The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-06-28 00:00:00

Your ot, dient servant,
W. FREEMAN, Superintendent.
Stourbridge, June 24th, 1873.

If Mr. Freeman will take the trouble to read our
notice of the matter again, he will see that we did
not complain so much of persons " loitering " in
the High-street, as of youths and girls "elbow-
ing" and " jostling " respectable females and
using obscene language on the Sunday night in
the High-street. We must reiterate that this has
become a great nuisance, and if there is no law to
prevent it, the sooner this anomaly is remedied
the better. But, if we recollect rightly, persons
have been fined at the Police Court in this town
before now for using obscene language in the
public thoroughfares, and we know of no reason
why the same thing should not occur again.

Several fresh addresses have been issued during
the week from the various candidates for the pub-
lic suffrages in the impending election. The
"Six '' have issued a joint address asking the
electors to vote for them in the interests of peace,
of efficiency and economy, and of Education.
There has also been issued an opposition address
contradicting their statements and answering their
various arguments consecutively. This latter, be-
ing cieverly put together, has caused considerable
excitement in the town. Mr. Hill has also issued
a new address contradicting an alleged rumour to
the effect that he intended to resign, and stating
that it was his unalterable and fixed determination
to go to the poll. Mr. Branford's new address
calls attention to the "stupidity and ignorance "
of these who misinterpreted his address by &Bei:jug
that he intended to go in for cheap beef and mut-
ton if he were elected on the School Board; and
pointed out that what he intended to convey was
simply that the originators of Compulsory Educa-
tion would have been more profitably employed if
they bad formed themselves into a Committee of
Enquiry as to the present high prices of those
articles. It refers proudly to the overwhelming
promises of support which he has received, and
concludes by stating that he not only intends to
g to the poll, but hopes to be placed in the front
ranks of the "Seven." There have been also
several" squibs" issued during the week, some of
which we, are sorry to say, are of a very personal
and dastardly character.

Mr. Scott's supporters held a mecting in the
Union Hall, on Saturday evening last, to considee
what would be the beet means to adopt to ensure
his election as a member of the School Board.
With reference to the meetings of the Noncon-
formist and Church Committees, and to show that
they were not assemblages representing even the
great bulk of Nonconformists or Churchmen but a
selected coterie, he related the fact that several
Nonconformists and Churchmen (himself being
amongst the former) received no invitations to
attend the respective meetings. When the posi-
tion which Mr. Scott occupies in the town, and
his well-known desire to have been present at the
meeting is borne in mind, coupled with the fact
that the said meeting was held in the Union Hall
which is the private property of his mother, it
seems to us that it required an amount of assur-
ance bordering on the sublime to ignore him by
neglecting to send hint an "invite.' In the course
of stating his views respecting the new School
Board he said, that if elected, he should not re-
present any particular sect or party, but should
hold himself aloof from all sectarianism. He
should do all in his power to represent the work-
ing men, and should be glad whenever there arose
questions of importance touching their interests
to hold conferences with their representatives so
as to get their views on the various subjects. He
explained the whole question of School Board
education, and gave it as his opinion that it was
calculated to be of great value to the population at
large. He also showed that it would not be desir-
able to have ministers on the Board as they, al-
ready having schools of their own, would be
naturally biassed against the Board School, and
would keep it in the background so that it might
not injure their own schools. He also considered
that it was probable that their nominees would be
likely to act under their influence, and therefore,
urged upon the ratepayers the desirability of elect-
ing candidates who would be independent of
clerical influence. At the close of the meeting a
working men's committee was formed for the purrosc
of taking means to ensure his election-

TOE day has at length arrived when the
ratepayers of Stoarbridge will have to de-
c;,.1•.... once for all, whether a small section of
their body is to monopolise the whole of the
local government of the town, or whether
the majority is to exercise fhe power which
their numbers give them, and thereby re-
tain it in their possession. This is practi-
cally the question which the present contest
has resolved itself into, for if the small body
of persons who have resolved themselves in-
to a "joint committee" for the purpose of
appointing—we cannot call it electing—the
members of the future School Board, are suc-
cessful in placing their Nominees in that
coveted position; their success will doubt-
le :s embolden them to carry out the Same
t tetics on future occasions, and gradually the
whole of the local government will be wrested
mi the hands of the r itepayers. Of course,
they allege that there is no dictation in the
m ter, and that they have taken the pro-
c- lings they have, simply from a desire to
s 'cure peace, and save the town the expense
o!.. an election. In answer to these allega-
tions we will just call the attention of the
rttepayers to a few facts. When it was first
n-trtonneed that a School Board was inevi-
ible, we saT-tested that a public meeting
should be called on some evening that would
en tble the great balk of the ratepayers to
attend, to enable them to select fit and proper
wr.-ems to represent them on the School
B rird. Oar suggestion was complied with,
owl at the request of an influent;ally signed
requisition the Chnirmln of the Commis-
simers called a public meeting to be held in
the Corn-Exchange, on the Friday night;
that being the earliest available opportunity,
as he was up to that time out of town on
local business of importance. In the mean-
while, however, small sections of the Church
party and of the Nonconformists had been
holding privet • m-otiii4s to select for them-
selves the persons whom they thought would

best represent . own peculiar views. So
far, this was all very well. But, in our
opinion, having selected their men, they
should have attended the public meeting,
stated their reasons for making the selection,
and have submitted their candidates for the
approval of the ratepayers there assembled.
Did they do this? No. On the contrary,
some hours before the meeting was held they
issuect a placard stating that the Noncon-
formist and Church Committees had selected
certain gentlemen to represent the town on
the proposed Board, and that they meant to
use every legal effort to ensure their elec-
tion. This, to say the least, was very like
treating the town with contempt; especially
when the fact is borne in mind that some of
the selected Nominees had actually signed
the requisition calling the meeting. We
will frankly admit that most of the gentle-
men selected by the "joint committees "
are able men, and in every way fitted for
the positions they aim to occupy. And that
there was nothing antagonistic to them
manifested at the meeting was proved by
the fact that several of them were nominated
there, and that their nominations were de-
clared to be carried by the Chairman. But
there were also other gentlemen chosen at
the meeting in every way as capable as any
of the "Committee" selected six. Why,
we ask, was not a gentleman of literary at-
tainments like Mr. Scott selected by the
Nonconformists' Committee, when it was
found desirable to withdraw Mr. Maginnis ?
Here, in our opinion, was a gentleman who
from his education, his social position and
that of his friends, his liberal views, and
his great knowledge of school management
who ought to have been amongst the first of
those nominated. And, doubtless, lie would
have been if it had not been well known that
he would refuse to he under the domination
of any sectarian clique. This is the reason
that he was not invited to be present at the
so-called meeting of Nonconformists held at
the Union Hall—which, by the way is his
mother's private property—on the evening
precceding the public meeting held in the
Corn-Exchange. We sincerely hope that
the ratepayers, who so cordially supported
his nomination at the Corn-Exchange, will
carry him successfully through this contest.
His family have done more for education in
Stourbridge than any other family in this
town, and on that account alone, he deserves
their hearty support; but, independent of
these considerations, he has personal quali-
fications for the position, we think, superior
to those of any of the "Nominees." He is
also an independent candidate, who has come
forward solely to represent the ratepayers,
and one who will do so fearlessly and
honestly, without any sectarian bias, and
with a proper consideration for their personal
interests.

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