The National Register.
London, England, 1817-10-13 00:00:00

OBSERVATIONS ON THE CITY ELECTIONS.

THE Election in the City which closed on Monday,
has been the most remarkable within our remembrance,
in as much as it has afforded a most unequivocal proof of
the soundness of principle in the great body of the Li-
very. Twelve months ago, Mr. Wood was not only
the favourite of the populace, but the choice of the
Livery also. At that time, Alderman Smith was de-
clared an [a for the high office to which he aspired,
and the disheartening minority in which he found
himself was an unquestionable proof that such was the
sentiment of a large proportion of the electors, or at
least that they considered either of his opponents
much fitter.

At that time the successful candidates were known
lathe City as advocates of what are called Whig prin-
ciples: they wore indeed reformers, but they were re-
formers as rational men, 'not as anarchists. Tlit con-
gest was therethre, at that time, between the two poli-
tical parties which have always divided the city, and
which we shall always wish to sec fairly balancing
amch other. We have no reason to believe that any
change has been wrought in the minds of the Livery
respecting Mr. Smith. Those who voted against him
last year and for hint this, are not to be charged with
inconsistency; tin- the candidates who were last year
opposed to him, at that time stood upon the broad
ground of their individual merits; this year they hams
depended for success upon the efforts of mea, who,
whatever be their talents, arc advocates of principles
which no chief Magistrate of the City of London will
he ready to avow. The Livery felt this as honest men
should feel it ; they felt that last year when they vot-
ed for Woad and 0)n-the, they voted for mien, who,
if. they acted up to their professions, would in a fair
constitutional way stand up between the people and the
government, guardians of the rights of the one, against
any unjust eacroachments of the other. But in the pre-
smt instance, they found that the very 'rump of the
vilest party in the country—the frarnmts of a S,)a-
L..% mob, were thrusting themselves forward to direct
their choice, and obtain for themselves some little po-
pularity ~ by trumpeting forth the praises of those men
whom their own sober sense had led them but twelve
months batlere to patronize. This is the sole muse of
tam Oiling minority in which Messrs. Wood and Good-
bdiere found themselves on .Monday last. A different
colour is indeed attempted to be given to it ley Mr.
Wooler, in the last number of his " Blaek Dwarf" To
the want of exertion on their part, and to the activity
cf their adversaries, he attributes their ill success, and
yet almost in the same breath he tells us that ' last
year a proposition accidently made on the hustings was
tarried by acclamation, and the nest in rotation was
eccludel from an office he was deemed itroompetent to
foil.' fhe present majority of Alderman Salith too,
he describes to have been created by" the Livery col-
lected from those depositaries of the Ministerial influ-
ence, the Bank, tit: India llouse, the Customs, Excise,
and sonic minor depots of tit soldiers for such an occa-
sion;" forgetting altogether, that the Government had
these Mine depots equally at its command last year,
and yet Alderman Smith could then only obtain
1053 votes, not one half the number which was polled
fir Messrs. Wood and Combe ; and Alderman Atkins,
who, on this occasion, has polled 15/45, could then only
muster Ten !

Disgoise the filet how they will, it is iveitlent that
the Livery wure Ir.rtke.md to a sense of their danger
when they `saw their Lint Mayor co:mating to accept
the sapp,nl patronage of such a ra,ta as Wookr,
and not tnerely to a.Tept his support, bat to depend
koky upon him for that sort of aid, ‘rhichthe oratory

of the hustings is supposed to give. They saw dis-
tinctly enough that the outcry about rotation was made
to answer the same purpose as the outcry about
reform ;—to conceal the real intentions of those who
cared not one straw about Wood., or Goodbehere, or
Smith, but who only seized on the occasion to excite
a popular ferment and give them the means of breath-
ing forth their pestiferous doctrines, under the protect-
ing shield of a legally convened meeting.

In pity to the unsuccessful candidates, we will not
enter into an examination of their dtlenee in the Court
of Aldermen ; they are sensible of the ridiculous
situation in which they are placed by their own folly,
and we trust the lesson they have learned, will have
a good effect upon them as long as they live, They
have learned that the Livery can think for themselves,
and that when Magistrates so far lose sight of their
own dignity as to become puppets iu the hands of
factious and designing men, they cu not command, and
ought not to expect the support or good wishes of
their fellow-citizens.