THE BALLOT SKULKERS AND THE IslINISTRY.
THE constituents of Sir HENRY PARNELL, Sir JOHN CAMPBELL, Mr. POULETT THOMSON, Sir GEORGE GREY, and the other Mere. hers returned by Liberal majorities, who skulked from the Ballot division, must regard the conduct of their representatives with shame. These men wanted courage either to stick by the Minister, or to vote as their duty to their constituents demanded. They trembled for their seats—they durst not offend Lord Joel RUSSELL ; so they sneaked out of the House. Lord Mei-Hoven has fitting supporters. The Duke of WELLINGTON would have served them according to their deserts, and dismissed the whole set the next day ; but Lord MELBOURNE not only allowed his subalterns to desert—lie winked at the opposition of his Master- General of the Ordnance and one of his Treasury Lords. Mind that, electors of Dundee ! Mr. ROBERT STEUART diqregardeil Lord MELBOURNE'S blandishments and Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S frowns. He hail the courage and the honesty to vote for the Ballot ; and he keeps his place as well as his promise to his con- stituents. Contrast his conduct with that of your representative, the Right Honourable the Paymaster of the Forces. Sir HENRY PARNELL retains his office; but what have become of his prin- ciples? of his original compact with the Dundee constituency? of his virtual engagements even at the last general election? That he intended to persuade the Dundee simpletons that he should he at liberty in future to give the Ballot question his support, none can doubt who reads the following passages from his speeches at the last election.
To the Political Union he said-
" There was no one present who was a more sincere friend to the Blot thin he was. lie had always been so. Ile considered that the arguments in favour of it were sound and convincing ; and he had no hesitation in saying that the arguments adduced against it were not so. He would not enter into the quer. tion at large. The system of corruption and intimidation which prevailed made it quite clear that the elective franchise was rendered ineffectual fur the purpose intended ; and his opinion was, that it was a great mistake in a Liberal Ministry to oppose it. Ile considered that the security and existrnee of a Liberal Government depended on the Ballot being carried. • • • He had been exerting himself with the Cabinet' to induce them to make the Ballot an open question. He had not succeeded, it was true. Reasons were given him for refund, which he hoped could no longer be urged."
On the hustings he said-
" There is no man more sincerely in favour of it than I am: I will go so hr as to state, that I consider the existence and permanence of a Liberal system of Government depend on the currying of the Ballot. All the arguments is favour of it are, in my opinion, good ; and the arguments against it ate not worthy of regard. I do assme you that I will use every exertion to induce the Ministry to make it an open question. I trust that, as Me circumstances of Ministers are changed, this and other great questions will be made spa questions."
And so the Ballot is an open question—to those members of the Government who dare to treat it as such. Again we refer to Mr. Roamer STEUART'S and Sir HUSSEY VIVIAN'S votes. But the electors of Dundee have for their Member, a gentleman who rates place at a higher value than Mr. ROBERT STEUART, and who will not risk it—small risk indeed I—for the sake of maintaining his own principles, and giving his constituents the advantage of his vote on the question which of all others they deem most important. Fortunately, Glasgow was represented by " honest WILLIAM BENTI NC IL " and Mr. DENNISTOUN ; Greenock by Mr. Wamosce; Perth by Mr. KINNAIRD; but the other principal towns in Scot- land —Edinburgh with Leith, Dundee, and Aberdeen —were voiceless on that great question. None of the English skulkers are so notorious as Sir HENRY PARNELL; but the conduct of each and all of them is so pitiful, that their expulsion from Parliament would be most desirable. It is not merely for their preference of place to principle and duty on this one question : there is, of necessity, an end to any thing like confidence in them. One lie damns the credit of a witness, and one act of political meanness destroys the public character of him who is guilty of it. He is thenceforth estimated by a low moral scale. Ho is regarded with suspicion, and brings discredit on the party with whom he acts, instead of furnishing a guarantee for the honour and high principle of his associates. In this view of the case, the injury which Sir HENRY PARNELL, once a man of unblemished public reputation, has done to himself by hismise- rable inconsistency and evasion of duty on the Ballot question, is irreparable. Once it would have been hazardous in Lord MEL- BOURNE to have quarrelled with him ; but the Premier may dis- miss the Paymaster to-morrow, with no more detriment to his Ministry, as far as public opinion is concerned, than if lie sent Lord DALMENY and half a score such to the enjoyment of their private leisure.
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