The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-28 00:00:00

WAKEFIELD ELECTION.

The polling for Wakt field took place yesterday.
The voting was brisk in the morning, and promised
to be in favour of Mr. Smethurst, the Liberal can-
didate ; but from midday the Conservative candi-
date, Sir John Hay, steadily gained on his oppo-
nent, and at 4 o'clock the Conservative Committee
issued the following statement :
Hay
Smethurst
The Liberal statement was—
Smethurst
Hay • • .

, 455
426

. 429
. 450

Sir J. Hay addressed his friends from the balcony
of the Strafford Arms, thanking them for the mag-
nificent victory they had achieved ; and his short
speech was followed by others from Mr. J. Barff,
Major Edwards, M.P., Mr. T. M. Carter, and Mr.
Serle.—Mr. Smethurst also addressed his suppor-
ters from the balcony at the Royal Hotel, observing
that, though they had been defeated, the defeat had
not been dishonourable.—Mr. Leathern, M.P., and
other gentlemen also spoke, and the assembly were
requested quietly to disperse.—The town is quiet,
there being nothing be 3 and the customary celebra-
tions, The declaration will be made this morning.

OFFICIAL DECLARATION OF THE POLL,
Hay
Smethurst

Majority

THE LONGFORD ELECTION.

Major O'Reilly, who has come forward to contest
the representation of the county of Longford with
Col. White, recently appointed to the post of Irish
Lord of the Treasury, has issued the following cha-
racteristic address to the constituency :—" Men of
Longford,—A Government hostile to your religion

- -
—to its venerable head, and to its dearest interests
at home—has dared to ask you to sanction their
anti-Catholic policy, of which the Chief Secretary
for Ireland is the exponent. Hoping to take you
unawares, they have directed your late member to
present himself to you for re-election, in the quality
of their official. As might be expected, you have
refused to indorse their act with your approval ;
you have invited me to vindicate the independence
and dignity of your county, and I hasten to obey
the honourable call. Should Ibe elected, my con-
duct shall prove your noble confidence has not been
misplaced. I shall oppose in Parliament, as I have
done elsewhere, the system of sacrilegious invasion
and robbery pursued by Piedmont, which has re-
ceived the support of English Ministers. My opi-
nions on education are well known. Education, to
be valuable, must be religious. The clear right,
therefore, and the most urgent want of the Irish
Catholics, is free Catholic education, the radical re-
form of the national system, and the recognition of
our university. On other questions, as on these,
which the reckless challenge of the Chief Secretary
to the Catholic clergy and people of Ireland has
made of paramount importance, I believe my opi-
nions will be found to coincide with yours. I
shall advocate trpe freeing of the Catholics of
Ireland from the monster grievance of an alien
church establishment ; such a change of the
laws regarding land as, by promoting per-
manency of tenure, will encourage the judicious
outlay of the tenant's capital and industry, and
ensure him an adequate return, a large extension
of the suffrage, and the protection of the voter in its
exercise by the ballot; a reform of the poor law in
a spirit congenial with the dictates of Christian
charity, and the habits and wants of our country-
men ; a reform of the grand jury laws, which would
make those share the payment who impose the tax.
Seeking no favour of any, I shall hold myself inde-
pendent of every Government. My votes shall be
influenced solely by the interests of my constituents,
of our country, and of our religion.—l have, &c.,
MYLES W. O'REILLY." The major arrived in Dub-
lin on Tuesday evening from Brussels.
The Conservative press in Ireland, without a
single exception, have adopted Colonel White's
cause.

THIS DAY'S MARKETS.