The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-03-27 00:00:00

HAtiLE Y.

STOCK SALE.—On Monday last there was a very
good collection of stock consisting of 54 pens of
sheep, 61 head of cattle, 28 calves, and a fair'
quan ity of pigs. Beef sold at market prices
Mutton trade still improving. Calves very dear.

Monday at one o'clock, to receive Messrs. Gladstone
and Hastings. A 'temporary platform had been
erected, and there were about 2,000 persons present.
Mr. G. K. Harrison introduced the candidates,
and in doing so mentioned the fact that one of their
opponents, Mr. H. Allsop, only voted in 35 divisions
out of 243 which took pace in 1878. (A Voice :
'There's a Tory for you ") They would not have
anytl?ing to complain of Messrs. Gladstone and Hast-
ings in that respect if they returned them. They
were both true and tried men, who would attend to
the interests of those they went to represent.
Tory rule meant bad trade. How could it be x.
pected that a man with st 10,000. or £20.000.
would embark in trade if public affairs were kept
unsettled as they had been under this Government?
(Hear, hear.) Let them return thoroughly good
Liberia, and then they would have "peace, re-
trenchment, and reform." (Cheers.) Mr.
Hastings said he hoped the day was not far dis-
tant when Mr. Glaris one and himself would be
retureed. They were for household suffrage in
cowls ies, and if they were returned would en-
deavour to carry that measure of justice to the
country.' (Cheers). The Tories had had the power
to carry any measure they liked since 1876, and he
asked what had they done to merit further support
from the electors? (Hear, hear.) Instead of de-
creasing taxation, they had put ten millions a year
more on the taxpayer. That taxation must and
should be reduced. (Cheers). What had the
Tories given them for the money they hid spent?
What measure had they passed for the benefit of
the people? Why, none, or next to none. (Thar,
hear). The measures which had been passed were
delusive, taking away with one hand what they
pretended to give with the other. Mr. Hastings
instanced the absence of legialation on county
expendieure, as showing the spirit in which the
Tod°, had dealt with the ratepayers after all the
promises they had made. Their Water Bill, which
everyone laughed at, was an example of the way in
which they were ready to legislate in the interest
of the few against the interests of the many. At
the end of Mr. Gladstone's administration they
were on good terms with all Foreign pa wers, and
Lord Derby acknowl:edgsd this himself in the
House of Lords in May, 1874. Very different was
the state to which the present Goverment had
brought. affairs, and he believed the electors would
show their sense of this by returning the Liberal
candidates, not for their own merits, but for the
cause they repres-nted.
Mr. Gladstone said he was pleased to see so
large an assemblage there, prepared, he believed,
ss one man to support the cause in which they
were engaged. (Cheers). They had now had six
years' experience of a Conservative Government—
Government which, from the force of numbers,
could have carried any measure they liked for the
go )d of the people of this country. But look back
and see what they had done. Tney had promised'
vsry much. They were to take off the income
tax, but instead of that they had almost doubled
it. There was to be relief of local tax tion, but
did thy find it low. r ? (Cries of "Higher") The
ratepayers were to have had a control over county
expenditure. Had that promise been kept good?
(No.) Ins ead of attending to these and other
mattsrs, they had been about the world doing what
Lcrd Derby well described as a "glory-and-gut,
powder- business. He advised the elee, ors now to
give a turn to the7,Liberal patty, and see what they
could do for the good government of the country.
Trade and peace generally went together, and they
wanted peace, without which there could not be
that spirt of c.inniercial enterprise they desired to
see. Taking the last twenty years, the Liberals,
when in office, had neisteed taxation at the rate of
.e 3,260 000. each year, while the Conservatives,
during toe years they were in power, instead of de •
creasing, had increased it X 620,900 a year. He
asked them to assist iu wres,ing power from the
Conservatives, and placing it in the hands of those
who would use it for ;the true int-rests of the
people.
A vote of confi 'ence was passed in the candi •
dates, on tee motion of Mr. F. Evers, seconded by
Mr. J. Pearson, and supported by Mr. Cochrane.

On Monday last, a large open air meeting in sup-
port of the candidature of Messrs. Gladstone and
Hastings, the Lits.:ral candidates, was held at
Cridley, Mr. F. Evers presided.
The candidates having addressed the meeting,
the Hon. Edward Lyitelton moved, and the Rev.
J. Fergusson seconded a resolution, in thcir favour,
which was carried. The candidates and their sup-
porters were heartily cheered by the crowd as they
drove away.
Liter on in the day a monster meeting was held
in Halesowen, in the centre of the town. The
crowd went out along the Stourbridge road to meet
the candidates. Upon their arrival la the town
the cheering:was very great, and the streets were so
thronged as to render it almost impossible for the
conveyance in which Messrs. Histings and Glad-
stone, with Mrs. Gladstone and Mrs. Hastings,
were seated, to pass Mr. E. B. Phillips, J.P.,
president of the Local Liber+il Association, was
vote Ito the chair. Mr. W. H. Gladstone, said he
should not easily forget that day, and the hearty re-
ception accorded him in various parts of the
county. If he had had much douet as to what was
tikely to be the result of the contest in East Wor-
ces'ershire that doubt would have been dispelled by
the receptions they had met with, not only at Hales-
owen, but throughout the whole of the district
Contrasting the doings of the Conservative Govern-
ment with the late Liberal Governmen,-, he said the
Liberal Government busied themselves with do-
mestic legi-lation. Then trade flourished—(hear,
hear)—and men's minds were at ease, and people
could devote themselves with conlidesee to indus•
tii and c.anmerei..l enterprises of all kinds.
(Hear, hear.) What was the result of the spirited
foreign policy of the Tory Governinent ? No long
time elapsed after they came into office before the
people of this country were asked for £6,000,000
—(shame)—in order that it might be used in is.-
slating the emancipation of suffering subjects of
Turkey. (Shame.) Another £6,000,000 had been
requ red from them to carry on an unjust and un
necess cry war against the Zulus; and then the
country was asked for £2,000,000 more to defray
the cost of a war still more needless, cru-1, and un-
just, in Afghanistan. (Shame.) If they looked at
wh t had been spent upon the army and navy in
addi ion to the amount which was sp nt on them
in to time of the Liberal Governin nt they would
find that the extra expenditure amounted to no less
than £17,000,000. The Liberals had reduced by
the'r wise inansial legislation the exsenditure of
the country about 4s Sd per head; but the Conser-
vatives had by their mismanagement brought them
back again, and at a time when the country had
i
been suffering from the severest depression n trade.
Seeing these things were so, he thought. the country
would be disposed to give the Liberals a turn
(Loud apslause.) A Liberal Government would
(nide v u • to restore peace, and bring back economy
and prosperity. (Cheers.) He would do his uttuokt
to support the assimilation of the borough and
county franchise. He wanted to see the thousands
of honest, intelligent num who had not the oppor-
tunity of expressing their opinion in the affairs of
the country taken inside the political pale. (Hear,
hear.) He also spoke in favour of the amendment
of the land laws, and various other matters included
in the Liberal programme, and sat down amidst
loud applause. Mr. Hastings also spoke in favour
of the extension of the county franchise, and said
he shou'd never give a vote or raise his voice, if
sent to the House of Commons, except in support
of those principles which were dear to them all.,
and on which he believed the stability and pros-
peii.y and honour of this country depended.
(Cheers.) A resolution condemning the policy of
the present Government and approving of the
candieates, Mess's. Gladstone and Hastings, was
passed with acclamation. Cheers were then given
for the candidates, and Mrs Gladstone and Mrs.
Hastings. Three ringing cheers for Mr. W. E. Glad-
stone. who is fighting the Liberal battle in
Midlothian, brought the meeting to a close.

A meeting of the friends and supporters of Mr
H. Allsopp and Sir Richard Temple, the Conserva-
tive candidates for the Eastern Division of Worces-
tershire, wai held at the committee room, Golden
Cross Hotel, Bromsgrove, on Tuesday, when Mr.
and Mr. Benson, the representative of Sir
Richard Temple, attended, and met with a vet y
enthusiastic reception. The room was crowded,
principally with farmers of tile district, who had
attended the market. Mr. R. Prosser, Chairman nf
the Local Committee, presided, and was supported
by the Rev. G. Vl7. Murray, vicar ; Rev. the Hon. A.
H. T. Massey, vicar of All Saints' ; Rev. J. litdclll
vicar of Catshill ; riev. G. W. Watson, Messrs. 11
Smallwood, C. P. Noel. W. Jefferies, W. Bolding,
R. Thornley, S. Saywell, C. Carey. G. H. Hornsby,
J. Lea, G. Osborne, L. Green, S. Amphlett, W.
Llewellyn, G. Cole, M. Roe, and a large number of
other members of the committee and supportNs of
the Conservative cause.
The Cliairtnari introduced Mr. Allsopp as an old
and tried friend who had been faithful to the Con-
servative cause, and who supported the present
Agimitarration because it was doing right, and he
(the chairman) had no doubt Sir Richard Temple
would do the same, for he came to them with a
most excellent character, Mr. Allsopp was not o:nly
a good landlord, but he was also an excellent man
of business and a good tenant farmer, for he
tenanted his own farm, and he knew the difficulties
farmers had to contend with, their advant.iges and
disadvantages, and would do all in his power to
do them justice.
Mr. Allsopp, who was received most heartily,
reviewed the circumstances under which he soug.ht
suffrages of the electors of East Worceste, shut)
six years ago, and said that since then great
difficulties had arisen, and it was RV atm Its say
whether they thought those cutficulties had been
successfully eunnounted—("They have," and hear