Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1860-05-10
From the Washington Globe.
Elect0ral Refnrr

From the Washington Globe.
The electoral reform bill now under considerable
IN the British Parliament has two chief objects-a nor
equitable division of Seats and an enlargement of the bs
sis of representation
The electoral system of England now comprises grea
number OF small colleges, each of which, with few hur
dred electors and under the predominant influence oil
arlstocratc family, sends or two members to tn
House OF Commons. There are fifty or sixty of Ties
boroughs that have less than five hundred electors each
and eleven that have not three hundred among the lat
ter OF which are Ashburton, with one hundred an
nlnetythree electors; Arundel with one hundred an
nlnetySlx; and HOniton, whose two hundred an
eightyseven electors send two members. In com
parson with these privileged places, 1t is suffcien
10 name Leeds Manchester, Birmingham, and Liver
pool which, though they have many hundred Thousand
inhabitants and consequently large number of cleo
tors are each represented by but two members in Par
lament. The new bill attempts to reduce these in
CAPABILITIES without completely removing them. Thus
each of the lesser colleges which has population of less
than seven thousand and which has had two members
is to have but By this reduction, there will be
twenty-five seats unapportiOned which will be disrib
uted among the large cities and the counties that are n
sufficiently represented Of these fifteen are assigned
to counties to which the developments of industry and
the improvements in agriculture have given special i'm
portance. Of nine other vacant Seats oue divided
among birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool
each OF which will thus have three members instead of
two, as now four others to create many col
leges and the University of London which hitherto
has had no special representative will be placed in the
same rank with the Universities of Oxford and Cam
BRIDGE and will have one member. Besides, as two
colleges having two seats each have for some time been
deprived of their privileges the bill dsposes of these
seats by giving two OF them to Scotland and two to
Ireland that is, to the Scotch Universities one to
Glasgow one to the city of Dublin, and one to the
county of Cork
1t will be that the changes thus made are by no
means radical, and that the bill leaves inequalities
against which the reformers will not fail to protest
However, 1t advances in degree the cause they
have advocated and while looking forward to something
better IN the future, they ought not despse what is now
offered them.
The most important feature of this bill u.s. it's reduc-
ton OF the property qualification of electors and con-
sequent proporuonate increase of their number. For
example: At present. to be county elector it is ne
cessary to occupy house of the annual value of fifty
pounds. The bill proposes to reduce this necessary
yearly value to ten pounds AS dOmicile is not ne
cessay, fictitious votes can be manufacture bV an i'm
aginary, nominal subdivision of property, The effect
OF this reduction will be to increase the electoral vote
by three hundred thousand The number of the CITY
electors will be increased by reduction of the annual
TAX now imposed on hem and of the required property
qualhcaton from four hundred thousand to about six
hundred thousand Important political results must fol-
low SO great an increase in the representative power of
The great cities.
The London Times opposes these proposed changes,
on the ground that they would take political power from
men OF capacity and property, and give t. it mere pre-
ponderating numbers representing ignorance and rad
callSm, thus destroying the equilibrium of The different
classes OF society," and exposing the British Constitution
On new and unknown ground to the risks of experiment
Let US conhde enough in British intelligence to hope
mat lhe constitution as lar as it is worth preserving
viii not be impaired by such transfer of small Dor
ion OF political power from the few to the many.
COURAGE IN WOMEN" Let there be Chastity in
Men, and COURAGE in Women said Opa IF tho 90
athers OF the church, not meaning say that the viz
Rcs OF the two sexes should be exchanged but forcby
uggestng that neither of these virtues is the peculiar
characteristic OF either SEX and that both are as neces
airy III the one as in the other We are reminded of
his wise maxim by the following stray waif which is
ong the rounds Of the press unaccredted but which
nOugh lis origin be unknown is we'll deserving to be
cad and pOndered
1here is branch OF general education which is not
nOught al ali necessary for women, as regards which
ldeed it is well If they are not brought mo to cultivate
ne opposite Women not taught to be courageous
hoetd 10 some persons, courage may as unneces
airy for women as Latin and Greek yet there are few
nlngS mat would tend to make happier in them
ewes, and more acceptable to those with whom they :
We, than courage. There many women of the pre-
7ht oay-Sensble women III other things-whose panic
errors are frequent Of discomfort to themselves
nd those around them. Now, it is great mistake to
imagine that hardness must go with courage; and that
re bloom OF genteness and sympathy must all he rub
ed of by that vgor of mind which gives presence Of
nd' enables person to be useful in peril and makes
It desre 10 assist overcome that Scklness of sensb
which can only contemplate distress and difficulty
0 lar from courage being unfeminne, there is pecu-
al grace ana d8nity IN those beings who have little .
'tVe power of attack defence passing through dan
Il WIN moral courage which is equal to that of the f.
rohgcSt We see this in great things We perfectly II
oprecIae the sweet and noble dignity of Ann Boeyn
mary queen OF Scots, or Marie Antoinette. There f
no beauty IN Jear 1t is a mean ugly, disheyelled -
q no oHo Of 4 hat
Ould wish to sec herself like. u
Capture of the Mexican Steamers {
W Rave received (says the New Orleans Picavune) q
ol ing note from Capt. Turner, of the u States
'oP-olwar Saratoga, now at Vera Cruz, in reference
the statement Of Commodore Marin touching the late
alr at Anton Lizardo 1t will explain itself: i
UNITED STATES SLooP SARATOGA II
=, VERA CRUZ, April Is, 1860. OF
My DEAR Mr.. ELGEE You will much oblire me !,
len you reach New Orleans if you will call upon the h.
l'or Vi Inc cayune and as friend of mne correct 81
paragraph OF the protest Of Admiral Thomas Marin
lereln he speaks of the fact often La Lave and Col
opesa having been board of one of the little steam
gs which towed my ship to Anton Lizardo He pre-
los 10 identify them with the expedition as persons Sc
prominent on board the attacking vessels" Now the
It is that knew that these persons were nm
ard as they were entire strangers to the officers COM
nolng my attachments, and until one of them was III
ought on board my ship badly wounded by splinter co
ad not the remotest idea of their presence When ~
handed an explanation, they informed me that having IN
ID sent out by their government to asce tain some
ng OF my movements, at the moment of my departure eng
m Vera Cruz in the hurry and confusion of nv YES FOL
peng toWed out by these steamers the boat in which
came TO the lndlanola left them AS they were no
ssed In citizen Clothes no one knew that thew were or
belonging to the crews of the engineers and remen col
ongng to these vessels. reported the facts of the
to my commanding officer at the time AS for Mr.. Jr
couia ne was the owner of the Indianola and of LOT
rse rad right to remain on board of her if he pleas
Neither OF these gentlemen had anything to do with cl
expedition further than mere spectators make us
further allusion to the wlful Misrepresentation of