The Sun.
London, England, 1837-09-16 00:00:00

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Billot.—(Cheers.) Th are many more topics I could
enlerge upon, such as the Church-rate question—( Ilcar)
—which I am determined, if possible, to see car ~,,I as sug-
gested by her Majesty's Government—(Cheer,)—the ini-
prOvetfient of the Registration Courts, freed from the cum-
brous and uncertain machinery which now surround them
—(Cheers)—the abolition of the 30/. tenantry at will, and
the freemen's protecting clause in the Reform Bill—
(Cheers)—the most searching enquiry into all pensions,
sinecures, &c., which shall not be paid with my consent
unless they are well deserved ; and lastly, that reduction in
taxation which shall lighten the burdens of the pour niii4.,
it will preserve the honour and dignity of the Crowp,
—(Loud cheers.) Gentlemen, I thank you fot your shim.
tien, I shall shortly come tereside amongst you, when every
endeavour on my part shall be used to increase the trad9
of your port and the interest of the neighbourhisb‘d. .Th .
the harbour question I will devote all the ctbragy iP. mypower ; and Jr it can bo carried with re:Tv:able t*ng, no
stono shall be left unturned Vino tot 'obtain vs desirubla
an object.—(Cheers.)- Gentiemen, P:nee more 1. thank you
for your renetition of me this day , for your honesty and in.
dependence in the cause I ar_aocate, and I drink health.,
happiness, and prosperity
'
homes. The Hon. Ge ' As yourselves, your families, aid
.itleman resumed his seat amidst
loud and prolonged. eli,eesieg.
Mr. HOL LON a
of the Chair 'again rose and said be had the permission
'lava to give a toast—the " Independent Elee.
tors of Vaast'ings and St. Leonards," with which be would
couple,. the name of Mr. Stephen Putland.
Ar. PUTLAND regretted that the duty of returning
',hanks had devolved on one so inefficient as himself ; but
he assured the meeting as one of the independent electors
of Hastings and St. Leonard's, that .be felt partiCularly
proud of meeting them on that day. It had been said
that the Reformers would do anything to put their can-
didates to expense ; but he was pleased to have the op-
portunity of throwing back so unfounded an assertion in
the teeth of their opponents. The present dinner was a
splendid and unanswerable proof to the contrary.—
' (Cheers.) It showed him that .better days were ap-
proaching. He was convinced that the electors had
only to continue in this path, and they would have the
best of men for the best of purposes. It unfortunately
occurred that men holding Reform principles and pox_
sensing great. talent could not get elecied without great
expense ; lie wanted to see their representatives as free as
possible of expense.—(Cheers.) The electors had acted
nobly, they had one liberal ; but they must not rest satisfied
until they obtained two.—(Cheers.) Mr.. Putland con-
cluded by imploring the Reformers to preserve the bond of
union amongst-'themselves, for they must then be success-
ful.—(Checrs.)
The CHAIRMAN next gave " Lord Melbourne and her
Majesty's Nlinisters."--( Four times four, and one cheer more.)
The Cflautmaa—Fill a bumper, Gentlemen, wilds I call
upon you to drink the healths of two gentlemen to whom we
are under great obligations. I mean our two learned friends,
Mr. Richards and Mr. James—(Loud cheers)—who, in ad-
dition to the able assistance they rendered the cause of
Reform in Hastings, went to their own counties and there
exerted their great talents and influence in support of the
liberal candidates. Gentlemen, I give you the health of
Messrs. Richards and James—the former has now become
a resident among you. --(Drunk with four times four and one
cheer more.) Band—" I will leave my father's hall.'
Mr. RICHARDS, in returning thanks, said he was very
much afraid, after the eloquent speeches which had been
made, together with the soda water, whether anything he
could offer would not fall flat on their ears—(Laughter)—
hut he would, on the behalf of his Learned Friend, Mr.
James, and himself, return them his most heartfelt thanks.
Would that Mr. James had been here with his eloquence—
and he had eloquence in a great degree—to return thanks
personally. But, as such was not the case, he would en-
deavour to discharge that duty singly, and express the plea-
sure lie felt this evening in witnessing the electors of the
West Ward conic forward happily and successfully in sup-
port of those principles which he had the pleasure of
exerting himself in favour of during the last election. That
pleasure was continued here, for had they not borne out
their promises in giving a dinner to their Member instead
of his giving them one ? It was a demonstration of feeling
on their part which would go forth as an exlmple worthy
of imitation all over the county ; it was alike honourable
to them and to the cause which they supported. They
would not have a candidate come among them merely to
spend his money ; they wished him to explain his principles
to make known his sentiments, and receive his pledges.—
(Cheers.) Their Chairman, in introducing a toast, had
told them that certain things were required in the country
before they could possess good Government. There was a
feeling abroad, among the beads of the Tories, that from
the small majority of the Reformers, which they would do
all they could • to weaken, they (the Tories) would be
enabled to have it all their own way, and, therefore, they
were endeavouring to set aside the creed of the Reformers
—they were endeavouring to raise the cry of " No Po-
pery." Permit him to tell them one thing--if they made
a choice, it must be between Whigs and Tories. Their
Chairman had asked them what the Whigs had done, and
then alluded to the settlement of the great question of sla-
very and other matters ; but he had forgotten that, since
the Revolution, it was the Whigs who had given them
every good measure—they gave them the Habeas Corpus
Act, and in modern days they had procured the eman-
cipation of the Catholics, for it was they who extorted
it from the Duke of 'Wellington. Since 'that they had
established municipal elections on a bad and liberal
plan ; it was not their fault if .they. bad failed in doing
the same for Ireland, but they had given them. the Reform
Bill, the Commutation of Tithe. Bill, and the Marriage of
Dissenters Bill ; they had attempted to carry the abolition
of Church-rates Bill, and . a great many other important
measures, among which were those which would have ren-
dered justice to Ireland. Jun tice to Ireland was a topic
which, although loudly talked of throughout the country,
was little understood iu the rural districts, where men would
vote for Lyndhurst without knowing there • was such a
people in existence as the eight millions on the other side
of the Channel. Were these millions to be trampled upon
by the British people—were they to be called by a Britisit
Nobleman, although he was of American extract, aliens in
blood and religion ? He would say, in the language of a
speaker, that they had shed their blood together on the same
field of battle, their bodies had filed the same graves, the
same bullet had pierced their bosoms,—the same women
and children had washed their common grave. Were, then,
these men aliens in blood—were :they aliens in religion ?
No, they could not be, for they looked up to the same Deity,
although differing in the forms of demanding his protec-
tion. Such had been the character of the Whigs—such
had been the character of the Tories. Wherethe Whigs
were in power all was peace ; when Toryism came the
nation was in fear of bankruptcy, and the effects of their
rule were so disastrous that again the Whigi were called in
to rescue the nation from ruin, and Earl Grey came
into office when the Duke of Wellington dared his
Majesty to go into the city. Look now at the effects
produced by a Whig Government. They had prosperity
and happiness—the manufactures wereflourishing ; the agri-
cultural districts were tranquil and content—all was ro-
ceeding gmoothly and happily. Then, why should they
be again thrown into confusion—why should their career
of prosperity be again interrupted by these unprincipled
adventurers ? There was one other thing on which he
should wish to address thena—(" Go on.") It' he did con-
tinue, it would be to impress upon them the necessity of
attending to the registration. They should register them-
selves, and their sons, if they were old enough. The next
they should do was to petition for the Ballot. It was no
use talking there at a particular house, at a particular din-
ner ; they should go with their leading men to their friends
and petition for the Ballot, It was not only by petitioning
that they could hope to gain the Ballot. 'there were two
parties against them—there were the Tories, and what was
even worse than the Tories, there were the Tory-Radicals,
who fought under false colours. There had been persons
who, under the pretence of being Ultra-Liberals, had op-
posed Liberal principles, and who would refuse the Ballot,
unless it was accompanied by an extension of the suffrage.
He should be the last person in the world to oppose an
extension of the franchise, if it could be proved that the
whole of the people were competent to exercise it ; but let
them first advance education, let them increase the know-
ledge and intellectual capacity of the people, and then ex-
tend the suffrage ; but was this an argument against the
present adoption of the Ballot ? If they had the Ballot
with the present franchise, a Tory of great wealth might,
doubtless buy up the whole of the constituency of a small
borough, but in the large towns they could not do this,
and it would effectually prevent such scenes as had passed
at Liverpool.—(Hear, hear, hear.) Let them take
the good they could get—let them take the Ballot
with the present franchise, and they would give the
Tories the greatest blow they had yet received. He was
anxious to tell them this because it was in contemplation
by the Tory Radicals of London to put forward the prin-
ciple of nat accepting the Ballot without an extension of
the suffrage ; their press teemed with these opinions ; and
therefore, when they petitioned for the Ballot, let them pe-
tition for it. with the present franchise, and with this they
might 'de satisfied until education effected something more
'or the great hotly of the people ; but if they coupled the
Ballot with an extension of suffrage, the Tories would
an eloluent address by expressing his pleasure As,
take advantage of' it and reject both. Mr. Richards con-
eludedr
of the electors- d 1'417(
ing Mr, iiollond in the situation of thAirp*rsibi
aid drinking the healths
He was listened to throughout with gr a
a,, "\.'
craxie..lleg, greeted ~viti !and, chot.rs .41,4; .....; „s ,
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t„ ~a Sk,l%-,, • t
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-Nita W. D. Uoo3'. 0
returned thanks. Z.lfic,-2._ ..
The CHAILLUAN next lave the " health-41U lidit