The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-17 00:00:00

GREAT YARMOUTH ELECTION COMMISSION.

GREAT YARMOUTH, Auourr 16.

The commissioners appointed to inquire into
corrupt practices at the last and previous elections for
members to serve in parliament for this borough com-
menced their sittings this morning, at the Town-hall. The
commissioners are Mr. Wyndham Slade, Mr. Lucius Henry
Fitagersld, and Mr. George Rummell. There was not at
first a very large attendance of the general public, but the
audience increased as the proceedings went on..
The Chief Commissioner (Mr. Slade) having briefly
opened the proceedings,
Mr. C. J. Palmer, who acted as returning officer at the
last election, stated the names of the candidates and the
number of votes polled for each. He was also examined as
to previous elections from the passing of the Reform Bill.
I A petition was presented against the return in 1837 which
was compromised by Mr. Wiltshire's retirement. In
1847, in consequence of the election, the freemen of the
borough were disfranchised by special act of par-
liament. In 1848 an election took place in
consequence of the previous members being un-
seated. In 1852 there was a petition, but it failed on
some tee. hnical point. The election in 1&57 was declared
void on petition. At the last election the expenses of
Lacon and Goodson were returned at 8831. We. 11(1.; of
Brogden and Vanderbyl, at 6431. 13e.; and of Marshman,
at 10/L 15e. Bd. ; but he should say these amounts did not
include all the expenses. He should think that the ex-
pense of elections had increased of late years, but he never
heard that the last election oast the candidates 15,0001.
He had heard that it cost a great deal.
Mr. C. Cory, the town-clerk, said the legal expenses of
an election in Yarmouth would be 8001. to 1,000/. on each
side. Mr. Goodson was at the time of the last election
chairman of the Greet Eastern Railway Company, and it
was thought his support would be valuable to the town,
putting politics aside. He had heard a number reports
about corrupt practices, but was able to give no information
ly upon the subject. He had heard that votes were
L>eoll7imgrlback.
Mr. J. Mires, a solicitor, of Yarmouth, who was the
legal agent of the liberal candidate at the last election,
said he was one of the petitioners against the return,
and in taking that course he had no Moon
to fear recrimination on the other side. The cases
which came out before the committee were selected
by counsel, and were only a small proportion of the eases
which had been preps and he considered that corrupt
practices had generally been resorted to in the borough,
and on both sides. Be heard Mr. Marshman say that the
refusals to promise exceeded the promises, and that was
one ground of his retirement from the field. (Laughter.)
Mr. J. Scott, a magistrate who also signed the petition,
said he did not think there was any case of bribery on the
liberal side till after the election, but since then he had
heard that there had been cases.
Mr. Blake, merchant and shipowner, was next ex-
amined, after which the inquiry was adjourned.

NB. SCHOLEFIELD, N.P., ON PINANCJ

At a dinner at Birmingham on Wednesday
evening,b Mr. Scholefield, M.P., in returning thanks for the
and county members, said there were one or two
matters upon which he thought he might be permitted fir
say • few words, and which required the attention of •
meeting like the present. They were all interested in a
lighter taxation than that which they bad to ray a=
sent, and they were also interested in obtaining •
system of banking than that which at present obtained.
(Loud cheers.) He was not going to talk upon the abased
question of banking, because he would always hesitate to
express an opinion upon a subject which had limn=
to be transcendently difficult, and which had
bothered the heads of the wisest et men ;
he attended with a deputation from Hamitic-
ham the other day at an interview with the Chancellor
of the Exchequer—and he was not gang to tell what
took place, because really the Chancellor said nothing—
(laughter)—on which OCCILZiOTI the members ef the depu-
tation argued with Mr. Disraeli—as they thought, with
verb great success—but he was afraid they were better
satisfied with their own arguments than the right hon.
man was, judging from his language. (" Hear," and
laughter.) He must say that Mr. Disraeli listened to the*
with great patience ; but since then he (Mr. ficholefield) saw
that in one of the morning papers they were denounced as
a body of freetraders, going to invoke the aid of govern-
ment to put matters straight, when, in point of fact, they
themselves had been in the wrong. Amami* that this
was tree, and that they were freetraders, what be mid
was that they wanted a little free trade in Nank-
ing. (Loud thous.) He wafer* that—without goieg
into the question of the Bank of England—he was
heartily sick of its °pastiest, and he should think
the people of this country were to also, when fee menthe
together the Bank of England maintained the rate of die.
count at 10 per cent., and within twenty,five miles of the
coast of this country the Bank of Frame and its branches
were only charging 3i per cent. This in itself, whatever
crotchets • man migh have on the currency question, area
a condemnation of our English system of banking opera-
tions. (Cheers.) He would take another instance, that of
America. (Hear, hear.) Amami, with. great vox whielt
lasted three years, and an amount of debt larger than our
own in point of the interest paid, and almost as large as our
own in the capital, was yet a country in which, at the pm-
seat moment, they beard of no financial difieulties, and as
commercial dimes--in fact, everything seemed to work
comparatively easily, and they had • discount of only 6 per
Bent.--(hear, beam--while here in England, with none
of the difficulties enumerated to trammel them, they
were paying 10 per cent. Sorel) there mart be some-
thing wrong here—(applause)--and when he was told
they were &winders he said, " Give us an opportunity
of having a little free trade in banking." (Chews.) The
American system had this immense advantage—it allowed
any man to set up a bank who would place in the hands of
the government Slate stocks or Federal stooks equivalent
to the amount of his issue ; and he wanted to know why
they should confide to the Bank of England the sole power
of issuing bank notes if they could have notes quite as good
issued by anyone who chose to hand over to tbe govern-
ment an amount of Consols, with a margin of security for
the payment of the notes. Why should not he, or
any other man, if he chose to deposit 160,000 f. worth ci
Consols, be allowed to assist the commerce of the country
by issuing notes to the extent of 100,0001. on the security
of his Consols? (Hear hear.) He thought: it behoved
them to tun their attention to this question, for they
might depend upon it that if the present banking system
was not altered the time was not far distant when the com-
merce of England would again be affected financially as it
was at the present time. There was one other point upon
which he might be allowed to speak, because it was •
startling one in regard to the taxation of the country.
Many of those present 'midst have noticed the sawyer
given by the present First Lord of the Admiralty to a
question as to the navy mane, but he did not think
that answer bad been properly appreciated by the
people of this country. They knew very well that
during the last six or seven years they had had a vast
expenditure on the navy, and he himself had—whilst he
believed strictly in economy—never, and would never,
vote for a reduction of the army and na7 estimates below
• point which would keep both forces in a state of effi-
ciency. (Hear, bear.) This being so, be thought the an-
swer of Sir John Palungton would startle the people of
this country. During the six or seven years he had re-
ferred to there had been expended on the navy some
10,000,00 W., and yet within three days of the prorogation
of parliament the First Lord of the Admiralty, in answer
to a question as to the names of the ships forming the
naval reserve, mid he would rather not give the names of
the vessels, because he was ashamed to say their number
was so small that they had not • sufficient number to
relieve the ships returning to this country from foreign
stations. To him the statement was perfectly stealing,
and the House of Commons was so taken aback that
nobody answered it or made any remark, because they
were so near the termination of the session. But before
parliament reassembled he thought the people ought to
inquire what had become of the 10,000,000/. of money.
(Cheers.) He believed every department of the govern-
ment was managed as honestly as it was possible for it to
be ; but he believed there was an amount of incompetenoe
and almost imbecility, of confused accounts, and of
reckless extravagance, to be found in the navy depart-
ment which was not to be found in any other part of the
government adminstration. (Hear, hear.) In the next
session of parliament it was necessary to see to it, that
if 10,000,00 W. of money was not seffithent to enable the
country to have • navy reserve, they bad better give up the
navy and save the money ,• for should war come urma us,
though no doubt we should scuffle through it as English-
men always did, it would only be dune by indomitable
courage, and not by having an efficient armament. (How.
hear.)