ELECTORAL REGISTRATION AMENDMENT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.

Lewes, leah November 1835. I

SIR—The necessity for sortie ameridnient in the present system of Elector&

Registration, has been so fully proved during the late proceedings in the Revis- ing Barristers' Courts that there can exist but one opinion on the subject among those who are anxious to carry out the principles of Reform. This necessity has been seen from the very first by those who have attended to the registration in former years ; hut it required such general and hard-fought contests in the Revision Courts as have this year occurred, to diffuse a know- e dge of the public wants. In the early part of the last sesion, Lord JOHN RUSSELL introduced a bill to amend the present system ; which was afterwards referred to a Select COM.. mittee,—named indeed by his Lordship, i but unfortunately containing a majo- rity of persons opposed to his Lordship n polities, and opposed likewise to the principles on which the bill was founded ! The result was, that meeting after meeting was held; little progress was made ; on all important questions the Liberal Members of the Committee were outvoted ; and the session closed without any other steps being taken, except that the bill as amended was or- dered to be printed. It is uncertain whether Ministers will introduce this amended bill, or whether they will substitute an improved and entirely new measure. The latter will probably be the course pursued, as Mr. BONHAM CARTER is understood to be applying himself to the subject during the recess. But whatever be the intentions of Ministers, the subject is all-important, and must be dealt with early in the ensuing session. Since the measure introduced by Lord JOHN RUSSELL was exceedingly imperfect, and as it was by no means improved by the labours of his Lordship's Committee, I beg to suggest a few of the leading points on which amendments are required ; and as they are ne- cessarily long, I will confine myself in the present letter to CousTx Rents- TRATIONS.

It is useless now to discuss the competency of country Overseers to make out

every year a fresh list of County oters : their incompetency, arising from several causes, is universally admitted. It is to be regretted that there is no competent public officer in each district to whom the responsibility of making out the lists of Voters, the Jury-lists, and many other important duties, can be satisfactorily intrusted. The appointment of such an officer would be well worth the attention of the Legislature. But, under present circumstances, we must make the best use which we can of the present officers. To remedy the many blunders of Overseers, therefore, I would propose that previous to the 2Utli June in each year, the Clerk of the Peace should send to the Overseers of each parish a sufficient number of pi inted notices to voters to send in claims; that he should likewise transmit a printed copy of so much of the re- ester then in existence as relates to that parish, with a blank left at the bottom for additional names; and that he should also send letters of instructions to the Overseers to insert in the blank the names and qualifications of the new claimants, tewikte the words "objected to" against the names of such either in the old list or the new claims as they suppose have not any qualification, and also against the names of such as are either dead or have changed their place of abode since the last registration ; and giving the Overseers the necessary direc- tions as to placing the list an amended on the proper places and at the proper times, and the proper instructions for complying with the provisions of the act as to the lists of objections, &c. ;—that the lists should then be transmitted to the Clerk of the Peace direct, who should, after the revision, place the names in each pirish in alphabetical order, and every year print the register. This would do away with the intervention of Constables of Hundreds in collecting the lists, who are only the cause of delay and trouble: it is far better to let the Clerk of the Peace communicate directly with the Overseers, who are the act- ing parties. This arrangement would prevent all the blunders which have been made by the Overseers in copying imperfectly or entirely omitting the names on the original register ; and as their duty would be confined simply to adding the new claimants to the list sent to them, and all their duties would be pointed out by the Clerk of the Peace's circular, the chance of error would be very materially diminished. A plan very similar to this has been adopted this year, with the greatest success, in the Eastern division of the county of Sussex, where the lists have hitherto been in a wretched state. A copy of the Jest year's list, with instructions, was sent by a private individual ; and in very few parishes were the instructions disregarded, and had they had the official weight of the Clerk of the Peace's name, I have not the least doubt that they would have been universally adhered to. The result has been, that the duties of the Revising Barristers have been materially lightened, and the lists are now in a very perfect state.

Very great trouble has been occasioned by the ambiguity of the Reform Act as to the necessity of a person, who has changed his residence since the last registration, sending in a fresh notice of claim ; and whether the Overseers can object to him, since residence is no part of his qualification, to which alone the objection of the Overseers applies. As the object certainly is to discover where the voter at the time of election resides, it should be rendered absolutely neces- sary for one who has changed his place of abode in the interval between regis- trations, to send in a fresh claim.

The payment of the shilling should in all cases be dispensed with ; for although it be not an annual payment in counties, yet it is quite insufficient to pay the expenses of registration, and productive only of annoyance and addis tional trouble.

In the notice of claim, it should be allowed for any person not residing in the polling-district allotted to the parish in which his qualification is situated, to state that he wishes to poll in that district which is nearest to his place of abode ; and having given such notice, he should be obliged to poll there. A note should be made by the Barrister, by placing the name of the district against the voter's name in the list ; mad after revision, the Clerk of the Peace should write in the margin of the register of the parish where the property is situated, against the name of the voter—" To poll in polling-district ;" and at the end of the register of each polling-district, he should enter the names of the persons not residing therein who have elected to poll there, with the qualification, &c. Great is the absurdity of moving a man from one end of a county to another, from a polling-place near his own door to one many miles distant ; and it can be so easily remedied that it ought at once to be done.

The notices of objection should specify the grounds on which it is intended to insist : without this, it is almost impossible for a voter to prepare his defence; and the specification of the grounds of objection would prevent many vexatious objections. All notices, as well to Voters as to Overseers, should be authorized to be sent by the post,—if directed to the voter, at his place of abode as de- scribed in the list. The trouble of leaving a notice at the voter's residence, or of personal service on the tenant, is in many instances a great and useless burden. Whilst every protection should be given to a person possessing a fair claim, every facility should be afforded to strike off fictitious votes. The objector and the party objected to should have power to give written notice, and compel the attendance of witnesses before the Revising Barristers, on tendering reasonable expenses. At present neither party can enforce at- tendance; and the consequence frequently is, that the derision of the Barrister is not so much on the validity of the vote, as on the preponderance of evidence, which one party or the other has succeeded in producing before him.

To prevent frivolous claims and objections, the Revising Barrister should have power to award costs to the objector or claimant, enough to cover loss of time and necessary expenses; such costs to be recoverable on the Barrister's certificate by distress before any two Justices, after the expiration of one week from the date of the certificate. I am aware that there is reasonable ground to doubt the policy of giving any such discretionary power to the Revising Bar- risters, appointed as they now are ; and it will doubtless be sometimes abused ; but the injury done to many voters by the groundless objections, which may now be made by any party wishing to act vexatiously, is so great that a strong and simple remedy should be applied.

Wherever any notices or lists are directed to be placed in any public situation, they should be placed on the doors of all places of religious worship. By the use of the words "church and chapel," the Legislature has in some places been held to mean what is legally designated a chapel, i. e. an episcopal chapel only ; consequently no lists or notices have been placed on the doors of Dissenting chapels ; and as the object certainly is to enable as many persons as possible to see these lists and notices, every means should he afforded. Very many persons do not attend the Church on Sundays ; and they have not therefore the same means of seeing the notices, &c. which would be afforded them were the notices placed on the doors of their own places of worship.

The penalty on Overseers, &c. wilfully neglecting their duty, should be lowered from a certain penalty of 500/. to a varying penalty perhaps hom 20/. to 500/. ; and sonic easier means should be afforded for its recovery than the tedious and expensive course of an action. The large amount of the penalty prevents many persons from suing for it, and renders Overseers and others careless of the consequences of thew own neglects and errors.

These are a few of the principal points to be attended to in amending the system of County Registration ; but advantage should be taken of this 'oppor- tunity to amend also other parts of the Reform Act, on which the decisions of the Revising Banisters are at variance with the evident intentions of the Le- gislature. For instance, it never could be intended that, under the tenant-at- will clause, ten or twelve persons hiring together a farm at a rental of 50/. only, and thus virtually paying only 4/. or Si. a year rent, should each have a right to vote for the county under the provisions of that clause : yet such is the in- terpretation which the Act has generally received at the hands of the Revis- ing Barristers; and a door has been opened to the snug manufacture of fagot. votes of the worst description.

Although I have trespassed somewhat largely on your valuable space, yet I fear that the above sketch of suggested improvements is too slight to have the weight which the importance of the subject requires. However, should they be thought worthy of a place in your columns, I will return to the subject next week, and suggest alterations in Borough Registrations. And I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,

WILLIAM DERRANT COOPER.