The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-11-17 00:00:00

ELECTIONEERING AT WEYMOUTH.

The past week has brought about great changes
in the aspect of electoral affairs at Weymouth, and
the two great parties are now arrayed against each
other in such a manner an will enable both to fight
the battle to-day (Tuesday) at the polling booths,
with honour and consistency. Liberals will vote for
Edwards and Powell, and Constitutionalists must
"plump" for Hambro, and then it will be seen
whether the majority of the constituency are in
1 favour of the poltoy of Mr. Gladstone or that of Mr.
Disraeli. _ .

-----
On Monday night there was • great meeting of
the Conservatives, at the Bordon hotel, presided
over by J. A. Devectith, Esq., wbon C. J. T.
Hanibro, Esq., gave an exposition of his political
priociples, and a resolution was passed on the
motion of J. Fox, Esq., seconded by W. Symonds,
Esq., approving of Mr. Hambro as a fit and proper
person to represent Weymouth in the House of
Commons. Lent-Col. Steward, Dr. Moorhead, Mr.
Willis, and Dr. Smith also addressed the meeting,
and the proceedings ended with cheers for Mr.
Hambro.

On Tuesday evening there RSA a very large
assembly of the friends and supporters of H.
Edwards, Esq., at the Bardon hotel, when E.
Bayly, Esq., presided. Mr. Edwards wee very
heartily received, and the boo. gentleman spoke at
great length, and with much ability and fluency on
the Reform Act, the ballot, the Irish Church, .
education, the ministry, and concluding with his
version of "the compact" which has provoked so
much feeling in the borough. The boo, gentleman
said i—Hats you seen) this (holding up one of the
handbills issued by J. A. Diminish, Esq.). placarded
about the town of Weymouth !—(gre it cud prolonged
applause, which ended in such excitement that the
audience rose en tensor, waved their hate, and
cheered vehemently). I don't know bow many of
you, gentlemen, have taken the trouble to read that
correspondence betweeo Mr. Devenish and your
most bumble servant (applause). I must confess
that I never believed that I should merit anything
like the censure which has been cast upon ine by Mr.
Devenish—(bear, bear, and a voice "Never mind
him"). But let OM go into this matter, and the
charges that are brought against me, respecting what
people term, or Mr. Devenish terms, the great
question of the compact. I need not tell you that
the electicn of 1865 is a painful subject to reflect
upon. You know that when I stood before you and
solicited your suffrages on the first comaion, I was
asked to bring • colleague. I brought • colleague,
and I think that I showed sufficient sense of honour
—(applause)—by retiring from the contest, so painful
as it was to me, rather than disturb the peace of the
borough of Weymouth—(cheers). It was to Wey•
mouth, to you election of Weymouth, that I made
my maiden speech . I
'assembly before, I never sought any constituency
1 before—it wag to you I came and asked to send me
to Parliament At the last moment on the day of
' election I retired, and went away, vexed and annoyed,
and left the colleague I brought in the seat.—
. (.ppiatiae). Now, I come to the charge made by
• Mr. Devenish. When Captain Gridley resigned his
' post, which was to me as really unexpected as it
was to you, and took me much by surprise—
but we know very well that operations of
this DlitUrO lUD very sudden, very short, sad very
decisive—it is • word and a blow and the blow
! comas first —(laughter) ; DO sooner bad Capt. Gridley
; lodged his application for the Chiltern Hundreds
with the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Disraeli)
than, like an electric shock, intimation of the
vacancy was sent to Weymouth. Heating of the
new turn of affairs, I had sent to Weymouth my
address to the electors, and purposed coming down
Ito see you the next day. Before coming down I
was informed that Mr. Devenish was in London,
and was desirous of seeing me. On my way I called
at the Grosvenor Hotel, where I was told he was
staying, and, finding be was not there, I wrote him
this latter :

[COTT.]
Orooranor Hotel. Timm:lay, 4 p.m.

MY dam' mr,—l am most anxious for a few minute. count.
nation with you. or the all important realist of Capt. Gridley'.
resignation; I sill call back bate Win bd." Wx o'oionk. If
you an going out, will you kindly natal • tint* that I OM call
again to or you I was about to wart for Warmouth, but
htaring you an in town, lam most anxious to MI you Won
going down.—Your. truly,

HENRY EDWARDS.

On my return borne I found Mr. Devitnith's card I,
on my table—he had called to ese me. I waited,
and shortly afterwards Mr. Deveniah made his
appearance. A fist the usual civilities had taken
plus between us—ordinary civilities—Mr. Diminish
"Well, Mr. Edwards, you know the under-
standing that has taken place in Weymouth amongst
the people there, in consequeou of the disagreeable
thp which occurred at the lad general elution, .
and their an: iety, lor the pesos of the
borough, to return one and one. I said
certainly. Al! the cites:matinees ol the hit general
election ram up before me in a marvellous way—
(laughter and cries of "no doubt") Ido not want
a repetition of that I can tell you—(langhter). Bo
Mr. permit/ft said, ' I shall not oppose your return
at this election. on oosdition that you don't oppose I
a Conservative candidate in the event of a Vacancy
oft-siring on our ride." I am speaking to you
solemnly sod most sacredly. To the beet of my
earnest belief those were the identical words
wed by Mr. Devenish to me. As
have said, all the visions of the put
came up before In., and I said certainly not : I
knew very well the people of Weymouth war, aware
what had taken plsoe twill net refer to thakbecause
you know how disagreeable it was, and most people
' at the end of the election said how much better it
would be for the borough that there should be one
and one. So I at once mid, without a mousant'a
hooilatics, °lobo.* ; sod, looking around ay room

and not seeing a pieoe of paper, I weot out of lb*
lad eat down at my deek aid wrote
thii note, without • mommit's reaeotMn,
knowing as I did and haling sal did, and Wag
"ran am of the tone of the me* of Wemaeoti
at the last election, and what they deired to awry
Out:-

[corr.]
63, Beek olopoquare, ath June, W.
Dearalr,—l hereby prong.. and pledge mean to Md la
Krum the mturri of a Coneerratle• candidate
l'rol7tC"f to
a id event oft and thus le e the conatitueney, 00
UOO enewu the return of one Liberal and on. Ommerystire
candidate, and I .411 do all in my poorer to got my numerous
(nen& in Weymouth V. WOW to this arreenteut,_youe.
truly,
J. A. Donnish, F.m.