The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-23 00:00:00

STOKE-UPON-TRENT ELECTION.

The nomination of candidates for the borough of
Stoke-upon-Trent took place yesterday in the Mar-
ket-square, Hanley. There was an immense num-
ber of persons present. At the outset there was
some little contention as to the order in whibh the
c indidates should be nominated, Mr. Sergeant Shee
stoutly asserting his claim to precedence on the
ground of his having been first in the field. The
learned gentleman's claim was ultimately conceded.
After the usual preliminaries.
Mr. COXON came forward and proposed Mr. Ser-
geant Shea as a fit and proper person to represent
the borough. He briefly characterised Mr. Shee as
an old Liberal, a man of distinguished talent, and
as one whose long experience eminently qualified
him to be their representative.

Mr. Councillor BOOTH seconded the nomination,

Mr. Alderman BROWNFIELD, of Hanley, proposed
Mr. Grenfell. He spoke of Mr. Grenfell as one
who would follow in the footsteps of their late mem-
ber, Mr. Ricardo, and being a commercial man well
fitted to represent that commercial community.
Mr. J. S. HILL, of Burslem, seconded the nomi-
nation of Mr. Grenfell.

Mr. C_ M. CAMPBELL, of the firm of Minton and
Co., nominated Mr. Beresford Hope, whose political
views, he contended, were in accordance with those
of the great majority of electors.
_ _ __

Mr. GEORGE BAKER seconded the nomination.
Mr. Serjeant SHEE then addressed the electors
and non-electors. At the outset of his address he
adverted at some length to the personal quarrel
between himself and Mr. Grenfell, in allusion to
whom he said that he (Mr. Shee) had neither come
down to the borough with letters of introduction
nor with Reform Club or Treasury money in his
pocket. He characterised Mr. Grenfell as one who
had been adopted by a small clique and coterie of
Liberals, and one whose success at the polling-
booth would be fatal to the freedom of election in
the borough. He (Mr. Shee) had been an advocate
for free trade in public writings and in speaking
long before the two hon. gentlemen who were
opposed to him were of an age to take part in
public affairs. After speaking of the service ren-
dered to the country by those who had taken a
part in negoeiating the French treaty, he expressed
a hope that the principles of that treaty would
esewpnr
inett
iehrdseoi
tltay be
ahtbeeors
loictfoieuoxnnt
countries,
oifesc,ha unto u
America.
church
Hihonerr o
paawtcreatsism:
umc l
ae
rr t ioa lt
hrelations
ainndfafvoorutrheofedtuh_e
cation of every child according to the religious
faith professed by its parents. He was in favour of
a large extension of the franchise--at least to £6
houses, and for the only protection and the only se-
curity for its independent exercise, the ballot. He
charged the supporters
at
this
of
election,
Mr.et Grenfell
used intimidation ion,anwith
a employers
of
labour with having, in not a few instances, ordered
their workpeople to vote for Mr. Grenfell. (Cries of
gc yes,,, "Name,' and much uproar): A
tiaelpoliey of the government.
v"eNryn"laarngde number of voters would abstain from
simply
dbieeetaautle
othfetyhedirideonno_t
gonre than he had d
tthoethe statement that he
voting at this election,
fromthe
Italian peninsula
and the re-
sdcaireencteos.voHtee
gaaccvoeridiidnegn
penin°snuleaatfrtohme
lewNexaaopss
eumo
Iposapifooo
noshet
aohddfet
rroAeptjuhaos
rietetrfseiodaroen
ifi
Austrian influence.
If the advice givencom2
5p
yearscomplications,
oangso
by Lord Palmerston to Austria, Tuscany, and the
other States of Italy, had been followed, Europe
would have been saved the present
and the dynasties of those countries the
misfortunes
which had since befallen them. Far from being
on.
freedom,
posed to constitutional free
deter-
mined advocate. He was for he was
parliamentary
its r
taxation
and for parliamentary government everywhere; for
free trade and for free discussion, and for
the exten-
sion to all countries of some such security
against
arbitrary imprisonment as the liabegto Corpus Act,

Ht. declared emphatically that he was in favour of
the establishment of constitutional government in
the States of the Church, and he never could suffi-
ciently regret that the Pope, after he had granted a
constitution to his subjects, had been induced, by
the murder of his Prime Minister and the establish-
ment of a republic, to depart from that wise and pru-
dent course, and did not re-establish that constitu-
tion on his restoration. He believed his opinions on
this question coincided with those of her Majesty's
Government. He thought that our foreign policy
should he one of non-intervention. While it appeared
to him quite unnecessary that the Pope should pos-
sess a large armament either naval or military, yet he
was unwilling to see him reduced by the influence
of England to such a position as to become either
the obsequious ally or the vassal of France. He
thought therefore that the Pope should be secured
as his right, in a position of complete independence
of other states. He complained that the "No
Popery" cry should have been raised against him.
He declared, in opposition to certain statements
which had been forth in placards, that if returned
to parliament he should consider the oaths which
he should then have to take, not to weaken or
disturb the Established Church, as binding upon
him in their plain and grammatical sense. He then
went on to notice the allegations which had been
made, that he had come forward as a " sham can-
didate" in order to further Mr. Beresford Hope's
chance of success, and declared that there was not
one word of truth in the imputation. He demanded
of Mr. Grenfell his authority for making that state-
ment, and to know if he still adhered to it. He
appealed to Mr. Grenfell as a gentleman either to
withdraw the statement, to prove it, or to apologise
to him (Mr. Shee). He declared that even if Mr.
Grenfell succeeded at this election he should not
occupy the seat long enough to keep it warm, but
that at the general election next year he (Mr. Shee)
would again come forward, and stand up to vindi-
cate the independence of the borough. (Mr. Ser-
geant Shee was listened to on the whole very
attentively; and was often warmly cheered.)
Mr. GRENFELL was received with mingled cheers,
hisses, and groans, the two last greatly predomi-
nating. After endeavouring in vain to get a hear-
ing, Mr. Grenfell contented himself with looking
quietly on the immense mass of upturned faces for
several minutes, and his patience was at length re-
warded wila some approach to order. He began
by noticing the demand of Sergeant Shee for proof,
explanation, withdrawal, or apology fox the state-
ment made by him (Mr. Grenfell) that he (Sergeant
Shee) held a brief for Mr. Hope. Mr. Grenfell said
that he explained now, as he had explained before,
and as he should maintain, that Sergeant Shee
had made certain distinct promises to him in
regard to the conduct of this election. Sergeant
Shoe almost immediately broke those promises,
and he (Mr. Grenfell) did say that, having so broken
his pledged word, the learned sergeant was capable
of holding a brief for Mr. Hope. (Cheers, groans,
and confusion.) He said that now, and he defied
Sergeant Shee to deny that he had broken his word.
(More uproar.) But he would leave the dirty sub-
ject, which he had only meddled with in self-de-
fence. (During the noise,which arose at this point
it was understood that Sergeant Shee was demand-
ing a retraction of Mr. Grenfell's charge of menda-
city against him, and Mr. Grenfell reiterated, add-
ing that Mr. Shee was a sham candidate. The con-
fusion was so great, however, that it was impos-
sible to catch the whole of the conversation which
was carried on across Mr. Hope, who was oppor-
tunely placed between the two more antagonistic
candidates.) Mr. Grenfell continued—His and Mr.
Hope's opinions were as far as possible asunder.
He (Mr. Grenfell) was a reformer, was prepared to
advocate an extension of the suffrage, a redistribu-
tion of seats, and the entire abolition of church rates.
(Cheers.) He was, too, a free trader. Mr. Hope
had been reported to say that he was for indirect
taxation in preference to direct, and in that he
(Mr. Grentell) was opposed to him. When, too,
Mr. Hope was in Parliament he had been a Pro-
tectionist. Mr. Hope was in Parliament when
Mr. Ricardo was there; and when there were divi-
sions on the subject of free trade either Mr. Hope
did not vote at all or he voted against free trade.
(Groans directed against Mr. Hope, and confusion.)
Mr. Hope voted against the repeal of the corn laws.
Mr. Hope had told them his opinion on the reci-
procity treaty with France, and no one could doubt
that if he could he would have opposed it, though
he now accepted it with reluctance as a success.
(Groans.) He (Mr. Grenfell) was a firm supporter
of the foreign policy of the present Government.
Sergeant She,: had referred to the opinion of Lord
Palmerston on the Italian question in 1849. But
the circumstances which made that opinion
sonnd at the time were altogether different
now. The Italians now had a kingdom, and
they asked why they should have an in-
dependent sovereign in the midst of their terri-
tory, and they demanded that that sovereign (the
Pope) should be withdrawn. He (Mr. Grenfell)
was of the same opinion as the Italians, and be-
lieved that the question of Rome should be settled
in the interests of the Italian kingdom. (Cheers.)
Mr. Hope had told them that the Italian movement
was a selfish movement—a movement for the
aggrandisement of a little state. He denied this,
and he asserted the right and the duty of the
Italians to persist in advancing towards the in-
tegrity of the whole kingdom of Italy. (Cheers.)
Sergeant Shee had charged him and his friends
with getting up a " No Popery " cry. He had
charged him (Mr. Grenfell) with publishing the
disgusting correspondence between Mr. Daniel Lee
and Mr. Molloy. He had not published that cor-
respondence. (A voice on the hustings : " Father
Molloy published it.") But if Mr. Serjeant Shee
thought the borough would dislike to be dictated
to, as he called it, by a large and influential com-
mittee of residents of the borough, still less would
it like to be dictated to by Father Molloy and his
correspondent. (Cheers and groans.) In conclu-
sion he assured them, from all he could see and from
all he could hear, he was destined to be their re-
presentative. (Cheers, groans, and indescribable
noise, amidst which Mr. Grenfell withdrew from
the front.)
Mr. BERESFORD HOPE was more favourably re-
ceived than the last candidate, and was several
times cheered during his speech. He declined to
enter into the personal questions which had occu-
pied a large portion of the previous addresses. He
I appealed to his public services—in Parliament for
13 years, and outside Parliament by his pen, and
in other ways, for 20 years—as justifying his
claims to represent them in Parliament, He had
neither yielded to the blandishments of the
Reform Club, nor of the Carlton Club, and
had neither the money of the Reform Club nor
of the Carlton Club in his pocket. He came there
with no credentials—with no label round his
neck ; but seeing the vacancy, he had come there
to say to them, " Will you have me ? If you will,
I am your man." He was one of those who
said that the words Conservative and Liberal
should be synonymous, Had he chosen years ago
to have abandoned the word Conservative he might
have had a seat from the Reform Club; had he
chosen to have abandoned the word Liberal he might
have had a seat from the Carlton Club. He had
avoided temptation from one side or the other, and
he should have kept out of public life at the present
time had not the death of Mr. Ricardo thrown open
a seat for a place with which he had some local con-
himself generally in favour
nection. He declared
of the foreign policy of Lord Palmerston. Being
asked to state his views as to the Pope, he said he
thought the trades of bishop and king went very ill
in the same man. He differed from Mr. Sergeant
Shee in thinking that the head of his (Mr. Shee's)
religion would be stronger if freed from temporal
cares than if he were a weak monarch. The Pope,
under any circumstances, could not fail to be a weak
monarch ; be must either be an Austrian puppet or

a French puppet. In the name of order and de-
cency (said Mr. Hope), do not put a minister of reli-
gion in the position of being a weak sovereign, which
is about the worst and feeblest position which he
can fill. Let them keep him at Rome it they pleased
—let them give him. St. Peters; let him have his
personal guard, an ample revenue, but let him reign
in the name of the King of Italy. He was opposed
to the ballot, not believing that it would prevent
the evils now complained of, or protect the inde-
pendence of the voter. In the event of another re-
form bill being introduced, he would study less the
interests of the landlord, the tax collector, and the
rate collector, and make honesty and industry in the
working man the test of the suffrage. If they sent
him to Parliament they would send there an honest
man and a hard-working man, one who would
closely attend to their interests, and one who would
be ready at the close of each session to come down
and render an account of his stewardship.
No questions were asked of any of the candidates,
and the returning officer at once proceeded to take
the show of hands. Rather more than half of those
present held up their hands for Mr. sergeant
Shee, not quite half so many held up their
hands for Mr. Grenfell, and a rather smaller
number of hands for Mr. Hope. The choice of the
electors was accordingly declared to have fallen
upon Mr. Sergeant Shee. A poll was demanded for
Mr. Grenfell and Mr. Hope, and takes place to-day.
A vote of thanks to the returning officer concluded
the proceedings.