The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-30 00:00:00

ISLE OF WIGHT.

The following addresses have been issued by Sir
John Simeon and Sir Charles Locock. A public
meeting was appointed to be held at the Victoria
Rooms, Ryde, last evening, at which Sir John
Simeon was expected to address the electors :
" Gentlemen,—l beg to announce to you my intention of
soliciting your votes at the approaching dissolution of Par-
liament. Ido not come before you as an unknown man,
nor altogether as an untried politician. I retain the live-
liest and most grateful recollection Of the confidence you
reposed in me by returning me as your representative in
1847 ; and I trust that while I had the honour of a seat in
Parliament I did no discredit to your choice, at least so far
as regards an honest, independent, and industrious dis-
charge of the duties committed to me. You will allow
me to recallto your remembrance the circumstances under
which, with the deepest regret, I retired from the repre-
sentation of the island. In 1851 I became a Catholic, and
felt it my duty to resign into your hands a trust which
had been reposed in me as a member of the Established
Church. Since that time I have been constantly resident
among you, and I venture to hope that I may have shown
that the profession of the faith to which I belong in no
way incapacitates an Englishman from a useful par-
ticipation in the administration of the social and
political institutions, in the working of which we are all of
voted taialaumjap_jaz Jess pronajgently a, part. I would
iadly have refrained from adverting to what may be con-
sidered by many of the constituency an important subject
of difference, but I feel that I am acting a more honest and
manly part by boldly alluding to it. Claiming as Ido for
myself the free exercise of my own religion, I feel bound to
respect the convictions of others ; and my earnest desire is
that nowhere throughout the world should religious differ-
ences be made the subject of legislative interference and
the excuse for social proscription and political disqualifica-
tion. Deeply and unalterably attached as lam to the Con-
stitution of our country, I have no desire to disturb or to
undermine the existing relations between the State and
the Church of England. I must at the same time express
my honest belief that that Church would be in no respect
weakened were it, by the abolition of church-rates, to be
deprived of the unwilling contributions of those who do not
participate in its worship. I trust and believe that my
political principles are well known to the electors. Always
a Liberal on conviction, I have become more and more per-
suaded that the safety and the greatness of England lies in
constant and harmonious progression. While I would re-
sist any attack upon the fundamental principles of the Con-
stitution, from whatever quarter it might arise, I should
anxiously support any well considered measures having for
their object to bring its practical working into more complete
harmony with the theory on which it is founded, whether
by a more perfect representation of the population and
the various interests of the country, by a more equable
distribution of the burden of taxation, where it may
press unfairly upon any section of the community, or by a
wider extension to every class of the blessings of education
and civilisation. Such, gentlemen, are briefly the principles
which I profess. Should you honour me with your confi-
dence, my best energies shall be devoted to your service
and to the promotion of the local interests of the island, to
which I am bound by every tie of associaton, of interest,
and of affection.

" I have the honour to be, gentlemen, your most faithful
servant, • " JOHN SIMEON.
" Swainston, Isle of Wight."

" Gentlemen,—Having some days since announced to
you that, in compliance with a requisition, I had ventured
to offer myself as a candidate to represent you in Parlia-
ment, and that requisition having been subsequently
strengthened by the letters that I have received from so
many of the largo landowners of the island, it becomes my
duty to declare the the principles on which I seek your
support. The occasion is peculiar ; my opponent possess-
ing so many powerful personal claims to your support,
from his well-deserved popularity as an extensive land-
owner, and as a tried public man ; but the strong feeling
existing throughout the island that this important con-
stituency should not be represented by a member of the
Church of Rome induces me to cherish the hope that the
disadvantages of my being a stranger to you will be over-
looked in comparison with the support of the grAt prin-
ciples I come forward to maintain. ln politics I am a Con-
servative, but ready to support every measure which may
be brought forward for the progressive improvement of
our institutions, and the prosperity of the nation. I believe
the Conservative party to be as truo friends to the work-
ing-classes, and as much disposed to improve and reform
any defects in the Constitution as the party calling them-
selves Liberals. With the increase of wealth Mid intelli-
gence I consider that the Parliamentary franchise should
be extended, and I would support any measure to extend
and widen the qualification to those who, from property
and intellectual acquirements, would preserve our Consti-
tution from the perils to which it would be exposed if the
franchise was lowered to the extent supported by my oppo-
nent. I would reduce the present high standard of the oc-
cupation qualification in counties to an amount more nearly
approaching that required in boroughs; but I consider that
any lowering of the latter would give such an undue pre-
ponderance to men unqualified to exercise the franchise
that the votes of the more educated and wealthy would
be neutralised. The question of church rates is one of
great interest but of greater difficulty. As long as we have
a national Church the law should provide the means for
the maintenance of the fabric, more especially in poor and
scantily inhabited parishes where voluntary aid could not
be obtained ; but I would vote for any plan which would
relieve the dissenter from personal liability to contribute
towards the maintenance of the Established Church, and
trust that although the many schemes to effect this object
have hitherto failed, some other may be before long be
devised which may effect a satisfactory settlement of this
much-discussed question. The flourishing state of the
public revenue arising from the great prosperity which, by
the Divine blessing, has attended our commercial and ma-
nufacturing enterprises, has enabled Parliament during the
last few years to remit a large amount of taxation ; and I
cannot but consider that in the apportionment of that re-
mission the agriculturists have not received that consi-
deration to which they are entitled. All restrictions on
the importation of foreign grain having been removed, no
taxes should be imposed on home produce, and on any
further remission of taxes the farmers have the first claim
for the immediate and total abolition of the malt-tax. On
the great question of national education I am, and always
have been, a warm supporter of every institution which
shall dame knowledge, coupled with religion, among the
poorer classes, and would most readily vote for all mea-
sures having that object. lam of opinion that it will be
always our true interest to keep peace with foreign na-
tions, and not to interfere in their domestic affairs ; but I
would oppose any mistaken economy in the public expen-
diture which would prevent the maintenance of our fleet
and army in the highest state of efficiency, believing that
a preparedness for war is at all times the surest guarantee
of peace. In affording to the electors the opportunity of
choosing a Protestant instead of a Roman Catholic repre-
sentative, I by no means wish to interfere with the
Englishman's birthright, liberty of conscience, feeling that
a man's creed should not subject him to the loss of any
civil or political privileges. lam a sincere member of the
Church of England, and in principle and practice opposed
to those obsolete forms and ceremonials, the objec-
tion to which formed so strong a feature in
the constitution of our Church, whose separa-
tion:from Rome has been the foundation whence the liber-
ties we now enjoy have arisen. Although I should highly
prize the honour of being your chosen representative, the
proud position I have attained in the exercise of my former
profession will assure you that I have not any personal
interest to serve in entering Parliament, and should your
choice devolve upon me my best energies will be devoted
to the discharge of my duties as your representative, and,
whether elected or defeated, the approaching contest will
give me the opportunity of becoming personally acquainted
with your beautiful island and its inhabitants, and I trust
I shall be welcomed as a resident, desirous at all times to
lend his aid in furtherance of everything that will tend to
promote the interest of all classes in the island.
"I have the honour to remain, gentlemen, your faithful
servant,
"Binstead, May 27."

" CHARLES LOCOCK.

PONTEFRACT.

There are now three candidates fairly before the
electors of this borough, who will have to send two
as representatives to Parliament at the next election.
The new candidate, as has been previously stated in
The Sun, is Mr. Maearthur, a London shipping mer-
chant, who has come forward in the Liberal interest.
The other two are Mr. H. C. E. Childers, and Mr.
Waterhouse, the present members for the borough,
the former in the Liberal, and the latter in the Con-
servative interest. Each of the candidates has not only
addressed the electors, but has also begun a personal
canvass. The substance of Mr. Macarthur's address
has not been given in The Sun. In a speech to the
electors a few days ago Mr. Waterhouse gave a brief
but clear explanation of his conduct in Parliament and
of the various votes he had given. With respect to
Parliamentary reform, he said he voted against Mr.
Baines's £6 franchise bill, but he was no advocate
for a £lO franchise exclusively, for he did not see