The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-30 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 18G6.

'ln both Houses last evening the question of
bribery and corruption at elections came on the
tapis. In the Lords it was introduced by the Pre-
mier himself, who moved an address to the Crown
for a commission to inquire into the corrupt prac-
tices at the last election for Lancaster ; and, in so
doing, referred to Lord GREY'S proposed motion for
a general inquiry into the whole subject: Lord
RUSSELL intimated that he thought the House of
Commons was less active than it should be in cases
of electoral corruption, but he there held
been at the late election a good deal of expense, and
he feared corrupt expense, incurred. He appeared
to regret that the vigorous measures applied to Sud-
bury and St. Albans were not oftener tried, though,
by his own confession, the example of their punish-
ment does not seem to have been very efficacious in
deterring others. Lord GnEY, in opposing Earl
RUSSELL'S motion, spoke with his usual straight..
forward ability. It was, he said, from no indiffer-
ence on his part to the increasing corruption at
elections that he refused to support the motion, but
from his conviction that the means proposed were
quite ineffective. He had in his hand statistics of
all the inquiries held under the new act,
and he cited the opinion of gentlemen of
knowledge
and
experience that they were worse
than useless.
In many instances they led to an
amount of perjury which was highly demoralising.
They established a fact that every one knew--that
bribery existed-1,
but they
vwere at a loss to suggest
any remedy. Lord GREY
the system of punishmlit e 5' sensibly urged that
by disfranchising the
guilty towns was perfectly useless. Could they,
he asked, disfranchise a large and important town
bke t__liibrifl;_;e, a considerable portlikeYarmouth,
Yct if they could not
a place like Lancaster ?
apply the remedy in such instances were they to
that they would inquire into the cases of
say both
large and small towns, and that where bribery was
own should get off scot free and
proved the large t
" I
the little town be disfranchised f Parliamenv,
said his Lordship, " really wished to put
down
bribery, it was time they gave ILP these special in-
quiries into the delinquencies of particular towns,
which differed from other towns only in the acci-
dent of being found out ?" The worst cases, as
everybody knows, are not made public.
Where the losing party has been
equally guilty with the winner he has no
object in petitioning. The whole question is a
difficult one to deal with, that is to say, so long as

all parties refuse to cut the Gordian knot by adopt-
ing the Ballot. The noble lords and ll.P.'s who
regard it as so dangerous and worse than useless in
borough elections know very well its value in
securing independent voting, or they would. not
employ it in their clubs. Bribery could scarcely be
employed to effect an entrance into the Reform or
the Carlton, but the ballot saves members the
awkwardness of giving offence, and the unpleasant-
ness of refusing to vote for an acquaintance or a
friend's friend. Why should they wish to subject
men of a lower rank to an unpleasant alternative
from which they themselves shrink?

Lord GREY'S very able and searching speech
showed a fear of the difficulties with which the ques-
tion is beset. The charitable institutions of a town
and municipal elections are both channels for bribery.
Lord GREY mentioned a few of the common prac-

tices by which the open accusation of bribery are
avoided, while cprruption is extensively practised.
Houses are let to electors far below their value on
the understanding that the tenants must vote
with the landlord. Working men complain of the
loss of time in voting, and the compensation for
this loss grows into bribery. One member gave
annually £6OO a year for " maintaining his interest
in the borough," and yet he could declare with
truth that he had not • paid a shilling
illegally for his election. Again, solicitors who
practise as agents often in the intervals between
elections get small electors into their power by ad-
vancing money as loans ; and then, when. the elec-
tion comes, they sell their interest wholesale to a
wealthy candidate under the form of a bill for
agency. it is quite evident that no partial or
isolated inquiries into individual cases will meet the
evil, and Earl GREY had reason on his side when he
moved for the substitution of a general inquiry.

Tho Earl of DERBY, in the course of a few re-
marks, expressed his conviction that the present sys-
tem of committees was perfectly useless, and he
suggested that the debate should be adjourned for
ten days—a proposal which was subsequently
agreed to, and during that interval we hope the
noble lord at the head of the Government,
who is no doubt sincerely anxious to effect some
reform, will reconsider the whole question, and
adopt the only effectual remedy.
In the House of Commons the chief speech, on
the question was made by Mr. OSBORNE, whose
sharp words and telling sentences must have made
some hon. members wince. His remarks were met
by continual laughter ; but he soon made it evident

,hat it was not his intention to jest at the matter.

Ile did not scruple to lift the veil which
screens party manoeuvres, and to show how election
petitions were " paired off" behind the Speaker's
chair ; how men were rewarded with peerages for
liberal subscriptions to the general party fund
which goes to encourage bribery ; how one man
gives £2,000 a year to local institutions, and an-
other pays nearly £25,000 for his election ; how
the tribunals before which these affairs are discussed
are not really com petent to deal with them. Mr.
OSBORNE, with just indignation, exclaimed,
" These things lower the moral tone of the
country ; we laugh at them in our private
capacities, although we pull long faces
and make long speeches in our judicial capacities.
Only make it infamous to bribe, and the poor man
will be slow to take a bribe ; but until the example
is set in high places you cannot expect that the poor
man will fail to renovate his pocket at your ex-
pense." The sincerity of rich and poor is much
alike in this matter. All denounce bribery, but all
laugh at it. Let the upper ten thousand prove
their sincerity by adopting the Ballot, and the poor
man will soon show that he is no more corrupt than
they.

Austria has accepted the invitation to join the
Paris Conference, and so has Italy, but conditionally
only; she cannot put down her armaments, but con-
sents to make no attack during the period of the
Conference. Official intelligence states that the
armed Powers have resolved to let their military
establishments remain in static quo ; therefore, for
the present, strategic movements are suspended.
It is believed that the negotiations concerning the
period of the Conference will take four days ; and
that after the questions of the Elbe Duchies and the
Federal Reform have been discussed the Vene-
tian question will be treated of. In Berlin, how-
ever, it is declared that the matter of the Reform
of the Federal Constitution will not be touched at
all, and that the Diet is merely represented at the
Conference because the Germanic Confederation
might be indirectly affected by the subjects treated
of. The jealousy of the Berlin Government is ex-
treme in all such cases, and they evidently wish to
monopolise this question to themselves, so that they
may take the credit of the affair to themselves and
appear as the regenerators of Germany. If the Con-
ference is to be a fact, and not a farce, if it.is really
and truly to show something for its work, we can-
not see why the subject of Federal Reform should
be put aside altogether in this fashion. A Bavarian
Minister is to represent the Diet at the Conference,
but the opening is not to be delayed on his account.
The very awkward subject of " territorial com-
pensation" is now openly discussed, but none of the
plans seem to be propitious so far as we can judge.
Austria is to receive in exchange for Venetia a por-
tion of the provinces of Bosnia and the Herzegovinia ;
Italy to obtain the said provinces from the Turkish
Government; and for her share of the Elbe Duchies
Austria is to have a part of the Rhine provinces.
The Germanic Confederation is to be compensated
for the detachment of Limburg by the incorporation
of the German part of Schleswig ; llolland to un-
dertake to indemnify the Diet for the Federal ser-
vices hitherto rendered to Limburg.
g le ame e it
n , n
ta cann hardly
d be e
Allowing all
tfhaisctotroy taarkrean place,
certainlyathlleedmaoreaaltisof
the story is not a good one. 'Why is it necessary
that Prussia, Austria, and Italy should receive
territorial compensation any more than England,
France, or Russia? Perhaps by this time next year
they will want more worlds to conquer, and the
peace of Europe will be again disturbed by these
unseemly desires of aggrandisement. It would be
better for the arbitrating parties to impress upon
the conflicting parties that their best safety would
be in following the rules of honesty and fair play.
The truth is that too much latitude has been al-
lowed to the German Powers throughout the last
few years, and their insufferable arrogance and
pretensions have been almost too much
elitto endure,
but now they have really reached a
The Paris journals are,
for the most part, very
doubtful as to the success of the Conference tc be
course,
rs e,
in
held there. Whatever be the cause assigned by the
different writers, the effect of their arguments is
always
the same, and this looks ominous, for, of
u
France a clearer insight can be obtained
into the
politics of Germany than we can hope for
here. It is curious to notice the several reasons
aosfsigtnhe ed buyndtehrtealzigt7s for the probable failure
Op
s traetseesn thatv
et
sh et
oditffaekree
The
a
ale
their
nt Powers will send their re-
p In
other terms," it is tersely
t said,s at : iloz
ready to take Venetia, Austria to
a‘
n Italyne annex Silesia,
i qui t e
and Prussia to centralise the Duchies of the Elbe."
Ele heltab il:(.16°::
How true is this definition of the state of things,
and how aptly does the French writer describe the