NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE progress of the Registration is cheering to the Reformers. We are at a loss to name any county, except Middlesex, where
they have not apparently strengthened their position ; while in numerous boroughs the Tory majority has been broken down. The operation of the Municipal Bill will be highly favourable to the good pause ; and we see no reason to dread the result of another election, let it come when it may.
This is the satisfactory view of the subject; but on the other hand, it is disgusting to perceive with what recklessness and ignorance the most important of civil rights is placed in jeopardy, or taken away, in some of the Registration Courts. The past week has furnished notable instances of the working of the Re- form Act in this respect; while the facility which it gives to the foisting of " fagot-voters" on the register is also matter of Just complaint. A whole string of Objections in Devonshire was dis- allowed, because the Overseers did not write the words "objected to" on the side of the page which the learned Barrister fancied to be the right one; and the most trivial omission or mistake in the description of their qualifications has disfranchised thousands. The neglect of the parish-officers to enter the names of each partner on their rate-books has been held sufficient to deprive nearly a whole firm of wealthy merchants, 14.eweris, or mannfac- turers, of their right of suffrage: that the parties in question were actually and bond fide rated, and had paid the tax, was not allowed to weigh against the mistake of an ignorant or corrupt Overseer. A person wl.o is called upon to pay taxes, who holds a receipt given in his own name for the payment of them, might naturally suppose, without an examination of the parish-books, that he is the person rated for his own house ; but upon inquiry he finds, it is no such thing—the Corporation Commissioners are the parties rated, although not liable for the rates, and never asked to discharge them. Yet the Barrister shakes his head, refers to the Act, and demurs to allowing the vote of the claimant. Then it is vain to expect any uniformity in the decisions of the Courts. One Barrister decides that, under certain circumstances, trustees of property have a right to vote in virtue of that property ; while another Barrister is satisfied that trustees cannot vote un- less they are the recipients for their own use of the income which they are especially appointed to take care of for others. In Middle- sex, the Barrister decides that a share in the New River Company is not a freehold ; step across the line into Hertfordshire, and the New River votes are all good,—a decision equivalent to the crea- tion of several thousand freeholders by one stroke of the pen. Again, go into Surry-, and the proprietors of shares in the Thames Tunnel are not allowed to vote, although their title is not distin- guishable from that of the New River Company. These are but a few specimens. We still think we discern a leaning, in general, on the part of the Barristers, to extend the suffrage,—and this we do not quarrel with ; but there are too many who endeavour to circumscribe it, and seem to have a secret delight in taking ad- vantage of every defect in the machinery of the Reform Act to defeat its real object. Our readers will do us the justice to remember, that both be- fore the commencement of the last session, and after Parliament had assembled, we repeatedly called attention to the necessity of correcting the blunders, explaining the obscurities, and simpli- fying the operation of the Act. We foresaw (as who might not foresee ?) all the perplexity and injustice which have since arisen ; but out of 658 Members, no one could be found of suffi- cient energy, industry, and perseverance, to carry through Par- liament a measure for improving the Registration machinery. Th.ls fact of itself proves the present House of Commons to be, in ,ts mechanism, unfitted for a legislative assembly. Were its numbers. lessened at least one half, and its powers multiplied by subdivision and arrangement, we should have a better chalice of the blessing of well-considered and effective laws. There is, however, consolation to be-derived from the grossness 992 of the absurdity and injustice of which the machinery of the Reform Act is capable of being made the instrument: it must be evident to all, that simplicity is especially desirable, and that there is only one mode of obtaining this,—namely, by sweeping away the whole farrago of complicated qualifications, and substi- tuting household suffrage. To this it must come at last ; and we are inclined to think the sooner the better.
