The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-21 00:00:00

OUR REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM

Tll6 NAVIGATION ACT CONDEMNED A CENTURY
Ano. —Although this ant is billeting to as under our pee.
Ma Simms. in rule, bat would be noodle* were they
6,0'1 remedied, yet it is even now not without its Moore-
steno*. For a law that confirm iu say degree, oar im-
ports or exports to particular ships or men, gives a
whichwheellsframed,
Ibis e.se Is tither the tavigation of the countries whose
grow he we import, or else our own. /Lad this as .nopoly ie
e ry prejudicial to our nissulactures ; for it is enacting that
a yeral secretaries and materials of nianufecture shell net be
imported by the cheapest navigation, but by a dear one. and
of omens that they shall pay dear freights, which must raise
their mile; and it the manufacturer buys his greenish dear,
he must sell Lis manufacture in pe.portioa.—Sir Matthew
Decker (1744.)
THE FIRST IRISH BLEACHED SEWED 'MUSLIN
1112 NT re min Mi.lstisi's Count.—Probablyit may
sewed
strike
rime of oar reads* with surprise to learn that the
le yids sneaufectunve of this town have been accustomed to i
send all their goods to Glasgow, in order to undergo the
mars of bleachiag, and that, in this +ay. thousand. of
p ands have been enunalty **neat ted to Scotland fur work
woich, i• might be primmied, could hare been finished
equal y well at home. there is no accot
unting lot tast
e'pnifi-
e but
w• undev to ake way that el scot magn
mess of embroidered needlework, shown us as menutestured
by Mr, Felling, of Academy. street, sewed by a young fermi.
named Rib n Officer, if I, nimbly lane, and bleached by thi;
Mews. Bragg, all of this town, are no; only equal in every
rat ape* to the best specimens of similar work " done up" in
Jr sister country, but that they will have the effect ot re-
moving the prjadiees which ezist among some parties
egi.inst even our &in bleachers. The ladies of her Usjeedy's
court are still forwarding oilers for some of the p
sad royal cake-plats coven presented to her Majesty.incushion Those
which we have described have been made up tor her Ms-
j sty's Olen.— Banner of Ulster.
REIIoVAL OF COSVicre.—Dnring the last ft*
weeks no fewer this silty three convict', under sentence of
transportatiou, have been removed from E linhurgh prison
to the prisons at Millbank and Wakefield. Forty sat that
number belong-A to lidioburgh, and the remainder to other
countiss, whence they had been brought up to E linburch
for trial, or re rode kr transp,rtesion. We understand
that there is still a site number of convicts both from this
and other counties remaining in prison, waiting the orders
toe reintval.—Scoftwomei.
MANSLAUGHTER IN A BEER-lIOUSIL—At the
Birough Court, Manchester,on Tuesday morning, Matthew
Sean, a brickmaker, was charged with having committed
matislmehter, by killing a women, named Susan Hppeared earn.
From the evidence of the different witnesses, it a
that between seven and eight o'clock on the
',hon.*,
previous even-
ing, a number of persoes litre drinking in a bes
Ashton Old-road, Ariwiek. Among the company were
Trio** Hearn and his wile, who wets rending in the ',p-
roem, before
ofd fire, at the time that the prisoner entered,
ia • state ntoxication. Alter remaining seated tor a
abort time, the prisoner walked up to the fireplace, and,
without the least provocation, knocked off Rearn's cap,
and then commenced pulling his hair. A arm named
James Hall called out, " Don't touch the poor tall*, he
n sad a word to you;' upon which the prisoner re-
treated towards the noor. He instantly re
oturned, how-
ever and thereupon Mn. Hearn threw her arms round her
husband, interning, "Oh, dear, don't hit my husband,"
and at the same moment (as Hall rates), "be
saw the prisoner's fist fall upon the deceased's
forthead," the blow being a gleneine one, and
the prisoner's hand passing down the woman's facie.
The stafortunre woman appears to have immediately left
the rem and gone to the landlady, ooseplaining that " amen
in the tap-rocs had killed her." She then went up stai
farr,
bat came down again in a few minutes, and staggered as
as the bar; shows' then foaming at the mouth, and appeared
to be in convulsions; and after faintly calling "Tnostu,"
she fell to the ground. A mica was imuiernately sent
for, and some of the company set the deceased on a form,
frm which she almost instantly tell dead. An essistani to
Mr. Barlow, surgeon, of Pinmill Brow, arrived in a very
short time, closely lollowed by lir. Barlow himself, but they
could render no assistance. The prisoaer, who declined to
say anything in his datum, was remanded to Thtirs lay, In
melee to allow time foe a post sorts= examination of the
body of the deosessid. On Tuesday evening, the borough
coroner held an inquest on the body at the Royal Infirmary
when, after the esamisetion of • poLos officer, the proceed-
ings ware adjourned to Thereon morning next.—Mine
Mese* Guardian.
Flats AND EIPLO6IO2IL—Last evening, shortly
after 6 o'clock, an ezpbsion erearriell esti* premises bel
to Mean. D. and IG. Disk, Coventry-street, Ilaysearlagt
em armed through a hey playing with gunpowder, selfish
ISA with such violence, that a number of betties of
=of glass la the shop_ hoot, as well as the
, were demolished. No person was hart.—
Iffiertly Wore 3 o'clock,_yisteeday morning'
the family of
Mr. Ellis, shoemaker, No. 61, St. James's street, Oxfoed•
street, had a narrow escape fro be
m ing burned to death.—
At an only hour, yesterday morning, a fire broke out in the
beloaging to Mr. H. Owes, 21, Noble-street,
sireled".ion-square. The inmates having been aroused front
Then amebas, they mosseded is seesping into the street
The flames were extieguished. but not -before the whole
of the stock and fixtures were *early ciessiamed. A abort
Moe previously an implosion hippried at 68,
Great tisnen•street, Limobes-tan•Fields, belonging to
Hr. W. Willem ternitsterdoeler. It appears that
Whilst NMI prism wen employed reparing the
gas the gss mewed. Coming In contact
with aMight, it exploded, sad Mew op the_ noorir.g boards,
forced down the toiling, end demolished a meat many
squares of glees in the back put of the shop. Fortunately,
in this instance, no one woe injured.

KID DERMINSI ER (Coterie can).
The elec ion of 1t132 wee oily the first act in the
drama of Ki cd -1 ivies. er corruption.
The contest was so clog ~ and Itl.. 0 elson's success
appeared to tIYTe rebutted !rem so tier.. an accident,
that Mr. Phillips wee easily induced to come again.
Accordingly, on the dissolution in 11334, he e-appeared
as a candidate for Kiddermiesere. Mr. Godson,
although elected as a Po,iticsl Uni ii St. IV d almost as
a Clutist, had in the season immediat ly preceding
exhibited unequivocal symptoms o' tory tehdenc es.
When Sir In,bert Peel came in, he r.p:t ly declared
himself. He no longer staid as a mite mer ;he was
now " a moderate conservative."
It might have been supposed that such an unequi-
vocal case of rotting would have estranged from the
booed/able member very many of his old supporeers.
In almost any other town such doubtless would have
been the use. But Mr. fideon knew his men in
Kidderminster. He knew that p i eth al eoeskissee
tams were very little regarded smog them; that the
passions to be excited and played with did net tern
upon considerations of the public weal. Mr. Gongola
accordingly cams down hilly prepared to brazes it
out. He found no diminutioa of hie po nlarity with
the multitude. The unthinking semen ith him Mills
more strongly, perhaps. thaaheaase, hav-
ing fought tor biro in 1832, they. poor creature s,
were too honest to be deserters from their colours
in 18.35. And herein a e see the striking weenie
between the trading politician and the home non-
elector. Toe one is ignorant, but faithful ; the other
informed, but prepared to employ his abilities at the
command of the highest bidder. Thos • who talk of
the working classes being unfitted for the franctase—
le t us ask them which of the two they would prefer
to wet. them ?
However Mr. Phillips may have calculated that
his position would be improved by the change which
tad occurred in the politics of his oppouenis, he toms
found that he bad nothing on that account to reckon
on. The result of the canvass proved that the two
candidates stood pretty much as they had stood in
1832. Mr. Phil ipe's friends, however, were deter-
mined he should win. They outbid their opponents at
the beer-house., and flooded the whole town with ale
and spirits. Toe publicans became exalted into an
important electioneering class. They were linty nu-
merous, and the unlimited orders which were given
to them became a most important consideration to
them. Ever since this election, the publicans el
Kidderminster have shown themselves he most cor-
rupt. part of the constitueucy of the town. Nothing
but an order will ever induce them to give a pro wise.
And "an " order " i a
bribe" of s little lees to a
hriedred r a h them than a prundofit,red
or
in other words,
and fifty pounds.
By this tremendous tublic-house expenditure, by a
system of suppers, and by a great deal of direct
oribery, Mr. Phillips's friends succeeded in ebtaining
his election. The numbers were for Phillips, 197;
Godson, 124. Toe cost of this colter to the losiogl
candidate was estimated at 3,0001. Mr. Phillipsl
bills are said to have amounted to between 8,0001.1
and 9,0001., nearly the whole of which west in abso-
lute corruption.
It would have been well for Kidderminster if with'
this corruption the iniquities of the contest had ter-
minated. But a system was now introduced by Mr.
Godson's friends, unequalled, we believe, in the elec-
tioneering annals of any town
sin England. This
system was an organised plan of blocking." Gangs
of men stationed themselves around the dom.: of any
shopkeeper who had voted against Gods in. They
refused to permit the entry of his custonere. Women
they frightened away : men who attempted to eater
they bullied or assaulted. In manufacturing towns
it most usually happens that the purchases of the
working classes are made on Saturday night. Every
Saturday night the " blocking" was put in force in
Kidderminster ; especially against those ehopkecpe's
with whom the poor were in the habit of dealing
for articles of the first necessity. The system
was prosecuted for many mon hs after the
election. Matey an honest tradesman was
ruined by it, especially those whose commodities
were perishable. It will be asked why did not the
authorities interfere? Why, indeed! Unhappily,
we must attribute this with everything else to the
wicked and debased spitit prevailing in this town.
What was death to one man was sport to soother.
Many a man whose shop was blocked attributed such
blocking to the instigation of a rival tradesman, who
perhaps Pas wofas a
Mr.inbe member
Gordon's
etlhece
tiloor
cloragomveitetneemenAt,nade
what was more scandalous still, this blocking
system was openly and avowedly sanctioned by mem-
bers et that committee. The scoundrels engaged in
the task were treated afterwards at public houses
which were known to be in the Godson interest,
and there can be no moral doubt that members
el Godson's committee paid them for their work.
Such was the state of Kidderminster in 1835 and
1836. The expenditure Mr. Phillips had incurred
for a seat, which was only occupied two years, .wars
enough to disgust any man. Just prior to tie disso-
lution of 18 i 7 the hon. member paid a vi-it to his
constituents. He found the rate of things in no
degiee improved. On the contrary, the lavish ex-
penditure of 1835 had raised expectations which it
would be difficult to satisfy. Atter a short examina-
tion, Mr. Padilla accordingly withdrew. He
avowed, in retiring, that he saw the coming electios
was only to be won as the last had been won,
time
at d
that he was not prepared to sit a second
upon such terms es those. This gentlemen certainly
left Kidderminster far worse than he found it, but it
is to be recorded in his favour that he was cot
the individual who commenced the corrupt sy stem
which at both his elections disgraced this base con-
stituency.
Mr. Phillips having resigned, the party who sup-
ported him had some difficulty in procuring a suc-
cessor. At last they found Mr. Bsgshaw, the present
representative of Harwich. There
which we shall
not further refer. No one of properly constituted
mind would have thought of using teem as a weapon '
in an honourable warfare with an antagonist. But
Mr. Godson was not delicate. He raised •
cry against Mr. Bagshaw upon these prism:al matters.
Mr. Bagebaw's prospects were no doubt injured
by it. He braved the storm, and went to the poll
manfully, but the result was foreseen before the no-
mination. Mr. Go-son polled 198 votes, Mr. Bag-
shaw 157. This election cost the former gentleman
3,0001., the latter about 1,8001.
There might have been a slight lull at Kiddermin-
ster between 1837 and 1841 bad it tot been for the
existence there of a paper, which, without a single
exception, was the vilest provincial journal that
ever was known in Ragland. This paper was
called the Ten 7owne Messenger. No individual was
tree from its attacks; the more respectable, the
more he was traduced in it. The concern came
before the public se the organ of Mr. Oodsoo
and Hs Mends is Kidderminster. We dare say it was
—it was worthy of them, and they of it. Daring the
greater part of the time that this concern was carried
es, the town of Kidderminster felt deeply the ill
effects of its noxious influence. Those who only know
the value of a free and independent preen can scarcely
conceive the curse of a vile and scurrilous public
print. In a small town such a publication is an enl edgine
of mischief and oppression perfectly unparalle—
and such an engine was the Ten Towns' Messenger.
It was, perhaps, the desire to triumph, despite this
paper, that excited the independent party in Kidder-
minster to make a strong exertion at the general
election of 1841. They resolved upon that occasion
to not to win; and they selected for their champion
' Mr.-Rennie, who afterwards got in for Ipswich. The
canvasses at Kiddermiester have by some unfortunate
accident always been remarkable for their duration,
Mr. Rennie's canvass was longer than usual. It tho-
roughly sitkened him of the town. The bad feeling
which he found existing; the brutal coarseness
emotese
attacks to which he was subjected ;
system upon which it was evident that elections were
expected to be conducted; the profound depth of the
corruption, and the infamous electioneering practices
in which even the most decent of the townspeople are
sunk ; —ell these things thoroughly nauseated Mr.
Rennie, and made him most desirous to escape
the itillietion of association with BidatiMintltel%
Three dap before the election he suddenly re-
signed. His resignation was a great blow to
his supporters, who had determined to win by
the sane seats that they, had won in 1835
They stood to win, and their ~natives were more than
favourable. They bad a candidate who, they be-
lieved, would not care few the expense ; and they
themselves did not care a farthing for the means.

chsfraucturement.
Mr. Godson wu returned by a majority of 12, the
numbres being, fur Ciadeon 212, Ricardo 200. The
lezmn•iiture amounted to nearly 12,0001. between the

(To to continued.)