The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-24 00:00:00

WAREHAM ELECTION.

As was generally expected, Mr. Drax has triumphed
over his opponent, Mr. Calcraft, by a considerable
majority. There is very little doubt that had the
Conservatives been united at the late general election,
the_present member would then have been successful ;
but the Conservative party was divided by the candi-
dature of Mr. T. F. Fremantle, who polled 68 votes,
againstCaptainCakraft's 314 and Mr.Drax's 301. By the
election of Mr. Drax, who will probably take Mr. Baillie
Cochrane's appellation of " Alphabet" Drax, in conse-
quence of having no less than five Christian names,
the Conservatives gain a seat. There is onlyone seat—
South Derbyshire—now vacant, but it is extremely
probable that when Parliament meets a new writ
will be issued for Nottingham, Colonel Ichabod
Wright having intimated his intention to resign on
account of ill-health.
A CONSERVATIVE ON THE REFORIE STRUGGLE.

Among the most amusing speeches which we have
had of late have been those of Conservatives on
Reform. The facility with which they claim credit
for the triumph of principles which everybody else
thought they had been opposing all their lives,
" takes the . wind " out of easy-going people.
Lord Malmeabury was at a Conservative demonstra-
tion at Christchurch a few days back, and was
called upon to propose. " The health of the working
men of England." He declared that no one in the
room had a better right to propose the toast than he.
For was he not a member of that Government which
had 'given the artisan the " boon and privilege ?"
Very contemptuously did he speak of the quibbling
of " other political parties " as to whether it should
be £9, £B, £7, or what not. The thing approached
very near to a perfect farce. We suppose "real
comedy " began when Mr. Disraeli declared 'that
the question of Reform had passed out of
the region of party discussion ; when he
" took the House into his counsel," educated that
side of it which he led, and proposed a bill such as
the most democratic of Mr. Gladstone's followers
would have brought in. Here is Lord Malmesbury
explanation of that matter. It will do as well as
another. The quibbling, however, from £9 down to
£4 in later times became so inconvenient that it
was felt no such test should be laid down, and that
the franchise should be at once given to all who paid
the rates, and therefore had some interest in the
taxation and in the conduct of the affairs of -this
country. Thus it was that the Conservative Govern-
ment for the first time proposed and carried house-
hold suffrage. Only, how was it that the hope of the
Conservative party, Lord Stanley, attempted to
throw out the Russell-Gladstone Government by
substituting £8 for £7 ?
'mR.- DISRAELI'S RESIGNATION.

The Morning Advertiser gives currency to a strange
account of the retirement of the late Prime Minister.
This second " leap in the dark " is said to have been
taken in consequence of the course pursued by two
members of the late Cabinet, Lord Cairns and Mr.
Hardy, who threatened to resign alone if .Mr.
Disraeli did not consent to let the Ministry resign
en bloc. The Government could not stand any
further secessions, although it had survived the resig-
nation of Lord Salisbury and his friends the year
before. Nor was it worth while to give rise to a
scandal for the sake of retaining office for a fortnight.
So the late Premier yielded to the representations of
his Chancellor and Home Secretary.

THE NEW LAW OF BRIBERY.

A correspondent of the Post expresses a hope that
in the course of the trials on the bribery petitions
the judge will down clearly the law on some
points at present doubtful. Ile asks what constitutes
agency; and whether a member of a parliamentary
candidate's committee who canvasses for him, who
presides over a meeting at a public-house where wine,
beer, and refreshments are dispensed free of charge,
and who obtains promises of votes, and
possibly signatures, is to be regarded as an
" agent," and the feasting over which he
presides " treating," within the meaning of the
Act He suggests that the fact of being on the
committee of a candidate should constitute agency,
and that the supply of any refreshments by one
voter to another without payment in the interval
bgtive..9A tie issue. of Frit and the declaration

the poll Mould be regarded as" treating," and all
votes so obtained should be void. The agents for the-
petitioners against the election of Mr. Smith for
Westminster have published a statement of the
prcunt condition of the law, with the view,
evidently, of inducing witnesses to come for- •
ward. They quote first that part of the
old statute which prescribes the penalties imposed
on briber and bribed, and they add Section 32 of
ate-Act, which entitles every person wno gives lun
and satisfactory evidence before the judge to receive a
certificate of indemnity. Another section, which
allows all reasonable expenses to such persons, is
also given in this notice, for the encouragement of
reluctant witnesses.

THE RESIGNATION OF MAJOR-GENERAL TItAVERS.

Major-General Travers, C. 8., has tendered his
resignation as Inspector-General of Marines , and in ac-
cepting the resignation the Lords of the Admiralty have
notified their intention not to appoint a successor.
This event has caused great excitement in the
service. The voluntary resignation of the highest
prize in the profession to which General Travers
belongs is believed to be an unprecedented act ;
and it is. supposed that he has taken this step in
order not to identify himself with the intended
reduction of the Marines. Already the first step
has been taken:towards this reduction, 18 sergeants
and 350 gunners of the Royal Marine Artillery
having been ordered for discharge at Portsmouth.
As-a:specimen of the obstacles which Mr. Childers
will have to encounter m reducing the estimates, the
Times publishes from day to day angry criticisms
from its military and naval correspondents unon the
measure in question.