The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-02 00:00:00

IVESTMINSTER.

SINGULAR APPLICATION UNDER THE MATRIMONIAL
CAUSES ACT.—A very respectable-looking woman,
between 50 and 60 years of age, came before Mr.
Ingham and solicited protection against her hus-
band under these circumstances:—

She said that on Saturday week in the afternoon
she went out for a walk with her husband, and they
proceeded to Shoreditch. After going into a house
there he solicited her to wait a little while for him
in the street and he would soon return. She waited
for a very long time and he did not come back, nor
had she seen anything of him since.
Mr. Ingham—Have you heard of him ?
Applicant—yes,
he called at a relation's the next
day.

➢lr. Ingham—Had you had any quarrel with
him?
Applicant—Not the least.

Mr. In
gham—ilow do you account for his ab-
sence ?

Applicant—lle got a check cashed at Shoreditch
while I was working, and want away to spend the
money, and I now want protection from him against
his return.

Mr. Ingham—Why ?
Applicant—Because he has told one of the men we
employ that when he has spent the money he has
got he will come back and sell up the house. We
are in business, and although lam left very much
in debt I might get over it if you would be kind
enough to grant me protection for the business.
Mr. Ingbam—i cannot
protect the business if it
is your husband's.

Applicant—What can your worship protect ?
Mr. Ingham—l can protect all the earnings you
may make by your personal industry while he is
away. I cannot interfere with his business, which
he may return and carry on. I can give you an
order to protect anything you may acquire during
his absence, and that is all.
Applicant—l shall be much obliged to you for
that. My husband is a very good man when sober,
but he does not know what he does when he
drinks.
Applicant then took the order.

OUR REPRESENTATIvE SYSTESI.—Mr. Hepworth
Dixon delivered, on Monday evening week, in
the Assembly Room at the Town Hall, Brighton, the first
of a vries of lectures to be given in the sal e place, under
the auspices of an influential local committee, comprising
the borough members and other leading Liberals of
the town. Mr. Dixon chose for his subject " The
True Theory of Our Representative System," and de-
livered a discourse of considerable length. He defined
the old system of our representative- Governments
as follows :—That the Sovereign had a right to advice
and aid from his cities, towns, and shires ; that when
the Sovereign appealed to these cities, towns, and shires
the whole body of freemen in the realm elected depu-
ties to represent them ; that the cities, towns, and
shires were considered as actually present in the great
council, in the person of their deputies and attor-
neys ; that the deputies attended for the cities, towns, and
shires as delegates and servants, who were paid for their
labour, and who could sue and be sued for broach of con-
tract. Not only was this the old and true theory of our
representative system, but in the major part it is the true
theory now, although apt to get overlooked. When the
Queen issues her writ she sends it down to the city and
the shire. She appeals to Sussex and Yorkshire, to
Brighton and Leeds, not to send up a certain number of
private councillors, but men who will deliver to the country
the opinions current in Sussex and Yorkshire, in Brighton
and Leeds. Is it not obvious that when the Crown consults
these counties and towns it wants to know what they think?
And is it not equally obvious that the message entrusted to
the deputy should be delivered to the groat council in the
vet y spirit of the town or shire ? Yet, such is the force of a
bad habit of thought that you shall find gentlemen, clover
and respectable gentlemen, asking you to send them into
the House of Commons as personal advisers! That is a
pretension unknown to ourancient Parliaments; a position
utterly unknown to our laws. Candidates for your suffrage
say that they mill not stoop to act as delegates ; that is to
say, they will receive your trust : they will not repre-
sent you! If they go into Parliament they must go in as
free and independent men ! Free of what ? Independent
of whom ? Free of their trust ? Independent of those
who trust them ? Of all the cant in our time this cant
of freedom and independence is about the very worst. It
is the sign of a great confusion ; it is the sign of mutiny
against law ; it is a sign that our servants fancy they have
become our masters, and that we shall patiently allow
them tO stand between the nation and their Queen!