The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-14 00:00:00

TAB SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING; FEBRUARY 14, IS6I.

few amendmem ts, was the best one, he yet finds that
he must be content with what he calls a fragmen-
tary Reform.; for his consolation, however, we can
assure him that all regard it as a noble fragment,
and worthy of him.
Mr. COLLIER'S will also be a useful fragment of
electoral reform, a word we adhereto, though Sir G.
C. LEWIS does not like to apply the term " reform"
to lessening the evils—the corruption and bribery
—of elections. We differ from him. While we
hold that, in theory, every male adult ought to
have a vote, and that, practically, a vastly
greater number of the population should receive
the suffrage at once, we yet think that the puri-
fication and liberation of the existing constitu-
encies, were that possible, would leave little to
be desired. We mean, that so far does the pre-
sent million of electors contain fair samples, as
it were, of all classes of Englishmen, although
with an excess of county and agricultural borough
electors, that could all electors vote really " freely
indifferently," we should get a real representation
of the Empire. Were no unfair arts resorted to by
those who now can bribe or coerce others, we
might enlarge the area of the franchise, but we
should alter the result very little. We therefore
regard every attempt like that of Mr. COLLIER'S as
an attempt so far to reform oar representation—to
render it what it would be if persons voted from
calm judgment, uninfluenced by external consi-
derations.

Mr. COLLIER'S proposal has, however, for its
chief merit, the enlargement of the sphere of elec-
toral choice. The expense of ebntesting a large
borough, especially a metropolitan borough, is enor-
mous. A heavy part of this is the foolish charge
for conveying members to the poll. Now, we
all of us know that the polling booths are brought
so near us that to make a difficulty of walking
to them would convict us of effiminacy ; and if our
time should be too valuable, and an extra ten
minutes could be with difficulty spared,
then of course it would pay of itself for us
to take our own cab. It surely ought to be the
object with respectable electors to save the candi-
date expense, and those who cannot contribute
directly towards the cost of an election, might be
glad to contribute their walk to the polling-booth.
In counties the case is,in details, different. We need
not discuss them just now ; we merely hint that
sensible men on both sides will, we imagine, soon
come to the conclusion that, as both sides would
gain and lose in equal proportion by not being
allowed to pay for conveying the non-resident
county voters, both sides would do well to save
themselves bills which do not affect the result.
We repeat that we hope Mr. COLLIER will not
consent to allow his " little bill" to form a part of
Sir G. C. LEWIS'S promised bill. Any WLig
Government bill on electoral corruption is sure to
be, not an act for the prevention, but for the en-
couragement, at least for the shielding of
corruption. It were better that a bona fide pro-
posal, however small, should stand on its own
merits, and not be mixed up with a Whig or Tory
bill. We have the best of testimony—that of Sir
W. HATTER—that such bills are meant to be
laughed at—meant to become a dead letter; and
we beg to tell our sneering Home Secretary that
his bill, like all its worthless predecessors, has one
great object—to avoid lessening the power of land
and money at elections—to preserve to the wealthy
the means of purchase and control of votes under
the cloak of prevention of corruption—to hinder
the enactment of the only known remedy for
electoral abuses—in a word, Whig and Tory bills
for the prevention of bribery and corruption are
One and aII—BALLOT EVASION BILLS.

Lord PALMERSTON'S little majority seems to be
rapidly becoming less. It is already diminished by
four in the very short time which has elapsed since
the opening of Parliament ; the two seats for Lei-
cester and South Wilts, counting of course double
on a division. The causes of the mishap, if such it
is to be considered, are not far to seek. At Leicester
the Old Whigs did, what they do in the House of
Commons, they expected the Radicals to vote with
them and for them, to do them humble suit and
service, while the Whigs were to run away with the
spoils. Could the Radicals be so mad as to divide
the Liberal interest ?it was asked. But of course
the Radicals could ask with equal propriety—can
the Whigs be so mad as to divide it ?
The Radicals, we understand, were the more con-
ciliatory ; they offered, we are told, to refer the
question between the two Liberal candidates to a
ballot of the Liberal electors, and to abide by the
result. If this be so, the whole blame of losing the
seat to the Liberal party must fall on the shoulders
of the Whigs. The small majority which the
Whig had over the Radical—the former
polling 1,030 votes, the latter 977, while
the Tory polled I,s97—shows where the fault
lay. Had the two parties united their
nearly balanced votes, they could have beaten the
Tory by a majority of 413. It was a fair occasion
for a ballot between the two sections. It is time,
however, that this half Tory section of electors
should learn that the country would as soon see the
Tories in office as men who have not the tact or the
courage to carry liberal measures through the House
of Commons, much less to force them through the
House of Lords.

The South Wilts election is of quitetapother cast.
The landlords, who of course are the real electors
there, are doubtless as Conservative as the burgesses
of Leicester are Liberal, and it need surprise no one
that when a Tory of Lord HERBERT'S mild type
retires, it should be quite easy to put in his place .a
good reactionist sort of Tory. The difference is
really between a Tory who will support Lord
DERBY, and a Tory who will support that
excellent Tories' friend, Lord PALMERSTON.
This time Lord DERBY has it ; and with the
encouragement Lord JOHN RUSSELL and his
chief are giving the electors to think
it a matter of perfect indifference which side
they support, we have little doubt that other
places will follow the example of South Wilts. There
is one way to restore real Liberalism in the coun-
ties, but our present Government likes neither such
Liberalism nor the way to get it.

Happily some boroughs are wiser than Leices-
ter. The Bradford electors had before them three
Liberal candidates, all of them on different
grounds, men well worthy of a liberal constituency.
They assembled and discussed the subject till they
agreed on one of them, and that one then walked
the course. Mr. FORSTER, has been long desirous
of a seat in the House, but has always been
ready to yield to the - fair claims of
others. We congratulate the hon. member
on the position he has so well earned.
Mr. CROOK also has been returned for Bolton with-
out a contest—but both these gentlemen are any-
thing but mere Palmerstonians. Each of them
will act as far as possible with the present pro-
fessedly Liberal leader, but they are not the men
to be his Whig serfs.

The Earl and Countess of Yarborough have
arrived in town from Brighton.
The Earl and Countess of Rosebery are expected
in town shortly from Dalmeny Park, N.B.
Lord Henley has taken a residence in Cheaham-
place for the season.

THE LEEDS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND
THE BANK CHARTER ACT.

. ~,

LAI E:.,T NEWS.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)
MOLA DI GAETA, FEB, 12 (Evening).
Gaeta has capitulated.
General Cialdini will to-morrow occupy the
Monte Orlando and all the other fortifications.
Francis 11. and the Queen, with their whole
family, are now embarking.
After their departure General Cialdini's troops
will occupy the town.
The garrison remain prisoners of war until the
surrender of Messina and Civitella del Trout.

NAPLES, FEB. 13.
The French corvette Mouette has left for Gaeta,
in order to receive Francis 11. and his family.

CONSTANTINOPLE, FEB. 6.
The Porte has replied to the Russian note, re-
asserting the truth of the Grand Vizier's report.
Sir Henry Bulwer takes the part of the Porte.
The Montenegrins have made an attack on
Niekisch, but have been repulsed.
The Redifs are to be embodied in the spring.

FIUME, FEB. 13.

The city of Fiume and the surrounding district
have been, declared in a state of siege.

PESTH, FEB. 13.

The Assembly of the Comitat of Odenburg has
resolved to pay the taxes as heretofore until the
Diet shall have taken its resolution.

KARLSBURG, FEB. 13.

The Conference of Karlsburg has resolved upon
expressing their wishes in an address to the Go-
vernment, containing three clauses, namely :-
Ist. Execution of the laws of 1848.

2d. A new electoral law.
3d. Establishment of a separate Constitution,
and representation of Transylvania in a special
Diet.
The project for the union of Transylvania with
Hungary was violently opposed.

PARIS, FEB. 13.

The Patrie says :
" A pamphlet, entitled France, Rome, et Italie,
by M. de Laguerroniere, will be published on Fri-
day next. This pamphlet will complete the insight
into the negotiations between France and Rome,
given by the publication of documents, and will
make France and Europe judges of the Imperial
policy.