The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-07 00:00:00

misapplied and wasted, and, to supersede by the sum
so raised, the fearfully increasing votes of public
money for education. There can be little doubt
that this must be done in due time, and we should
think that a bigoted and factious opposition to the
commonest dictates of justice will hasten some
general measure of the kind; for these old endow-
ments are national property. We know too well
the strength of sectarian rancour to be surprised at
anything it could do, yet we do wonder that any
Churchmen should put themselves in such open
antagonism to the improved and improving spirit
of religious liberality as to oppose a bill like
this. If it were proposed to nationalize
any of the property which by law or usage
had been restricted to the National Church, we
might expect their opposition. In the present
case it is merely asked that a hard decision of a
Judge, on a technical point of law, shall not de-
prive a large class of Englishmen of advantages
they have enjoyed without question for a couple of
centuries, and these advantages Educational ones.
The idea of going backwards in religious
liberality seems, now, absurd. The minority of
bigots who linger in the country have gained, un-
expectedly, a technical legal decision, which will
enable them to harass and dishonour respectable
Dissenters, and enable them to act the part of corn
mon religious informers. But will the majority to-
lerate this any longer ?
The debate last night, however, sufficiently
showed that no one dared openly advocate taking
intolerant advantage of the form of the old deeds.
The real difficulty was how to rectify the technical
mode of interpreting the deeds in question without
disturbing the general rules of evidence. To us it
does not appear that a select committee is neces-
sary, though, except on the ground of delay, we
have little objection to it. The vote of thehouse, some-
whatperplexed as the true issue became known, did,
however, affirm the principle of the bill in the face
of a partial opposition from some members of the
Government, and we trust we shall find that this
evening Mr. DILLWYN will succeed in obtaining a
committee, if one be appointed, which shall be no
serious obstruction to the bill. The whole question
of ancient endowments is, however, one which de-
serves impartial consideration. Mr. GLADSTONE'S
first split with his colleagues in the division is
worthy of notice.

The Marylebone Election has again in a very
signal manner evidenced the necessity of the Ballot.
Although three candidates were in the field not
more than 7,620 electors voted altogether. Lord
FERMOY won easily--distancing both of his op-
ponents, as the phrase is, in a canter. His lordship
surpassed his antagonist Major LYON by a clear
majority of I,9ol—and his other antagonist Colonel
DICKSON by a clear majority of 3,136. The noble
lord was even superior to them both together by a
clear majority of 818—Colonel DICKSON numbering
at the close of the poll no more than 1,083 sup-

porters, and Major LYON an aggregate of 2,318

whereas the victorious candidate the newly elected
M.P. for Marylebone had polled as many as 4,219
altogether. Yet it must be acknowledged in spite
of this apparent incentive to the enthusiasm
of the Liberal electors of this vast metropolitan
constituency—the unusual circumstance of there
being as many as " three RICHARDS in the
field"—a very small proportion of the registered
voters actuaq availed themselves of their electoral
privilege. Those registered electors, numbering
altogether upwards of 21,000—in effect exactly
21,031—it is manifest at a glance, that while merely
7,620 in all availed themselves during this recent
contest of their command of the suffrage, as many
as 13,411 abstained from taking any part whatever
in the contest. In other words—to put the matter
in general terms, yet more plainly—hut a very
little over one third of the actual constituency de-
cided between the three rival Liberal candidates. The
successful one of the three—my Lord FERMOY—is
clearly, at the best,the choice but of a minority. A little
more than a clear third of the registered electors took
part in the contest—the result of which has been
his lordship's signal triumph over Major LYON and
Colonel DICKSON—one-third of the constituency
being just 7,010, while, as we have seen, 7,620
went to the poll yesterday in unequal proportions
of 1,083 for DICKSON, 2,318 for LYON, and 4,219
FERMOY. Supposing those 13,411 who did not
vote at all yesterday—to hare voted and to
have voted then for somebody else—that somebody
else would have surpassed the aggregate of his
three opponents by a clear majority of 5,791.
Otherwise, to express the same fact—he would
have exceeded the aggregate of the supporters of
Lord FERMOY by a clear majority of 9,192 !
those of Major I.YoN by a clear majority of
11,093 ! !—those of Colonel DICKSON by a clear
majority of no less than 12,328 !! ! Nor is the
whole of the anomaly of the position occupied
by this vast metropolitan constituency yet ex-
pressed when we have said even this! The aggre-
gate of the population of Marylebone, numbering
it should be remembered altogether, according to
the last census,the:census:of 1851—(now fully eight
years behind the actual reality)—but very little
short of an enormous total of 400,000 souls—the
census of 1851 giving exactly 370,957 as the pre-
cise population (then) of this same constituency of
Marylebone ! By a reasonable calculation upon
analogy, thereupon, from 10,000 to 20,000 male
adults, whose names might, had they so pleased,
have nearly doubled the aggregate of those in-
scribed upon the registry, have failed wholly and
entirely to be thus enrolled upon the books of the
constituency ! From 10,000 to 20,000 men, who
might have had the privilege of a vote,
have abstained from authenticating that right,
have refrained from securing to themselves that
privilege ! And of the moiety of their fellows who
have gone the length of enrolling their names upon
the list of the actual constituency by registration,
scarcely one-half can, under any circumstances, be
brought to the poll in support of any number of
rival candidates. Accordingly, as the registration
now stands, half the entire number of voters now
upon the books would yield a total of 10,519. Yet,
as we have shown, there were no more than 7,620
altogether who voted yesterday for the three rival
candidates, FERMOY, LYON, and DICKSON. Less,
therefore, than half the actual constituency, about
one quarter of the presumable (possible) constituency
of Marylebone takes part in the selection of the
intricate problem of its Parliamentary representa-
tion. And the reason for all this apathy—is it not
obvious ?
Is it not as visible to the meanest
capacity as
the sun at noonday that the want of
the protection of the Ballot, and that alone, causes
more than 10,000 actual possessors of the franchise
not to go to the poll—causes, moreover, that prior
refrainment of from 10,000 to 20,000 additional
householders from claiming
previouslySo
privilege of their registration?
glaring is the truth discoverable und under
theal
l manifest,this, right and
privilege
that
we would willingly forego any •
nominal extension
of the franchise at all, if we could but secure the
far grander and far more requisite reform of the
Ballot ! And we would do so for this one reason_
that we are absolutely assured in our own
mind that
the acquisition of that one boon of the Ballot would
result instantaneously in an enormous practical
increase of the franchise throughout the whole