Abuse In The Election Of ...
The Times, 1824-12-23T00:00:00

Ai abause has, for a length or time, prevailed in mast of tie Wards it; the city of London. It is the prectice of the inhabitants to hold hat are called precinct mreetings, before the day of election, and to return a certain nuuiber of persons as qualified to act as castables, to the Aldermnen who preside on St. Thomas'a Day. This is-te cause of very unfair treatment to severalinhahitants. For io~bcc, a precinct wfhieh consists of no more than 5 inhabiants, is t;pei. led, by the authoritv of custom, to retrm a certain nuaber-of per- sons to serve as constables. Another precinct, which enta:las -VtilB or 600 inhabitants, returns also a rarited number af iddivlndika aa fit for the office. The number returned are s3 dieproportonedt i the imiassof the inhabitants of each precinct, that tboe aof- te one are called upon almost individually to sexre severaltimtes, uhile many ita the other have never served at all, and are never likely to be called upon to perform the very neecessary, but certainly very disa-reeable duties of the office. ThC present Chief il2gstrate. upon beite elect- ed Alderman of the WVard of Bridge, imn!tediately inquired int thal authorities upon which those precinct ueetihgs actedl;an'd finding that the practice was illegal, as well as unjust, refused to take cog. nizance of their proceedings, and threw an equality of obligation upon every inhabitant of the ward. The only answer that wnnod be given to this rational interfcrence was, that the precinct reguladons hadl existed for alenrgth af tine, and as they thus fortned a privilege, ought not to be vio'arei. At first, this ddeisive ineasure raised an otterv and alarm; but there is every reason to beliere, tMat thaim. partiality of the presiding magistrate is now the subject of much 'ap. probatioII in the place where he vanturd to introduce the refbrm. On Tuesdlay his Lotrlship presided at the Wardmote of 13sslps. gate in conscqtenee of the indisptosition of Sir R. C. Glyn. After the election of Conmon Coucimen, th.e rueeting proceded tothe election of the different vrd.offcers, and oeme preinc returnm of persons to serve as co)stables were hnded to the Ld Mayor who, as might be exped, at once questioned the letrit of tho returns, and upen reference to -the Ward_clerk axtebliLfed rhdr invali('.ty. Soit'sc of tie inhabitants, who no doubt expecred a vi ta. tnn upon themselves in the event of thb establishament ofan equality of burden in the ward, 8trongly remonstrated aainst the refusal of his Lordship to act upon the prcincSt eturns. The election, however, wavs proceeded in acceding to the letter and spirit of the act of Parliament. The trtistnblkn wer- electe4 from the whole of the inhabitanits, as if sucb a thting aS a precinct meeting was never knswn- to have existed. His Lords*p, in thus taking into due coasider'aion the just claims of rmnny te_ bitants who have been hitherto subject to be called upon to p2rform the duties of others, took particular care to melea no comment upou, the long duration of the practice he has thus-condemned. There Is every reason to supposc trtat the retormed election wiR be adopted generally henceforward. One of the inhabitants of the rtard of Ri2hopsgat,e after tba greater part of the busineas of the day was perfortued, introduced the subject of the distressed Spanish and Italian -refugeea, ad wsbh. ed, after some observations wbtchsperl20ps 3 d an unacestry singe of politics in them, to raise a Pubseripticn in thc wa; EbX the bnlie. fit of the fbreigners. The LORD rUAYoet represented, that he couldi ot thinli .frisnc. tioning a proposi.tlo% unconnected *ith the buinmess of the day in a ward over which heoily accidentally presided. He al-s observed that the subject, considered and diseussed witfiout reoirnce- t4 Vuli. tics, wt6uldl be sure to meet with more supporthan ctuld be ex mtcd In CtZOA hrought forware ott party spcealptnonti - He expre$-ed, bis *fihm belief th4l every ward In the city woudil conatribuiv io tbertrsief of theppoor tbreigncr2,but theywould choonepsoro:ons.faxdoin o so. TThe Ward agreel in this view of the matter. Auter tF.e meeting, the Commoni Councilmen ol the ward dined m7ther n'snd yesterday they sent .3 gaineas to the Lord MIlyor in capo:t oa the eIty a whica bie I.rdship's nastme io gt tG :izz ABUSE IX TIHE BLECTION OF ClvNSTABlEs.