The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-16 00:00:00

TO THE ELECTORS OF THE BOROUGH
AND PARISH OF LEOMINSTER.
Gentlemen,
Understanding that the only Candidate who asked for your RlP-
port on Liberal Principles has withdrawn, I lose nodime in soliciting
your Suffrages.
You are aware that on a former occa..ion I gave way, rather than
expose the Liberal cause to danger, by dividing its adherents, and
therefore I txust that you will not ascribe my present conduct to
any selfish motives, or t any views of merely personal ambition.
MY claims are such as, whether I succeed or fail, my supporters
cannot be aahinied of.
Early convinced that the principles of Free Trade were founded
on truth and reason, I incorporated them with my political creed
long betore they received the sat ction of the Legislature ; and at
Present, when they are attested by the most conclusive evidence, I
own that to cat, u,on the country to retr,ice its steps—to tax the
poor for the rid'. —acid to create artificial scarcity in this ove '-
peopled country for the imagised interest of a particular class, does
appv ar to me an infatuation that the blindest disregard to the most
obvious facts can account for, but not at all excuse.
Any attempt, under whatever pretext, to impose a tax on can,
shall therefore meet my determined and inflexible opposition.
The hideous and disgusting s,•enes of corruption which recent in-
quirks have disclosed turni,h, in my opinion, the supporters of the
Ballot with an argument that is unanswerable. Whit can be more
shocking to every man in whose soul every spark of probity and
honour is not extinguished, than the means which it appears are re-
gularly employed in many places to obtain a seat in the great council
of the tia'ion ?
To such means I never will have recourse -if the cons, quence be
a perpetual exclusion from the House of Commons—to that excln-
ion I will submit; for I was early taught to prefer the consciousness
of integrity to the most dazz.mg prospects of ambition. But to the
liberal and indepen.'ent Electors of Leominst.r t offer an opportu-
nity of asserting their right, and of returning to Parr ameet a faith-
fru and fairly chosen Representative.
As I hoe on Tuesday or Wednelday to have an opportunity of
expla, ning my sentiments to you, I will not enter into any detailed
statement of them. I was the advocate cif Law Reform, and espe-
ciai; • of Iteaorm in tly t2curt of Chile cry long before such opinions
were as popular as they are at present, lam as anxious for the re-
moval of Eccles asticel Abuses, and for a better distribution of the
Revenues of the Ci,urch, as t was when I last addressed you. Upon
the question of Maynooth my o:lnions hive undertone a cons.der-
able al.eralon. No man clings more tenaci, usly than I do to the
great principles of toleration; no man w 071.1 m're shrink from
speaking Nitli disrespect of the creed of the Rieman Catholics. To
make the Roman t atholic citzens, those to whims I most look up
have sacrificed all that could tempt human aurtition ; t tr.:at I
should Imitate their example. But 1 do not wish to see them
more than citizens and recent events have satisfied me that
to contribute to Cie stipport of Maynooth is to contri-
tute the Sissemination of knorance, and to the sup-
port of a tyranny over the minds of the simple and illitiarate. exer-
cised by these who have ohstinately tint passionately resisted every
attempt. made by lovernment to enlighten and improve the people.
I will only add that I am for the Abo i lon of Church Rates; the
Present Mate of oar law upon that subject is scandalous to a civi-
lised people. In my opinion the Revenues of the Church—properly
distributed—are abundantly sufft.lent to repair and maintain nr
sacred edifices, without a tax -which irritates a large and valuable
portion of the community.
Stafford, March 15, 1852.

JOHN GEORGE PHILLDIORE.