Many of Mr. Thomson's constituents are deeply dissatisfied that be
did not aid his colleague in the debate on the Corn-laws. Mr. Philips made a manly stand, amid loud shouts of "divide, divide !" from the landed men, who came, halt% drunk, to silence, by their unmannerly cries, the representatives of the manufecturing and commercial in- terests. Mr. Thomson witnessed all this, and yet silently gave his vote ; although on a subsequent evening be could speak at considerable length in support of Colonel Scale's motion for grinding foreign corn in bond, which has not one tithe of the importance of Mr. Villiers's mo- tion. A vote against the repeal of the Septennial A et —no vote for the Ballot—no voice against the Corn-laws ! What will be his course on the 29th, when resolutions will be proposed to the House for putting an end to Negro Apprenticeship ? In our Theatre be said of the great subject of slavery," he believed in that, as in every other question, true policy and true morality would be found to go together." When the people of England have taxed themselves to the mount of a million per annum, for ever, for the freedom of the slaves, true morality re- quires that the bargain shall be completed ; and the Abolitionists of :Manchester will consequently expect to have Mr. Thomson's vote.— Manchester Times.
In reference to the:Corn-law-s being an "open question," while mem- bers of the Cabinet are not allowed to support the Ballot, the Man- chester Times says- " The question of the Corn-laws is, it seems, an open one; and why ? Be- cause Ministers know very well, that, while the preponderance which the Reform Bill was intended to give the landed interest continue.,, there is no chance of the repeal being carried. Mr. Thomson, Sir lienr■ Darnell, and Lord Dalmeny may give their votes on this question, because they are sure to be thrown away ; but in favour of the Ballot they must not vote, lest it should be carried ! 'By all means, gentlemen,' may Lord Melbourne be supposed to have said, 'vote according to your consciences in this instance, because it can do no possible harm, and will make you stand well with your constituents at Blanchester, Dundee, and Dunfermline. The landed interest is so strong in the House, thanks to the Chandos clause which we adopted, and thanks to open voting, which a majority of the Cabinet support, that you may safely be per- mitted to add your votes to the small minority. Do as you like, to plrase your constituents, when nothing can be done. Do as I like when something may be done.' This in few words, is the secret of the Corn-law question being an open one, and the Ballot one on which members of the Administration must not accord to the wishes of their constituents. Degrading as it is to those Blembers, and degrading as it is to their several constituencies to suppose such an arrangement, we Can put it in no other shape. They may vote for the xepeal of the Corn-laws because it cannot be carried while the House is consti- tuted as it now is ; they must not vote for the Ballot, because it miyht be car. 44 and the repeal of the Corn-laws might follow."
[This is not peculiar to the Cabinet Members ; they share the pre- cious morality in common with "Reformers," prepared on all occasions to vote "black white" for the purpose of keeping one set of men in and another out of office. We have heard the names of some who were prepared to vote with Sir William Molesworth for the censure of Lord lilenelg, "if there was no chance of the motion being carried."]
A meeting of the Reformers of North Devon was held at Exeter on
LFriday,—the Honourable Newton Fellowes in the chair,—at which it was resolved to hold a meeting of the friends of Reform in both divi- sions of the county during the Summer Assizes week, with the view of forming a general union of the Reform interest throughout the whole county. Mr. J. W. Buller, of Downes, after a careful examination of the retums of the canvass transmitted to him, has consented to come fotward on the Reform interest for North Devon whenever there is a vacancy. — Treasury Paper. 1 Without additional protection to the voter, the Liberals will have no charice. Returns of crinvassesn, every where to be scrutinized with suspicion, are particularly untrustrrortl, in Devonshire ; where the feelings of the farmers lead them to proms', the Liberals, while the power of the Tory landlords compels them to break fisith.]
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