The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-27 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

A public meeting was held at the Regent Music-
hall, Regent-street, Westminster, last evening, for
the purpose of hearing Mr. H. W. Smith, the Con-
servative candidate, expound his political principles.
Mr. Elliot, of the firm of Elliot, Watney, and
Co., took the chair, and briefly stated that the
object of the meeting was to afford Mr. Smith the
opportunity of expressing his opinions on the great
political subjects of the day.
Mr. SMITH then came forward, and was received
most enthusiastically. He said he was a Westminster
man, and- all that he possessed was in Westminster ;
the meeting might, therefore, believe that he felt
the deepest interest in the prosperity of that ancient
city. He renewed his declaration of being wholly
free from all party ties, and his assurance that if
elected he would act according to the best of his
judgment, without distinction of party. There was
a time when Westminster prided itself by being re-
presented by men uninfluenced by party feeling.
That was his position now. His only aim was the
good of his country, and although holding
thoroughly Conservative opinions, he was desirous
of reforming every abuse that might exist either
under a Liberal or a Conservative administration.
Recent circumstances had crept in which told them

that personal administrative reform was needed.
Referring to the suffrage, Mr. Smith repeated that
he would not be a party to the lowering of it below
£lO, because he considered it would be derogatory
to working men to declare that it was necessary
they should live in a house of less than ss. a
week to qualify them to be voters. Could any respect-
able working man get decent house accommodation
for ss. a week ? (Hear.) Let it not then be declared
that a house of £6 a year rent was sufficient
accommodation for a working man. (Cheers.) He
was quite willing to give the franchise to persons
who lived in first and second floors and paid from
7s. to Bs. rent weekly. He then adverted to the se-
veral local questions which required attention—such
as the Thames Embankment, the railways passing
through Westminster, the toll bridges, &c. In regard
to all these he was prepared to devote his utmost
attention. With regard to foreign affairs, he thought
it very rarely happened that Englishmen at all un-
derstood the wishes or feelings of foreigners, and if
they had made one mistake greater than another it
was an insane desire to benefit the foreigner by in-
ducing him to introduce our institutions and ten-
dering to him our advice. He was grateful that the
civil war in America had passed away without this
country becoming involved in any question with
foreign rowers ; and he gladly supported the army,
navy, and Volunteers, as substantial means of na-
tional defence.

In answer to a question, Mr. SMITH said he was
in favour of a providence suffrage, but he could not
consent to give every member of a benefit society a
vote.

Lord EUSTACE CECIL said that he considered Mr.
Smith not only an able man, but a moderate, in-
dependent, and Liberal-Conservative, and in every
respect worthy to represent Westminster in Parlia-
ment. He then moved :
" That this meeting having heard with satisfaction Mr.
W. H. Smith's exposition of his political principles, pledge
themselves to use their utmost exertions to secure his re-
turn as one of the representatives for Westminster."
Mr. JOSEPH CARTER WOOD seconded the resolu-
tion, and on its being put to the meeting it was car-
ried unanimously and with great applause.
A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the
proceedings.