The Election Commissions of Norwich, Bridgewater, and Beverley are going
on, but we wish to notice the general results of these inquiries hereafter. At present, the general drift of the evidence is to show two facts. One is that there is a class of people who make a trade of appear- ing to bribe, who take heavy sums to corrupt voters, and then take voters to the polls who are not corrupted, pocketing the money themselves, like any other swindlers ; and secondly, that popular opinion among the uneducated draws a clear distinc- tion between taking bribes and taking money for a vote. In the first case, you are rather a scoundrel ; in the second, you are as respectable as ever, and only a little greedy. In fact, if you vote as you would have voted without money you may take the oath with impunity. We recommend this last fact to those who think, as thousands do, that bribery is a social security, ensuring the election of men pledged to defend property. A motive would make these rascals pure. They do not understand politics; but they would understand a progressive income-tax, and on the first vote against property they would vote to a man without bribery, but not on the " conservative" side.
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