The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-06-19 00:00:00

WESTMORELAND ELECTION.

ITROM OUR OWN REPORTER.!
Throughout the county of 11'eannoreland party feeling runs
refry high, and nothing is talked of but the approaching contest.
The Yellows and Blues are eseh making great exertion% to secure the
view', and much doubt is entertained an to the result. A paper
has been put forth, signed by 52 of Mr. Brougham's former sup-
porters, announcing their disapprobation of his cooduct upon the
Catholic Question, and consequent determination to withdraw from
him their support upon the present occasion. It is said, however,
that many of the persons whose names are affixed to this document
deny all knowledge of It, and assert that they Bare no sort of autho-
rity for the use of their names in such a publication. Let this be an
it may, the supporters of the Independence of Westmoreland, as
the Blues are termed, are enthusiastic in their expectatioos of the
success of their favourite Candidate (Mr. Brougham).
His friends in Kendal invited him to dine with the electors at the
King's Arms Inn, on Thursday last, and accordingly he arrived at
that town about two o'clock in the afternoon. A vast concourse of
the Inhabitants went some distance out of the town to meet him,
marching with a band before them, and carrying blue flogs with the
inscriptions of " Brougham for ever," and ‘• Brougham and the
Independence of Westmoreland." As soon as the carriage came
In view, with Mr. Brougham sitting on the dickey. the loudest ac-
clamations rent the air. The horses were immediately taken out,
and he was drawn by the people to the residence of Mr. Ilerlis, his
solicitor, nearly opposite to the Lowther Committee Room, in
which were seated at the time some members of the Yellow Com-
mittee and several of their female friends, of course in the same
interest.

In the course of a few minutes Mr. }lnoue:team made his ap-
pearance at the first-door window, and was received with the most
enthusiastic demonstrations of attachment. As soon as the cheers
had in some measure subsided, he addressed the assembled multi-
tude. The situation which we at that moment occupied was by
no means favourable for hearing, but, as far as we could catch his
voice, he spoke to the following purport :—Again, he said, had the
Parliament been dissolved. and again did Westmorland present
to the eyes of the country the glorious spectacle of men, proud of
the name of freemen, struggling to regain their rights, gathering
fresh spirit from defeat, and rising with renovated vigour to the
combat. (Cheers.) He did not think that any contest in any Other
part of the kngdom attracted such general attention, excited such
deep interest, or crested such ardent wishes fora prosperous result,
as that in which they were again engaged, and which, with the
blessing of Previdence, and by their exertions, would, he trusted,
be brought to a glorious termination. (Great cheering.) Neither
Southwark, notwithstanding its proximity to London, nor even that
great city itself, with all its wealth and extensive population—nay,
not even the boundless extent of Yorkshire, excited so much In.
terest, or presented so noble a spectacle, as the little county Of
Westmoreland, struggling against a domin. ering and all-grasping
aristocracy (cheering); endeavouring by the exertion of its great
power, backed by the Influence of the Church. and the patronage of
the Crown, and the restless and unceasing effete of the well-paid
agents of the law, to takeaway their valuable rights, and to sell their
dearest liberties. (Tremendous cheering.) Their opponents charged
them a ith attempting to dinturb the peace of the countv-by contesting
its representation. Peace of the county, indeed I Who, he would
ask, wished to disturb the peace of the county, by sending circulars
to their tenantry, telling them to bring their stout young lads to the
hustings, for a purpose which every body knew (cheers); and who
could tell what might not have been the consequence if these stout
lads had not been met by far stouter lads amongst the illnes ? (Cheer-
' log and laughter.) Peace of the county, forsooth ! Who was it that
brought the bludgeon-men and encamped them at Appleby, for the
purpose of distributing that peace ? (Cheers.) And who were they
who had their bludgeons taken from them, and lodged In the
Castle by men who were determined to keep and to preserve the
pence of the county ? Peace of the county, forsooth ! He sup-
posed that peace was to be maintained by letting the Lord Lieute-
nant go quietly, after his breakfast in the morning, into his study ;
and, after looking over his list of relations and dependents, select
such as would serve his purposes, and represent the county of
Westmoreland in Parliament. (Cheers and laughter.) Peace of the
aunty, indeed ! If Westmoreland was a large manufacturing dis-
trict, where at every step you run the hazard of meeting some un-
fortunate half-starved creature, whose suffering had driven him
almost to despair—if, for instance, it was like the county of Lan-
caster—then, indeed, a man might well pause before he hazarded
the peace of such a county by embroiling it in the heat of • con-
tested election.* (Cheers.) Let those who talked of the peace
of the county, who dreaded every ebullition of popular fee-
feeling, and who manifested such anxiety to prevent his Majesty's,
subjects from expressing their opinions of public men—let those
men tell why they commenced a contest in another and a neigh-
bouring county, and of all other counties in that of Lancaster.
(Tremendous cheering.) He had occupied thus much of their
time upon this subject,becatise it was the only one upon which their
opponents founded a charge azainnt them. (('reers.) lie had then
come to render them an account of his condtdc in Parliament ;
for although he had not been strictly a Member for the county of
Westmoreland,yet they had as great a right to expect an account of
his conduct as if he had been ; because he discovered, upon a minute
and careful scrutiny of the state of the poll, in the contest of 11320, a
Majority of fifteen in his favour of the real resident freeholders of
the county. (Cheers.) It was true they were out-numbered by the
Whitehaven colliers, andchey'also stood far behind the ship-carpen-
ters and rope-makers of Liverpool. In Manchestecton,they had been
out-numbered at the last contest ; but lie could tell them that which
their opponents already knew, that in the latter place they were not
now no unsuccessful in the canvass as heretofore, and the cause had
this time a better chance than ever of success in that quarter.
Amongst the real freeholders of the county they had the decided
majority, and they might with confidence look forward, in his
opinion, to the success of the cause ; for, as he had stated t 6 them
in the last address which he had the honour to send to them, the
steadiness with which their friend+ stood to their colours was be-
yond all praise, and was only to he equalled by the zeal and ac-
tivity of those who had not voted before, but who were now quali-
fied to share in the approaching struggle, and who were ready to
join them in endeavouring to secure the independence of the county.
(Cheers.) The time had now arrived when speaking was of infi-
nitely less importance than action ; but he could not take his leave
of them without adverting to one or two points which had cc mpied
a large share of the attention of the county during the last three or
four Sessions of Parliament, and which would doubtless again be-
come prominent in the discussions of the next I'arliamtnt. Upon
these points he wished to state his opinions fairly and fully,in order
that there might be no misunderstanding between them. They
would doubtless perceive that the first and most iinpertant point to
which he alluded was that of the Corn Rill. The time had arr.ved
when it became absolutely necessary that that law should be re-
pilled, and the only revision which could prove at all effectual wookl

• The new Candidate foe haneaahire is put up on the toned*le
interest, and is connected to the faintly by marriage.

Price 7d.

•
them total repeal of the present and the iabithetket of olblif •
' falter, and a more Intelligible system hilts place. (Chasm))t:ent
any one then present should not have minutely attendee to the
opinions be had expressed in Parliament' open the ishillet. hr
would in a few words state what dim *Mans were. He diought
that the ports should be thrown alma to' the adwdesloa of train
from Whatever quieter it could be had at the cheapest fiKtibd
subject merely to such a ditty as would be a reified, to the
fanner, and enable him, with all his burthen of taxstioli, dif.liftft
a fah. profit from the cultimtien OT ihe sell. (Cbeetb.) filoNveslitel
AO anintelliglble system which, while it would motet thehOmer
rum taking lands at ridoously high rests, would good The
people that right to which they had so Jw:tersidoet,ellith.Ahetlght of
eating goad and wholesome fold at Seed stfiejset no
alteration but such as smote from the nate the soilland thews-
dation* of the climate. The other queetien In which- ite. 100E4,
whit* had been much debated; and which It andeeefolid"W re-
cited moth interest in the country, was the tlatholle tteestitin:
Many abeurd chines had been said Math* tb it by peetelbe • who
knew, or else ought to have known better, linal lOW Ought t* be
ashamed of theiteenduct. if indeed such peremte were- capable of
feeling shame. (Cheers.) It was said that the friends of emanri-i
potion. bring enemies to the Protestant faith—they Lad not gene
yet quite so far as to say they were Catholics feheent end laughull
but being enemies of the Protestant faith, they wished to introduce
the Popish religion into this country—nay,
It was ever. asserted
I that it was their intention- tit bring the Pope himself to London,
anti, according to their aeooeM, the very doors of Parliament we-e
to be thrown open to his Holiness. (Cheers.) ?low he knew enotro
' of these matters to inform them that if the Pope was reaily brought
over, he would naturally be taken to the House of Lords (lan Inv-)
—to thoitiouse of Lords, en
the tits Mi Koei Maw.
nistants acknowledge him as a Bishop—tite Bishop of Rome—and
of
he (Mr.
hiterncouguhldwonn)lwy
otgo,ldamenotliyOsat
yth,eoncßiesligoipetaiii(mLathnegriett,era.L Now
safe (a latighi ; only get him there, and you heed fear to conse-
quences. (Great laughter.) He knew enough of the Bench o'
Bishops to know that nothing was to be apprehended when once
he was lodged there, so contagious were the sentiments belong-
ing to that portion of the House of Petra. (Cheers.) lie knee that
amongst those who sat upon that Bench there were ninny who at
one time advocated the cause of Catholic Emancipation at firmly
and as strongly as the Pope himself, but whose sentiment. were
immediately altered upon taking their seats amongst the Bithopit
(laughter) i and he did not entertain the slightest oouht but it the
Pope himself could once be got upon that Bench, he would' cry
out No Popery !" as lustily as the best of therm. (Great etteerin,t.
and laughter.) It was a melancholy tntth that certain persons wh-s
knew a great deal better were endeavouring to raise a cry atairtt
those persona who were only anxious to see all men allowed to
worship God according to their consciences, without being thereby
subjected to civil restrictions, while they were at the same t•tre
compelled to contribute their full share tow ards the burthrns of the
Sate. (Applause.) Could it be right to oppress men becaurts
they refused to barter their consciences for wild, and would not he
swerved hr temp'ation from their religions faith. (Cheers.) It
was for holding these opinions that the friends of civil and religious
liberty were called enemies to the Protestant faith, and the friend t
of Popery. Ile m•ed scarcely tell them how far this was from the
truth. (Hear, hear.) Could they believe that 31r. Pitt was art
enemy to the Protestant Church ? Could they believe that 31 r.
Burke or Mr. Windham were enemies of the Protestant Church?
or vivid one-half of hit Majesty's present Moistens be classed
amongst its enemies? (Hear, hear.) The truth was, that in
18(11 Mr. Pitt resigned his office, because he could not carry the
question of Catholic Emancipation, which he considered essentinl
to the interests and welfare of the country. One fact was seur•ta
a thousand arguments. In 11107 the Ministers of that day wens
out &office because his late Majesty took exception to a Bill esti:.
they intended to introduce for the partial relief of the Catholics. .'t
that time the cry of " No Popery" was raisedmore senseless thz.l
the present cry it could not be, although it was suflicie it to m
Ministers resign. t, ten years after this. the very persons w J
had succeeded them in office on the s, No Popery" cry, lin-meta
that very Bill, anti passed it without the slightest opposite
into a law; and he might here observe, to the honour of the--:
Ministers who had resigned, that the Bill was suffered ta pa. I
without any remark upon the circumstances attending its tit,:
proposition. (Hear, hear, hear.) if he were asked why L.:
this particular moment the friends of civil and religious tike' -
ty were anxious to grant the claims of the Cathelic.,
he would answer, because they considered the granting of those
claims to be both just and necessary. It was true that in EnebrOt
there were but few Catholics, but it should be remembered that fa
Ireland there were no less than six millions, all of whim had to
pay heavy taxes, in die shape of tithes, to the Protestant church--
a church from which .they received 1.0 benefit, and which tausthe
that which they believed to be wrong. (Great cheering.) It w•e,
certainly not too much to say that that church was overpaid. Ice
even ttf the one million of Protestants one half were Pissennea
from the Establishment, and its large revenues were therefore re-
ceived foe taking care of 500.000 souls. (('peers.) By -withhold.
ing their rights from the Catholics, we were making Ireland the
weak part instead of the strength and right atm, as she ought to
be, of the kingdom. (Cheers.) He was perfectly astialied to attrr.•
upon this subject, not indeed with all his Majesty's present Minis
ten, hest with the most talented portion of them—that branch wit
had attained any thing like popular admiration, (Applause.) lie
was sorry to have dettc.ned them as long, but he thought it right t..
explain fully and clearly his opinions on these two most importar.
subjects, that no man might hereafter have occasion to reprove toot
for having dissembled upon questions of so much importance..
(Cheers.) He then impressed upon them the necessity of
active in getting to the poll, for by their activity alone could so. -
teas be insure d; and, atter conjuring them to exert thethaelves stre-
nously amonst their friends, he withdrew, amittet the most et -
thusiastic plaudits
Mr. Brougham then proceeded to the King's Arms, and diited
with die electots. 31r. Jacob IVakefiehl was in the chair, rap.
ported by Mr. J. Thomson ; and amongst the gentlemen resets:
we notictd Mr. James Brougham, the member who has just beers
returned for Tregony. The conviviality of the party was kept up,
to a toleoably late period of the evening, and its zeal kept alive by
several songs expressive of the feelings of the Blues and their Lop d
of ultimate success.

One thing we observed, not a little singular; a public
ed the Lowther Arms, appeared to be the matt conspicuous in till.
playing the ensigns of Mr. Brougham's navy. Every thing at
present is conducted with gnat good humour whether it will be es
at .'-ppleby, next week, is quite another question.

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