The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-02-28 00:00:00

REPRESENTATION OF POOLE.

GLORIOUS MEETING I

The genial Mayor of Poole since hi tenure of office
has not as yet presided over • more grand or outland-
adic meeting than that of Wednesday night last, when
Mr. Chatfield Clarke presented himself for the first time
to • public gathering of the electors. Ibe Antelope
Assembly Room was literally crammed. To say there
was not standing-room would be an exaggeration, for
there was but that, and nothing more. The
pea of hie we, a reminder of the good old days
when Denby Seymour, Charles Waring, and Evelyn
Ashley spoke to audiences, who carried their apprecia-
tion to the poll in spite of all the influences sought to be
brought to bear against thew The platform was filled
with the well-known leaders of the Liberal party—the
Presideot of the h .nociatiam, Mr. Balaton, was there,
more rubicond than ever; the Borough Coroner, Mr.
Baxter I ldridge ; ex-Mayor ; Samuel Baker,
the irrepressible; that good Liberty, t 'de.man
Hamilton; Charley Minns, a landlord who is
not atraid to sport his true colours; Mr. Andrews,
now of Marnhull, but still an elector, and as
keenly interested an ever in matters political as
touching the Borough; Mr. Trevaeion' the legal hope
in the time of Piet, and others too numerous to
mention. What could the Mayor do but congratulate
himself and the meeting upon the splendid gathering
before him? His allusion to the fact that Mr. Clarke
was recommended to them by no less • person than
their distinguished representative in former days, Mr.
Evelyn Ashley. drew forth rounds of applause; and
the reading of a letter from Mr. Coambwiain, the
senior member for Birmingham, expressing • hope that
they were determined to reverse the verdict of tam last
election, caused them to be renewed again and again.
Mr. Davey, the member for Christchurch, also sent a
letter expressing his sympathy with the object of the
meeting, and his regret that his being obliged to attend
in the House of Lords prevented his being present.
We are sure, had the learned gentleman been present,
he would have had • hearty welcome.
When the Mayor called upon Mr. Clarke to address
the meeting, there was tremendous cheering and
waving of het& Mr. Clarke, We believe, lean eminent
architect, lisle unassuming in his style of address'
hi. &limy is pleasant, his sentences are well
balanced, and his arguments are each that can be
appreciated. His ape* is fully given below. The
folios ing characteristic and outspoken letter from
Captain Benham. R.N., who was unable to be present,
was read during the proneedings
Marston House, February filet, NM.
My dear @fr.—When I told Kr. Andrews I would be
present at y or gathering to-monoir I trusted my health
would permit me to do so. I now find such is not the
case, and I have to apologise for my son-appearance. Os
some future caution I hope I may be with you. I trust
he Liberal party will be always united is Poole, as in that
cue yau are sure to have • Lamed to represent you,
Instead of • Conservative, who will usterepresent you.
n rejecting • Conservative candidate you will be doing
him a great kindness, as thereby you give him the
necessary qualification in the epee of his party for a put
In the House of Lade —Yours very faithfully,
Timex' B. EANWI.
W. W. Western, Eat.

Mr. GRAMMA, CLASEN., who on rising was received
with enthusimtic cheers, said :—Mr. Mayor, Mr.
Ashley, gentlemen, and electors of the Borough of
Poole, after the splendid remption you have given me,
any man would be veryinsensible who did nst feel as I
do at this moment. You are gentlemen, reposing great
confidence and a great trust in me already. The worde
that I shall utter to you this night are the words of
one who has for many years taken a deep interest in
poltics. but of oats who has q•••r sooght until you had
given me the kind and csrdial Invitation which you
have done who has
prominently before any mass of the electors'.
The invitation that you have sent me has been of
the most cordial description. It has not come merely
from one body, but from two r•Tesentative bodies of
your ancient town. (Applause. And therefore I
thought it was my duty to weigh t most carefully, and
to respond in the way in which I have done, feeling
that yen were determine I to fight a good Libera,
battle, on the principles, the highest principles of
Liberalism, and that battle I resolved I would do all
In my power to help you to win. (Cheers.) Gentlemen,
I believe that no man haa the right to come before
any constituency, who la not earnestly imbued with
politics as one of the main principles of hie life. Now,
gentlemen, I have held from my boyhood, that politics
are an active and a real tutored. What are politics!
They are the good of the people at large. (Hear, hear.)
The true meaning of the word politics in that you
should do and strive during your life for the good of
the Pete at large. (Applause.) Now, what are the
principles of Liberal in. HIM'. as compared with Conser-
vative politics? I ask any man in this room—from the
youngest to the oldest—to look back upon the last 40
and 50 years and compare for himself what the Liberal
party have done and what the Cordervative party have
done for the people in this country. I ask him to look
back upon the Reform Bill of '32, upon the Trot and
Corporation Act, upon the Ballot Act, upon the
Education Act., and I would ask him which of thous
Vmeasures ars due to the Conservative party.
ona.") Now, Gentlemen, the work of the
Government which was put into power a year
or two ago ha, been no alight work. I feel sure,
though unsucceeinl on the oreadells there were
many earnest Liberals in Poole who did their beat to
upset &Government which WI • iiiioverotneat of re-
trogression, and even of danger. Maar, beer./ I
woe" elO2Bll to ray friend Mr. Ashley to say whether
the late Government did not inspire a feeling of a want
of mlefidelww theweeboet the length and breadth of the
laud. Bo the country at large returned by • very
large vote, Mr. Glariskes to power— :cheere)—and the
first acts of that great minister were to redeem the
pledges which he had given, and which he fib, to a
great extent so far fulfilled. (Applause.) You know
we were plunged in • war with Afghanistan, you know
well we had difficulties with the Cape. what uncertain-
ties prevailed through the minds of the whole of this
great Empire, sad yet, at this momnut, we find our-
selves at peace with aIL (Applause.) We find confi-
dante ;scored, we find tradebeginning to show signs
of impravernent and Ague which, I hops, will be last-
ing and extensive. (Wear, hear.) Gentlemen, some of
theme things are due, no dook4, to the GOTRIMMIS