The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-21 00:00:00

wanted now. He might be a very great philoso-
pher, but when this gentleman had spent 30 years
of his life in the old India House, in Leadenhall,
where the light of day came in but little, they
could not wonder that his ideas should have become
rather bedimmed. Another ,flistinguished person,
because he is an opposent, writes from the Times
newspaper office, and says that the ballot was
wanted 20 years ago, but it was not wanted now
Now, let them glance at facts ; if the ballot was
wanted, if there was this undue interference with
the rights and consciences of the people, they
should find some traces of it. He then read, as an
instance of undue influence, an advertisement
which had appeared in the Maidstone
,Gazette,
from which it appeared that a clergyman owning
some land in Kent, had stipulated that his tenants
should vote on the same side as he (the landlord)
did, observing that " landlords and tenants ought
always to vote on the same side." Now this gentle-
man was a clergyman of the Church of England,
who is set over people to instruct them in all
matters of morality and duty ; he had told them—
he did know whether he laid any claim to Apostolic
succession or not--(a laugh)—but ha had told them
that landlord and tenant always voted on the same
side. Now allow him (the speaker) to propose
case of conscience ;—let him suppose that this
clergyman, being a member of the Church of
England, was one of those who liked church-rates;
let him suppose that his tenant farmer was one, like
the speaker, who did not like church rates, and
thought them opposed to religious freedom and
took away the rights of conscience. If the land-
lord and tenant voted on the same side, which of
them was to sacrifice his conscience to the other,
because it was very certain that both of them could
not vote the same way without a breach of con-
scientious duty ? But the ballot would do away
with all this sort of thing, and every man would be
enabled to vote according to his conscience. The
speaker then alluded to the way in which elections
were carried on in many parts of England ; where
employers brought down their men in omnibuses
or other vehicles and compelled them to vote far
the candidate whom they supported, under pain of
being discharged at the end of the week from their
employ. He also alluded to the influence which,
under the present corrupt system, solicitors foiLlk-
" consideration" would use, by putting on the
" screw" in certain quarters ; and concluded by
urging the meeting to adopt the ballot as the only
means of preventing corruption and intimidation.
The speaker resumed his seat amid loud cheers.
Mr. HAYES afterwards addressed the meeting,
alluding to the satisfactory adoption of the ballot in
the colonies of Australia, and explaining its work-
ing there, in which he was considerably assisted by
a large coloured diagram representing the manner
of voting.

The Key. T. B. W. BRIGGS proposed a resolution
approving of the ballot as a means of voting, and as
a remedy for our present corrupt system with
regard to elections, as follows :—" That this meet-
ing desires to record its conviction that no Reform
bill will be complete and satisfactory unless it
includes vote by ballot."
Mr. WILSON (a working man) seconded- the
resolution, which having been put to the meeting,
was carried unanimously.
A vote of thanks having been accorded to the
chairman, the meeting, which had been conducted
with the greatest order and unanimity, separated.