The Sun.
London, England, 1837-07-31 00:00:00

MALDON ELECTION.

(From the Chelmsford Chronicle.)
Mr. LENNARD, on coming forward to address the elec-
tors, was received by the cheers of his friends and marks
of disapprobation by the opposite party. He said—Gen-
tlemen, it is my duty, if you desire it, as one of the can-
didates for the honour of representing you on this occa-
sion—it is my duty, I say, to the best of my abilities to
address you, for the purpose of laying before you the
grounds on which I presume again to solicit your suffrages.
But if it should not be your pleasure to bear the different
candidates (and I cannot hope that if one is not heard, any
other will be), I shall exceedingly regret it ; at the same
time, however, you will save me from that which in my
present state of health is a task of difficulty—the going
through a somewhat lengthened statement. There is one
point on which I am sure we shall all be agreed, and one in
which I am sure you will all sympathize with me in an ex-
pression of regret—l mean the necessity which has been
imposed upon my friend, Mr. George May, of coming for-
ward as the substitute of his -venerated father.—(Cheers.)
The private virtues and the political integrity of his distin-
guished father, have won from him, even from those who
are his political adversaries, respect, esteem, and attachment.
—(Cheers.) But I am grateful to his excellent son, for the
able manner in which he has brought me before your
notice, and I think you will agree with me that he well re-
presents those virtues and those talents which, I hope, will
long distinguish his amiable father—you will agree with me
in hailing the first appearance on the public stage, of your
young townsman—(Cheers)—and I think, also, that you
st. will agree with me, that he gives evidence of being- capable
of taking a part in the affairs of this borough, which it must
be most gratifying to his friends to see him fulfil ; and he
he has now given to us the first fruits of that talent which
future time will bring to maturity.—(Cheers.) I beg to
say that I fully concur in the observations of Mr. Bygrave,
that Mr. May, in speaking of me, has done me more than
justice ; but it was, perhaps, necessary to do so, because I
think that Hon. Gentleman, in talking of polishing up my
character, has done me something less than justice.—(Hear
and cheers.) Gentlemen, in addressing you on the present
occasion, I shall take the liberty of stating fully my political
opinions, and when I differ from the party who are opposed
to me on any question, I shall speak my sentiments with
perfect freedom, but I shall endeavour to avoid what is
personally offensive to either of the two Hon. Candidates,
who are my personal friends —(Cheers.) Against both
these gentlemen I have been politically opposed—very
often to Mr. Dick, and once to my Hon. Friend Mr.
Round, and I must say that en that cccasion I learned a
lesson from him of kindness and candour to an opponent
-which I shall not forget in the present instance. Mr.
Hurrell has told you that if you look to Mr. Rouud in pri-
vate life you will not find a more suitable gentleman in the
country ; but this is not the view in which you are to look
at men for representing you in Parliament—you are to
look to the principles they have professed and acted on,
and from them you are to judge of their fitness : I shall
therefore tell you what principles I maintain, if you send
me to the House of Commons. When I first appeared
before you I told you I was an advocate of effective reform
in all our institutions where reform was necessary to be in-
troduced, and I told you that my great object would be to
assist in removing disabilities from all classes of my fellow
citizens—to make-all men equal in point of civil rights—to
lay the foundations of liberty so broad and deep (those
foundations which had been almost upset by the Tories),
that the liberties of the people might be built on them, on a
sure and imperishable foundation.—(Cheers.) And 1
think we have gone far to accomplish that task. We have
relieved the Dissenters from many disabilities ; but there is
still much to be done, and if you return me to Parliament,
it is my intention to follow up the great work which has
been begun. My desire, as a representative of the people,
is to take care of their interests, and to see that what is
called the democratic basis of the ConstituCon shall be made
as broad and firm as the iutelligence of the people, and their
power to maintain it will justify us in mahio,g-it.:--(Cheers and
disapprobation.) Now, you have been told by my friend Mr.
Payne, that 1 have appeared torture you five times as a
candid ite : I have done so, and five times you have re-
turned me to -Parliament.—(Cheers and confusion.) Five
times, then, have you expressed your approbation of the
principles I professed and advocated in the roost distinct
way you could < xpress it ; and why is this appeal wide to you
again Do they hope that ynu arc so unstable that you
cin desert your principles, and say one thin' one day and
a .other another ? I ;.m satisfied it is not so. And tot me
a;k them, if they' failed in the year 1826, when the velide
power of the Government and Court, and the patronage of
the Crown was against us, do th,y halieve that when the
Crown and the Government are with us, it is likely we should
be sar.gnislied by the attempt now made ?—(Cries of
‘• No," cheers, and some confusion.) Did they build
their hopes on a rumour that there were disagre,•met:ts in
tie BAbrin camp ? Be it known that though the It,
firuk:rs, as all thidLing men mist do, hate their thf-
freners of opinion, they have or
in I his,— that no Tory hand s'

'- art and nue mind
ti:
he universal d:srlini ss

!I ever ex

la:np in:lepnden,e which in
which orerspreml the rest of the county wls ee
burn brilitty here,—which has now lit up liarwiel
and I trust will cmteni itself to Colchester and the
eouiity.—(llear, l!ear.) Is it
tins i bet tht.l trust ? They shall litße their ;thswcr, thin,
to mot rc,w n;glit.—(Cheers an.l disapprobation.) But the
n1:1 game if 182 e; is to be Tile frectupn of
th's boron:zit are .:gun to be insulted

ix lirokcn reel as

patty a;tf•mp:g

to impose upon their understands instead of brit _
fairly befo:e them the points of difF.rerce in the principles
of me aml my opponews. It- a placard w'uich‘l noticetl On
entcring tl:e tor,n I siw " Vote for Dick and 11,,und, and
the Ri;;lns or the Freemen." Why, wlidt has Mr. Round
dove io.- the rights of th, freenien ?—(Clie: rs, and a per-
son cried, •-• Ile is going to do it.") I do not blame Mr.
Round, but he las done nothing yet for the freemen. I
rite him ercd:t for doing everything he can fur this borough,
but compare him, if you Lke, with me. I challenge the
comparison. I have toiled might and day in the House of
Commons for the benefit of the freemen—(Cheers)—and
let me a:•;. you this—When the r'gl.ts of 'our wives and
ihughters y,-.:re attacked in tl.‘r! House of Common -,
v h,re was the voice r”isel hi th,•ir d; fence ?—tvho
di: ide 1 the I lon., c in f.;•.-eur of retai:iit-2 to them tii.
franchi,,e ? It was myself. It is true Mr. Dick vo:cd
with me on that occasion ; but did he take on himself the
labour and yesponsibility of div:ding the House of Com-
mons upon it, or the toil of going through all that trouble
which belo:),gs to the advocacy of a question in Parliament ?
WLat is the next thing ? Why, I saw another placard bear-
ing the inscription, " Dick, Round, and the Queen"—
(Cheers and laughter)—and this puts me in mind of the
men in the ci%il wars, who made war on the King in the
King's name.—(Laughter.) Why, lass not the Queen, in
the most frank and cordial manner, adopted the principles
of the Reformers ?—(Cries of " No, no," and cheers.)
What evidence can there be more strong than this, that
she is not only surrounded by the Liberal Ministers, but
has placed their families about her Court, to assure the
people that her heart is with them, and with the principles
which her Government advocate. But Ido say it was a
rash and imprudent thing to put forth such a bill in favour
of the Conservative candidates ; for do we not know that
the King of Hanover, that precious chieftain of the Tories,
who voted for all their measures—who was their chosen
child and champion—do we not know that many of his
party were intriguing to displace that Sovereign from the
throne ?—(Cheers, cries of " No, no," and some uproar.) I
say there was pregnant suspicion of it. Ido not say there
was positive proof, but there was pregnant suspicion. I will
call attention to a book which Mr. Divk will recognise as the
manual of his party—the Quarterly Review—and when they
have read the two first pages of the review of " The pre-
sent and future Parliaments," I ask them what is meant
unless it be strongly to impress on the minds of all that
thore is the greatest inconvenience possible in having 'a
young Queen upon the Throne. When 1 see the manual
of the Tory party dealing in such language as that, it con-
firms the apprehensions I feel of the motives and conduct
of that party, and the course they would pursue if they
thought there was any chance of effecting their object.—
(Cheers and disapprobation.) Allusion has been made to
the much-talked-of Poor-law Amendment Bill—(Hear,
and cheers)—and I am glad to be able to discuss that
subject to the face of the two Hon. Candidates, who I
know have too high a respect, I will not say for their
characters, but they have too high a sense of honour to
attempt to gain a mean advantage by professing on these
hustings hostility to that which I believe they are known
to approve. I ask you this—if that powerful body be-
longing to their party in the House of Commons had not
liked the Bill to pass, why on earth did they not stop it ?
—(Cheers)—for I will venture to say that one speech from
Sir Robert Peel would have prevented its going through
the House of Commons. But the truth is they do ap-
prove of it, and I, on my part, have never shrunk from
that avowal, because I would not gain a single vote by
withholding that avowal if my election depended on it.—
(Cheers.) I am attached to the principle of tho Bill,
for I believe it is calculated to promote the independence,
the happiness, and the welfare of the working classes.—
'Cheers.) If there are hardships under the new Bill, and
I know there have been, we know there were many under
the old law, and I ask you whether my whole course of
conduct in Parliament does not induce you to belieNe that
if the law could be there ameliorated, I should be as much
disposed to do it as any gentleman of the Tory party in this ?
tor any other part of England One point touched
0 n fi:s at if the Tories
.had bad their
lash.
_theeres.lays.i.es
A:!5;;..4 : *lave been groaning under thet T
:illlt' . fof, him from the Tory party--. 1 was part of their
4
°A 7, -', -Creecit
,at-lo alteration could be made in the system witll-
;_....) out destkiedon to the country. Look to another question
--;--', s'.- - - •;-,it is.ontihat will touch us all, because any man amongst
._

A.,
.J