The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1875-04-06 00:00:00

THE REPRESENTATION OF BRIDPORT.
On Monday evening at six o'clock, Sir Charles Whetham
again ailiiretsed the electors from the window of the Star
lintel. With him in the room were :—Sir James Elphin-
stone, M.P., Mr. anal Mrs. S. W. Whetham, Mr. and
Mrs, W. T. Whethani, Mr. and Mex. 8. Whethatn, Capt..
and Mrs. (;ood, 3liss Vivian, Mr. H. N. Cog, Mr. A.
Whetham, Mr. G. Belson, Mr. J. Turner. Mr. G. Miller,
Mr. 6. Hussey, Mr. F. W. Good, Yr. W. Tucker, Mr. T.
Northover, Mr. It. Mr. S. Diller, Mr. H. Bridle, fe,
Ac. Sonic id the Ladies and gentlemen displayed red and
white, the l!onserrAtive colours.
Sir Cn mixt after a few introductory remarks, RIK
ainee he had last had the pleasure of addressing them, the
nomination hall taken place, and there were now two
candidates before the electors, and out of those two they
would have to make their choice—it 1111 l st be either him
,or Mr. Ralli. The latter gentleman had been chosen by
the Liberal committee out of, he had heard, fifteen ran-
' didates for Parliamentary honours, but, with all due
respect to those gentlemen who made that choice, he did
not think if Mr. Hodgson hail been present that he would
have selected a foreigner and a member of the Greek
church. He did not believe the electors of Bridport
would have a Greek an their member whilst they had the
opportunity of returning one of their fellowdownsmen.
lie did not loran to say that Mr. Rani was not a respect-
able gentleman, hut lie contended he was sadly out of
place in offering himself to represent the people of But-
port, On Wednesday the electors would have an im-
portant duty to perform, and as the ballot would protect
them, he called upon them to do their duty fearlessly anti
faithfully. S .ine of them might fancy when they entered
the palling booth, and heard their number called out, that
it would be known how they voted, hut, they need not
one would know what they did. For very many
year, there had not been a contest in Britiport—fit Voice :
We don't want one now'3 lie begged to differ from
the person who had just spoken. The, borough hail been
locked up for a very long time, anal unless the lock he
used it will get rusty : he hail the key, and having gut it,
ditl they suppose he was not going to turn it, and unlock
the gate, and give them freedom, no that the country at
large might say, "Bridport has been released." It had
been said because the Duke of Edinburgh had married a
lady of the Greek church, that they were to have a
member of that church to represent them -(confusion,
applause, and "no, no"). The Duchess of Edinburgh was
too goad a lady to interfere in polities, and the difference
between her and a member of Parliament wax very
great. if Mr. Rani should be returned— (a Voice:
" Ile will W'). Time would show, but if he should
he, he would have to assist in making the laws,
and, he asked, was a foreigner the proper person to In no
—(confusion and applaus ). If elected he (Sir Charles)
should be able to see, perhaps, some of the proceedings at
the last election, the charges for conducting which were
between .C. 5150 and tale. Ile should like to know who
hail had lb at money; dial any of the crumbs fall from the
rich man's table and benefit the poor, if not why should !
they go intna few hands /-lalielanse). It might, perhaps, !
be told them at the last moment that if eleeteil he (the
speaker) would not be able to sit in Parliament. But such
was not the case. Let them place him at the head of the
poll anal he should at once go to represent them. Ile
hoped to address them again on Tuesday evening, anal he
hoped u.n Wednesday morning the electors would be at
their punt; he would say to them "Go direct to the polling
booths, don't be led like lambs to the slaughter, go up free
awl independent, let no man attempt to earwig you
—(laughter and cheers). Think for yourselves : go into
the polling booth, anal no man dare say one word to you
-.(appla4se).. If returned as their renresentative. lie

..-
sh.ould devote his time, care,and attention to their
interest with the greatest pleasure; and if they were not
satisfied with what he did they must tell him of it. Ilg
should not lie led, but should on all occasions take an in-
dependent courseAcheers. and "That's right"). When
he addressed them last Saturday he hail said that •
valiant man —a man of war—hail sold out of the army,
but that he (the speaker) was not sure about the time that
he did so. lie found on examination that it was In Isll6
that Colonel Barter had thus sold out, therefore it was
not just before the Crimean war —(V oimvs : '•lie did sir;
I went to the Crinomn war, and ought to know;" " no,
no," (1:c). Ile did not at all wish to attack any man in his
absence, but Colonel Ilayter had first attacked him.
"To err is human, and forgive divine"--and he forgave the
Colonel for what he hail said with all his heart. Another
gentleman hail said that he hail read his (the speaker's)
adilrem forwards and back wants and topsyitnrvy bid
could make nothing of it. Now if such Was the case he
was sure that gentleman would not do for the men of
Bristol much longer, and they should have to send him to
his brother Sam—who is a member of the School hoard—
to take him in hand and mineate him—(laughter and
applause). After some appropriate remarks as to the
duty of every man and every woman to do what they
couht to rise in the world, he asked the electors to consider
what they had to do, and he believed they would
rally around their fellow.townsinan -fa Vim: "No,
no"). Ile pitied the luau who mid " No, no".
Let them go home and talk over the matter with their
wives and families; ; ho knew their wives would direct
them as to what was right to do. Ile was in favour of
female 'mileage. and he believed if women maid vote he
should be 100 almiad, instead of 59, at the close of the poll
—daughter, and applause). Sir James Elphinstone was
about to Moire,oi them, and he (the speaker) would say to
them in conclusion that if they were true to themselves,
he sl 1.1 be able to say at the clime of the poll on
weilo,,otay '• rellow-townsmen, I am your represents-
tiv!"-94" . .

Sir JAMES I,I.I•HINSTONF, who was enthusiastically
receives', said he had found out that day that he was an
elector, or he should nit have appeared before them to
address them : he came to hold out the right hand of
fellowship to a loan professing the same principles as
himself. a townsman of their own, who was now standing
for the borough in which he was born, who hail pushed
his way in London, and who was destined, if Itpared, to
hold a position in that great city the most envied that any
mercantile loan could unjoy—(cheers). Ile certainly
thought the Liberals might have made a better choice of
a candidate than they had. lie should wish to speak of
Mr. ltdli n ith the greatest respect, but he was not a man
who could have any feelings for their interests, or know
any of their wants. —(A voice: Not a bit). He (the
speaker) was ready to aftocd the shelter of the British
power to any foreigners who ante to this country, driven,
it might be from their owls; but he had never In his own
experience known but one who had been elected a
member of the House of Coin s, and with all due
deference to the constituents of the borough, he thought
it would he a reproach to England if they passed over their
fellow-townsman, and elected a foreigner to represent
them in Parliament—(loud cheers). He hail been told
that Mr. Rani was a man of large fortune, and if that
were so, he thought he could spend that fortune more
creilitably and honourably by returning to that wretched
Kingdom of Greece, and endeavouring by the spread of
education to put an end to the state of brigandage and
villany which exists in his wretched country—(cheers).
Ile (the speaker) should like to know what the Liberals
had done for Brislport ; he should like to know wnere
there was a worse drained town, or where the death.rate
was higher, notwithstanding that it bad sat under the
Liberal tree for the last 30 years. They had got but
little out of the Liberal party, and he would
advise them to turn their. attention now to one of
_

their own citizens, who would, he felt sure, do more good
for them than all the blankets which had been on long
distributed in Itridport--(roars of leughter), lie believed
many of those blankets did not find their way to the
backs if those who wanted theta, but went amongt those
who did not want them—they did not go to the poor and
miserable —(bmer, hear, and dissent). Sir Janies then
spoke on the Endowed Schools Bill, the Army Exchange
Bill, the latter of which he said was a poor man's bill, for
be could tell them that Sir Henry Havelock's father
gained his position in the army by exchanging and
nothing (else. The Judicature Bill Mr. Ralli seemed to
know just so much about as he did the Army and Navy
and the Endowed Schools hilt, lie (the speaker) knew a
little about the navy, for he had been many years at sea,
and for the last le years had represented the greatest
arsenal in Great Britain or the world ; and he could tell
theta the navy was not in the state it ought to be, and
that it was absolutely imperative that the Conservative
G. ivern ment should lay out the money necessary to maintain
out fleet in such a state that it should be able to thrash
every other power in the world—(applause). Speaking of
the Ballot, he said there was a time when he was much
opposed to it, but he was now rather a convert to it, as
when they came to try the sense of the country by the
Ballot the Conservatives-obtained • majority of fel in the
Houle of COIUMOVIL Ile again urged them to vote for
their fellow-townsman ; the screw was taken off the
electors frolic in their lives, and they might to as they
liked. The honour of their town WWI in their hands, and
it rested with theta whether they would return an honest
townsman who had climbed up the ladder to an elevation
which few reached, or on the other hand, if they would
return a foreigner, and mare especially a native of Greece,
which would cause theta to be the wonder of all &gland
—(applause).
Several rounds of cheers were then given, and the
crowd which must have numbered close upon 2,000
persons. proceeded to the Greyhound hotel, where Mr.
Norfolk again mole his appearance, and spoke in advocacy
of the principles of Sir Chariot, and urged the evictors to
support him. Ile did not hold forth very long, however,
and the ,streets were 1411011 as quiet and deserted as if
nothing unusual was transpiring.
ou Tuesday morning, just about breakfast time, a hand-
bill was cin•ulatol, addressed to the electors po of Bridrt,
stating that the Tory candidate wishes' them to believe
that Cot Ilayter sold out of the army because he was
afraid to tight in the Crimea, whereas at that time he was
a boy at school, and did not retire from the Guards till
eleven years afterwanls It called upon them not to be
"deluded by vague Tory mifireprefientetion. What does
Toryism mean / It means the duty on corn and a dear
loaf • it means increased taxatim : it 111111114 sectarian
intolerance. If you want dear bread, if you want increased
taxation, if you want religious intolerance, vote for that
Tory, Sir Charism Whethain. whose self-esteem is so great
that even when he met/time+ his own name he lifts his hat,
and never misses an opportunity of blowing his own
trumpet" It concludol with the appeal, "Mon of Brid-
port, send a num to represent your interest and liberty
who will speak with no uncertain sound, and that man is
Mr. Ralli. This elf usicn was signed "A Brother Elector,
and not at 'ock-a-doodleelo."
In the course of the morning the town crier announced
that Sir Charles Whetham would address the electors at
quarter.past six, and Mr. Rani at seven o'clock
in the
evening. At half-pest one a large crowd asseinbled near
St. Mary's church, when Mr. Norfolk delivered an address,
combating the arguments advanced by the Lilieretion
Society • in the midst of his address the church bells rang
forth a Peal, and he asked the electors would they lend
their aid to pull down that church in the sound of whose
tellS many of them were born, and m had lived ost of their
lives ; he did not believe they would, and if that was the
cam they must vote for Sir Charles Whether.. Ile
announced that after Sir Charles and Mr. Ralli had had
their say in the evening he should have a few iuore words
for the electors if they would conic to the Greyhound
Hotel.
During the day a variety of posters were stuck up in the
town, amongst theca being "What the State Church
costs," "A few words to the electors about Disestablish-
' ment," "The real truth about church property." all, of
, course, being in favour of disestablishinent and issued
I under the auspices of the society which seeks to carry out
that object A large coloured bill, advocating the total
abolition of the game laws, and headed "A few earnest
words to the working men_ of England on the Game
Laws," was also freely distributed.
In the afternoon another handbill was issued, addressed
Vs the electors. It went on to Ray "Mr. }Lath appears
before you, invited unanimoirly by the Liberal party.
But who brings Sir Charles Whetbani I Not the Con-
servatives At their meeting, prior to his appearance
amongst us, only two hands were held up for the proud
Alderman, but this had no effect, come he would, and
here he is wishing to be our representative, t'au you vote
for a man like this' Ile claims to be a fellow-townsman
what has he done for the public institutions of our town'
Nowhere do I see his name. In his address of Monday he
was supported by one of the junior Lords of the Treasury,
and what he may 1 Why that we have not an ironclad
that will bear 1511 a. pressure; this would not drive the fly
wheel of the smallest engine used by our manufacturers,
and is simply nonsense. Sir James then tells you that
the sanitary state of Bridport is bad, and the death rate
bight, and this is the fault of Liberal government. Let me
ask, who is it in Bridport that 11U opposed all sanitary
IIIeaSUICS / Why the Tories. The worthy baronet Rays he
does not know much about the arany ; he certainly did not
show you he knew much about the navy." It concluded,
"Men of Bridport to the front, and support the glorious
flag of Liberalism by voting for Mr. Ralli. Bear in mind
the old but very true saying, 'Trasle is always bed under
Tory Government' "
The friends of Sir Charles seemed to think there was
great probability that he would be at the head of the poll,
and there were mane of the other party who could not but
admit that it was very Neely the speech of Sir James
Elphinstone on the preceding evening had prodacol an
impression on many of the voters, and done the Conserva-
tive Callice some good. It was rumoured during the after-
noou that a number of voters had "sloped " it, toerinine,
we suppose, that they had left the towu, and had done so
Wet 04 should ltd absent When they worst wanted to
14 14 41144 of this we cannot vouch. Both
vote, to,. 44
1,1114110, were bury at work through-
candidates, with ssflthiyi W944esday wee
out the day, and the pros,
looked forward to with interest. ' Nerfolk
On Tuesday evening about ail o'clock Mr. as