The Sun.
London, England, 1832-07-19 00:00:00

REFORM BILL

GRIFFITHS'S ELECTORAL GUIDE.

T. GRIFFITHS. WELLINGTON-STREET, STRAND.

A very useful little work, bearing the above
title, having been laid upon our table, gives us
the opportunity of saying what we hope will be
" a word in season" with respect to the exercise
of the duties which are about to fall upon electors.
Speaking generally, we may say that the whole
of these duties are to be gathered from the Re-
form and Boundary Acts. All whose education
lias prepared diem for the task of developing
the intricacies of legal language had better at
once purchase the above-named Acts. They
will observe that the only authentic copies are
published by the King's printers, and are stated
to be so on the title page. Indeed, no other
parties can publish the Act in a perfect form
without infringing on the King's printers' patent.
Notwithstanding the monopoly thus possessed
by the King's printers, a cheap edition of these
Acts has been published by them, which may
be had for five shillings. Those who do not
consider themselves competent to see their way
through the technical mazes of an Act of Par-
liament, or who may not wish to have the
trouble of doing so, have a choice of several
publications which profess to explain the Act.
Some of these we may notice on a future occa-
sion, but our present purpose is to put this
last description of voters upon the alert, so that
they may not by any slip or negligence lose the be-
nefit of the Act recently passed in their favour.
The steps they have to take, in order to secure to
themselves the enjoyment of their new rights,
arc few and simple, anti may all be taken with-
out the assistance of a lawyer, or being attended
with any expense whatever, except the payment
of a shilling on the placing of a name upon the
electoral lists. Surely no freeman, for so paltry
a sum, or for the sake of sparing himself a hide
trouble, will fail to qualify himself for the exercise
of the high privileges which the friends#of free-
dom have so long sought to put within his
reach The battle is over, but the people have
yet to secure the fruits of victory. Let every
elector bear in mind, therefore, that after the
overseers have, on the 25th of this month, stuck
up their notices, calling upon county voters to
send in their claims to be put upon the register,
they must do so before the 20th August. This
brings us to the little work which has given rise
to these suggestions. It contains, as is stated
in the title-page, " A full statement of the several
steps to be taken by County and Borough
Electors, from the placing of their names on the
electoral lists to the time of delivering their
votes ; also so much of the Boundaries Bill as
shows the division of counties, with their nomina-
tion and polling towns," and is intended for the
second class of voters to whom we have referred.
The arrangement is so clear that it is impos-
sible for the most unlettered person not to corn.
prebend the directions given him. First of all,
there is a list of parties qualified as county
voters, which is followed by sections on the
disqualifications of county voters ; observations;
of the registration of county voters ; and of pro-
ceedings of county voters at elections. Every
thing respecting borough voters is divided in the
same manner, and every direction given contains
a reference in a note to the section of the Act
authorising it, so that a party may be assured
that all his proceedings rest upon a good found-
ation. What, however, makes this little book
particularly valuable at the present moment is,
that it gives in the notes the alterations which
have been made by the Order in Council, issued
last week, of the dates on which different acts are
to be performed by electors and others. The
following lists of persons qualified to vote as
county and borough electors, with their disquali-
fications, is quoted for the benefit of those who
wish to exercise the elective franchise at the
ensuing election.