The Express.
London, England, 1849-06-21 00:00:00

OUR REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM
MAIDSTONE.
The origin of the roes corruption of Maidstone is
lost in the dim obscurity of a hundred years. It is a
matter of history that there were three contests 6r
the borough in the last century; which cost 10,0001,
20,0001., and 27,0001., to the respective candidates.
The right of election was in the freemen at large, re.
sidenta and non-residents, and in three days the
greater portion of the expenditure was in bringing up
the out-voters, and maintaining them in Maid-
stone during the continuance of the poll.
There were two aristocrafe families peasessing
at that time considerable influence over the resi-
dent electors—the Finehee Earls of Ayltsford,
and the Marshams, Earls Of Romeey. Both there
families, however, had to pay dearly for their
seats. The Finch interest was first encroached upon
in 1747, when the freemen determined upon ejecting
the candidate of that party in °ens -quence of Lord
Aylesford having told them that he " could buy them
whenever he required their services." At that time
one of the Fairfax family, then residing at Leeds
Castle, now the seat of Mr. Wyckham Martin, and a
Mr. Horsemonden Turner, recorder of the borough,
were returned in opposition to Mr. Ileneege Finch.
Toe Finches regained their arcendarcy in 1741, but
were finally routed in 1780, from which period "the
two lords" have ceased to possess any influence in
Maidstone.
At the cc mmencement of the present century the
great contest in Maidstone lay not between aristo-
cratic families, but between a large brewery and the
freemen generally. The brewers, who were also
magistrates, kept under their control all the public
houses of the town and neighbourhood, and permitted
no infringement of their monopoly. No less than 56
out of 60 public houses in Maidstone belonged to this
firm. It stoma to bo a matter of life and death
to them to secure for a member ot their own faction
every public office connected with the town. To such
extremes did they go et this time, that it is on record
that at one municipal contest the price paid for votes
was "15/., a squeaker, and a bunch of parele ribbon"
—tbe " squeater " being a fat you, g pig, fed from
the mashtub at the brewery, and the " purple rib-
bon" being the colours of the party wherewith both
the voter and the squeaker were decorated. It is
stair d by Oldfield, that one of the electior s at this
period wes turned by 20 voters, who had hidden
themselves in a hay-lone to await the event
of the poll, and obtain a higher price for their
suffrages. One of the candidates having discovered
duey retreat, attempted an interview with th se ho-
nest men, but they secured the citadel by drawing
up the ladder and barricading the entrance. In vein
he implored them " to wine dozen and sure their e.,un-
try." They would listen to nothing but the jingt
ling of his purse; and et length their demonist being
folly satisfied they suffered themselves to be led to
the hustings us a (nips de reserve to ditide the day.
The candidate believed to have been referred to by
Oldricld wits the well known Sir Matthew Bloxham,
who eat for Maidstone from 1788 to 1806, when he
was thrown out after a most severe contest with a
Mr. Longman. Sir Matthew petifoned against the
sitting to r's return, on the ground of bribery and
corruption ; and among other things it was proved
that at this electioe the ribbon bill of ore of the can-
didates alone amounted to 5001., and the charge for
drawing his carriage into the town to thirty guineas!
The enermous expenditure incurred on this occasion
was for a mat which was only destined to be held
five months, the parliament having been dissolved
cal ly in 1807. In that year there was another close
coetest, Sir William Geary being the oppositie n can-
didate. Three times in the course of this elechon
all the candidates were equal on the poll, and at its
close on the second day there was only a difference of
tiro between teem.
Where parties were so equally divided, it might
naturally be exeteted that bribery would exist
amongst a certain class of vet -re. The *perm, however,
which prevailed at this tine, and which still exists in
Maidstone, was a system of corruptina far more
general than that. The freemen, as a body, expected,
and they regularly received, subsequently to the
election, 51. from each candidate for whom they had
voted, or 101. in the event of their giving a plumper.
This money was,and it still continuos to be paid, after
the peri, d had expired for petitioning against the re-
turn. In the event of there being no opposition, it
was understood that 51. only would be given ; but
from 1747 to 1847 there never was an election at
itlaidatone without an opposition, en that for a hun-
dred years the right to demob& the amount of head
money was never tested.
'fhe town of Maidstone is a large, lovelier, and
influential place. Its trade is flourishing; its market
the largest in the thriving Weald of Kent. The in-
habitants of such a plaec, worthy, wealthy shop-
keepers, could rot fail to be ereatly interested in the
passing of the Reform Bill. In 18311 they had elected
for the third time Mr. Abraham Roberts, the London
hanker, who was a useful member and a consietent
whig. The then colleague of this gentleman was Mr.
Aid. Winchester, who had come down, as the people
said, to buy himself in with Treasury gold, but whose
public-linuee bills were unpaid for a lung time, how-
ever much gold he might have had at his dispo-al.
When parfaatnt was desolved in 1831, the reformers
of Maidstone applied to Mr. liobar's to bring them a
second libe:al e indidate. The gentleman recommended
to them was Mr. C. J. Barnett, whose name was not
unknown in the district, his fethc r, the head of the
banking firm in Lombard-street, having represented
Rochester in several parliaments. Alderman Win-
chester had opposed reform, and in consequence of
that and local eircumstances had become exceedingly
unpopular. Messrs. Roberta end Barnett were (once-
quently returned after one day's poll, the numbers
lbeing—for Roberts 478, Barnett 141, Winchester 195,
ISimson (a tory) 150.
1 The boundaries of the borough of Maidstone were
not altered by the Reform Act, nor was the constit uercy
at all enlarged. It was bored, ev.ver, that the
elections u'd be rendered le-s expensive, roc that
the out-vo!ers were disquanfiel. 'lto re were not
wanting respectable inhabitants of Maidstone who
were anxious that this result should follow the- great
change. They knew that the resueetablity of the
borough was at stake, they t'• ought that there was
now an oppertunity of securing a fair end proper
system of reprrentation, and they looked to the
result with much anxiety.
Mr. Roberts was at the head of the party who gave
expression to theme sentiments. This gentleman had
first been elected for Maidstone in 1818, when com-
paratively sleeking a young man. He heel steed !our
contests for the towr, all of which had been conducted
upon the same principle,—that of paying headeueney
I
to the voters, and maintaining at great cost all the
cfaiteuh s-
lateout d
votersthat
oebrea
rtb,:r
pghritoirn
toto
the
poll p
vnti r
g i s
of
Reform Bill, spent nearly 30,000/. in Maidstone elec-
tions. He had been the monied candidate, and it was
mainly through his influence that the party led now
I almost far the first time been able to return
Itwo members for the town. Mr. Roberts had proved
himself, during his come xinn with the borough, the
great friend and benefactor of the towaspc epic. Ile
had obtained places innumerable for themselves un4
for their connexions; he had assisted them in pe en-
niary difficulties, had supported their local institu-
tions, and had placed himself at the head of every
movement for the improvement of the borough, or for
the benefit of its inhebitacts.
Mr. R Lute therefore, had a right to hope that
now thst the law had made a chancre in the system of
election., a purer and better practice would prevail
at Maidstone, and that he should leap the ad-
vantage of the alters' ion. No sooner, however,
was the parliament dissolved, than a party at
Maidstone who had supported Alderman Winchester
set forth to look for a candidate to advance their
principles, and pay what was due on the aldermen's
old mere. Tne rand date they brought was Mr.
Wyndham Lewis, an ironniaeter in Wale., i eae-
nexion with the Guests, who l ad set in parliament in
1820 for a dose borough ot the Duke of Newc ,stle's,
and who had uneucee.sfully appear -d as candidate for
Maidreo. eat the general election of 1826. Mr. Lewis
was supported by the hank in Maidstone, a very in-
fluential concern, which has frequently mei its pew. r
somewhat unscrupulously to support the tone'. The
tide in femme of reform, however, was too
strongly set in to enable !Mr. Lewis to succeed
a this occesine, even although backed by the influ-
ence of the Meielstene bank. On the close or the first
day's trail he found the ma!ority against him suffi-
ciently large to induce him to re .;gte there b kg --for
Rohiarte, 500; Barret., 169 ; Lewis, 422; and-the
vast ituency being ab tut two-thirds polled. '
Mr. Wyndham Lewis, at this electioti, was able to
secure the services of a selicitor in Maidstone who

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