23 8 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE TIIE Mr. J. C. Besnard. for the county, according to my proposition, by doing as is done in the county the city of Coventry, where they vote for the county of Warwick. There is a 13 March 1838. special'provision made in the Act for it 6342. In what character do they vote for the county of W arwick r— They vote as freeholders of Warwick. 6343. Suppose they are not freeholders .-— As leaseholders. 6344. Suppose they are not leaseholders ?— They cannot vote unless they have county qualifications. 6345. Then the class of persons who now vote out of the household franchise would be excluded from voting either for the county or for the county of the city of Cork ?— Unless they happened to possess a county qualification. 6346. Chairman.] Except with reference to the 40 s. freeholders, who have an interest for life only, would that produce much disqualification; that is to say, would it cause many individuals who now have a vote for the city to have no vote at all ?— I should think there would be a good many affected by it. 6347. That is to say, they would lose their qualification for the city, and not gain one for the county ?— Yes, I think there are many persons that now vote for the city as householders that would not have county qualifications. 6348. Do you mean who have a bond fide qualification for the city, or only a fictitious qualification for the city ?— I think there are a good many who have a bond fide qualification for the city that would not have a county qualification; but there are a great many also that are fictitious votes that would be excluded. 6349. That alteration would tend to disqualify, as electors of any Member of Parliament, a certain number of persons?— It would have that effect, un- doubtedly ; but then I consider that it is only the effect that was intended. 6350. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.'] Do you consider that the effect of that would be to exclude from the enjoyment of the elective franchise persons who are of such a condition as to make it desirable that they should possess it ?— I do not. 6351. Do you think, on the other hand, the effect of it would be to purge the registry from persons who really are not a desirable constituency in point of property and qualification ?— That is my idea of it. My notion is that the parties themselves would not be at all injured by it, but very often served. 6352. Would it be a portion of the rural population that would be excluded by your proposition, or of the urban population ?— I think the rural population would be excluded, the others would not. 6353. The effect would not be to deprive the urban population now enjoying the franchise ?— No. 6354. Are they not an objectionable class of persons, generally speaking, who do not possess the requisite qualification for the county, but who happen to be upon the register by reason of their being included within the liberties of the city of Cork ?— I really cannot say whether there may not be a considerable number of very respectable people who do not possess county qualification, because a man may have a large farm, but not exactly such a tenure as would give him county qualification. 6355. Are you able to speak from your knowledge upon that subject ?— No, I am not. 6356. Mr. Curry.] Does your anxiety to have none but a respectable proper constituency remaining upon the register extend also to putting improper free- men off the register ?— Indeed I should b6 very glad that parties who do not exercise their own judgment, but are influenced by improper motives, should be got rid of. 6357. Even freemen ?— Even freemen. 6358. But still under the existing law there is no provision for freemen being put off the register at any time ?— No, there is not. 6359. Neither of the remedies you have proposed would affect their rights ? — It would not. 5 63Co. Your plan would be to have the whole of the registry of voters for the county of the city of Cork conducted in the town of Cork itself ?— Certainly. 6361. That the revising barrister should sit there ?— Undoubtedly. 6362. Were you rightly understood to say, that you would permit an appeal from the revising barrister to a judge r— Yes. 6363. That you are aware does not exist in England ?— I am aware that it does not. 6364. In