6 JULY 1839, Page 13

NIMROI) ON PLINY, AFTER PEEL.

Jr is one of the peculiarities of our present condition, that there are few political questions of importance the discussion of which is not either posthumous or premature. All questions of import- ance are at the same time questions of difficulty ; and as we have a Government that cannot thee difficulty, the consequence is ob- vious—the questions must be eluded, must be shuffled over, shoved out of sight, burked, " opened," (provided, that is to say, " with greater chances of resistance,") or certainly in sonic fashion made away with pro tempore if not sine die ; business that cannot be got threngh being got Oren motions that cannot be put down being put off: Ministers, in fact, must get rid of the questions, or the ques- tions will get rid of them. Under these circumstances, and when practical legislation is entirely at an end, it is amusing to remark the didactic fervour of some of the Government organs, which ap- pear to address themselves to objects of political pursuit with an earnestness exactly in the inverse ratio to their possible consum- mation. Lord lleovensm, in remarking the other night on the

speech of the Ex-Al Mister ibr the Colonies in the debate on the Ja-

maica Bill, observed that any one who had heard that speech would say that it was a most eloquent and masterly speech on a subject long since passed into oblivion. A similar remark may be made respecting the various elegant and indeed erudite effusions on the Ballot, which we have met with since the passage of that question to the same dark bourne. It would seem to be with measures as with men : the living measure is not appreciated—is perhaps ma- ligned, but " extinctus amabitur idea."

However, we do not mean to say that all the posthumous elo- quence we have read on this subject has been of the panegyrical order : there has, on the contrary, been much valiant slaying of the dead Hotspur. As a specimen of the multitudinous odd corners from which Error is perpetually raking together time con- tributions which keep up her importance—to show what out-of- the-way subscribers she has, and what out-of-the-way timings they can do for her—we beg to refer the reader to a letter signed " Nimnon," which appeared one day this week in time Standard. Our readers are probably aware that Nrsoton is a jockey of no little celebrity, who rides two horses at a time—his hunter and his hobby. Of his first horse we have naturally nothing to say in disparagement; we have no doubt it is as perfect a four-legged thing as ever breathed : but for time other, we consider it so far from being " the gem of the creation," to quote his glowing words, that we think it cannottoo soon go to the dogs. This other horse, this hobby which the good gentleman rides, is a hobby for making classical quotations of doubtful relevance ; which, however, snake up in fres queney what they want in fitness. An admirable fOlow is NIMROD on horseback—we mean on time horse he hunts; but, cutting such a good figure there, why does he love to dismount ? This lively gentleman, in the letter above referred to, after much dissertating on " the gent of the creation "—and to excellent purpose too, for his object is to discountenance the folly and mischief of' steeple-chases—takes such a flying leap himself as we conceive was never yet witnessed in field or lane ; for fixan the above subject he alights at one bound on the Ballot, and this in order to say that I'm NY time Younger has been there and has delivered himself of certain remarks touching the question at issue, which remarks Nimeon thinks call impera- tively for quotation, amt they are accordingly quoted ; and, so quoting, there ends this letter on Sleyle-Chases. however, being one of the innocences of the old sportsman which have long since written him down a character, we should not have thought of noticing it here, but for the amount of positive errer it unfortu- nately conveys. The passages in PLINY'S Epistles are two. PEEL had at them first, or at least one of them ; and it appears that the Quarterly Review then took them in hand; so NIMROD discovers before he finishes his lucubration, but thinks it unneessary to erase what he has written. The Quarterly we never saw, but PEEL on PJANY we well remember in last year's Ballot debate. We remember still better, that the passages were familiar to us long before PEEL, time reviewer, or the jockey had overhauled them ; and that we were always of opinion that they had little or no bearing, one way or another, on the modern question. When, however, they are per- severhrly thrown in our teeth, and it is attempted to elicit from them a serious argument against Mr. Gaom's motion, it may not be amiss to show the reader that no small misrepresentation has been made of PLINY the Younger's opinion ; which is neither adverse nor directly favourable to the use of ballot, but of that qualified, uncertain description, (like the Globe's,) which amounts to no authority at all. With respect to the first letter to which reference has been made, nothing but the most disingenuous sup- pression can have succeeded in conveying the notion that it makes out a case against the Ballot ; it is plainly and emphatically in its favour. We shall translate faithfully from the opening of the Epistle, only hoping that every word of it might be spoken a few years hence without betraying a remoter origin than the current hour.

PLINY TO MESSIUS MAXIMUS. (Lib. 3. Epist. xx.) " Don't you remember frequently to have read concerning the fierce contests to result from the Ballot-law, and the prodigious amount either of honour or disgrace to be realized by the man who carried it ? Well, now this law has found favour in the Senate without giving rise to the least dissension, as the best thing possible ! On the (lay of assembly every man demanded his ballot-card. It is certain that in our open voting system we had quite got beyond the bounds q/' due public licence."

This is very like an adverse witness! But observe, that the Bal- lot is spoken of as a remedy for existing evils, not as a measure recommending itself on its own merits—which is what none of its supporters, as far as we are aware, ever maintained. The modera- tion and propriety which PLINY attributes to elections at a period prior to his own, we cannot boast of in England in the same man- ner, though indeed we may safely refer to our Boroughniongering days as less flagrant than the present Reforming times in respect of the sins of election : but it will be seen that the demand for Ballot in the time of PLINY arose from the same nuisances, and the same feeling of an imperative necessity for the adoption of a radi- cal change, which are now impelling opinion in that direction in this country. " There was nothing but clamour and turmoil—all the world running about with their candidates—crowds gathering here and there—such a melee—such a confusion So sadly had we declined from the manners of our fathers," &c.

After describing the practice of other times, he continues :

"But at last the system of election, grown immoderately corrupt, was driven to the Ballot as to a remedy ; which, meanwhile, clearly was a remedy, for it was something at once novel and surprising in its opera- tion."

Then follows the passage which PEEL picked out so adroitly from all this testimony in favour of the Ballot. But it will be seen, that while those passages we have quoted above concern facts, the follow- ing merely expresses an apprehension—one which the writer subse- quently chides himself for entertaining. PEEL suppressed this too, we remember—this conclusion, as well as the beginning : in which impartial course he is followed both by the reviewer, we believe, and by the jockey.

" I only feel apprehensive lest, in process of time, evils may arise out of the very remedy ; for there is some danger that a want of shame may be generated by ballot-voting. [There is no want of shame in our pre- sent system 1] For who can expect the same regard to honour to be kept up in secret as in open voting? Many stand in awe of opinion— few of conscience. However, it is too soon to pronounce on the future ; and in the mean time, one comfort is, we shall hare those to be our magis- trates who best merit the election."

As to the other letter, in which PLINY mentions one ridiculous abuse of the ballot-card that had transpired, it is purely. irrelevant. The abuse, which consisted in some foolish fellows having written on the cards jesting and even obscene words, and in one case hav- ing substituted the names of electors in the place of candidates, could not happen on the system of ballot-voting propounded by Mr. GEOTE. And even this letter, thus full of angry, and, as it seems to us, rather foolish disappointment, proceeding from no sufficient cause, how does it conclude ? By a complaint—not that political remedies ought not to have been applied, but that the evils of the state were such as to rob all remedies of their present efficacy. "Quo to vertas? qua remedia conquiras ? ubique villa remedi'is fortiora." (Lib. 4. Epist. xxv.) We would not advise the opponents of the Ballot to have up PLINY the Younger again at the bar of the House ; his evidence will only do them mischief.