The Sun.
London, England, 1826-04-28 00:00:00

THE LONDON JOURNALS.

DAILY EX,TRACTS FROM THE MORNING PAPERS,

APRIL 28, 1826•

••• ' ' . . THE .TIMES.]
Last . night. a .debate took place in the House of
Commons, on the motion of Lord John Russell, to
Consider the state of the Representation. With the
exception of .the Noble Mover, who conducted his ar-
gument with great skill, and Mr. Hobhouse, who de-
livered an able and eloquent speech, . the discussion
was principally carried on by members whose voice
was new,. pr whose opinions are little regarded in the
House. We need scarcely say, that though little
striking or new occurred in the debate, the arguments
for .reform were stated with fulness and energy;
that. the force of the reasoning was nearly all on one
side ; and that the state of the vote was not, upon
the whole, discouraging to the friends of reform.—
In the course of 'the evening, repeated allusions were
made to the state of the vote on Mr. Abercromby's
motion respecting the representation of, Edinburgh,
and we may take the opportunity of observing, that
we have received a number of letters on that subject,
(one of which we this day publish), by which it ap.
Lea that the respectable minority on that occasion
Llather excited hopes . than created discouragement
among the northern supporters of reform. If, indeed,
the experiment of a partial removal of notorious abuses
were to be tried in preference to the sudden introduction
of cgeneral plan of reform, Scotland is the field where
that experiment is most justly demanded and could most
safely be made. In England, the modes of qnalifica-
tiOn and the body of electors are so numerous, that
if there be rotten Iforoughs and close corporations in
some districts, the spirit.of the party whom they return
may be practically corrected by the result of the more
popular elections of other counties and cities. But in
Scotland all is uniformly anti-popular, rotten, close,
and corrupt, both in burghs, cities, and counties.. No
where is there the shadow of a proper representation
o#' the people, or of a free choice by the body of the
citizens ; and as the Deputies of -the Commons used
in, that country, before the Union,, to sit in the same
Chamber with the body of the Peerage, so they might
now be returned along with the sixteen Members for
the Upper House by the election of the titled aristo-
cracy who erect their hustings in the Palace of Holy-
rood-house. The whole body of electors, who return
the 45 Members to represent that ancient kingdom,
does not amount to half the .freeholders of a mode-
rate-sized English county. The burghs and . cities
(with the exception of Edinburgh), which have
only one Member to represent four or five of them,
intrust a single delegate with the power of ,expressing
their choice ; and the delegate is , himself elected
(without the intervention of . the citizens) by a self-
sslected council. In the counties the knight of the
• shire is returned by a number of freeholders, falling,
on an average, below a hundred ; and so absurd is the
system on which this electoral college is constructed,
that a considerable portion even of these freeholders
have only a parchment superiority as their title to a
vote, and possess not a foot of land, or a farthing of
rent, in the districts which they help to a representa-
tive. It is admitted by nearly all the enemies of re-
form, that, such a representation would be an absurdity,
if it stood alone, or were separated from the more
popularly elected body of the English members; but
if is would not be a check on Government in its sepa-
rate capacity, how can it be useful when combined
with a better system ? It may lessen the tendency of
the' I Louse of Commons towards the popular side—it
may diminish its influence as a check on the power. of
the Crown—it may aid ' it in carrying into exe-
cution wasteful or corrupt projects ; but, by the
very admission of its separate inutility as an organ for
asserting popular rights, its combined operation can be
productive of no good. It has, been, however, said
that, though theoretically wrong, " it. works well,"
and. the letter which we to-day insert shows
how ", it.. works," —lt works . Dundasses and
th6i .partisans . into Members of Parliament, and,
Members of Parliament into placemen—it works
corrupt services into lucrative patronage, and
local jobs into' legislative acts, it . works unpopular
preachers into Government livings; and briefless bar-
riders into sheriffs and judges--,-•it works bailies into
receivers of taxes, and the sons Of bailies and parch-
ment freeholders into India writers and cadets : but
how it works well for the country at large, it is as diffi-
cult to coneeive as it is impossible to prove. On the
other hand, as we hear so constantly of the degree of
education diffused over the lower and middle ranks in
Scotland, and of the general sobriety with which they
exercise' their rights, no. 'pretended apprehension of
turbulence or violence should stand in the way of an
early concession of their electoral privileges.