The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-04-18 00:00:00

ti.!oc.A!, Ipwßp ELECTION.

The residt-of the above election is iery gratifying to
especially in some poMta. Althought it was
Dot deemed right to let us have a copy of the nomina-
tion paper, or even to see it, when preparing for our
Lure of March 30, yet on that day we were able to give
the exact number nominated, and also, by trustworthy
information with which a gentleman who seemed to
know, obliged us, we gave the names of the half-
dozens respectively favoured by the two parties, and
also named three gentlemen as likely to be winners.
All these forecasts have turned out to be correct, and
our throe winners are at the top of the poll. But
there is one paint above all in which we share the
gratification of all Portland. It is that the skialking
attack made on Mr. Christopher Mitchell, and only
with a feint of concealment, ham been so universally
scouted by every respectable man, that Mr. Mitchell
is not only a winner, as we prophesied a fortnight rum,
but is at the top of the poll, with the very large num-
ber of 703 votes. Mr. Mitchell is thus 145 above his
honourable opponent. Mr. B. &riven, (trustee), the
champion of the vigilance party, and who is himself
so thoroughly respected, that him we also selected as
a winner, from aequaintance with the fact that he also
is held in the highest res 'set. Perhaps it may be
owing to a coarse epithet applied apparvntly to a
respected member of his family, and which every
rightmiinied man resented, that Mr. R. Lano who we
also prophesied would boa winner, was 130 above Mr.
11. Malley, the champion of the Fowler party, and
hill:Loa of no mean influence in Portland. At all
events the triumphant success of Mr. C. Mitchel
is a "heavy blow and sore discouragement" to those
who would malign private character, and then try
and conceal their narueN and, bygetting the printer to
omit his im..ritit, would withdraw all clne, if po-o.ible.
" behind th• aceues." As to thy rest, Portland will
never lack one to stunt up for her against thesupissosl
encroachments of WYNIIIOUth, while Mr. IL Pearce, is
~n tb. ii eird ; hut dud gentleman hag n sueli
straightfonlwardne.s and independen,e of thought
that we lun e no doubt he will come ti ihe same con-
clusion as otirselves -that the intereeta of Portland and
Weymouth are substantially the same, and that what
benefits the ens cannot fail to de good to the ether. If
visitors owns to Weymouth, at the least three-quarters
of them are sure to rush to Portland by steamer ar train,
and on the other hand, by no means so many would
visit Weymouth, if it were not for the attractions of
the" right little, tight little island," with its matchless
beach, quarries, breakwater, and roads. Mr. Willhun
White will be a good working member, and the energy
of the others is unboubted, while the business qualities;
of all the new men have been fully proved. That the
geniality and good temper of Mr. C. White, Mr. A.
W. Otter, and Mr. H. Smith, for instance, should have
failed to gain their Beals, shows that Portlanders have
their own ideas of the qualities that are required
in their Mainers men, and that they are determined
to back up their own ideas. We are at all events
thoroughly happy in having divined and expressed
their indignation at criticism of their governing body
being polluted by attacks en private character.
criticism of public acts is always a healthy sign, and
we hope never to truckle to power, whether it take
the title of Emperor or of Local Government Bowl'
nor are we necessarily to be dumb in the presence of
"authority," from a mistaken idea of the extreme
value of order." But in England the freest ques-
tioning of those in authority, for their public acts, is
always properly combined with a delicacy as to private
individuals, and a diagust at attacks on conscientious
motives, especially when those attacks are lased on
innuendoes totally false. While we rejoice in, and
are tempted to be proud of, the correctness of our
information above referred to, it is even a greater
satisfaction that an anonymous libeller made an
enormous mistake in professing to be "behind the
scenes," and that Portland has administered to him
and his abetters a severe donkey-mhipping by placing
MR. MITCHELL AND MR. LANO AT THE TOP OF
THE POLL