The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-11-03 00:00:00

Here Ilea my. wife, here let her Ile,
)'Ur Mesa% peace, sad so he I."
—(lausbter)—sed so we may say ot the dela:let
Compact :

"nem Ilea the compact, let It be;
For that's at rest, and a, are we!"
—(lanal:der and cheers again and again renewed). But,
gentlemen, I am sure you will not forget that
for this you are indebted to the Anti-Compact Anode-
Moo, of which I am the representative—s body of
men, consisting, like all other numerous bodies, of
persons of different characters, of various views, and of
several objects, but in the main I believe a body
actuated by honesty, and singleness of purpose, and
who will henceforward be gratfully remembered in your
borough as those who, in spite of suspicion, misrepre-
sentation, reproach, and even contempt, have persevered
and will persevere laird they have amaimplished
them °Newts— tas teethe.. ..4 the Feriae of the
constituency (cheers). 'the result is, gentle-
men, that the political situation is already
changed, and iestead of a mongrel .Manse between
Conservatives and Liberal, we ere now it seem, to have
• regular battle In the good old style, in which each
man will kuow who are his fecund what he is fighting
for : and, also, his position when the contest is over,
what.ver side may claim the victory —(appheitio and a
voice "We shall throw eff slavery.") Ever since I
have been here, gentlemen, I have been enured every
day that the adders, of somebody or other was to be
Issued the next en orn ing—Baosh tet)—.but hitherto I have
looked for it in vain—(laughter tied applause). In
short, for some time, they tried to frighten us with •
white sheet, a bellow turnip, and a farthing Taillight
—(laughter)—and, finding that our nerves were quite
equal to this apperition, it seems that on Wednesday
two gentlemen writ to London to the Canton Club,
wh. re there is always a stock of candidates on hand—
(laughter)—to me if they could prevail on soon broad.
acted rquire. or autifeeous Australian, or juvenile
statesman just of age but not yet arrived
at years of discretion, to throw himself into ti e
imminent deadly brach, made by those horrid fellows
the Anti-Compact Society—(laughter and applause).
It was rumoured yesterday that they b., gut one, and
Lie name IVY lunar ined, but it soem, th•t woo Is mis-
take. They have nut yet succeeded 111 finding any one
weak enough to thiuk that a Couthrvetive can encored
In this borough, without resorting to tarsus which few
persons, however bold or weak, will ever be rash
enough to venture on. (ttome confusion was caused by
the interruption of a few persons at the end of the room,
which provoked loud cries of ''Turn him out," and
hisses, but Mr. Powell begged they would not turn any-
body out, and said that if any one bad anything to say
by way of observation on, or in answer to, his r. marks,
and would w sit till he hod dune speaking, and then
Come to the platform, he would pledge himself that such
Person should have a bearing. 'FL', otter qiiieted the
dissentients, and provoked loud cheers from the friends
of Mr. Powell.) Theists Mr. O'Connell used to boast
to his deluded followers that there never was an Act of
l'arliament through which he could not drive a coach
arid six, and they believed his boast until, unfortunately
for himself, he tried to do it, and was thereupon arrested,
tried, convicted, and mot to prison—a heavy blow and
emit discouragement which entirely desire, rd his
Influence, and, the degradation resulting from which, I
regret to say. for he bad many great qualities, broke his
heart. There may possibly be some persons, I hope not
In Weymouth, so foolish as to suppose that they can
evade the premed Bribery Atm, and that • judge sent
down here to inquire and decide upon their conduct,
can be easily hoodwinked—that even if he should find
that money has been paid to some poor voter by some
dirty underling, he, good easy judge I will be content to
to punish the poor tool, and riot trouble himself
to is9uite who employed him—thet he will
be satiated with finding out that money has been
given, and won't go on to ascertain where it came
from. If there obould be any person under this
delusion, and my voice can reach him, I would whisper
In his ear—My friend, don't you believe it, •nil unless
you prefer exerche on the treadmill to that on the
daily path of duty, don't you engage in practice. which
every honest man around you ham an interest in detecting
end exposing, and which the Legislature hes determined
to punish, end to put an end to—(cheers). Gentlemen,
I spoke just now of two classes in this borough whom
I regarded with painful feeling. The first is a class of
men whom I cannot doubt have been corrupted at some
former period, and who refuse to promise any candidate
in the hore---I trust a vain one—that some one even
now will buy their votes. On such persons I have not
wasted • minute on my extremes, and I now publicly tell
them —Cray will probably near or read what I nay—
that if by the peyment of • single shilling by way of
bribe, I could warm my election, and that too with the
most perfect cettainty that I should never be decocted,
I would not psy it '—(sheer.)-- end after what I have
written and sate to you on the subject, you roust feel
that I should he a greater rogue than you can peslibly
believe me if I were cipable of doing itHepplause).
Gentlemen, the other eller. of voters I allude to isomers
for whom I feel the most sincere respect and sympathy
_they or. ...king nien. many of them with landlie,
dependent on them, and they have told me frankly,
'Sir, we have read your toldee.., and heard your
speeches, we approve your principles, we wise to sec.,
for you ; but we work for tie. tio-and•so, or for this
company or that, and we dare not do so r N... 1
se.,
that the Legislature which has given these yees
and only provided for the ponlehmeut of those who
interfere with them without affording them athsrity In
exercise of their votes, has but very impede.*
performed its duty—(cheer.). But here I must do an
met of justice. It is not always the principal—it is sec
ildways the master or the company that seeks to intimi-
date the worknien. It is frequently some subordieete
agent who, knowing what his coasters polities are,
thinks that lie can curry favour by coercing the 'nen in
• manner which the wader would repudiate, if Lc
knew it—(applituse). And so it is with thinpanies.
Bouts Jack in office will oftentimes presume to interfere
with the men under him in a manner which their
masters and him masters, the directors, not only die-
approve but have positively forbidden, thinking that it
will never reach their I ars, rind, therefore, that they can
dolt with impunity—(hear, bear). In order to prevent
this, as much as they can, some of the great companiee,
such as the Bristol and Exeter railway, and .everal others,
have caused placards to be posted in all their station.,
stating that they will not themselves, nor will they allow
any of this °Olean, to itherfere with the votes of their
worirmen—(aPPlemth) I and I am happy to say that the
Great Westeru Company have made the same announce-
; most though not in precisely the saute manner, for
the ocher day Mr. Glyn, the member for £thaftesbary,
wrote to the direstors milling their attention to the fact
OW the Great Western Railway Oompany hid not

the Relabel and !
=than pleagede to theme of ,
ead eons ether oosupecirre 001,1 ther••lm• • '
.01 the Greet Western Railway Comptny
"••••• sour Emerethry to writs him a reply which se
bees printed le ebe ststing that the sole
617atusall"..
lantindeimeawthteauii:jfar.alien:dit ffitottith.hadidniinthatife7Y,teridtboustresterse::with°iwartuwnFulditabitenr.:wol'etwi:sariatioeltikku°7:lbe
Gentlemen, if We be not
punished for it-(applanse)-
euffieleut ka peeves' this illegal and Impertinent inter-
ference with a man's exercise of the franabise, Aran is
shatter mode of preventine it even more effectual, and
width does not depend upon the justice of masters or of
sompaaiee, or the obedience of officers to their erders ;
but depend. solely upon the workmen themselves. One
of the greatest etatesmen the world ever saw-Edmund
Botke-t as written '• When had men confederate,
Wmen should einite-(appLause)-and I say it
berately to the working men of England-if any
men or body of meet employing you presume to interfere
with the free examin of the franchise. whieh the
Legislature has given you, I counsel and advise You
to unite together to resist nick unlawful and oppressive
tyranny-to form yourselves into societies for mutual
protection la the tree exercise of your votes, without of
course any »femme whatever to the panieular way
In which any member may shoos* to ezeercise it-
(abeers)-and to make it the esedinal and fandamental
principle of such societies, that if any man be discharged
really for the exorcism of his franchise, whatever may be
the ostensible and fiimey pretext for his discharge, every
member of the society in the gems employment will
refuse to work for that employer until their friend and
comrade be reinstated In his work, and secured in the
freedom of his von-(applause). Gentlemen, there
could be no more lawful and no more laudable 'minty-
(cheer.). There WU • time in the history of this
country when the labourers were not freemen bat serfs
-when their feudal lord could not only insist on the
produce of their labour, but even claim as of
right the chastity of their daughter.; religion,
education, civilization, freedom, has put an end
to this; the labaurare wagestere now secured to him by
the same law that union-es:the due fedfihnent of the
largest contracts ; he labourers' daughter is as safe
under the roof of her father's cottage as any princess
of the blood royal, within the guarded precincts of
Windsor Castle-(cheers). But, strange to say, though
feudal tyranny has been long abolished, there exists
even akthis day, in England a tyranny equally detest-
able, shad which should be equally resisted-tb3
tyranny which some men claim to exerciee over th
consciences of others -the right which some employe
elaim to have over the franchises of their workmen-
(applause). Gentlemen, they have no such right-
(applause)-and I, who am no "blustering demagogue,"
nor even a very "rampant radieal"-(laughter)-but one
who reverences the constitution of this country, and is
grateful for the many binning we enjoy under it -
(oheen).Yl call upon every working man who hears me,
sz he ii a WW2 and would be a freeman, to deny the
right, and to wenn the claim, kink ins I don't wish
you to treat your employers with disrespect, or merely
for the sake of showing your independence to vote for
one man because you know they will vote for another-
(hear, hear)-if you have no special views, or principles
of your own, you may probably safely follow your
master in his politiaal course; beamse ho may have
knowledge on the subject, though you have not ; so
that you may properly follow him just as when you
are ignorant of the way, you may wisely follow one who
knows it- (applause). But, I say, if you have opinions
and principles upon political subjects, it is your right
and your duty to act upon them, and your master ham
no more right to interfere with your so doing, than you
have to unite yourselves and go to him in • body
merely because you are the stronger in aggregate, and
say to him that you will no longer work for him, unless
be votes for your favourite candidate- (sheen). Gen-
Memen, you must forgive me if I have detained you long,
and 'woken to you earnestly on this important sub) cot-
(applause). It I. one on which I feel very deeply, I hate
oppression from my vary soul-(cheare)-and if there
be one form of it! bate more than smother, it is when
some purse-proud employer, whether an Individual
or a company, exercises it, through his underlings,
upon those honest men whose labour has built up his
fortune, though the labourer himself may have
reaped little more than • scanty pittanoe, the union
workhouse, and a pauper's grave-(applause). Gentle-
men, the remainder of the time I shall trespass upon
your attention, I will, with your permission, devote to
some remarks upon one objection which has been made
in the course of my canvass to the polio', which I have
sunouneel I shall support, if you return me to Parliament.
It is on the subject of the proposed disestablishment and
disendowment of the Church in Ireland. After that I
will confine myself to the position of the Liberal party
In this borough. I have met with in this borough
several gentlemen, respectable in every WIND of the word,
who have told me that they cannot support me, beasuse
they differ from my views on this important question.
They say they don't think that even the Church of
England is safe in the hands of Mr. Gladstone. Now,
I bail thought myself that the Church of England was
not founded on Mr. Gladstone-(laughter and applause)
-but was established on a rock, as reopens which we
had Divinelassuranee that no assault should prevail
against it -(ebeen). But, I pass by thst. Then in
whose hands, as a statesman, do they think it will be
safe? Why, forsooth, In those of /4. Disraeli and his
Government-(laughter)-• Premier end a Government
which has actually heel the audacity to propose to the
English Home of Commons that they alculil endow,
and thereby establish, the Roman esthetic Clergy in
Ireland-(laughter and applause). It is useless to
reason with persons, however respectable, whose party
feelings, or religious prejudice, blind their mental
faculties in a way like this- (applause). I do not,
therefore, appeal to them. But, I appeal to you-
(cheers) -to those present who are Nonconformists,
and object to all endowment.; for religions purposes;
what do you say to • Government which proposes to
I endow all sects and creeds alike-(ironind cheering): As
to Weis enema who aro Protestant members of the
Church of England-alas that the distinction Amokd be
necessary !-I appeal to you, to whose keeping has been
oonsienel that sacred trust, the candle of the
Reformation, which Latimer and Ridley lit up in Oxford
three hundiol years ago, and which by God's grace is
not yet put out-(ehisers)- what dorm my Ma Govern-
ment which now pretends to be the sole champion and
defender of the Church of England, and yet ietroduced
only last ses.iou into Parliament a priipnition for the
endowment of the Roman Catholic Clergy ?-(ironinel
cheering). It may be that the disestablishment of the
Church in Ireland may not effect all the good that is
desired from it-it may be that Ireland UM
still remain, to saute extent, clamorous and
dissaitified • but, there are other .grievances to
be eedresse:d in Ireland, besides the gigantic one of
the Established Church-(cheers) ; and I for one hope
that whenever In Ireland, or in England, or elsewhere,
there are grievances gulf, red, Of wrongs to be remedied,
MOW Will be ever found to complain of the one, and to
resist the other---(chiers)-for, I again agree with the
great statesman I have already quoted, and who on
this matter has deo said, "Where there ie abuse there
ought to be clamour • for It is better to be disturbed by
the tinging of the alarm bell, than to perish in the
flames of our bed -(cheers). Therefore, though I
admit the disestablishment of the church will not
pacify Ireland, I say it will be the first and most im-
port/4W step towards doing so, and one which, until we
have taken it, we shall have made no effectual progress
at all-(applause). And now, gentlemen, for the last
and practically the most important-if anything that I
men say can be deemed imp irtant-of the remarks with
w I idth shall venture to detain you. The position of
the Liberal party in this borough is not the lice
because, as I hope and believe, it is perfectly We-
(cheer.). But, theme is no danger eo great as that which
arises from over confidence, especially when over con-
fidence leads us to care the less for that union which is
proverbially steength, and, without which, the strongest
parties are but loose bundles of Lingle sticks, which any
one may pick up auil break at pleasure- (cheer.).
Now, as I ventured to tell you when I last addressed
you, I am not responsible for this *retest, so I assert
now,l am not responsible for any division, if such their
be, in the Liberal ranks in this borough-(bear, hear).
I have from the first frankly told these who invited me
here, that my object was first to serve them by breaking
the compact, but that aceomplished, aa it happily has
beenHapplause)-that I desired beyond all other
things to support the Liberal rouse in Weymouth, and
to strengthen the party of Mr. Gladstone in the House,
by assisting you to return two Liberal members
to Parliament-(applause). This object I have kept
nasally in view throughout all conferences with my
friends, and throughout every stage of my canvass.
What the views of the other section of the Liberal
party may be I do not know, for I have not mum
menleated with them, aod, at tbe present moment. I
have never earn Mr. Edwards. I have met Mr. Brooks,
and have shaken hands with him, as Englishmen are
wont to do before they begin to fight-(laughter and
applause). But, I do not hesitate to say, that at all
eveots if • second candidate be brought here, my
advice-I can only give advice, I have no power to act
-to the whole Liberal party would be to close their
ranks-(epplause)-to forget the pen-if any forgive-
ness be necemary on either side to forgive it frankly and
fully -an d, T 8,110112 beri n g that the great Reform Bill itself
was onlyearried by • majority of one,to take care that we
Jo not let the little differences of the Liberal
party in Weymouth interfere with the return of a
member whose single vote may affect the happiness,
and, possibly, the tranquility of the empire-(cheers).
New, whether you will take this advice or not I can't
tell; I only know that I feel it to be my duty to give
It, and I trust that in the discharge of duty I shall not
on this or any other ea:anon fail from fear of mimosa.
*elation or of consequenees-(cherrs). Perhaps you will
permit me to add-and I only wish to do so bemuse the
most absurd rumours and stories are cireuleted at the
time of en election-that if you should hear to-morrow
or on Monday that I have gone to London you meet
not believe, even if you are told it, that I have been dis-
missed by the auticoniract society on account of what
I have said this evening-(laughter and seplause)-but
simply bemuse I have some business to attend to that
can be delayed no longer-(appleuse). I shall 00036
back as soon se I can. If my presence is neerseary at
any time, I shall come back by the nen train after I
have received a telegram to that (effect ; and I
trust the next time alter that, in which I shall leave
Weymouth, i shall do so in the character of your
representative-(sheering strain and again renewed).
If you do return me, the only promise I will make you
is that I will try to justify your confideeee, and that I
shall re-enter Parliament with no petty desire of personal
advantage, but chiefiy for the sake of