The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-09 00:00:00

ELECTIONEERING TACTICS.

The work of discrediting the existing electoral body, and
the Parliament returned oy it, but above all the inquiries
instituted by that Paritatn,lit into the immaculateness of
the gentlemen, who cairn a right to sit in it as the re-
presentatives of the people, goes on as bravely as
Chartism itself could desire. Every day adds to our
experience of the working of the system, and increases
our contempt for the mockery of justice, which it pre-
sents. Both parties are now combining to stop an ex-
posure which they see to be dangerous. The effort will
only deepen the impression, which publicity had pre-
viously produced.
Everybody knew from the very first meeting of the
present Parliament, or rather from the last day of the
general election last year. that, whatever might have
happened in the way of corruption elsewhere, there
were two or three places so pre-eminent, so specially,
and peculiarly distinguished by the wholesale way, in
which every conceivable variety of malpractices had
been carried on, that their detection and disfranchise-
ment were regarded as inevitable.
Nottingham and Harwich stood at the head of this
list. At Nottingham Sir John Hobhouse and Sir George
Larpent had beaten Mr. Walter at his own weapons, and
driven him from a field where he fancied his triumph
certain, if there were such a thing as gratitude in the
electoral world. But past favours, though barely six
weeks old, go for nothing at Nottingham. Pay to-day
and trust to-morrow, is the word_; and as it is not in
everybody's power to pay 15,0001. twice over in three
months, Mr. Walter gave way, like a prudent man,
trusting to a petition fur his slice of the loaf upon more
reasonable terms.

Harwich, on the other hand, has been a standing joke
at the Carlton against Sir Denis Le Merchant, the new
Whig Baronet, and whipper-in. His happy security—
his unexpected defeat—the novelty of buying a man's
whole Committee over his head, and handing these wor-
shipful gentlemen over, Chairman included, to their
rightful owner, Mr. Attwood, like a lot of bullocks at
Barnet, or Smithfield, as soon as the purchase-money
was paid—had something about it peculiarly tickling to
the fancy of those who think that there is no such thing
as political morality in the world, and that every man
has his price, if you can but come up to it, and know
how to hit the proper time.
The only awkward thing about these illustrations of
" the legitimate influence of property" is the exposure,
which at Harwich was inevitable, unless a mortified oppo-
nent could be appeased. The Tories kep.; the second
seat, therefore, to the last hour oethe last day that it was
possible to hold it, and then threw a Berestord overboard
to let Sir Denis in.

Of course, nothing of this appears upon the jourr,ds
of the House. On the contrary, the wee is kept up to
the last with infinite spirit. The Election Committees
aye. appointed. Mr. Cockburn, who appears for Ar.
Walter, in the Nottingham case, disavows all imputa-
tions upon the conduct of - the sitting Members, and
states his belief that, from the'very loose .character of the
two, or three hundred witnesses, whom he must have
brolight up, he shall best consult the interests of his
client, by stopping the proceedings in lintine---,-and the
Report of the Committee. consequently is,. 't that the
Right Hon. Sir John Cain Hubhouse, and ,Sir George
Gerard de ilochepied Larpent were duty elected to serve
as burgesses:in this present Parliament, for the town of
Nottingham ;" while,,in the llartvich case, Sir Denis Le
Marchant, in propria Nrsona, communicated td the
Speaker, " that it is not his intention to proceed with his
petition," in consequence of which unlooked-for determi-
nation, the order reierring it to the General Committee
of Elections is discharged.
At Reading, acting upon a similar principle, Mr.
Russell and Lord Ctit,i,;e6 the two Cous,rvative canal-
. dates, were pronounced to be irrevocably seated by their
Chairman, Mr. Hogg, to the great astonishment of all
who knew the extent to whim bribery and treating had
contributed to influence tile rejection of Mr. Mills ;
while 'Captain Plumridge was, to all appearance, as
quietly - confirmed in the representation of Penryu,
without the slightest elucidation of the motives which
had induced certain parties to protest against his 'return.
And
.yet, by some singular fatality, it will happen
that, one by one, all these decisions will be reversed.
Sir George Gerard de Hochepied Larpent will be com-
pelled, very shortly, by ill-health, to accept the Chiltern
Hundreds ; and such will be the revival of Mr. Walter's
popularity at Nottingham. that no Liberal will venture
to contest it with him. Sir Denis Le Marchant will
find Harwich tumbling into his arms, when abandoned
by Mr. Beresford, the fickle. object- of its venal choice.
Lord Chelsea, recommended by. his physicians to try
the air of the Continent, will make an opening at Read-
ing for Mr. Mills, whose character is already
so highly
appreciated there, that fifty of his Conservative oppo-
nents profess their fixed determination nut to counte-
nance any resistance to his return. And though we
cannot find that any similar change has occurred at
Penryn, we should like to bet five to one, in hundreds,
that Captain Plumridge's successor will be a staunch
supporter of Sir Robert Peel.
We leave our readers to put these things together,
should we happen to prove true prophets as to the result.
If they do not furnish an-argument for a change of sys-
tem,- we know not what can. It is fortunate, however,
for the ends of justice, that the plan was not adopted
sooner. We have the records of Ipswich, Sudbury,
Marlow, and Southampton, before us, and we may judge,
by what has been discovered, of what has been sup-
pressed. If the pairing off principle had been resorted
to sooner, much valuable knowledge would have been
lost.to the world. Luckily, the rogues have quarrelled,
and the old proverb is likely to come true.
We trust that a complete exposure of the system, as it
now works, will take place in the Ballot debate, and that
men will not be deterred by any false delicacy front
speaking uut. .So long as each candidate for political
honours can see with his own eyes that he gets actual
value at the polling booth for the money, which he pays,
it is folly to imagine that corruption can be checked.
There will be rich men to offer bribes, and potir men to
take them ; while, as the natural fruit of this unprincipled
traffic, a perverted code of morality will grow up, in all
•mutters connected with elections, amongst men honoura-
ble, and right-minded enough in other things. There
can be no greater curse for a country than this. It has
gone too tar in England already not to make •it a very
grave question where, and how, the plague can be
stayed.— Weekly Chronicle.