The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-09-22 00:00:00

TO THE INDEPENDENT ELECTORS OF THE
BOROUGH OF WEYMOUTH AND
MEICOMBE REGIS.

.
MHE tune is fast approaching when the
honourable trust you so kindly reposed in me, by
returning me as your Representative to the House of
Commons, will be again plated in your handa I hops
that my conduct while there has been such as to meet
your approval, and to obtain for me • renewal of your
confidence, by permitting me to have the honour of
representing you in the new Parliament.
. .

From th; time I entered the House of Commons I
have honestly and consistently foUowed out the
principles I professed when I first sought your suffrages,
and that will, I trust, be guarantee for my future
course. I was returned by you to support Liberal
principles in that assembly. I have always done so.
My votes, given on all the great public questions which
have been before the Legislature, will bear witness to
my fidelity to those principles.
The great question of Reform has absorbed much of
the time arid attention of the House, and the Act
passed last session, moulded, as it was to &large extent,
by the Liberal party,.
increase
secured a eonsiderable access
of popular power, with a oorresponding ere's. to the
strength of the bonstitution. Some of the objection-
able features of the Bill, however, still remain to be
Improved in the future Parliament, when I trust the
vexation and trouble occasioned to the Compound
HotireAololer, will be removed, and Electors protected
from intimidation by the rote by Balla.
I have voted for the abolition of CompulsorT Chorea
Rates, and rejoioe that this fruitful source of discord no
longer exist.; and I anticipate with oonfidenoe that
unity will be found where religious strife has before
existed.

I have voted for the Abolition of the Lash in the
Army, a punishment which I believe degrades and
brutrlises without any reformatory infleence : I trust
that this, together with the additional interest shown in
our soldiers, will seise the moral tone of our army and
place that branch of our public defence in • yet higher
state of efficiency.
The condition of Ireland is a subject of the gravest
consideration. The chronic discontent of the people
has mused exceptional measures to be taken for the
public safety, and all thoughtful minds have been wo-
ndering how to meet the evil. One fruitful souresof
discontent being a Protestant Church establishment,
with the population mostly Roman Catholic, the
present Government proposed to give them religious
equality by " levelling up " the Roman Catholic) priest-
hood, and establishing a University for that body alone;
bat this has been abandoned, and an appeal is now
made to dia-establish the existing Church, instead of
endowing all others. I feel the time has arrived when
this should be done, not simply because a seen* of
Irritation would be removed from the Roman Catholic
population, but because I feel that for the interests of
religion, the Prot...dent Church should appear before
that people without the strong irejudioes fostered in
their minds eeriest her truths, by the position of
antagonism in which she is made to appear to them.
The Itemberi of the Protestant Church of Ireland
are numerically small in comparison with the Roman
Catholic population, yet they represent the bulk of the
Property in that country; nod I believe they have too
much love for their Church to allow it to decay for
want of support, especially when we we those who
have but little property, with credit to tbemaelvta.
sustaining their religious institutions. To think other-
wise would be a libel on thew and • seredsl to oar
faith; and by her dis-establishment, I believe, instead
of there being no increase in the number of her members
for yeses in Proportion to the population, she would
receive an impetus for usefulness which would soon
manifest itself.

The subject of Education must of necessity seriously
occupy the attention of the new Parliament. It is one
of the most imperative of our social duties, and though
grave difficulties may surround the method of its
extension. yet I hope the time ii not for distant, when
every child born in this kingdom shall porno, at lasak
the rudiments of education, without any violation of
Its religious principles.
The lineno . of our country will challenge aloest
scrutiny than they have yet reoeived, and everything
which a true ecooomy might Bugged be tarried into
practice. Our army and navy must be kept In thorough
efficiency, but resent information thews that the public
money Is wasted to an extent unimagined by those who
have not given attention to the subject. The time I
believe is not remote, when under the auspices of
another Government, the affairs of our country will bs
both honourably and economically conducted.
I hoped to have seen you before thia, bet am un-
foetunately detained in London by severe Indisposition.
At the earliest moment my physician thinks I may
travel, I shall do myself the pleasure of coming amongst
you. I remain,
Your most obedient and faithful Bervent,
HENRY EDWAItDB.
Dated Augist 3rd, 1868.
53, Berkeley -square, London.