The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-04 00:00:00

LIBERAL DEMONSTRATION AT DERBY.

On Tuesday last a dinner was given at the Athenaeum
at Derby to celebrate the recent triumph of the liberal
party in that borough by the unseating of Mr. Horsfall,
and the return of Mr. Heyworth. The Mayor occupied
the chair. He was supported by Mr. Heyworth, M.P.,
Mr. Bass, M.P., the Rev. W. F. Wilkinson, Mr. J.
Barber, Mr. J. Coppock, and others.
After the usual loyal toasts had been drunk,
The MAYOR gave the toast of the evening—the health
of the members for the borough, which was received
with great applause.
Mr. BAss, M.P., on rising, was received with loud
cheers. He said,—Mr. Mayor and gentlemen,—l pray
you to accept my warmest acknowledgments for the
kind expression of your good feelings towards me on
this and on previous occasions. I feel that on an occa-
sion like the present it would be impossible not to dwell
upon the all-absorbing subject which has engaged our
attention for some months back--though I am told that
to allude to it would be almost an infraction of good
breeding itself. (Laughter.) But, met as we are to
congratulate each other on the successful attempt that
has been made to expose a flagrant system of corruption,
I cannot'understand that we have any right to be here
at all, unless we take some notice of those deeds that
have been done by our opponents. (Hear, hear.) I
have been accused by our opponents of having taken an
uncalled-for course, by giving an earnest and frank sup-
port to my' hon. friend Mr. Heyworth. (Cheers.)
Many of them have said to me—their leaders have said
to me, that I was making a very poor return for the
support they were willing to give me. They com-
plained that whilst Mr. Horsfall himself was trying to
give me his second votes, I was taking every means in
my power to prevent his return. (Laughter.) Why,
how did we stand in relation to each other ? I never
had to acknowledge any support from them ; and al-
though I have to acknowledge, and freely acknowledge,
uninterrupted expressions of kindness from many mem-
bers of the Tory party, I am not quite certain, that if
they could have succeeded in getting a second candidate
to contest the election, that they would not have with-
held oven the small amount of support which, under the
circumstances, was vouchsafed to me. (Cheers.) I
entertained no feeling of personal hostility to our oppo-
nent Mr. Horsfall. I knew nothing of him personally
before he was presented to the notice of the constituency
of Derby ; but all that I had heard respecting him was,
that the highest respect was felt for him as a man. I
believe if the Conservatives must have a candidate, they
could not have selected a better man. He came with
the highest character to recommend him ; and we knew
that if we were to be beaten, we could only be overcome
by a combination of untoward circumstances, and by
having to contest the election with one of their picked
men. But because they brought a candidate of this
character, was I on that ground to be debarred from
promoting those political tenets which I have conscien-
tiously entertained for years ? It is quite true that upon
some theoretical questions my hon. friend and myself
differ, but upon all practical questions Mr. Heyworth
and myself almost invariably go into the same lobby
together. (Cheers.) I must be permitted here to
offer a few common-sense remarks upon the proceedings
that have lately occupied the attention of the public.
(Hear.) After the disclosures made before the Beresford
Committee, I think it was impossible for any man of in-
telligent mind to come to any other conclusion than
that improper and illegal measures had been resorted to
to obtain Mr. Horsefall's seat. (Cheers.) I regret, for
the sake of Mr. Horsfall's honourable character and
high name, that he did not take the course which duty
clearly pointed out, I regret that he put his opponents
to 1,500/. expense in defending the rightS of the con-
stituency. (Cheering.) I think he was quite wrong in
having defended his seat up to the point where he ulti-
mately abandoned it. Notwithstanding the continued
asseverations I made to Mr. Horsfall, I found no abate-
ment of hostility against myself. And even at this
moment our opponents go the length of insisting—not-
withstanding the facts are patent to the whole world—
that a compromise has taken place in some way or other.
(Laughter.) It's true we had opportunities of compro-
mising, even when the petition was before the Com-
mittee of the House of Commons. An intimation was
made to me to ascertain whether there were no means of
letting this matter gently down. (Laughter.) My an-
swer was—No, as far as I am concerned, it must go on
as it has begun. (Cheers.) The petition against me
wasi,.in my opinion, totally unwarranted. I defied my
opponents to carry out their threats. I had no conces-
sion to make, and I defied them to the proof to the
uttermost. (Cheers.) Well, so matters went on, and
Mr. Horsfall, up to a very late period of the inquiry,
declared he would spend 20,0001. in defence of hi. cha-
racter. I must say that it seemed strange to me, that
so good a character should require so large an expendi-
ture of money to defend it. (Laughter.) I will do hiin
the justice to state again, candidly and frankly, that it
was money very much misappropriated, and not at all
required. (Laughter.) Well, gentlemen, to come to
the end of this matter, it so happened, that one fine
morning I found, notwithstanding this 20,0001., the
committee were agreeing that Mr. Horsfall was to be
unseated for bribery by his agents, and that the counsel
declared, before that constituted tribunal. that ti,=.37
weiU 110 b, rue very shame, go on with the petition
against me, as not the semblance of a case could they
offer before five honourable men. (Cheering.) After
stating that he had challenged the solicitor of Mr.
Horsfall to prove that there was the slightest pretence
for the petition against his return, Mr. Bass went on to
say—Amongst other charges levelled against us, we
were accused of a foul conspiracy. I am sure all will
now agree that the conspirators were not on our side.
(Cheers and laughter.) And now I have only to ask--
what is to be done with those in high places, the W.B.'s,
and some of your neighbours—some of the lead-works
gentlemen ? Are the doings of "W. 8.," of the gentle-
men of the lead works, and others, to be forgotten like
an idle dream ? (Cries of " No, no !" and cheering.)
I say to you, as I said in my address, that justice has in
some measure been done, but not yet completed. Well,
then, it remains to be done. (Cheers renewed.) las a
guardian in some sort of your rights and liberties, feel
it my duty, whenever called upon, to bring these people
to justice. (The company rose and cheered vociferously,
and Mr. Bass resumed his seat.)

Mr. HEYWORTH, M.P., said, it is impossible for me
to find words to express the deep debt of gratitude I
owe you for the kindness I have received on this, and
upon all occasions when I have appeared amongst you.
I regard the demonstration of yesterday, in conjunction
with the present festival gathering of friends, as one of
the great events of my life. In its consequences it will
prove of vast importance, and the result of the recent
proceedings, which we are now celebrating, will have
its influence for good in promoting purity of election in
this, and other boroughs, I trust, for generations to
come. (Cheers.) And now, gentlemen, as my hon.
colleague has stated, it is impossible, on an occasion like
thiS, and after the treatment we have received from Mr.
Horsfall and his party, to be entirely silent on a subject,
the mere mention of which naturally causes feelings of
irritation—l hope also of shame—in the breasts of our
opponents. (Hear, hear.) I will not enter into details;
but there were one or two incidents in the recent pro-
ceedings which I cannot altogether pass over. I will
set down nought in malice, for I do not entertain any
feeling of animosity toward my late opponent Mr. Hors-
fall, or indeed toward any man in the world. On one
occasion that Mr. Horsfall met me in the street, he said,
Mr. Heyworth, what is the use of going on fighting and
fighting ? said I see:no use in it, and lam surprised
that you have not long since withdrawn from the
vain attempt to defend your seat ; and now, I said,
the best advice I can give you, and do it as a friend,
is at once to stay further inquiry into the gross
bribery cases of which your own party have been
guilty. He said, oh; but I must defend my own cha-
racter. I said, I can't conceive that you will be defending
your character by prolonging a contest from which all
the facts of the case will be elicited and put on record.
If all the facts should be brought to light, and be re-
corded, your assertion will not countervail the inference

that will be drawn from them ; and the public regardless
of your assertions, will form their own opinion on the
subject. (Hear, hear.) He said,—but, Mr. Heyworth
if I were to withdraw from this contest and cease to de-
fend my seat, we can't unseat Mr. Bass. (Laughter
and cheers.) I said Mr. Bass has done no wrong ; why
prolong an expensive contest against him when you
have not the shadow of a case against him ? I said,
really, is it likely ; is there any reasonable motive that
you could suppose would induce Mr. Bass to bribe for a
vote when he had the moral certainty of a large majority.
Well, gentlemen, after the committee had decided that
Mr. Horsfall was to be unseated, and myself seated, I
saw him in the lobby, and he toldme that notwithstand-
ing this result, he should attend Prince Albert's levee in

the afternoon and be presented, if the newspaper reports
be true, as member for Derby, when a committee of the
House of Commons had already declared me the seated
member. I leave you, gentlemen, and the public, to
decide upon the prorpriety of that act. (Loud cheers.)
The idea, industriously promulgated, in order to
cover the disgrace attaching to the discovery of
Morgan, was, that no election takes place at which
bribery is not committed on both sides. No doubt that
accounts, in some degree; for Mr. Horsfall's incredulity.
But, gentlemen, how great does it redound to
your honour that you have, without expending a single
farthing improperly, seated your two members. (Cheers.)
You stand before the world in the light in which all
constituencies ought to stand. Your honour was im-
peached— it has been proved scatheless. (Cheers.)
Your character was suffering from the aspersions of in-
terested traducers,—it stands forth in all its integrity
and uprightness, and shines with increased brilliancy
after the passing away of the cloud by which truth and
honour were for a time partially concealed. (Loud
cheers.) Standing then in this proud position, you had
a right to make the demonstration which gladdened our
eyes yesterday. We pride ourselves upon being the
members of such a body of constituents. If either of us
had been returned to Parliament by corrupt and unlaw-
ful means, we would not have retained our seats one
moment after a disclosure similar to that on the Beresford
committee. (Cheering.) The example you have set,
ought, and I think will have, its effect in other quarters ;
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country. (Much cheering.)
The healths of the Mayor and the Right Hon. Edward
Strutt were next drunk, the latter being replied to by
Mr. John Strutt. The- toasts which followed were.—
" The County Members," and "The Members of the
Corporation."

Mr. JOHN BARKER proposed "The Bishop of Lich-