
be to imitate exactly the process by which the
slaveholders sustain their power in Congress. Tbey
have representatives for two-fifths of their slaves,
while they themselves have the votes in their own
hands 1 Emancipate the tenants-at-will, and any
voters who may yet be added, by the ballot, and
we are quite content that voters and representa-
tives should be proportioned to each other. Look
at which point in any Reform programme you will,
and the first requisite to make it worth having
is, to .EMANCIPA.TZ YOUR VOTERS.

LATEST NEWS.

AMERICA.

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)

LIVERPOOL, MONDAY MORNING.

The Niagara has arrived, with advices from Bos-
ton to the 13th, and New York (by telegraph) to
the 14th.
She has 420,6E0d015. in specie on freight.
The Niagara passed the American on the 15th,
and the Arabia on the 24th.

The Royal mail steamer Africa had arrived at
New York.

The Empire City, with the Californian mails of
the 20th December, and with 160,000 in specie,
had arrived at Nev York.

GI eytown advi3es report that Col. Anderson,
one of Walker's officers, had surrendered Fort
Castello and the river steamers to the United States
frigate Susquehanna. The fort was laid in ruins,
and the machinery of the steamers broken.
General Walker had left Washington for Mobile
and New Orleans, where large numbers of volun-
teers were waiting his arrival.
In the Senate, on the 11th inst., the President's
Message on Nicaraguan affairs was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations.
Mr. P. Mens has been confirmed in his appoint-
ment as United States Minister to Russia.

The Senate, on the 11th, refused to receive a bill
providing for five additional regiments for the
army.
Accounts from Washington justify the belief that
the Mormons will not abandon their settlements,
but will oppose the forces of the Government. The
War Department had, in consequence, determined
upon reinforcing the expeditionary army to Utah
as soon as possible, and several regiments had been
ordered for that service.

Mexican advices report the rumoured death of
General Alvarez, that a strong opposition had
arisen against Comonfort, and that civil war was
regarded inevitable.
The New York commercial accounts of the 12th
report that the European intelligence per the Africa
had created a more cheerful feeling in the money
and sock markets, but there was not much im-
provement in the aspect of business. Prime paper
was in better supply, but was mainly absorbed by
the banks. The sales of stocks were very large fiir
permanent investment, and prices declined a little.
In exchange there was only a moderate business
doing on London were quoted 108 k to 110 k.
The Bank statement showed a further accomula-
tiou of specie, and a decline in the Sub
Treasury. It was intimated that the banks
would receive on deposit the new Sub-
Treasury notes, allowing the accrued interest,
Cotton continued firm, with an increased demand at
10c. for Upland, and 101 c. for New Orleans. The
market for flour was dull, while wheat was firmer,
with a better inquiry. Indian corn was scarce, and
held at a further advance. The provision market
was dull, with a decline in prices. Potashes were
quoted $5 50c., and pearl $5 50c. to $5 75c.
Scotch iron selling $26 to $27. Sugar was without
quotable change, 20 hogsheads of Muscovado
molasses had been sold at 221 c. four months.
Freights to Liverpool were lower.

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