TOPICS OF THE DAY.

CHEAP AUCTIONS: "DOWN WITH THE TORIES!"

TnE REPORMER3, in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, are now called upon to muster ; to clear the decks, and prepare for action with the common enemy—the TORIES. Never was there a time of such eventful interest in the history of British liberties. Every year we have seen the popular cause gain against corrals- lion ; every year places us nearer and nearer to good government. The People are indebted to Union and Voluntary Exertions for

their attainment of the Reform Acts. The glorious result of the Election in 1831 was obtained by the Reformers joining hands and hearts, and considering the return of Liberal Representatives as their own personal object and interest. Every elector in the United 'Kingdoms, professing Liberal sentiments, exerted himself to the utmost. The "Voluntary Principle," adopted for the first time at the General Election in 1831, secured a House of Com- mons, which in despite of' Rotten Boroughs, of bribery, and all sons of corruption, open and concealed, passed the Reform Bills by a large majority. The present Parliament may be dissolved at any moment. The Court and the Peers, disaffected even to a Moderate Whig Cabinet, have recently adopted extraordinary steps to procure the return of the Tories to power. Their policy and decision, whether to meet the present Parliament.or to dissolve it, will not be declared till the arrival of PEEL. Supposing the decision made, the fiat gone forth—how are the Reformers to act with a view to the General Election ? We propose to give them a series of recommendations.

FIRST. Select and support only those public men as candidates who are known by their political acts; and if Members of former Parliaments, warranted by their votes. Distinctly ascertain, whe- ther they will oppose the Duke of WELLINGTON and PEEL; whether they are so insane as to imagine or so unprincipled as to pretend that those two statesmen are selected by the King for any other purpose than to stop the progress of Reform, by con- ceding "as little as needs be;" whether they will vote for a com- plete modification of the Protestant Church in Catholic Ireland, and an appropriation of the surplus revenues of that Church to more useful State purposes; whether they will vote for a thorough Reform of the English Church, and the amendment of the Tithe system; whether they will support Corporate Reform, abrogate the principle of Self-election, and give to the whole country a popular and uniform system of Municipal Government, founded on periodical elections of all officers by a constituency of house- holders; whether they will vote for the repeal of the Sep- tennial Act, an improvement of the Registration clauses in the Reform Acts, and for laws to secure the freedom and purity of elections; whether they will support a full and searching inquiry into the Pension-list, with a view to its purification, and for the abo- lition of all remaining sinecures and useless places; whether they will vote for equal civil rights to their fellow-countrymen Dissent- ing from the Established Church in England, Wales, and Ire- land. These are the cardinal tests of the eligibility of candidates. There are other important public questions, on which Re- formers are divided; but on those above stated all real Reformers are agreed. We exhort all Reformers to avoid internal dissen- sions; to abjure the "Currency question," and all "one idea" notions of controverted opinions; and to select, and zealously co- operate to return, those candidates possessing the best claims founded on these cardinal tests. Whoever promotes divisions in tl,e camp should be drummed out. SECONDLY. How shall we secure the return of such candidates? Answer—by CHEAP ELECTIONS. England returns 143 Representatives for 90 Counties, and 328 for 185 Cities and Boroughs. Wales returns 15 Representa- tives for 12 Counties, and 14 for its 14 districts of Boroughs. Scotland returns 30 Representatives for 30 Counties, and 23 for 76 Cities and Burghs. Ireland returns 64 Representatives for 32 Counties, and 41 for 34 Cities and Boroughs. We may therefore thus class the existing Representation.

I. Counties.

2. Cities and Boroughs, with population above 100,000, and constituencies exceeding 9000 electors.

3. Cities and Boroughs, with population above 10,000, and con- stituencies exceeding 500 electors.

4. Smaller Boroughs, and Schedule B remnant of the Old Representative System, with constituencies less than 500 electors.

The Tories will doubtless avail themselves to the utmost ex- tent of all their corrupt arts of influencing elections. We do not apprehend any considerable accession to their strength, in the coming election, from the coercion of the " tenants at.will" and short leaseholders. The Reformers had to contend with all that at the contests in December 1832. What then a ill be the Tory sinews of war ?—Mosisv. The majority of men of over- grown wealth being Tories, they can furnish a greater sup- ply of candidates, able and willing, and with the strongest motives, to subscribe funds for corruption. Never probably has more Tory money been applied to influence elections than will be expended at the next dissoltition. Money, therefore, is not the weapon for Reformers; their shield must be EcoNomv. The Liberals must forthwith sills,cribe LOCAL ELECTION FUNDS. Every Reform constituency must rely upon its own resources and local subscriptions. Representatives were formerly paid wages for

serving their country ; the Tories 'reversed this, and bought !their seats, to barter them for peculation and plunder : we must now prepare for returning to the wise and good practice of our an- cestors.

It is unreasonable to expect that the Independent Members, who have no ends of their own to serve by being in Parliament, will continue to waste their substance in such repeated drains on their private fortunes as election contests in 1830, 1831, 1832, 1834-5, and probably another after the extinction of a Tory Administration. We not only daily hear of Liberal Representatives declining the coming contest, but of numbers of able men of sound principle who refuse invitations from Liberal constituencies, especially in coun- ties, from the honourable motive of objection to unjustifiable and corrupt expense. Let us now analyze the sources of expense. They may be all arranged under the following heads.

1. LEGAL EXPENSES.

On an average of expenditure in contested Counties, Cities, and Boroughs, in this article of cost to candidates, at the last General Election, no material saving can be effected by the Reformers; but next week we will point out in detail some eco- nomical arrangements which the Reform Acts place within the power of candidates and electors.

2. CANVASS.

This branch of expense may he almost wholly saved, by avoiding hotels and public-houses as " head-quarters ;" by the hire of one or more central rooms at a moderate cost, or, preferably, by obtaining the loan of suitable premises. Canvass-letters for the various districts of Counties may be forwarded to the local post-offices. The canvass should be conducted by an extended division of labour, and Committees multiplied in every parish and village where Reformers will render voluntary assistance. In every canvass-room should be placarded—" All REAL Reformers will eat and drink at their own cost."

3. ADVERTISEMENTS AND PRINTING.

In a struggle of this nature, the Local Liberal Journals should be reasonable in their charges; and those proprietors who are zealous Reformers would do honour to themselves by publicly stating that all authorized addresses and official documents may be advertised on payment of duty only. Much customary expense may also be saved by reducing the mass of useless placards and squibs, which never gain a vote, but always add much to the unnecessary cost of a contest. The printing department of every candidate and committee should be placed under the superinten- dence of some one judicious and practised member of the com- mittees.

4. LAWYERS.

Except one lawyer at each polling-place, there is no necessity for this expensive corps of the elective army. In Cities and Boroughs, there can be no occasion for any retained legal agents: in Counties, they are an enormous item of cost. In the contest of 1831, the attornies in the Liberal cause most honourably gave their services gratuitously. They are equally, and now more than ever, interested with other classes in the success of Reform ; and the attornies ought at this imminent trial of political principle to give an example of patriotism and disinterestedness. They will not be losers.

5. NOMINATION DIY.

Much useless and absurd expense is frequently incurred by candidates in the " pomp and eircumstance"—the "vain show "— of processions and attendance of paid agents and partisans on the day of nomination. It never turns a single elector, or gives any material advantage to any canlidate. The attendance of zealous advocates of the Reform cause is sure to be sufficiently numerous for all useful and necessary purposes. We say, then, abolish all this injurious expenditure.

6. CONVEYANCE OF VOTERS.

In some corruptcities and boroughs, the bad habit is to employ, at heavy extra charges, carriages to bring up voters to the poll. At the last Finsbury election, it is said, this item of charge cost the Liberal candidate nearly 1000/. The cost of the Metro- politan elections, to the best Liberal Representatives, was generally disgraceful to the Reformers. Every City and Borough Election Committee throughout the kingdom should refer to the expendi- ture books of the preceding contest in 1832; and the first consider- ation and act should be to appoint a Finance Committee to investi- gate, without the loss of an hour, the nature of the cost and the means of decreasing it. In Counties, much expense may be saved by appointing District Sub-Committees, to report what means of conveyance will be required, and when. Real Reformers will gladly assist in conveying to the poll neighbours wanting con- veyance; and carriages, gigs, and horses of electors, should be placed at the disposal of the Committees on the day preceding the poll, and the two following days. In Leicestershire, Mr. Pacieis contest in 1830 was defrayed by a subscription of only 7001.—the cost of his poll of the whole county. His political friends formed a Central Committee communicating with others in all the smaller towns, and with some zealous and trustworthy residents in every village. Carriages were gratuitously sent for distant freeholders, who on their arrval were entertained either at the private houses of friends, or in a large room hired for the occasion. Provisions were gratuitously cooked and sent up daily, in cold collations, to the large room. All Me lawyers acted gratis. There are English- men in every town and village who can afford a cold baron of beef and malt liquor. Treating ought to be erased from the

election vocabulary : the electors ought to treat themselves. - To be brief—the Nation, in its peril, calls loudly on all the new Constituencies to return their Representatives, as far as practicable, free of expense; and on the old Cities and Boroughs to limit every expense not essential to success. In all towns and counties where two Liberal candidates are started, approximating sufficiently in principle and local interests, their partisans should coalesce, and divide expense. A vast saving may be thus effected.

If these hints are practically adopted, no County candidate need be required to contribute more than 500/. or at the most 1000/. towards the common fund. If two, three, or four thousand County electors—especially in the large divided manufacturing counties—will not put their hands in their pockets to subscribe 501., 401., 301., 201., 10/., 5/., or 17., according. to their respective means, to insure the success of the common cause at such a moment, the nation deserves to be, and will be, ridden over rough-shod by the Tories, till Revolution follows as the certain consequence. There will be no place for pity : the Reform Acts may be made effectual instruments of national regeneration, if the Reformers will use weapons of their own manufacture. ORGANIZATION, therefore, and EcONOMY, are our prescriptions for triumph over Toryism. The Tory Clergy, the Magistracy, the Tory stewards and lawyers in England and Wales, occupy strong posts in every county and parish. But the REFORMERS, the PEOPLE, in every district, encompass them about, and possess the power, if the will is not wanting, to compel an unconditional sur- render of the corrupt garrisons. We earnestly advise the Reformers throughout the empire to nominate, speedily, a Waren COMMITTEE, to keep a sharp look- out after every act and process of bribery, treating, and coercion, and to record every devise and act of the Tories, which may here- after void corrupt returns, or illustrate the virtue of the BALLOT.

Lastly, we forewarn our brother electors to know their Can- didates—to accept no convenient professors of Liberal opinions— to beware of " wolves in sheep's clothing."

The rallying-cry of the Reformers should be " CHEAP ELEC- TIONS: DOWN WITH THE TORIES !”