By E. 0. P. Bouveric, F.S.A. 299 



Lords. He was an ardent supporter of the Reform Bill, how 

 ardent may be judged from the following incident. On becoming 

 Lord Radnor in 1828 the patronage of the borough of Downton 

 fell into his hands. He returned the members for it on the distinct 

 pledge, that if and when the question was raised, they would vote 

 for its disfranchisement. I therefore think it likely that thus early 

 in his political career he was getting a case together for reform by 

 showing to the public the nature of our electoral system. The 

 pamphlet was published in Salisbury, for which he was member, 

 with which place Charles Bouverie had little connection, nor, from 

 what I know of the latter, do I think it likely that having failed 

 in his petition he would concern himself further about the matter. 

 In whatever manner the publication may have come about, the 

 record shows the distance which we have travelled politically 

 since 1806. No doubt the inducements to vote for a particular 

 person at the date in question seemed adequate to the voters, and 

 lit is not material to consider whether they would be adequate now. 

 "We cannot say that Mr. Wilkins's pension scheme has its 

 •counterpart at the present day, and under the ballot no bond 

 could secure that he who claimed the pledges of the electors should 

 not be " disobliged." The point that it is difficult to realise is 

 that those who were concerned in bargains of this description 

 suffered nothing in their personal reputation. Familiarity had 

 bred a confident feeling that such transactions were necessary and 

 proper. Let us hope that our views have altered for the better 

 and that it is not merely the impossibility of such occurrences that 

 has changed our ideas of necessity and propriety. 



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