Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1859-09-10
mE. oOBDEN ON ENGLISH

ma. GOLDEN ON ENGLISH AND
AMERICAN ELECTIONS.
At a complimentary banquet recently given
BY the electors Of Roehdale TO their distin-
guished representative in Parliament, Richard
Golden, that gentleman made the following
remarks on the election system in Great Brit
ain and II this country;
And now, gentlemen, when I read and hear
n he Transactions al the last general election,
/ think my acknowledgment are still more due
10 you in having thought Of me during my re-
mote absence ; for, 10 I gather correctly the
tenor Of the last general election, Il was this
Thai there was a more than usual avidity 10
obtain seats in Parliament. hear, hear there
were more contests than usuaito achieve thst
honor, and, unless / an greatly misinformed,
some Of the aspirants for that honor did not
confne themselves within the strict rules Of
propriety and discretion.
may be asked, what is the remedy for this
state Of thingsf II the House Of Commons
were In earnest TO put down the system, a
remedy would be found. In tee first place,
make those inqu ries cheaper and more ac-
cessible. II you cannot have a tribunal on he
spot to inquire into these proceedings, at all
events spare the aggrieVed party this enorm-
MAM ALA u Az ANM n IEN am
where he is proved to have a case-I would
not say where you have frivolous and vexa-
tious petitions, but where there is a good case
for a petitioner-let the expense Be borne BY
somebody else than ~ him. II the country
il Interested in putting down the systsm-if
the very foundations Of cur representative sys-
TEN itself depend on parity at their source,
whv, then, who so interested as thegreat BODY
Of the community IN not allowing these forty
- EfE.- I.-.~-Rn tbs 80 100 -mfwn aanH- Nrna
to 90 unpublished? And who are the parties
that would so properly pay the expense as
those communities themselves BY whom these
transactions a-e permitted? Or let the expense
Of the inquiries into them devolve upon the
whole country at large II that be thoughtmore
expedient. TCheers- Well, ! say, let the in
quirv be carried on in such a way that il shall
not be the punishment, and probably TIE ruin
Of the petitioner; but, beyond that, ! say, let
there b. some punishment inflicted upon those
who are detected as guilty parties in these
transactions. lCheers Twill venture to say,
If, when a case Of bribery is clearly detected,
the House Of Commons would order in every
such case that the parties detected in the act
Of bribing should be prosecuted criminally by
he Attornev-General that would very soon
put down bribery and corruption, more than
anything else that the House Of Commons
could resort to. ICheers.
! MNNE 10 AnAAl ln AnN fNA1ANHE NAEnAAan oAA q
won't lend myself 70 a delusion, or practice
ihosa means any longer. What You want.
besides such a plan as I have spoken OF, is, for
your Parliament to allow at least The expert
mcnt Of the ballot. loud cheers | don't
speak Of the ballot as a cure for all evils, or
az a political measure mixed mp with other
questions Of organic change. speak now Of
g only as a means Of preventing to a large
extent the exercise Of this gross corruption,
81 BE- O. ~ H-aHwrurnuH 80 ahnaE che urnr~Hh
Of that ro'tenness which is sapping The foun-
dation Of cur electoral system. am by no
means certain, and ] say it in all fTankness,
that the ballot would ave a very decisive ef-
feet in forwarding any one particular party's
interests al the poll. ] an not prepared 10 say
that nv views with regard 10 public questions
would be more represented ia the hallot-hoN
than fhsv are now BY open voting. I think
very likely that the pzrtv-the political party
that most breads he ballot would sometimes
most profit bv Il but this I say-any one who
has inquired As 70 the conduct Of elections in
America, IN Switzerland, in France, IN Spain.
and anywhere the ballot is adopted, and will
compare them with The tumuit, the violence,
the bloodshed. The disgusting and hideous cor
ruption we witness az our elections say no.
body can doubt as a moral engine, as the means
Of REFRESHING these excuses, the ballot is the
best resource, the best eXpedient we can have.
Cheers.
will mention one Illustrative fact which /
acquired in america on the subject. Now, I'M
derstand, I an not going 10 quote America as
a country where YOU should go for imitation in
everything regarding Der political institutions,
which are as unfit for ms in some RESPECTS as
ours would BE- untitled for them. TCheers.
But this I NAV say, in passing, that the white
men Of the United States have a theory Of gov
eminent which they have Ibid down in their
rw-4HH-NH--n -r1rah 81 Hhn IHrwmm rmufrnw.nuH
be EQUAL 70 the political machine. means TO
deal Justly and fairly by every man 10 their
community. But now I confne mvself te one
feet that was given 10 ne in my travels in
America. vas speaking 10 a gentleman
whose letter I may read, for il il in but few
w0rds-whnse name (Nr. RandalD Is known
70 some Of our statesmen here, for remember
he gave evidence before a committee Of the
Horse OF Commons, upon which ] sat, 70 in
d1iFe into the mode Of proceeding Of our
Houses Of Parliament IN order 10 furnish in
formation ss 70 the rule Of the Congress Of the
United states. He is a man standing high.
both socially and politically. He mentioned
his fact in conversation with me, and wishing
that 7 should have the benefit o. the iuforma-
ton under his Oyn signature, be wrote me a
letter after ] LEFT p i~ladelphia, where the gen
tleman lives. (and l shall take care to have
T. nuhlishod,) addressed 10 me at Washington.
1T contains LIN-F NNHEa = I INNhE UErA lNL UT y
wars connected with poll ical snd party move
mems in Philadelphia. and InevHr knew a vote
bought or sold" LChsers.l That is one o.
the largest populations II mechanics ard
workmen, for Philadelphia has changed its
character from being, as It formerly was, a
leading seaport, and has become almost en-
ti-elv a manufacturing city, with 100000 or
100000 Inhabitants.
This gentleman would not have told me, I
am sure, that elections in America are pure in
every resnect-.hat there is not very often a
great deal II ~manUuvring and party manage
ment-that there are not to some degree per-
sonati0n and double votes, and the hke-he
would not have told ne that without exception
an their elections are carried on reacfablY
and TRANQUILITY; but he mentioned the fact that
the ballot Uescuted such an obstacle 20 BRIDE
" that nobody cared 10 buy a vote and paw
FOR &C when be did mo- know that he got valne
in exchange. LCherrs.l Gentlemen, I shall
say no more OF my experience in America a.
present, for, 10 confess the honest truth, ] was
too kindly treated there and / feel that ] was
received so kindly there from my connection
with = great question Of cosmopolitan interest,";
and / felt, IN an humility, that ] was greeted
a. the represent alive Of others who bad the
same claim as myself 70 receive the kind civil
tiles Of that people, and IL they presented them
selves there they would be received Eiih the
samn Hospitality rs myself. But ] confess ]
was 50 kindly treated in America that ! feel I
In not an impartial witness in their cause,
and that ought TO say ss little as possible on
that topic. Laughter. Now, il is impor-
tsnt that We should see that The source Of our
electoral system is pure, inasmuch az 1t is quite
evident that for veal or FOR woe public opin-
ion in this country, as manifested az the poll
inE-booths, must become more and more pow
erful In The government Of This country, and
not merely in our own domestic government I:
and this is a question to which, at the present
moment, it is well 70 refer. L is quite evident
that public opinion is becoming more and more
potent in matters Of foreign as wen as 10
nestle policy.