The only persons who can get
elected are those who possess local influence, or make their way by
lavish expenditure, or who, on the invitation of three or four
tradesmen or attorneys, are sent down by one of the two great
parties from their London clubs, as men whose votes the party can
depend on under all circumstances. On Mr. Hare's system, those who did
not like the local candidates, or who could not succeed in carrying
the local candidate they preferred, would have the power to fill up
their voting papers by a selection from all the persons of national
reputation, on the list of candidates, with whose general political
principles they were in sympathy. Almost every person, therefore,
who had made himself in any way honourably distinguished, though
devoid of local influence, and having sworn allegiance to no political
party, would have a fair chance of making up the quota; and with
this encouragement such persons might be expected to offer themselves,
in numbers hitherto undreamt of. Hundreds of able men of independent
thought, who would have no chance whatever of being chosen by the
majority of any existing constituency, have by their writings, or
their exertions in some field of public usefulness, made themselves
known and approved by a few persons in almost every district of the
kingdom; and if every vote that would be given for them in every place
could be counted for their election, they might be able to complete
the number of the quota.
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