The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-06-30 00:00:00

POOLE.

ITER MAJESTY's ST-A 776 —BA IL -The Hon. Evelyn
Ashley was amongst those present at Her Majesty's ball
on Wmlnmday last.
Mr. G. VTI NCR, Ml',, arrived in Poole on Satur-
day, and crossed over to Brankgearastle in the afternoon.
ROAD ACC I D KNTA. —Two :,ccidentg occurred on Friday
afternoon on Haniworthy Bridge °win.: to the slippery
state of the roadway in congeutienee of the min. A valu-
able horse, belonging to Messrs. Penton, of Wareham. fell
and was serimisly cut ; and another the property of Mr.
Digt, of Blandforil sustained similar injuries. On Satur-
day the roadway wag gravelled.

THE SECOND ELECTION PETITION.
_
MONDAY MORICINr
. •

The petition has been withdrawn. un Saturday evening
telegrams were received by Mr. Alderman Rogers an-
nouncing that Sir Ivor bad alsmdoned the inquiry : and
at eight o'clock the following hand bill was circulated in
the town
. .

"7.; j;:;;I; FJection I have just receivall a telezrant
announcing the withdrawal by Sir Ivor finest this afternoon
of the petition awainst the noun) of the lion. Evelyn Ashler.
MI. for this borou,h.—F. Tnunrau. Roisann—Saturday
evening, June 27th. 16;4."
. .

At first people were inclined to doubt the report, so many
nimours having been current during the week. Imme-
diately they became eonvineed, however, that the ',cep
had been taken, there was quite an outburst of excite-
anent, and High-street was for a time the centre of discus-
sion for the local politicians. In some of the tradesmen's
windows, where for a week past the black catalogue of
electioneering crimes had stared people ominously in the
face, the petition was absurdly "transmogrified," turned
upside-down, put in mourning, and otherwise ludicrously
handled ; while out of ;boors it was torn in pieces and
iniominiously " cast to the winds." At the corners of
the street' groups of persons collected, 'nil women in
many cases were foremost in giving vent to their " feel-
ings," some even pronouncing for on ensteetn-fr upon "Sir
Ivor and all the boiling lot of Tories," for the "dirty
teirks" they hail played. Should Sir Ivor ever wish to
undergo the operation, there is at least one woman in
Poole who "would like to comb his hair"—"she'd warmnt
he wonl'ln't come a second time, that she would." There
were others more kindly disposedi and would rive Sir
Ivor and Lady (lornefie, "the best they had . "may be,"
added one, " I shouldn't lose ranch, for they be such good
heated souls is Sir Ivor and his lade, who ought to he in
Parliament and not thick there feller Ashley, eld Waring's
thingummy." lint the women of course discerned 'natters
f.-eni a demesne point of view, and some no doubt could
speak conscientiously in praise of the defeated hattmet
and from what we publish Sir Ivor will see he is not
forgotten by his friends.
)lueh curiosity of course was manifested as to why Sir
Ivor had at last given way. It is well known that his
chief dependence woo the decision in the Petersdield caw ;
and the hon. baronet, it is said, who WAS in Court when
the learned judges.pwe their decision. admittswl that his
"caw was gone. Notwithstanding, on Wedne-elaY
ea ening the inual ttnun delimit was made; so that,
In spite of the judgment, it hail been decided to
carry the matter through at all hazanla It is stated,
however, that strong expressions of feeling against such a
course by many of his leading friends and supporters had
leren represented to Sir Ivor, who was ultimately induced
to reconsider the matter; while others asserted that he
yielded out of "simple regard for the interests of the
constituency 1" The magnanimity conveyed in the last
situestion is really overpowering, when we consider the
pile- of agony heaped up in the hideous petition. which
had put all honest men in Poole to the blush, and evoked
an universal cry of sbame upon the author of "the fool
assignment." "The petision has been withdrawn by Sir
Ivor, who felt it would not be for the good of the people
to continue it." How consoling is this eleventh-hour
repentance ; and how manifestly thankful ought we to be
to our "friend and neighbour" ror his condescending pity
and forrivenern. The "Families" however have been
ignominiously driven from home ; and it least have been
a crushing effort that at length yielded sobinission to the
force of circumstances', against which even the influence
of the House of Marlborough could not avail, and which
the unlimited wealth of Canford could not avert,
l'ride and ambition have scarcely ever had a heavier
fall ; and the bitterness if defeat has rarely
been borne with such evident remorse and anger.
From sheer spite Sir Ivor rushed to the Common Pleas:
but the frowns of Justice upon electoral purity dismayed
and discomfited him : and, alarmed at the proportions of
the charges he had levelled aqainst his opponents, he used
a wise discretion, though with evident reluctance he
succumbed, iii arrepting his defeat The nnwiadout of this
last petiti in will have a life-long remembrance, and Sir
Ivor has lost by his ill-advised step friends whom it will
be dittieult to re-rain, and to whom nothing will
compen,ato for the unproved imputations cast upon
them.

worthy of remark that the petition was not with-
draw.' until the latest lussible moment on SatunleY
afternoon, and but for the activity of Mr. Ashley's agents
it is possible the Tories would have had another IS hours'
glorification in tantalising their opponent+ by all sorts of
statement, and disapNintnients. Now that it I. all over,
will it be too much to hope that Sir Ivor will quickly
atoue for his past misdeeds by at once carrying, out all
those great improvements which he readily admiSted
would conduce to this welfare and prosperity of Poole I
The utmost he can do I'lll not repay the inhabitants for
the low, they have sustained in business by the proceed-
ings of the past five months: and we sincerely trust that
those who hope little will obtain much ; while our wish is
that none will be disappointed.
Mr, Justice Grove had fixed Monday. the 13th July, for
the heanng of the petition of Sir Ivor Guest
The following letter appeared in Thursday's Daily
News

I observe In the Nay Nerd of to-day a paragraith to
the effect that • ...Anion was Silt 1 en Monday, the Thal instant,
on behalf .4 Sir Ivor tluest, claiming to. him the mat of
Pile, lately won by Mr. Ashley. This is not striedv accurate.
The isclithrn is from I•ir hoc personally, and waggled on Friday
last, the !nth. The woe...incite of our Conservative citizen,
have been kept a profound r....cret, though surrounded by all
aorta "1 rumours of • myatifying character. Knowing that
Saturday was the last day allowed :or lodging • 'retinue, I
causal inquiry to be route at the Mmter's °Mee on Monday
inoming, and the petition was brought to light, and has become
an established fact. On the presentation of a petition, the
Vaster is to send • copy to the re:tinting oineer, who is forth-
with to publish it tor this purpose a copy it left with the
petite.... The copy ie this instance, which should have reached
our berough on Saturday, did not arrive until this (Tuesday)
morning, arid is now in course of publication. We ilid not
espeo, In political warfare to be informed by our foes ef their
tackles, but when the aumaign of the polling booth is over,
and resort is had to the constituted legal tribunal to decide on
the validity of the return, I fail to see why the ordinary
courtesies between country gentlenien and between their poi-
foisioisal advisers should be withheld. "hue it,, London agent
was telegraphing to me on eoriday that ho hal found a petition
baked by Sir Ivor Guest on Friday, Mr. Ashley wm Mse tele-
;graphing that there was no petition, as for as he was aware.
My views may be rather Utopian, but it astonishes me that Sir
Ivor Cued, even though meet eathiaciously aspiring to the
honour of a scat in Parliament, should have allowed • petition
to be lodged against Mr. Ashley, a friend and a neighbour and
Sal,, .4 the lon l lieutenant of his county, without InforiuM7,
him that he had resolved on the step, or at least that he hal
actually take. It. To leave Mr. Ashley to finl out the petition
for himself, either by the /Merlin publication or by the service
on him personally .4 a copy on the 44 of the five days allowed
by the strict letter of the law, is, in my Magnum', very 'harp
practice, even in an ketute election lawyer ; hut what it may be
1,, • baronet occu.nieg Sir Ivor Gueet's podtion in the county
of Dorset, I leave to the better judgemeut of his compeers. —I
am, Sir, your obedient servant,
5,1,. Erni Wirt,
"The Iron. Evelyn Ashley', scent at the late election.
" Poole, Tuemlay, June •-el 1074."
Mr. Ellis's reply will be appreciated :--
To the Editor of lA,. Dad., Noes.
"tie,—l did not see the letter of Mr. Witt, agent at Poole of
the lion. Mr. Evelyn Ashley, relative to this petition which
appeared In your yaiterUay's paper, until into last eveniug.
now ask Is. be allowed to reply to it.
'• I should not have thought It worth while to do so had It
Ilut Well evidently an attempt to damage Sir Ivor Guest in
;midi: "Melo:, bri far as Sir hoe is i.enemally cemented,
have tio doubt he will treat it with the Maim it dcserres I
only as the of Sir Ivor Guest in the matter, am norm.
sible for the proCettillipi oil the filing of this petition, which,
however, were all strict/y 1,, acaalance with the ordinary
practice and the common nava of courtesy observed by pro-
fessional mew
" The facts ue shortly these. The petition was filed on
last • few moments before the diming .4 the Common
Picas °Mee. I inii.ht have delayed it until Saturday, had I
wished, that being the lot day.
"Saturday was the tmeen's Ascension Day, and the UUIIIIIIOII
Pleas Office, excepting for the receip4 of election petitions, was
closed. It is the duly of the ',roller ollicial of the Court of
Gunflint Pleas to send the petal., down to the Keturnleg
011ieer of the borough This, doubtless, would have Nam done
on Saturday had the CWIIIIIOII Pleas Wllm been Oil. ; as it
was, the petition was sent down, as I am informed. by the first
poet on Monday. Thus the duty .4 the otecials was completely
and properly performed. The gl,OOO required to be deposited
an immune fur costa was paid into the Sank of lingland no
Tuteday. Then, and then only, as Mr. Witt would have known
had he been familbr with the practice of petitions, was the
filing of the petition complete ; but I 100 l writteri the day
before, ieuncly Monday, a Hite letter to Mr. Ashley. a copy of
which I aubjoin I did this, as is usual, to We hint the annoy-
ance whith persona/ service of the petition might have causal
hlin. In reply I received fmni him a letter, • copy of which I
also send you. I only wish to remark upon this letter, that it
Is. to my the least of It, • peculiar and not a usual answer to •
civil application for the name of a gentleman's solicitors.
" I wee thus driven by Mr. Ashley himself to semi a Clerk to
serve hlin with the petiUmi personally. My Clerk went to the
Home of 'Commons for the purpme and after waiting a
tYrieklerobic thou and taking a good deal .4 trouble he eue.
ceeded in handing the petition to Mr. Ashley.
" I an, Inclined to third, that If Mr. Witt had taken the
trouble to consult his London agents or even Mr. Ashley him-
would have resisted the temptation of ruahing Into
print_ I ve,aulo to trgit Mr. Witt'. phrases .4 "sharp Mil:-
time" and "astute election lawyers' with —sileme.
" I sin, Sir, your obedient servant,
'Cu. C. Eu4s.
"19, St. Swahili's-lane, E.C.,
2011, Juno, 1074."

"Iti, St.
"2il‘l June, 1874.
" tile ituanictlous of Sir Ivor Gum/ 16. e have pro-
.ntod &petiti.m saljt.t )our rutunt t, Parliamait for chi
114/rOUgh l'oule.
_ .

" 'Zanier to &void troubling you with pummel service of it,
iIl you be so kind as to furnish on with the 'UMW rour
solicitors who %rill accept service on your behalf.
Flease to lotus have this automation in the course of tl3.

"We are, Sir, your obedient ocreants,
..111A6. C. Elide ASV Co.
"The Uonhle. E. AshkY.
House of eoultuous. '

GI, Calogran Place, tird June, 1874.
" reply to your letter .4 yesterday I beg to
that I I,ave no wig to Multi Ibo ' trouble .4 personal
ecniee," toiti owl ite hippy to rewire tapy of the petition
which Sir Ivor uest ho. loegal ittaiost uy aims& whenever
YOU May choose to it or to nal roe theorisers.
Your obedient Bernet,
Emrx Amain%

" Messrs. Chas. FAIle and ('n..'
Wilt THE PETITION WAS tttTllDitAWN,
The following letter appeared in Nlonday's Stealar I :
"Sill. -I .k. as the solicitor bo: Sir Ivor Guest in this
boater, to be allowed to state that I have this day withdrawn
this !petition for the Mllowing mums.
Tlic petition was Biol, after a twreful investigation and
several mn,nifafions with Mr. (Mani, and Mr ty, 0.
Ilarrisom mainly oil the ;rrounil that a large Humber of ,oters
were disqualified ~wing to their i.vin received parochial
relief. This was the column, Whet as to the law until the
levinion in the Peterseclil ease. ihe iletisi•ott in that ease, to
the effect that isarochial relief Oho: tegistration it render
the vote liable to he struck o n a senitlny. was unly gjtull
on Tuesday' Lad, the previous Saturday having been the last
day for presenting the petithat. A case for the opinion of Mr. !
Giffard w. laid Wore him, and the following is a copy of his
opinion Just reedited :
ant of opinion that the decision

in the Peters/kid
Collclusive upon the qualtiou of parixdusl flak,. I
ails hie Sir Ivor Guest to withdraw Irian the further prose
suttidiof tho petition. —97th June, 1n74.-11 titsisos
ra so."

•
•
lam Sir. your obedient monists rum. C. ELIAL i
IS, St. Swithin's-lane, Landon, I Wil• V.
Monnkr. Now..
Since wng the above, tho letter from Mr. C. C. Ellis
(of the tinu of Ellis and Ce.k Sir Ivor liiient'n eolicitors,
publinhed shove, has been recciveil, explaining then:mons
of the withdrawal. It is well known that the London
ee,onts were moat active in pushing forward proasedings
is lets a. kistunlay, as is evident frolll the fact that at the
time Mr. A. K. Witt (ilf the firm of Mown.. Kemp-Welch
and Witt), Mr. Ashlers sewn, left London in the after-
noon, no notice of the withdrawal had beau Neeived ; in
fact, notice premired by counsel wan served by time respoue
dent's solieitorn ( leeers. Ileakynn and Wyatt) on Messrs.
Ellis to "Drainer thin (Monday) morning fuU particulars
;.11 cane 4 which the petitioner robot on in support of
the eneseteoiss !II his petitim. The reply to this notice,
it will be seen, was se, !utilisation that further proceed.
hap were abandoned.
From Mr. Elite's letter, it is now beyond question,
alremly stated, that the "backbone" of the petipion wag
the Question of parochial relief afforded' to tot-s ; but,
frop the detelinti flown by Sir Ivor and ais agents

raQ

throughout, it is not too much to infer that utter inability
to prove the other alleg,ationi. led them quite as much as
the Peterstield .lecidon, to accept the advice ef
Giffard, and withdraw from the further pnisecution of
their petition. Bad there been "the ghost of a chance"
to Stlittaill the charges of treating, lathery, penemation,
and service, of disqualified agents, it would have taken
all the in England to turn the pursuers from their
purpose. The inhabitants of Poole are therefore greatly
indignant that Sir hoe's agent has so quietly passed over
these grave accusations : lint it may pissiblv IM3 quite in
keeping with Messrs. Ellis's notions of "the ordinary'
Practice and the romnion rules of courtesy observed by
professional men," to make allegations involving fie most
serious piditical crimes, and to abandon them at pleasure,
leaving the accused no chance of removing the stigmas
cast mien them, nor affording them the slightest mitiga-
tion of their enormity, other
.than the consciousness of
innocence, and the impossibility of proof of their guilt.
Mr. Ellis admits that he is solely responsible for the two-
reedings on the tiling of the petition ; but surely Sir Ivor
will not thus wriggle from the share he must have taken
111 the wholesale and unsubstantiated charges, which, to
use his own words, "in cold blood, and alter the battle
was over," have been levelled at those whom he is pleased
to call his neighbours ant his friends.

PERSECUTING PETITION&
The IMily News of Monday says—" The petition pre-
sented by Sir Ivor Guest against the Hon. Evelyn Ashley
is, we learn, to be withdrawn. There were sixteen allega-
tions in the petition. Bribery, treating, undue influence,
personation, employineut of illegal agents—and apparently
almost every kind of offence which the perverted in-
genuity of man could find a way of committing during a
contested election -seem to have been charged against the
side of the successful candidate. It must be gratifying
for Mr. Ashley to learn now, by the withdrawal of the
that his late antagonist does not believe him or
risustiu7p..rters to have been guilty of any of these thing;
But it is not satisfactory that such charges should be so
lightly made. Legitimate party warfare does not
countenance empty threats, long strings of accusations
made without any botion of following them up, and a
sort of game of brim in which apparently the imly hope of
one party is in the possibility of the other's suddenly
losing courage. Al) these threats and seeming prepara-
tion; however empty and unreal, must impose some
trouble, and possibly 1401110 expense, on those against
WIIOIII they are directed ; and the very appearance of
an unfair and illegitimate pressure is detrimental to
the character of our electioneering contests. A man
ought not to lie persecute.) merely because he has won
an election: and it is something like mere persecution
to pursue him any iwrt of his way in the House of
Commons with accusations so unfounded and so lightly
taken up that they have to i.e abandoned before they can
possibly come to a hearing. One of the great wandals of
the I .1.1 system used to he a reckless piling up ~f charges,
which were nwrely intended to frighten persons of weak
nerves or limited mum, by the sheer trouble and expense
of confuting them. There MLA one memorable oe..sion
when a member of the House of Commons thus petitioned
against rose in the ileum and declared that, though he
knew the cluinces to Ire utterly unfounded, he prefemsl
re.igring kin seat to undertaking the expen,e awl trouble
of • defence. Of course this would not he possible now,
under our better ...-aaried system, but anything that
recalls the old condition of things is to be earnestly
discourage&