the excitement of some great public to speak ungallantly, but I am com pelled to say that in the overwhelming question and the common action of his majority of cases it has been a corrupt fellows would he be likely to struggie long against her dominion over his politi and almost as often a corrupting influ cal conduct. She therefore, being whol ence. Nor need the advocates of wo man's suffrage (I am one of its sincere ly irresponsible to public opinion, and and candid advocates myself) take as a matter of course almost wholly un alarm at this, or attempt the futile task scrupulous, is eagerly sought after by of disproving it. Irresponsible, ille candidates or their agents. She insists gitimate and subterranean influences that the husband shall not lose sight of nearly always are corrupt. The fact is his own interests ; that he shall not rather an argument to establish, than throw away a good chance ; that he shall not injure her and himself and an argument to disprove, the necessi ty of the political enfranchisement of the children by disobliging this power ful landlord or that wealthy customer. women. Corrupt, however, the political influ Sometimes the husband is willing enough to be corrupted, provided he can in any ence of the petticoat in England assu redly is—mean-spirited, ignoble, selfish way persuade himself that he relieves and demoralizing. Let us begin at the his conscience, as Adam did, by throw base of the social pyramid. The influ ing the blame on his wife ; sometimes ence of the wives of uneducated or half- he would vote for disinterested princi educated voters in the smaHer boroughs ples if he was quite free ; but he has not is immense. The wives are almost al patience and marrow and backbone ways to be reached by bribes or pres enough to resist the influence of the ents or promises or flatteries. An elec matronly angel in his house. Of course tion agent of experience once told me there is bribery which is done not with that when he had secured the wives he foul shekels of the tested gold. Where cared nothing about the husbands. The the electors are of a somewhat higher class than those whom I have just been eloquent and judicious candidate al ways pays special attention to the task describing, there are influences of a of flattering and winning wives. In more delicate order brought into opera almost numberless cases detailed before tion. There are, of course, the agent's election committees the business of flattery, the candidate's flattery : sweet bribery was carried on directly with the er and more seductive than all, the flat wife, who undertook, plain and square, tery brought to bear by the candidate's to manage her husband. Not all these gracious wife. So pray do not mistake good ladies of course dealt so roundly the meaning of the kind of influence to with the matter as the worthy matron which the virtuous and corrupt spouse of whom the story goes, that being of the British elector commonly yields. It is the sweet condescension of higher pressed by the friends of a certain can didate to procure for him her husband's rank which conquers her ; and this is "plumper" (the full vote given for one far more sweet and conquering when it candidate especially where there are comes from the candidate's wife or sister more than one on the same side), than from the candidate himself. For promptly replied that if he hesitated a although it is an exquisite sensation to moment about doing so she would give Mrs. Plumper to see the honorable can him a "plumper." But the average didate, son perhaps of a peer, take off Briton of the lower-middle class in his hat to her and bow and smile, to hear smaller boroughs, the stout personage his winning voice and feel his shake of who spends his evenings regularly with the hand, yet it is a prouder moment the same circle of cronies in the same by far when the candidate's wife or public-house, is apt to be for the most sister calls upon her and recognizes part under the complete control of his with gracious courtesy her social exist wife. Only when he is sustained by ence. Here we have the power of the