The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-22 00:00:00

THE YARMOUTH ELECTION.

The report of the first day's proceedings of the election
commission, writes the Times, conveyed to Sir E. Lacon
the startling intelligence that 4,0001. had been spent on
his behalf in " illegal expenses" at the late Yarmouth
elution, and he was horrified at the discovery. It was the
first ward that he had heard of it. Who could be the
guilty person out of whose pocket this good round sum
came? Not Sir Edmund Lacon, certainly: that he can
say, and he does say before the commission. Whoever
gave the money, it was a simple disinterested act of friend-
ship to Sir Edmund bacon. To be sure, it turns out that
the highly benevolent and generous person out of whose
pocket came the round sum of 4,0001. WY Mr. Nightingale,
Sir Edmund !Luton's partner. This unknown subsidiser and
ready-handed au x iliary was close at Sir Ednaund Lacon's side
throughout the Yarmouth election, and the electioneering
donation proceeded oat of one side of his own brewery.
How little do we know who oar best friends are ! Who.
ever the munificent donor may be, Sir Edmund Laoon
assures the commission that be never will be repaid, and
that nothing shall ever induce Sir Edmund to refund •
farthing of it. No; a gift it is, and • gift it shall remain,
and Sir Edmund Lawn has had, or has now, nothing
whatever to do with it. A sum of 1,0001. was spent at the
election of 1859. A Hr. Cory says :—" I should say
positively that I did not put the 1,0001. in the bill in one
sum." Had he done so, Sir Edmund Icon would have
been obliged to make inquiries. Bat he " distributed it
over the bill," in consequence of which Sir Edmund
was only "annoyed at the largeness of the bill,"
which the most upright and tender moral convic-
tions would allow. Sir E. Icon " never examined items."
It is an oasis of innocence amid conspiracy and contrivance.
The candidate knows everything except what he ought
not to know. The Times has no reflection to make, except
that so fortunate and so nicely adjusted an ignorance can.
not escape the suspicion to which all too lucky coinci-
dences are liable.
It cannot for a moment be imagined, the Pod remarks,
that the friend who provides 1,000/. or 4,0001 to ensure
the election of • candidate would do anything of the kind
except on the understanding that he was to be repaid, and
as between men of honour no securities are required.
But surely it would be safer to fulfil the tacitly recog-
nised obligation through the agency of • " stranger"
than to pay it in a solicitor's bill of costs. This is
• weak point in the case of the " Red" party, inasmuch u
the connexion of the member with the repayment of money
advanced to secure his seat appears to be wholly gratuitous.
It is plain that the leaden of the rival parties in the
borough are morally responsible for a state of things which,
profitable as it may be to some persons, imposes more than
a pecuniary burden on gentlemen who, like Sir E. Icon,
might reasonably stand upon their local qualifications. It
may or may not be tree that two conservatives would be
returned in an election conducted on pure principles, but,
at all events, the character of a constituency is, in the long
run, worth more to statesman in the House of Commons
1. than one vote on a division.