e not in the pay of the opposite party. The landlord would
compel others, whom he strongly suspected, not to vote, as the only way
of preventing their accession to the other side; or he might persuade
some of those who, he knew, if they voted at all, would vote against
him, to pair off with those whom he suspected, and thus deprive his
adversary of the whole. But was there no other way of coming at the fact
of how a voter had kept his word? If, in voting against his promise, he
acted for his principles, he would be likely to make it known for the
sake of those principles; if from friendship, he would probably tell
it to gratify his friend; or if he gave it from motives of interest,
nothing was less likely than that he should conceal it, for the
attainment of the object would render the disclosure useful; and in this
way the secret would come out, and the offended landlord at last get at
it, and the visitation upon him, which the vote by ballot was intended
to avert, would follow. But was this the only evil which resulted from
this system? Was there not a far worse remaining behind? Did not all
this study and concealment of a solemn promise violated; this long
watching and guard over a man's words and actions, so as constantly
to appear that which he was not, tend to make him lead the life of a
hypocrite; that character of whom it was so justly and eloquently said,
that his life was one continued lie! What could be expected from a man
who had deceived those who had trusted him, and from one election to
the other was obliged to keep a constant watch on his words, lest, in
an unguarded moment, he should betray his secret, the discovery of
which would not be more injurious to his interests than fatal to his
character? What must be the opinions of those who could believe that a
man, who was for years, nay, even for months or weeks, habitually false
on one subject which was dear to him, could be true on all others? Such
an opinion was founded in utter ignorance of the human mind: false
such a man was, and false he must be, until human nature became totally
changed, or until men's opinions of each other were totally subverted.
Thus the ballot would have but little efficiency, and that little would
be purchased at a great price. Mr. O'Connell's motion was lost by
a majority of three hundred and nineteen against thirteen; and the
resolutions moved by Lord John Russell were afterwards negatived by
two hundred and thirteen against o