The Sun.
London, England, 1837-05-12 00:00:00

tions under the old system. In St. George's booth alone there
were at least 20 or 30 great Tory Lords and Gentlemen standing
there, and watching every voter as be came up.—( Groans:)

sec one of them present now.—(Cries of " Name, name.")
His name is D. Maclean, Esq., the Tory Member for
Oxford, and the friend of Don Carlos.—( Loud groans,
and hootings.) Those thirty great Tory Lords and Gen-
tlemen were standing in the booth, and as electors came up
to vote for me they were marked out for future punishment no
doubt.—(Cries of " Shame, shame.") They were intimi-
dated and threatened by these Noblemen and Gentlemen, and
that was what was called purity of election—a free and

independent choice.—( Hear, hear, and loud laughter.)
Now I will not pretend to blame the High Bailiff
for this want of arrangement with regard to the booths—far
from it, for I believe him to be an upright and conscientious
gentleman ; but I trust that at any future election he will see
that means are taken to have the booths arranged according to
the Act, so that there may be no chance of employment for
those 20 or 30 noble intimidators. Much as I regret
the defeat on this occasion, not for my own sake, I regret it
more on your account, and I regret it more still, as it is likely
to retard the great cause of freedom. Much as I regret it
on all those heads, I tell you that there is no cause of fear for
the future.—(Cheers.) All of you will remember the great,
peaceable and intelligent assembly which met here on Wednes-
day last—you will also remember that the popular feeling was
entirely on my side—(Cheers)—and I tell you that I fairly
believe that the real conscientious opinion of a great majo-
rity of the electors of Westminster is in my favour.—( Cheers. )
I tell you conscientiously that I believe even with the present
constituency, if they had the protection of the ballot, I should
have had a majority of a thousand over my opponent, and that
if the suffrage was extended and ballot protected the voters, I
should have beat my Tory opponent by 10,000.—( Great
cheering.) Now then, my friends, having adverted to the
cause of our def,af—'saving urged you to hope for the
future when we must succeed—( Loud Cheers)—having
given you a few words of advice for the better arrange-
ment of the popular party in future, I have the pleas-
ing duty to perform of returning my sincere thanks to the
g, eat m2eting of Wednesday and this day.—( Cheers.)—l
hose o return my sincere thanks to the 3,052 honest, con-
scientious, and independent electors, who voted for me. I
have aso to return my best thanks to my Committees and
to the Committee of the Reform Association, and the neigh-
bouring Metropolitan Districts, who, by their Resolutions,
upheld my cause—(Cheers)—and last, but not least, I have
to return my most sincere thanks to the members of the Work-
ing Man's Association without even knowing me —witl out
the hope of reward, had, by their able and strenuous eff
rendered me great assistance in this contest.—( Cheering.)
One word as to the future. I have sacrificed something—
(Cries of " You have.") I have sacrificed my personal exer-
tions and a seat in Parliament for the sake of fighting your
battle. I say nothing, however, of that—l take no credit for
it—l consider myself amply rewarded by having had the sup-
port of those 3,052 honest Reformers who have come forward
in my behalf. Now, as to the future. I am ready at any
time to come forward and support your interests either as a
candidate, if you wish it so, or as the supporter of any other
Reform candidate you may prefer. —( Cheers.) I despair not for
;he cause of the people—there may be checks by which it may
be for some time defeated and thrown back, but the cause of the
people must and shall ultimately triumph. I now thank you
most heartily for the kind manner in which you have received
me, and beg for the present to bid you farewell. The Hon.
Gentleman concluded amidst tremendous cheering, which
lasted for some time.
The cries here became general for Mr. Hume, who then
mounted the hustings, amid much noise and confusion. He
should not have come forward at the present moment if lie
had not considered himself called upon to explain some of
the statements he had made on a former day.—(Tremen-
dous cheering.) He certainly had been most sanguine as
to the result of this contest, and though Mr. Leader might
meet the result with good humour, he must confess
himself most mortified at it. Every good feeling, how-
ever, urged him to persevere. Why should they despair
of success when 3,052 independent electors had declared by
their votes that they would, if not at the present moment,
at some future period have Mr. Leader for their Represent-
ative ?—( Cheers.) Let Sir Francis Burdett enjoy his triumph,
if he could. He (Mr. Hume) had been an admirer of Sir
Francis Burdett ever since he entered into political life,
but what was his situation now ? One that he ( Mr. Hume)
considered most mortifying. He was deserted by his former
friends, and upheld by a Tory faction.—( Loud cries of
" Hear, hear, hear.") The Tories were doubtless entitled
to great credit for the great tact with which they employed
all their resources ; but what could be thought of Sir Ro-
bert Peel recording his vote for a man whom he would
have hung if he could when he had him in ihe Tower ?
( Great cheering.) Did Sir F. Burdett forget these things ?
If he did, the electors of Westminster did not do so.—( Hear.)
It was truly humiliating to see a man who had hitherto
been the advocate of Reform changing his principles,
and from being a man of the people entering into
the ranks of the bitterest enemies of Reform.—( Great
cheering.) Why had Sir Robert Peel ? why had Sir
Henry Harding° ? why had the Grand Master of the
Orange Lodges ?—(Loud Cheers)—why had the Carlton
Club—that great and bitter enemy of Reform advocated
the cause of Sir F. Burdett ? Why, for the cause, if possible,
of dividing the Whigs and the Reformers ; but notwithstand-
ing all, they would not be enabled to effect to them so
very desirable an object.—( Hear, hear, hear.) What was
the reason for the Tories having taken the steps
they had done at the present election. Why they were afraid
if they did not do so, they would be unable to support
pensions and sinecures.— (Cheering.) They found that
the people began to cry out against those things, and
were desirous, if possible, to put an end to the loaves
and fishes that the Tories were now enjoying. The Tories
had brought Sir F. Burdett in by a majority. Out of the 3,567
who had voted for him, there were perhaps 2,000 honest Tories.
Did he blame them for voting for a Tory ? CcrLainly not.
What he blamed them for was voting for an apostate.—(Tre-
mendous cheering.) The Tories cling to Sir Francis Bur-
dett, as a drowning man would at a straw, as their last
hope. They expected and hoped that his re-election would
retard the progress of Reform. It might for a shots.
season do so, but in the end the people would be tri •
umphant, and would have that Reform which they requ'red.
Who had hung up the Irish Municipal Bill till the 9th of
June ?—( Cries of " The Duke of Wellington.") True;
but the Duke of Wellington supported Sir Francis Burdett.
Why was that measure hung up? Why, for the purpose
if possible of preventing Municipal Reform in Ireland. Was
not the wish of the electors of Westminster to sea the
popular power triumphant in the House of Commons ?
( Loud cheers, and cries of " Yes." Would they get that
from Sir Francis Burdett ? No. He was perfectly sa-
tisfied—he wanted nothing more.---(Cheers.) Ile ha i
declared himself on the hustings: that he was for the King and
the Constitution.—(Cheers and hisses.) He had declared
that he would uphold the Church with all is abuses. In
fact Sir F. Burdett was no Church reformer, which was re-
quired by the liberal constituency of Westminster. For his
own part he (Mr. Hume) must declare, if he was a West-
minster man, he should fearlessly look, into the face of every
elector that he met, and ask him if he was the traitor. He was
sorry that any of the elector of Westminster should have been
influenced in giving their conscientious votes by powerful in-
timidation. He (Mr. H.) had seen Noble Lords and Mem-
bers of Parliament leading their victims to the slaughter.
Every man who had given his vote from fear, affection, or in-
timidation to Sir Francis Burdett, was an enemy to the
electors of Westminster, and had sacrified their interests.
The enjoyment of the elective franchise in a free state, if pro-
perly exercised, was a distinguished honour ; but if it was
not properly exercised, it was a badge of slavery.—( Loud
cheers.) These were truths that ought to go home to
the heart of every man—whether he was a Whig, Radical, or
Tory, if lie had the common feelings of mankind—he would
consider what his duty was in a free State—he would
consider that he had imports it rights ti protect for himself
and his family; that he had rights to protect for the millions
who could not themselves do it; and that he who would
basely sacrifice for lucre the honest dictates of his heart
was unworthy of being a freeman, and only worthy of
being a slave.—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) Many had
told him yesterday that they wished they had no vote what-
ever, for if that had been the case they would have better
satisfied others, and have been better pleased them-
selves.—( Loud cries, " That's true enough.") There
were many who did net seem to be aware that, by
adding one to the phalanx of the Tories in the
House of Commons, they were stopping all eff)rts to repeal
the Corn-laws, to amend the Reform Bill, and to work out
those other benefits which the people so much stood in
reed of.—( Loucrcheers.) L Here the Honourable Gentleman
was interrupted by a group of poor fellows, who evidently
had been hired for the occasion, crying " Burdett for
ever."l Those who came there paid for their vocation, and
raising their voices in favour of the fortunate candidate, little
considered how severely the result of the election affected
them. Like the apothecary in the play, they told him ( Mr.
Hume) that " their necessities compelled them". —(Cheers and
laughter.) But to be serious, he trusted the result of the election
and the pressure that had been made in the city of West-
minster by the Aristocracy, would teach all Reformers that
if they wished for good government they must keep the
Aristocracy in their own sphere, fighting for their own cause,
and leave the people alone to fight theirs.—( Cheers.) Ho
( Mr. Hume) would prefer doing anything to that of throwing
himself, as the Hon. Baronet had done (he was almost
going to say) into a den of thieves.—(Cheers and laughter. )
He would beseech the electors to look at those by whom S:r
Francis Burdett, once the glory of that city, was attended.
Had lie one sincere and long-tried Reformer with him ?
Not one. He was supported by the advocates of arbitrary power
and the advocates of tyranny. Tell him the company a
man kept, and he would tell them what the man was.—
( Laughter.) Who composed the company of Sir Francis
Burdett? The old band of Tories—the Aristocracy, who
would heap up abuses, and keep them on the beads of the people.
--(Cheers ) Sir F. Burdett was supported by the advocate of
Don Carlos, the representative of the city of Oxford, an excellent
lawyer no doubt, but a man who advocated tyranny, and a man
who advocated the cause of one that was stained with blond to
the elbows —who had issued orders that no quarter should be
given, and who had shot their unfortunate countrymen
in cold blood.—( Loud cheers.) That was one of Sir Francis
Burdett's supporters. Another of his supporters was the
Grand Master of the Orange Lodge in Ireland.—
(Cheers.) While the Tories enjoyed the temporary victory
he would allow Sir F. Burdett to enjoy the satisfaction he
would haie in such company.—( Loud cheering.) But he
would say in conclusion, let not this defeat discomfort you. Let
every man make his arrangement for the ensuing trial,
which could not be long off. They would then be better pre-
pared, and would with one voice declare their deter-
mination to support the Cause of reform and freedom,
the caw of good government in England, and through