The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-05-16
Rirbmunh Qispatftl.
MORNING.. MAY ie. 1860
am.r,c.r t,errmpsien.


--@e~~sj~.'s>> sN's~N-- :
American Cerrmptisn.
Our Cousins over the water sre'prodsgionsly
a~arc,..x, .hont Tho corruption which hon-
rishc. among us. and the existenceef when
thew attribute entirely TO universal suffrage
We are not disposed TO deny the existenceo OF
vas, deal of corruption in all our governments,
State A. we'll as Federal. But when We are told
nv such men rs Earl GREY and Sir EDWARD
Hr,wKR LyrToN that it all proceeds from
universal suffrage, we cannot but feel some
what as,onished. Surely it is much easier 10
bride five men than five thousand at least.
the operation does not cost as much money.
We should, therefore, think a large increase
in the number Of voters would greatly IN
crease the difficulty Of bribing, and an IN
crease amounting 10 universal suffrage wo"'"
render 1t absolutely impossible. Sir L. -
I.yTros says that universal suffrage mas IT,
duced the standard Of representative eal"-
city here, until we have none but men "a '"e
very smallest calibre in our STATE an" eue'",
LEGISLATURES All this may De tI"e' anu YET
we should be very willing 10 PIT our Con
yrsss arainst his Parliament. TAKE out me
men of acknowledged ability IN both, ana
IL, the rest be compared, we would venture
10 be, all we ever expect TO be worm against
a brass Earthing that the superiority OF gene
raj intelligence is SO great on our SIDE as TO
command the acknowledgment OF even so pre-
,udiced a nudge as Sir f. b. LYTToN himself,
be being first put upon his honor to answer
according TO his convictions. we nave some
1olerably rough specimens. 1t is true, out their
deficiencies are rendered the more paipaoie
from their always making at least one speech
during the session. In the House CT Com
mons, on the contrary, nobody but rev ieao-
ing men on opposite sides of the question ever
speak at all. The gen ilemen on the BACK
benches are never allowed to open their
mouths, or if they be permitted, they are
afraid TO do it. And very properly are they
restrained; for, notoriously, more mar
w-minded, ill-informed, clod-pated set OF
boobies could not be found within the Tour
seas 1t is difficult to conceive how uniNer-
sal suffrage could reduce such a standard as Is
there established 4 the measure OF repreSen-
tatiye capacity.
Sir BuLwER LYTToN, in the course OF MS
remarks, read passage from lecture deilN-
cred by a Mr.. DoHERTY, before literary So
ciety of LA FAYETTE College, In Pennsyivh-
MIA, the title of which is " Fears Tor the uture
of the Republic y anT the substance OF wnich
is gloomy picture of the bribery, corruption
and general decay of morals, which are al'
legged TO prevail all over the land. without
disputing the accuracy of this picture, or de-
nying the Justice CT attributing all the shades
which darken its canvass TO uhlVersai SUI
fraee. we NAV still be allowed to say that other
conditions of the franchise have been Iouno
quite as fruitful of the evils which impart to
it its sombre hue. Was universal suffrage IN
existence in England during the Ministry of
WALPoLE, or the PELHAMs, or the younger
PITT Private memoirs and the pubic an
mails assure US that during those PERIODS cor
ruption stalked naked through the lana, not
coudescending TO hide its nakedness even WIN
the fig leaf OF denial. WALPoLE boosted tha'
he had a majority of the Commons In ms
breeches pocket the Duke OF Newcastle kept
a book, in which he registered the names ana
sums of all the recipients Of his brides; Mr..
HENRY Fox, the father of the great statesman
CHARLES JAMES, and also first Lord HoL-
LAND received flO0.Go0 for single jon, a lot
terry bill was passed, fixing the number OF
tickets at 6o,0GO, and of these the majority that
carried it received - ,O0o valued at forty shil-
lings each in the very midst OF the war with
NAPOLEON a British Minister was impeached
for notorious corruption in the Navy Depart
ment. and such a scene of profligacy and viii
I3lQy In t06 VI navy ~
his friends and dependents, was laid open, as
made the nation lit up their hands i'll horror
the Commander in Chief OF the Army. a son
OF the reiguing monarch, was accused OF
scandalous corruption, in allowing one Of his
mistresses to support herself by selling eom-
missions an usher once stood 1T the door Of
the House of Commons and shook hands with
every member who had voted in favor of a
tta inn had N at
heart. each man bearing off on his itching
palm Bank Of England note when released
from the grasp of the worthy official. All
these are notorious facts in the history OF
Great Britain, and there are ten thousand
Others worse even than these. Who, for in
stance. has forgotten the Crimean Investiga-
ton, or the speculat ms upon the lives OF Inc
soldiers aud sailors which it developed The
London Times did golden service in bringing
these abuses before the public. But during
the war OF the American Revolution and those
with the Republic and Empire of France, The
press was 1nuzzled, and the public knew moth
ing of the doings Of contractors and army and
navy agents, save what was brought out by
.ha Quickly stifled Investigations we have just
alluded to. In fact, bribery and corruption
never were carried to such an extent in any
Great Britain during the last century, and a
mart Of the present, for the simple reason that
NO country ever had SO much money. or pre-
sented such temptations to the exercise of a
.orr,,t system. Any man who will take the
,r,nhla to read HORACE WALPoLEs letters,
and TpAcKEgAY's life of CHATHAM, with the
ESSAYS of MAcAuLAY thereupon, will feel no
doubt AS to a portion at least Of the time. Nor
,raro ,haro wanting sterr prophets OF wrath
IN predict the destruction of the British En-
pire from this very source. If Mr.. DoHKKTY
is to be accepted us the proper exponent OF
our future, what shall we say OF BOILING
BROKE, WILKES, JUNIUs, HORNE TookE,
BURKE, Fox, and CHATHAM himself!
It's very evident, then, that bribery and cor
ruption, although they may be legitimate
fruits OF universal suffrage, are not peculiar
to that system of voting. In England, on the
contrary, it is remarkable that public morals
So far as elections are concerned, have i'm
proved in exact proportion with the reduc-
ton of the qualification. No man doubts
that bribery and corruption are much less
frequent now than they were previously to
the reform bill of 1880, and that, as general
rule, they have diminished with each succeed
ing concession TO the popular wishes. The
reason is perfectly plain, and has been before
alluded TO by us. The enlargement of the cir
Gle Of voters, necessarily increases the dim
Guilty Of bribing them. As for the predictions
that this great, vigorous, young nation is to
sink beneath the weight Of its present corrup-
tons, 1t is altogether worthy of honest JOHN
BULL II England could come out Of all her
trials, why should not we?
------AD----