The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-06-20 00:00:00

THE BALLOT.

THE House of Commons was amused on Tuesday
by the discussion on the annual motion for the
adoption of the Ballot in the election of Members
of Parliament. We say amused, for even the
mover, whatever may be the intensity of his mono-
mania, could have no serious expectation of carry-
ing into practice his peculiar notion. As was well
observed by Lord PALMERSTON, there is no possi-
bility, either by the Ballot, or by any mechanical
contrivance, of effecting a system of secret voting,
nor is it fit that there should be. It is a violation
of that sound principle of political freedom, which

is inherent in the heart of every t nglishman ; and
so utterly repugnant is it to all our ideas of the
proud position which we assume to hold, that there
never - yet was found one man who claimed the
Ballot for himself. The elector does not exist who
would not scorn to require such a protection on his
own account, and it has always been advocated on
the shallow pretence that there are others who
need to hide the mode in which they exercise their
franchise under the shelter of its concealment. It
would, however, prove no shelter, for to be effectual
it must be compulsory ; and we would ask with
what feelings would a compulsion to secrecy be
received by the " free and independent electors" of
any constituency, who would much rather publish
their principles and opinions on the house-tops.
But there could not really be any secrecy, for, how-
ever
cunningly the mode of voting may be devised,
there are few men whose political opinions are not
well known to their immediate neighbours without
any appeal to their votes, and, if it be sought as a
preventive of intimidation, it would equally fail,
for those who possess the power and choose to
exercise it may do so as well under any form of the
Ballot as under the most open system. In what- I
ever light it may be viewed, it is a gigantic impos-
ture upon public credulity, brought forward with
no other view than to gratify the personal vanity
of a few individuals, who, by this means, seek to
persuade the ignorant masses that they are the
especial friends of " the people." Let us suppose,
' however, the Ballot to be all that is said in favour
of it, and then it should be adopted in the House ,
to be elected by it, so that the representatives of
the secret electors would enjoy the privileges of
secrecy in their proceedings. Such an adaptation
of it would be scouted as destroying all popular
check upon the votes of the House of Commons,
but it would not be more unreasonable than its
application in popular elections.
The discussion on Tuesday was, however, instruc-
tive in other respects. It showed us united admi-
nistrative talent in most admired disorder upon a
vital constitutional question, and a practical split
in the coalition. One member of the Cabinet
warmly advocated the motion, which another mem-
ber of the Cabinet as stoutly opposed, and the divi-
sion showed five members of the administration in
the minority, with about three times that number
in the majority. The FIRST LORD of the ADMI-
RALTY voted one way, and a junior Lord of the
same boardthe other way; the SOLICITOR-GENERAL
voted for the Ballot, and the ATTORNEY-GENERAL,
the value of whose political opinion is something
less than nothing, was nowhere. The SECRETARY
for IRELAND was on one side, and the SOLICITOR-
GENERAL for IRELAND on the other ; so that the
coalition ministry were at sixes and sevens, each
member doing that which was right in his own
eyes. For what purpose, then, have these men
coalesced, if a question like the Ballot, which strikes
at the root of all political freedom, is made an open
one ? Is it that, in the absence of their leader,
who was seeking his re-election for London, they
were demonstrating an unwonted freedom of ac-
tion ? or, perhaps, the more reasonable solution
would be that, like rats, which leave a falling house
or sinking ship, they :foresee a speedy dissolution
of the crazy fabric, and are making for themselves
a political capital upon which to appeal to their
Radical constituents. In any view of the case, it
was a humiliating spectacle, but one which it is to
be hoped may be prophetic of the fate of that
ministry which obtained office under false pretences,
retained it by the most flagrant sacrifice of prin-
ciples, and have not realised one of the many pro-
mises with which they commenced their career.