The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-09 00:00:00

NT IGAN ELECTION.

WIGAN, FRIDAY /Claim—The nomination of candidates for this
borough took place here today. If bribery, corruption, and the
most gross attempts at intimidation, opposed to the determination of
independent electors, could secure the election of any individual,
Mr. Kearsley must be successful; but, happily for the cause
of freedom and constitutional government, the independence
of the voters of Wigan will prevail against the assaults
of wealth, power, and the authority of landlords. No effort,
however unconstitutional, has been spared by the Tories, to
add another temporary misrepresentative to the Carlow list,
and no effiirt will be spared by them up to the last moment
of hope, however hopeless every exertion must prove. On
last night there was an admirable sample of the Conservative tactics
practised here afforded. Shortly after sunset two vehicles were ob-
served drawn up in the neighbourhood of the hotel at which the
Committee of the Liberal candidate meet ; soon after several of the
Liberal voters issued from them, slightly under the influence of li-
bations poured forth to the jolly god. They were immediately seized
by the satellites of the Tory candidate, apd nine of them were placed
in durance for the purpose of being carried off An outcry was, how.
ever, raised by the parties imprisoned, and a number of their friends
rushed to their rescue. A host of concealed Conservatives prepared
fa* the issue, came to the assistance of the principals in the at d :ction,
ard a skirmish accordingly ensued, which was only terminated by the
interference of the constables, who released those incarcerated
individuals, not without difficulty. This is, however, but one in-
stance of the system, for I am aware that during the entire of last
night and this morning Tory retainers were circulated throughout
the liberal public-houses in the borough, for the purposes of
drugging any drink which !eight be called for by the supporters of
Mr. Ewart, and carriages have been in waiting to carry off any of
the parties who could thus be entrapped. All, however, has been
unavailing. Even the bribing system has been in most cases
utterly useless, although I am aware that 201., and in some in.
stances 501, have been offered for votes ! !—not of course by autho-
rised agents ! ! A man named Tonge—arrived in Wigan
yesterday morning, and canvassed the Chartists in the town. They,
however, to a man, refused to assist him in his effort to create
a diversion against the Liberal candidate. Having been foiled in
this endeavour to create dissension, he immediately proceeded to the
Conservative Committee-room, and having been closeted there for
a considerable period, came forth primed and loaded, as regards
stomach and pocket, into the market-place, and attempted to address
some fifty persons assembled there. They, however, being aware of
his pseudo-chartist Conservative movements, dispersed quickly,
leaving a few laughing boys and girls to witness the remainder of
the affair, which was composed of a thorough denunciation of all
present liberal tendencies in Parliamentary affairs.
At an early hour the town presented a scene of activity and bus-
tle usually attendant upon contested elections. Considerable ex-
citement was occasioned by a placard announcing Mr. Nightingale
as a candidate. This is the individual who took so prominent a part
in the proceedings at the late Anti-Corn-law meeting at Manchester,
and one of the leaders of the Chartists. At eleven o'clock the no.
mination took place.
Mr. THICILNESVE proposed, and Mr. Ifenox seconded, the nomi.
nation of Mr. Ewart.

Messrs. WOODCOCK and Loan proposed and seconded Mr. Kearsley.

Mr. Ewaar then presented himself to the electors, and was re-
ceived with loud cheers. He commenced by remarking that he
perceived the electors, like him, had been somewhat amused by the
little interlude that had just taken place—it was what he termed an
excrescence on the general performance.--(Laughter.) He congra.
tulated his Hon. Friend, Mr.Kearsley, that the third candidate, who
had just been nominated, had been proposed and seconded by two
Tories. Whatever felicity he might experience on the occasion, he
was sure that the gratification of his Hon. Friend, Mr. Kearsley,
must be much greater, when he reflected that the principles of Chart.
ism were proposed and seconded by two of his own party.—(Hear,
hear.) Where, he asked, was Revolution—where Universal Suffrage,
and that which he hailed as its consequence, universal discord, when
thus supported by two of the partisans of his Honourable
(could he any longer call him Tory) Friend ?—(Hear, hear.) Mr.
Ewart next spoke of what he termed the inconsistency of Mr.
Lord, who had found fault with the Gentleman who had done him
the honour to propose him, and who, he alleged, had made per-
sonal allusion to Mr. Kearsley, at the same time that he (Mr. Lord)
had made personal allusion to him (Mr. Ewart) in reference to his
conduct at Liverpool. That gentleman had asked, why it was, if
he had done his duty at Liverpool, he was not again returned ?
It was well known that he had been returned by a majority of six
hundred householders, but the Tories, supported by an over-
whelming oligarchy of the freemen, had prevailed over his majority.
Mr. Lord had made personal allusion to him, because at an
election, practices had taken place, to which, indi•i_
dually, he was not a party, and which he ever had held
and ever should held in detestation.—(Cries of Hear, bear,)
What was the case ? Never was there a candidate so invited as he
was upon that occasion by the popular voice. His honoured re's-
tire who stood beside him knew that the great body of the electors
was on his side, but that an aristocracy, parties possessing great
West Indian and Canadian interests, ruled the freemen of that
town. One of this party had boasted that he alone could return a
candidate. He had been invited by a requisition most numerously
signed, and he felt he should have deserted his duty if he had not
given them an opportunity of recording their votes and principles.
—(Loud cheering.) Some allusion had been made to the introduc•
Lion of individuals into the borough for the purpose of intimi
dating the electors and promoting disorder and confusion. He knew
not whether there was any truth in this rumour, but he wes well
aware that there were certain persons who had already inter-
fered in the election, and had been guilty of the most extraordinary
acts of intimidation—even at midnight attempts had been made to
controul the voters and prevent them from the free exercise of their
franchises. Such a practice was known in Wigan as "bottling."
In this respect he yielded t• the superior tact and knowledge of his
opponents. He had always spoken respectfully of his opponents,
and he trusted Mr. Kearsley would give him credit for doing so ;
and notwithstanding these bottling principles of his party, he always
under stood that his Hon. Opponent's forte lay in a contrary direc-
tion.—(Laughter.) They had all beard a great deal respecting the
amending the Reform Act; he suggested, that if either of his op
ponents should be returned, that they should propose a Bill to
sanction bottling in Wigan. He would suggest that the words
should be something like the following :—" Whereas, from time
immemorial it hag been a practice, in the borough of Wigan, to bottle
the electors ; be it enacted, that this system be hereafter allowed."
—(Laughter and cheers.) A clause, however, should be added,
that this system of bottling should not extend to the candidate.—

cooseq----uently a foreigner, and therefore incalardWiir;;X.,-1Z::-..
tenting them and attending to their interests. This he, like Par-
tridge, in " Tom Jones," contended was a non sequitur. After
some other remarks, Mr. Ewart proceeded to show that, when in
the House, he had ever attended to the local interests of the
people of Wigan, although not at that time in the least man-
ner connected with the borough, or ever expecting to be so.
lie instanced the cccasion when a BM was brought into Par-

liament which would have the effect of depriving them of a

public foothpath and well. Also with respect to the proposed mea.
sure of substituting Newton as a polling-place for the County instead
of Wigan. The Hon. Gentleman then at some length avowed his
advocacy of the repeal of the Corn-laws, for which he stated he had
ever voted, With regard to the Poor.law he was prepared to defend
his conduct. He would not shrink from that question, but state
openly before them what he had done on that occasion. Before that
Bill was passed, the poor of this country were in a state of abject and
absolute dependence, and were vassals and pensioners upon the lords
of the soil.—(Hear.) He appealed to them, and asked them if the
Poor.law Bill had not emancipated the honest labourer, who,
previous to the passing of that measure, had been degraded by
having his wages paid out of the rates?—(Hear, hear.) The new
Poor. law Bill allowed the I.tbourer to seek employment where he
chose; whereas, before that Bill passed, he was limited in his labour
to the parish in which he was settied.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.")
He certainly was not an advocate of that portion of the law which
allowed the separation of a man from his wife.—(Cheers.) He
thought that when a poor couple were distressed they should not be
separated, but relief should be administered to them at their own
home.—(Cheers.) With respect to the power of the Poor-law Com-
missioners, he said that if such extensive power were given, it ought
only to be for a limited period, until the workings of the Poor-law
came into perfect operation, and the labourer became free and hide..
pendent.—(Hear.) He had been designated as a Unitarian, and had
been asked if he had attended the church last Sunday. In reply, lie
stated that he was not a Unitarian, though if he had he should not
be ashamed to own it, and that he had attended the church last
Sunday, where he had had the honour of hearing a sermon preached
expressly against him.
Mr. JOHN HODSON KEIRSLEY then rose to address the assemley,
and was received with mingled cheers and hisses. He said there
was not a dispassionate man present who was not fully convinced
that lqr. Thickness° depended rather fer the success of his cause on
the unfounded abuses of him then on—(Confusion, in which tic
iemainder of the sentence was lost.) Mr. Thieknesse bad also un-
dertaken, unsolicited, to attribute unto him sentiments which he
never gave utterance to.—(Hear, hear, and confusion.) He had
accused him of voting against the repeal of taxes, but he felt as-
sured that his Hon. Friend would thank him for reminding him
of a transaction which had occurred during his Parliamentary
career. Mr. Thickness° had voted for the Russian loan to the
amount of 5,000,000/.—(Cheers and hisses.) He had been
bred up, as they all knew, in the old school of Civil and Reli-
gious Freedom as held in our national Establishment, and the
political principles he therein imbibed were, to fear God and honour
the King—(Cheers)—and fie had ever, in accordance with those
principles, endeavoured to serve his God according to the rights of
the pure religion inculcated therein.—(Hooting and cheers.) And
he believed that, to serve his King was to maintain that Constitu-
tion which had elevated him and the country to a pitch of un-
paralleled
greatness, which made England triumphant over every ,
difficulty in her own realms, and to stand alone pre-eminent, when 1
all the countries of the earth sunk under the arm of an insidious 1
invader.—(Cheers.) ,

At this stage of the proceedings it was announced that there was
another candidate, and after considerable difficulty Mr. Nightin-
gale succeeded in reaching the hustings. He was proposed and
seconded by two electors, Messrs. James Gtorgeson and Samuel.
Wigan.
Mr. NIGHTINGALE then addressed the electors amidst continued

interruption and uproar. lie had come so late into the field that he
frankly confessed he had no chance of success. He then at great
length proceeded to state his Chartist principles---his want of confi-
dence in both Whigs and Tories, but more especiady the former, to
whom he frequently applied O'Connell's term of " base, bloody, and
brutal," and censured them for their eonduct on the Corn law ques.
Lion, which he designated a claptrap question.
The show of hands having been put, the returning officer declared
in favour of Mr. Ewart.

...._.___ _
Mr. Kearney's friends then demanded a poll on that gentleman's
behalf. _ .

—..-...
Mr. Nightingale withdrew from the contest.
After a vote of thanks to the returning officer the meeeting sepa-
rated. All was quiet when our express left, thought it is feared
there will he some disturbance.