The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-31 00:00:00

THE BALLOT.

The question of the ballot is not only one of the
profoundest, but also one of the most complicated
ever invented to tax the ingenuity of man. We are
not surprised that they who once take it up, like
Mr. Henry Berkeley, thenceforth do little else, for
it is-quite enough to occupy one man's allotted por-
tion of time, opportunity, and intellect. Indeed, it
requires the exclusive devotion of a society, and a
nekv league may worthily, if not profitably, employ
ten years in attaining to the first principles of the
question. This is evidently Mr. Cobden's opinion,
and the fruit of his transatlantic -observations,
when he recommends the Rochdale Reformers to
begin with the ballot. The question " What is the
ballot ?" may appear fundamental and readily an-
swered. But even on this preliminary question
the great apostle of the ballot staggers us with a
dictum which we should have thought utter heresy.
He does not consider it essential to the " exist-
ence" of the ballot, but only a question of" mode,"
whether•it be secret or open. The Americans he
admits to have the ballot, and to have it quite suf-
fici( ntly to be regarded as a precedent for our imi-
tation, though everybody there knows how every-
body votes. Not t nay does this totally alter the
case between us and Mr. H. Berkeley, but it puts
an end to the controversy. ' If the voting is to be
open, we really do not care a straw how the votes
are given. On this view of the case vote by ballot
was a prominent part of Lord Derby's Reform Bill,
for a letter by post is a ballot, and the letter-box
receives a new sanctity as the ballot-box. But, as
we always supposed, the dispute regarded only the
secrecy of the procesg. The convenience of voting by
papers is an affair of minor importance, and one to
which we have not given a serious consideration.
Mr. Dana has stated the summary of American
experience so clearly, succinctly, and forcibly that
we cannot do Otherwise than quote his very words :
" 1. The ballot (secret or open) is promotive of
quiet •at polls, and under our system of general suf-
frage, and of the multiplicity of officers to be voted
for at the same time, is almost a necessity, on the
grounds of convenience.
" 2. It is found in practice that the ballot can be
sufficiently guarded against fraud, but in securing
this result we have deprived it of the element of
secrecy.
" 3. The attempt to introduce a mode of ballot
which shall be at once secret, and secure against
i fraud, and reasonably convenient,-,has so far failed
! with us.

" 4. What may be the present opinion of the
majority as to the principle of the secret ballot is
matter of conjecture. A large and influential pro-
portion oppose it on principle, and what with this
difference of opinion on the principle, and what with
the difficulties in details, the secret ballot has been
abandoned and the open ballot fallen back upon, as
affording as much protection to the voter as in the
opinion of some is desirable, and of others is prac-
ticable."

Had this appeared in our columns as an expres-
sion of our own views, we should have expected a
vigorous onslaught from our old and frequent cor-
respondent, most probably with a reference to the
States, and some gentle remarks on our own
profound ignorance and utter incapacity. So we
could scarcely draw breath when we read, in Mr.
11. Berkeley's own handwriting, that America has
the ballot quite enough for all practical purposes.
As a matter of fancy, indeed, just as a man may
like a horse of one colour rather than another, but
may still be fond of horses just as another man is
fond of horses, Mr. Berkeley himself prefers the
secret ballot. There are people who like night,
travelling, or who always dine by candlelight, or
who like wax better than oil, or a shade over their
lamps, or bronze better than marble, and in the
same way, simply as an affair of taste, which does
not admit of discussion, Mr. Berkeley prefers to
have his ballot secret. Well, as a matter of taste
we crefer ours open. On the whole, we like a wide
landscape better than a bare view, though the latter
has its charms. In crossing the Channel, with 150
passengers on board, we should prefer remaining
on deck to sleeping below. We like a Hansom cab
better than a four-wheeler: and would rather re-
side in Grosvenor-square than where we could shake
hands with our opposite neighbour. These are all
matters of taste, and there are ten thousand more,
if it were worth while to enumerate them.
.. Aceord-
in to Mr. 11. Berkeley, the secret ballot is one of
them. The ballot is the thing. Secret or open is
a matter of no political importance. Can't we com-
promise the dispute, and so liberate Mr. H. Berkeley
for other questions of a more substantial character ?
There used to be a question between buttoning up
your coat and leaving it open. We can remember a
time when to be buttoned up to the throat out of
doors had a smack of patriotism, and a man who
wished to be a Brutus or a Cineinnatus would show
no waistcoat or linen. Our young men button still,
but just with one button, and no more. Well, let
us have a ballot with one button, just to keep
things tidy and straight, but conceal nothing. Will
that satisfy Mr. H. Berkeley ? It will make a
closer fit by a good deal than the American ballot,
which has not even a button or a button-hole,
`'Vest.-taste
but flaps about and shows everything. If this will
do, we are agreed; and the details of the one button_
we leave to our constitutional tailors. Mr. H.
tßerkeley
greatcan Gothicthen
question,
ohni,s
oindustry
greatand
interesting,itthis
e
minster Bell question, or the great Clock question'
or the great Clock-hands question, or start some
newlt verygiasmsecaorfcelhyiscoonwsnis,tetwith
h is
vl
abs
iung twaanr;
ranted not to over-excite the nerves of thepublic..
friendly admission, that no sooner has Mr.
Berkeley made it than off he goes toAustr.a.l'la.
H.
" Why are our flourishing Australian g' colonieso
carefully ignored in the columns of the Tone's ?"
" Why should the perfect unanimity
of all clauses
which exists in Australia as to the beneficial re-
sults of the adoption of the ballot be so studiously
avoided ?" "In an Australian election," continues
Mr. H. Berkeley, "personation is just as easy of
detection as at an election in England." "In A us-
tralia the power of detection," &c. After riding off
on this new hobby, Mr. H. Berkeley concludes,
taking leave of Australia and his readers together
i
in a sentence which reads rather as f the Austra-
lian ballot was very like the American, wad one
that we should no more object to than we s'nould
to the particular species of contrivance by lo'hich a
bellhanger or a locksmith i
mi.ght please t C, do his
work, so long as he did it. "If t, pleased
the Legislature to make such a law,. and to
turn their attention and abilities to i,IF s comple-
tion, we may reasonably expect a more •pi.v feet and
complete statute than that which has pre
,vcd such
a blessing to Australia." So the rneas,
,ire which
has not only proved sufficient fo-, Au stralia, but
elicited Mr. IL Berkeley's ecstatic admiration,
is not perfect—not complete—elan b e improved
upon, and perfected, and -complvicil by the Bri-
tish Legislature, if it will -co
nee of rate on the
subject its attention and its eon, 'yctive wisdom.
What can this all mean ? Does it mean that the
Australian ballot is as open as
the A merican P We
may be excused if we wait for an e nswer ; but if
the Australian ballot be really sec
ret, I low can it
possibly be improved upon ?—Tina
18.