The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-17 00:00:00

The Town Plato.

Lerrywhent
Alp

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PETERBOROUGH ELECTION.
The public meeting of the electors of the city of
Peterborongh was held at the Corn Exchange yester-
day evening, to hear the political opinions of George
Hammond Whalley, Esq. The doors of the Ex-
change were opened at half-past six, and before the
time of meeting the room was filled with a most in-
fluential and numerous audience; the numbers pre-
sent were not less than 600 to 700, and amongst them
were quite 400 out of the 500 electors.
Mr. HEADDY moved Mr. William Vergette into
the chair.
The CHAIRMAN read the haadbill convening the
meeting, which has already been advertised in our
columns. He did not deem it necessary to apologise
for the situation in which he appeared—he would
have prefrerred seeing the Father of Reform before
them instead of himself; but not having the father
before them to act, the son must. The inhabitants
had never until 182 been invited to assemble together
to exercise their political rights ; bat when the people
do meet together, their sympathies are identical. This
meeting is much better than the hole and corner work
they had been Used to, and for electors not to exercise
their privilege of election argued incompetency—are
they willing to admit their incompetency ?—(No, no.)
He alluded to the party who undertook to provide a
representative for them; but in this city there was a
fast and slow party, and these two had met
and conferred together; but there was no
reciprocity shown between them, and the fast party
were told to leave the meeting. A gentleman was
introduced who had really retrograde principles, and
ha was rejected by you. We to-night do not stand
in that position. The report of that meeting had
found its way into the public newspapers in London,
and that had caused gentlemen to offr,r themselves to
their notice; and at iuetthey had selected the gentleman
who would even' More them to.nigbt,and he would
say, a man more deserving of their esteem and
respect it was impossible to have found ; and
Tithe and
Charity Commissioner of 20 years standing—the
and a ma istrat
High Sheriff of Caeraarvonshir.e,., g e•
of
two counties—would be a euthcient guarantee of his
position.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Jour; WIIITWELL-111r. Chairman and gen-
trtsly glad to see
tlemen, I am so numerous and
we
pampa be said to bare taken the town
respectable raeetngt',' mhled in the place on such an
occasion.
by surprise. What they had done had been fully and
y
dope, and they had been fully justified b,;
the the event.
We were taken by surprise at the uncom-
mon liberality of certain gentlemen inviting them to
a meeting a month age, and who was brought before
man less liberal in opinions than they were them? A
twenty years ago. Tney pass d a free ver-
dist upon him, and that was he did not
represent the opinions of the electors of Pee
terboyoutfe, ! As lair. Lewis had persisted after that
meeting in canvassing the electors, notwithstanding
their decision against him, it devolved upon them to
look out, for a gentleman to represent opinions more
in consonance with those of the citizens. As a citizen
of the town, 119 had been guided in doing that which
he believed to be right. They had several applica-
tions, and through a mutual friend they had Mr.
Whalley waned to them, and had presented a requisi-
tion to him, and, as he will be heard, the meeting
would consider for itself whether they had done
right. At all events they c mid not be charged with
doing anything in a hurry. A men was before them
who could not be gainsaid as to principles and posi-
tion, and that they who dictate to the electors can't
find a better man ; and he would mention one thing
which highly recommended Mr. Whalley—and that
was, he received a letter of thanks from Mr. Spring
Rice, the secretary to the British Association, for
what he (l r. Whalley) done in alleviating the
distress during the famine in the West of Ireland ;
and he w,:s the only Englishman who had done any-
thing towar.la personally relieving their misery.
GEORGE HAMMOND ‘VEALLEY, Etq.—Mr. Chair-
men and gentlemen, Mr. Whitwell has told you my
justification for appearing before you to-night. At
this particular moment I feel inspirited by the recep-
tion you have given me, and if I can do but my duty
to Peterborcugb, I shall feel unmixed satisfaction. I
have determined to face this meeting, this city, in
every respect as an independent candidate. I could
have come accompanied by a half-dozen Members of
Parliament and others, but I decided to come alone ;
and I would wish, in stating my opinions, first to en-
deavour to raise your minds above all local prejudices
and party quarrels, and to fix upon your attention
your position as citizens of the empire. I must
allude, however, to another gentleman having
appeared before you, and from his high personal cha-
racter ho was entitled to their consideration before
him, and unless his (Mr. Whalley's) feelings and
opinions were more in accordance with the spirit of
the times than Mr. Lewis's, he should not be justified
in asking for their support; but should his opinions be
deemed more acceptable to them, he should then,
without hesitation, solicit their votes, and trust to be-
come their representative. Mr. Lewis and himself
agreed upon the question of free trade. The clouds
of protection which hovered over them at the period
of the general election had now in a manner entirely
disappeared ; but as far as his (Mr. Whalley's) ideas
were upon this point, he thought free taade was only
in its infancy—one part of the community had tasted
the rough and bitter portion of it. It was the duty
of Members of Parliament to find a remedy for those
who complained it. As Mr. Disraeli said, they
had a remedy
toreeming in the future," but what
we
those remedies all were ignorant. Free trade
was an accomplished fact, and had undoubtedly
borne uponhard
professedth e
to be agriculturists.the friends
Her Majesty's
Ministersfriehds of that interest,
but they had in the last session
what measures they intended to
giveniopt to assist it ; but
no indication of
be would be more candid, :I,d
would give his.
His measures would give relief
to all, and that
remedy would simply be to follow the course in-
tended by the late Sir Robert Peel by taking off
the duties from all the necessaries ofsubsistence
as well as off corn.—(Loud cheers.) An
were astonished, and even the Chancellor
ot-
parties
the
Exchequer expressed his astonishment at the
a us
normo
increase that had taken place the coneumption of
these articles which had been relieved trona
duty.
His was a simple creed of politics. In justice to the
agriculturists and all other interests to relieve all the
necessaries of existence, such as tea, sugar, paper_
indeed every article required for the consumption of
the masses—from duty.—(Hear, hear.) In stating
these measures he did not believe be was propos-
ing anything that was impossible, but he would
give them a short history of the origin of protective
duties, and of the principal one of which they
had lately seen the termination. All that were
present would remember the events of the great
war in which England was engaged, and which
terminated in 1815, and during which time this
country was called upon to find sums of money which
even now were looked upon with wonder, sums ac-
tually amazing, and which in the end saddled us with
a national debt of 800 millions; to raise these sums,
the Minister of the day was compelled to have re-
course to every species of taxation, until at last
there was
nothing that was put into the mouth,
nothing that
light
of was upon the back, and even the
Heaven was subjected to taxation ; the
tea,:
mains agar,oi tpaper, and other duties were the re-
relieved 100 system. Sir Robert Peel had
an imaiee arnumber
from taxation, and there was still
ante from ch of other necessaries of subsist•
During that great allwar impost should be removed.
then, as now, principally composed
House of Commons was
tors, and they avoided rchmposed of landed proprie-
tors,
and voted the taxing themselves as much as
uPPIiEs for
taxes upon tea, sugar, at,,, the war by putting
such
the people at last actually bays become
articles, so that
what was paid as the cost of article,become ignorant of
amount of tax upon it. xvihetun
the scar and what the
in 1815 these landed proprietors had
dar was over, and
look to their estates, they
found
cre leisure to
which their legislation had entailed the evils
country ; they found that they harp taxed
the
everything, and so burdensome were the - taxed
P
necessaries become that to keep up their rents and s of
afford relief to their tenantry, who, being soheanv,lo
taxed, could not afford to compete with the foreigner
in growing corn, they then resolved to place -;
tax upon it to keep up the prices. The
this commercial,
manufacturing, and industrial classes are still taxed
by hasty legislation that occurred during the
time of war,istaken de
and that the tax
the corn ere, the now
i 3 unable to pay
his rent.
Thera farmer
interests equally
suffering, but who
ared othera
because they had got breado no,, so loudly comp am,
ucheap,. but all these taxes
japceesaries press
, to seeponllthe industry of the coun-
of them removed. He
~i,-;„§ti to a nobleman
l'is7 et- with the by bps veneration
by him, pay him the
tott aliment tiatt that he was
one of the first of his
exonerating
' "04:48 law the duty on Co the country from that
121.; Oa Fitz wi I liam , and he He must say that
amongst others must
• 1 .a,