18 NOVEMBER 1837, Page 11

The right of voting for 3lembers of the General Legislature

is a trust, and one of a very high and responsible nature towards the community, whatever Chief Justice Coke and Chief Justice Holt may have said of the matter. If the doctrine of Justice Blackstone, indeed, and other lair sages, be taken, we ought to establish universal suffrage to-morrow. If this is not (I( ne, it is be- cause, in opposition to these constitutional lawyers the franchise is considered as a trust, not as a right. The principle or selection should have b. en therefore, lets dubious than the Tories have made ft, with their rabble freemen and fifty pound vassabge. We must, however, make the best of a llEd I argain ; and baring created votvis, we must not allow them to he edefeed in ti e exercise of their public function. We would certainly rather these classes of it ters had not been created. The coercion, however, of indifferent trustees, ere, ted by those nlio coerce them, is no legitimate method of obviating the possible evil in. volved In that Machiavelic creation.— Globe.

It is easy to assert that the " right" of voting is a " trust," whatever COKE, Hoar, BL ACKSTONE, and "other law sr ges," may

"have said of the matter;" the question cannot be settled so cavalierly. Where is the ew which declares the "right of voting a" trust?" Who are they who consider it to be a tuts' ? Not the landlord, for he looks upon his tenant's vote as his own ; not the tenant, fur he knows that it is his landlord's; not the VI cemen, for they sell their votes to the highest bidder ; not the Radical Re- former, for he maintains that every taxpayer has a rieht to in- fluence the Legislature, and that he is responsible to no human being for the fair exercise or that right. Free and ii dependent voting is certainly part of the theory of the constitution ; and the an of the Reformers who support the Ballot is to make the theory and the practice accord. But the Globe, who mitten' s that the voter is only a trustee, is inconsistent in advocating a n easure for rendering him irrespousible.

[Since the above was written, we have seen the question of trusteeship convincingly settled by Lord NUGENT, wit() has just written an excellent Pamphlet On the Ballot.]