The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-13 00:00:00

MORNING StN

practices of the free states of the middle ages—not only
ratified by the example of most of the comparatively free
nations of Continental Europe—not only acted uptin by
Republican America—but that it has, as far as Jewish
example can apply, the express and approving counte-
nance of the Divinity himself. We trust, therefore; that
we shall not be considered as capricious or unreasonable
in proposing this alteration.
The only reason or authority for the present qiialifica-
Lion age in this country is that of custom and pre: crip-
tion ; but it' we were to inquire further, and to ask why
was 21 originally fixed upon, we fear that no very satis-
factory solution could begiven. In our opinion it was an
arrangement originated in times of superstition and
monkish ignorance, when astrology and alchemy were
popular, and physical science was in abeyance. In those
days an absurd factitious importance was attached, among
other follies and fancies, to the number 7. This aggre-
gate of units happened to be coincident with the days of
the Creation, with stars and planets, with the. days of the
week, the colours of the rainbow, &c,. thus '
7 stars (Pleiades),
7 wise men of Greece,

• •
7 heavens, •
•
•
7 days in the week,
• 7 colours of the rainbow.-
The 7th day was -consecrated and set apart in the Jewish
law, so IV AS the 7th year ; and 7 years multiplied 'by 7
years, or the 49th year -preceded the year of Jubilee.
'there were 7 fat trine and 7 lean, 7 full ears and 7
blasted, 7 golden candlesticks and 7 brandies. In the
Book of 'Revelations there were 7 churches, 7 spirits, 7
stars., and 7 lamps, 7 seals, 7 angels, 7 vials, and 7
plagues. Beyond this, in Scripture History; there were
7 clean beasts and 7 unclean, 7 altars ands; trumpets ;
the Jews Were 7 years building- their temple, and were
commanded to forgive their offending brethren 70 times
7. A 7th son was, perhaps is now, considered as a
.sa-
cant ; but the 7th son o% a 7th son is a very Solomon
perforce !

These remarkable COilicidences, among other reasons,
induced the Sages of the middle ages to attach a. won-
derful importance to thenumber : there was evidently,
they thought, something so extraordinary in it, that no
doubt there were other occult coincidences in nature, and
in man, that would still further corroborate its mystic
and
almost magical properties. This, till the time of
our immortal Bacon, was the rule for philosophising :
an hypothesis was hastily taken up from some few coin-
cidences or startling facts, and then nature and the uni-

verse, matter and mind, the elements and seasons, land
mid Sea, mountain and valley, the treasures of the past
and the promise of the future, were all pressed or tor-
tured into the service, to illustrate or substantiate a no-
tion that was as false and fleeting as a summer cloud.
Hence the origin of a man being pronounced of age at
21 : it was three times 7 ; and of course it must be a
marvellous proper Age. No matter whether he were
-clever and competent before that time, still he had not
passed the Magic line, and of course was unfit for self-.
government, or political enfranchisement _Human life
was further-divided into fanciful periods of 7 year' du-
ration, at the end of which periods some remarkable
change was supposed to have occurred in the physical
constitution ; but the most remarkable changes were
those which arose from or accompanied the periods when
th-e 7 could be multiplied by an odd number; as at 21, or
3 times 7-35, or 5 times 7-49, or 7 times 7-63, or 9
times 7—which latter was called the grand climacteric.
Should this impression of ours, as to the orgin of this
electoral arrangement, prove to be ultimately correct,
what attention need be paid to, or what respect is due
to, such an arbitrary qualification age ? Or how comes
it to be mixed uin men's minds with so grave, so
glo-
rious, so sacred a principle as " the equal rights ot
man?" We have endeavoured to show the absurdity of
its origin., and we have further demonstrated, from the
example of America, the practical mischief of its operation.
If in a country like America, where education is so
universally diffused, and where every man is in . such a
situation of easy security and happy independence, there
are so many misehas flowing from, and •apparently in-
separable troin the circumstances of youth and rashness
being admitted to the exercise of political power ; what
must. or might be the natural consequence of admitting
in this country all .young men of twenty-one years to the
exercise of the franchise indiscriminately ? From the
absence of a system of National Education in England,
the people are as a whole necessarily only partially in-
formed ; they would therefore be liable to he caught or
imposed upon by every passing novelty, and thus become
the unconscious dupes and tools ot designing adven-
trirets They have at that age too generally no settled
habits, no fitthily ties, no fixity of residence, and no in-
terest in the locality. Every impartial and observing
man, who: has candour or moral courage- enough to
avow his opinion, must feel that such men, at such an
age, are unsafir.depositories of so important a trust us
the elective franchise ; and that it would be far better
they should enter upon it when their judgment were
matured, when they had acquired an increased interest
in the. locality, and had furnished society with some
reasonable security of their good conduct met citizens and
members of society. It would undoubtedly be better,
esen for themselves iu the long run, as their interests and-

&vial happine.'s are so intimately bound up with the
well-being or society as a whole ; and any important
mistakes in legislation would affect them more immedi-
ately, more seriously and extensively, than any other
(lags iu the empire

We now resume the sixth and last clause of the Charter.
that we p7opose to alter or amend :—" That he. Olio
elector) shall have resided six months in the town or
district for which he votes,,,prior to the day of election tr
regtstratioa.," We propose to alter this residence (11101-
fief; 64 •11 to ureter months instead of sir ; our object in
this instance being to provide a reasonable -guarantee
that electors arc bowlike residents, and have a real in-
terest in the locality ; and to guard against, and ex-
, elude, wanderers, adventurers' thoughtless, reckless, or
.desperate characters, who would deseeroe their. electoral
rights to purposes of faction or of interest. We know
that in the Atlantic cities of the United States, where
there is a six months residence. qualification required
for an elector, there are annually thousands of newly-
' arrived aliens (Trish or foreigners) polled, who have
no right to vote whatever ; we, think, therefore, that
• the middle classes have a right to this reasonable
security ; and we further feel confident, that the work-
ing
classes would be more faithfully, fully, and fairly
represented in consequence of its insertion and adop-.
;ion, than with .a residence qualification of shorter du-
ration.
We now introduce a few extracts from Sir W. Black-
atone to show that according to the theory of the British
Constitution, Universal Suffrage is the law of • the land,
and, further, to show his explanation of the reasons
which induced our ancestors to provide property guaran-
tees for electors :

:Page in, Book I, C. 2—" As to the qualifications of
the erectors, the true reason of requiring any qualification
with 'l-I,gard to property in voters, is to exclude such
persons as irre in so mean a situation that they are es-
teemed to have no will of their own. If these persons
had votes they would be tempted to dispose of them under
&Ana undue influence or other. This would give a great,
an artful, or a wealthy man, a larger sh-are in elections
than is consistent with general liberty. If it were pro-
bable that every man would give Ins vote freely and
without influence of any kind, then upon the true theory
and genuine principles of liberty every member of the corn-
Infinity, however poor, should have a vote in electing those
delegates to whose charge is committed the disposal of his
property, his liberty, and his life. But since that can
ardly be expected in persons of indigent fortunes, or
such as are under the immediate dominion of others, all
popular states have been obliged to establish • certain
qualifications ; whereby some who are suspected to have
no will of their own are excluded from voting, in order
to set other individuals, whose will may be supposed in-
dependent more thoroughly upon a level with each other.",

Pa.p,:e 158, Book 1, c. In a free State every man
who ss supposed ft frees agent, ought to be in some
measuro his won governor, and therefore a branch at
trait of thq legislative power 311ouid reside i„ the whole
bOAy of the people."
Page 185, Book 1, e. 2—" Every man in England is, in
!lodgment of law, party to the making of an Act Of Par-
liament, being present thereat by his representatives."
Page 139. Book 1. e. 1 (already quoted by Mr. Joseph
Sttric)—" For no stik;eet of England can be constrained
to pay any aids or taxes, even for the defence of the
rettbn,.or.the ..upporr of Government, but such as are itn-
pOled by his own con.;ent, or that of his representatives
railituneut:"

• It .thus appears, front .the authority of the first coin-
-.mentstor upon. the laws of England, that Universal Suf.-
itagt.i is fully :sanctioned by the theory of the Constitu-
tion ; though at.the same time we are all well aware that
• . there never was-a. period in our history when it has. been
practically carried out ; or when. there were so many men
possessing the elective franchise as at the present day ;
whether convert-4i with former ages, as to actual numeri-
cal amount, or rchtively at any period, compared to the
whole population in existence at the time.
We propokfre, then, to make no further alterations in
the document called " The People's Charter:" the suns
and s'cubstance of our amendments amount to this:—
admittiug and. adopting the principle of "equal rights"
to its fullest extent, we have in three instances increased
the guarantoes against youth and rashness, against roving
adventurers, and the abuses and inconveniences proved to
be the result of annually recurring elections. We be-
fieve the Charter, with the exception of the points we
have altered, to be a document of great ability, and
one which (with these amendments) we now commend to
the sober and serious perusal of the middle classes gene-
'rally. We propose to subjoin our amended Charter at
the end of this address, and we believe in our consciences
that ;it might come into practical operation to-morrow,
not only without the slightest prejudice to public tran-
tittillity, but with an incalculable advantage to the morals,
liberties, and social condition of every subject of the
British empire. We believe it would increase the self-
respect of every woriiing man in England, Ireland, and
Scotland. We helieve that it would qualify him to main-
tain himself in social happiness by his industry ; and we
further believe, that he is entitled to it by the theory of the
constitution ; and that, beyond and above all this, he is
entitled to it by the inalienable right of every man,
however poor, to hare a vote in electing those delegates, to
whose charge is committed the disposal of his property, his
I;herty, and his life."
We shall wait some time to ascertain how far our
Amended Charter is likely to meet with general support.
If it be approved of, •we can then take ulterior measures
for petitioning, or for seine combined national movement •
in its behalf. We see no reason why we Reformers of
the-Midland Counties may not, by reducing political ab-
stractions into a practical form—recognizing first prin-
ciples, but adapting them to English soeiety---originate
a new democratic movement that,. may result' in the
broadest and most extensive- Concessions to popular li-
berty. We are, geographically, the heart of the coun-
try:: let um,ithen; linitale 44tion of the heart, and
send forth our Thrifyiiirithronghout the length
and breadth of the
lan& We 'l,asvite the Movement
Party. of 'the.: middle cliff e. ball upon the united
denlocracy of the 4*Alpitry',;--mli),iote all Reformers of
ow)" grade and glade, t 44 ittitittistifttate with and join to;
. .