In 1837, he wrote articles for the "Edinburgh Weekly Chronicle" and the Leeds Times, campaigning for parliamentary reform. In November 1838, Smiles was invited to become the editor of the "Leeds Times", a position he accepted and filled until 1842. In May 1840, Smiles became secretary to the Leeds Parliamentary Reform Association, an organisation that held to the six objectives of Chartism: universal suffrage for all men over the age of 21; equal-sized electoral districts; voting by secret ballot; an end to the need of MPs to qualify for Parliament, other than by winning an election; pay for MPs; and annual Parliaments.