BOROUGH OF IPSWICH- FACTS AS TO THE CONSTITUENCY UNDER TIIE

REFORM ACT AND THE MUNICIPAL CORPORATION ACT.

I. Number of Inhabitants, by the census of 1831 20,454 II. Parliamentary Elections. Registered Voters—

New Constituency Ancient Freemen 980 365 1345

III. Votes at last Election (1835). The Liberal Candidate highest on the poll

New Constituency 393 . Freemen 149 — 542 997

IV. Municipal Elections. Registered Voters—

Householders not Freemen 1073 Householders Freemen 150 — 1223

V. The Borough is divided into five Wards, returning each six Councillors. The number of voters in each Ward, and their choice of candidates from the lists of the Reformers and the Tories, were—

No. of Voters. Reformers. Tories. Total.

1. St. Clement's Ward

195 who chose 6 — 0 = 6 2. St. Margaret's Ward 263 4

= 6

— 2

3. Middle Ward 309 3 — 3 = 6 261 5

= 6

4.:St. Matthew's Ward — 1

5. Bridge Ward 195 6 — 0 = 6

—

—

1223 24 — 6 =30

VI. As showing-the result of the division into Wards, it may be observed. that

I. The aggregate number of votes for the six Reformers

standing highest on the poll-books is. 650 2. The number of voters for the six Reformers lowest OD

the poll is 598

3. The aggregate number of voters for the six Tories highest on the poll is 590 The inference therefore is, that had there been no division into Wards, (that is, had all the constituency voted for all the Councillors,) there would have been no Tories elected. This result is stated merely to show the practical operation of the alteration adopted by the House of Lords. In the instance of the borough of Ipswich, at would appear probable that the amendment has given to the Tories one sixth, and only one sixth, of the representatives in the Council.

VII. As regards the ancient Freemen, it is estimated,

1. That their present number is about 415 2. Of these, 50 being disqualified by receiving parish relief and on other grounds, leaves registered as voters for Members of Parliament 365 3. Voted at last Election (1835). For the Liberal candidate highest on the poll 149 For the Tory candidate 164 — 313 4. It has been estimated,that out of the Freemen, the number who are qualified to vote as holders of houses of 101 value and upwards, and who would therefore, under the Reform Bill, have preserved their votes had the

Freemen as such been disqualified, is 150

5. And that the number of the Freemen qualified to vote under the Municipal Corporation Act as about 125

VIII. It will be remarked, that here, as elsewhere, the operation of the three years residence clause, and of other restrictions, has been to make the constituency who elect Councillors (1223 voters) less than the constituency under the Reform Act for a Member of Parliament (1345).

[This view of the Election statistics ofaIpswich, which has lain on our table several weeks, waiting an opportunity of insertion, is a model of neatness and clearness ; and may serve as an example to other con- stituencies how to present similar details in the most intelligible form. We do not see, however, that the operation of the residence and rate- paying clauses has been such as is alleged at the conclusion. In the first place, the Parliamentary constituency, though put down at 1345, does not seem to be nearly so large ; for even at the recent closely- contested election at Ipswich, when large sums were given for votes, and there was scarcely any cross-voting. 997, not 1345, was the number of those who went to the pod. It appears that there are 1073 regis- tered householders (exclusive of freemen) under the Municipal Bill, and that the whole number of votes given at the Municipal election was greater by 226 than those polled at the Parliamentary election. We must suppose, if the Parliamentary constituency is really 1345, that the operation of the clause in the Reform Act which requires one year's residence and payment of rates, had a more extensive disfran- chising operation, than the enactment in the Municipal Bill which re- quires nearly three years' residence and rating as a condition of the franchise. The data do not enable us to calculate the operation of the residence and rate.paying clauses in reducing the Municipal constitu- ency; for there is no statement of what it would have amounted to but for the restrictions. Taking the number of votes polled as the criterion, it is plain that in Ipswich, the Municipal constituency is considerably larger, not smaller, than the Parliamentary constituency; and such, at the next election, we shall expect to find it in other places.]

The Tory Candidate New Constituency Freemen 291 164 455