In London, on St. Thomas’s day, wardmotes are held for the election of
the inquest and common councilmen, and other officers, who are annually
chosen for the service and representation of the respective wards.
It is a remarkable fact that the majority of the inhabitants, in many
wards, are indifferent to these elections, and suffer their ample
franchise to run to waste, like housewives who are careless of their
serviceable water; hence important offices are frequently filled by
persons either ignorant of the duties they should discharge, or
indifferent to them, or unqualified to understand them.
_The Ward Inquests._
From “An Inquiry into the Nature and Duties of the Office of Inquest
Jurymen,” by Mr. Thomas Newell, of Cripplegate Ward, published in 1825,
it appears that the ward inquest should be elected on St. Thomas’s day,
_before_ the common councilmen are elected, inasmuch as “the alderman is
commanded by his precept from the lord mayor, to give all the articles
of the precept in charge to the inquest; which they cannot take charge
of unless they are elected first.” It is now the common practice of
wardmotes, to elect the inquest _last_. This has arisen, perhaps, from
what may be called, in the ordinary sense of the word, the “political”
importance usually attached to the election of the common councilmen,
and by this means the inquest, though foremost in power, has been
degraded in rank, and sunk into comparative insignificance. Withal it is
to be observed, that the inquest, with the aldermen, are the returning
officers of the election of the common councilmen; so that where the
practice prevails of electing the inquest last, such inquests are in
fact constituted too late to take cognizance, as an inquest, of the
election of the common council, and such inquests are consequently
incompetent upon their oaths, as inquest men, to return the common
councilmen as having been truly and duly elected.
It appears further, that another extraordinary inroad has been made in
London, upon the right of the wardmote inquests to return the jurors to
serve in the mayor’s and sheriffs’ courts of the city. By some by-law or
order of the court of aldermen, that court claims to exercise this most
important and ancient right of the wardmote inquests; and issues a
precept to the alderman of each ward, requiring him to acquaint the
inquest “that they are not hereafter to intermeddle or concern
themselves in the making of the said returns.” This mandate is said to
be conformed to at this time by all the inquests; so that the court of
aldermen seems to have obtained the inquests to surrender their right to
nominate the juries in the city courts, without a struggle. If the
proceedings of the court of aldermen were illegal, it is clear that each
alderman, in his own ward, illegally dispossessed each inquest of its
right, and then, exercised their usurped power when they met together as
a court of aldermen.
* * * * *
From the elections in each ward on this day, the citizens are all in a
hurry, and there is much discussion at the few remaining clubs and
tavern parlours in the different parishes, concerning the qualifications
of the respective candidates. All freemen, being householders, are
entitled to vote.
* * * * *