The Sun.
London, England, 1836-08-23 00:00:00

Dr. CONNOLLY, in seconding the nomination of Mr. Hob.
house, regretted that they had not had the opportunity
afforded them of listening to the observations of his respected
friend, Mr. Tomes. Indeed he did not wonder at the anxiety
evinced by their opponents to prevent that gentleman from
being heard. There was a cause which might be supported
by the words of reason alone; and there was a cause which
could only be upheld by noise and brute force. He would
not detain them longer, as it must be disagreeable to them, in
such a noise and crowd, to listen to long speeches. He would
merely add, that in returning Mr. Hobhouse they would act in
accordance to the wishes of the majority of the people of
England.—(Cheers.)
Previous to Mr. Canning's addressing the meeting, Mr.
nommen requested and entreated all his friends to give the
Hon. Gentleman a fair, patient, and attentive hearing.
Mr. CANNING then proceeded to address the electors. He
hoped that his own friends, and the meeting generally, would
take the excellent advice of his Honourable opponent, and give
all parties a hearing. The present contest was one of prin-
ciples and not of persons. He entered upon it without en-
tertaining the slightest feeling of acrimony or hostility, and he
trusted that the gentlemen on the other side were influenced
by the same feelings. Acrimonious feelings would bring no
additional triumph to the victor, and would not afford the
least consolation to the vanquished.—(Loud cheering.)
When his honourable opponent came into the town, he
stated that he came to rescue it from the tyranny of the Castle.
He (Mr. Canning) had been taunted with being the nominee
of the Castle.—( So ycu are.) He would tell them, then,
that an asserticn that any one could force them to elect as the
,representative of that borough whoever they choose to nomi-
nate was an insult to them, and not to him.—(Cheers.) If
by nominee they meant to assert that his principles were the
same as those of their late representative, who had so long
and so industriously served them, and who brought to that
service firmness of action, integrity of principle, and all those
excellent qualities which could adorn a man—if to have the
same feelings as those entertained by that gentleman was to
be a nominee, he was in that sense proud of being a nominee.
The Hon. Gentleman who had seconded his opponent had
eulogised that gentleman's address. Would his lion. Oppo-
nent allow him to as'; ltim one question ? He believed that
his Hon. Opponent arrived on Wednesday—his address was
not published till late on Thursday. With all due deference
to his Hon. Opponent's experience in electioneering matters, in
which he certainly bad the advantage over him, he would ask
him whether that was the usual course? Was it sanctioned at
Finsbury, or was it observed at Bath ? They would all natu-
rally expect that he would freely and fully speak his own
opinions before he ascertained what theirs might be. He
wished to say a few words upon a subject which had caused
much discussion throughout the country. He meant the new
Poor-law Bill. He must first state that he certainly did not
expect from a person who so warmly supported the present
Ministers as his Hon. Opponent did, that he would have put
forth a statement which contained so warm a condemnation
of their pet bantling.—( Cheers.) It certainly would be amus-
ing if he were in the House of Commons, and Lord John
Russell on one side of him, and his brother, Sir John Cam
Hobhouse, on the other, to hear him repeat his condemna-
tion of that measure in the same terms in which he had ex-
pressed his disapprobation of it here : his (Mr. Canning's)
opinion upon that Bill was this, he considered it cruel, oppres-
sive, and unjust, that power should devolve on any men to se-
parate a husband from his wife.—( Cheers ; some ono in the
crowd, " And yet. Sir. Charles Greville voted for that clause.")
He wished them joy of their Poor-law Bill. He could only
say that for his part he would gladly see that clause an-
nulled. The political opinions of that party who supported
his opponent differed widely from his. He begged most
explicitly to tell them that his principles were those essen-
tially of Conservatism. He would uphold the institutions of
the country; he admired its Constitution; he reverenced the
Church ; and he was the friend but not the servile flatterer
of the people.—( Cheers.) If any person wished to put
any further question to him he was ready to reply to them.
He thanked them for the impartial hearing they had given him,
and begged that they would give his opponent the same op-
portunity of addressing as they had afforded him.—( Cheers. )
Mr. HOBIIOUSE next came forward to address the meeting
amidst cheers and diapprobation. He said that as the cause
for which they had assembled was their own cause and not his,
or that of his Honourable Opponent, he would entreat them
for their own sakes to give him a patient hearing. His Honour-
able opponent had told them that the present contest was one
not of persons but of principle. He perfectly coincided with
him ; he, however, thought that his speech was a direct con-
trast to the statement he set out with. As far as he could
collect from his opponent's speech he had not told them his
opinion upon any of the public measures. He should like to
have heard him state his opinion to them on the subject of
the ballot. Instead of that, however, or of giving his opinion
on other public matters, he confined himself to telling them
in his address his objection to him (Mr. Hobhouse.) He was
a stranger to the boiough, and had been invited by the
Reformers to come forward as a candidate. He at once ac-
cepted the invitation, but he did not publish his address on
his immediate arrival, as he was determined not to go to the
poll till he had ascertained whether the principles be pro-
fessed were in accordance with those of the majority of the
electors. This he had satisfactorily ascertained, and should
go to the poll with every confidence of a successful termina-
tion of the contest.—(Cheers.) Upon the subject of the
Poor Laws, that measure was supported by all parties—
Whigs, Tories, and Radicals. He was not in Parliament
at the time it was introduced there, and he disapproved of
many of its provisions. He would, however, point their at-
tention to one single fact. The gentleman who proposed
Mr. Canning, was Chairman of a Board appointed by it.—
(Cheers.) He again repeated, . that if, upon examina-
tion of all its provisions, he saw any that were injurious or
oppressive to the poor, he should be . equally anxious to an-
nul them, and stand by the, cause of the people, as wall as
his opponent.—(Cheers.) The .Hon.. Gentleman had said,
that he had insulted them, by saying that that was a nomi-
nation borough.—(Cries of "So it is.") He could assure
them that he meant nothing personal. He had come for-
ward at their bidding; to assist in relieving them from their
thraldom. He repeated, he had come there at their bid-
ding, and at their wish, to assert and vindicate the prin-
ciples of freedom, and to give them an opportunity of re-
turning the man of their choice, and prevent any unconstitu-
tional interference with the freedom of election. If they
returned his opponent to Parliament what would they do ?
One word more. He had found it impossible for the whole
of the electors to give their suffrages freely and fearlessly,
without having recourse to vote by ballot. In his canvas of
that borough, be had met with forty or fifty eases where he
was replied to, when asking for their vote, " My heart is with
you, but I must vote another way." He must soy that he
never asked or would receive a vote from any elector who
did not give it freely, unbottght, unbiassed by undue influ-
ence or intimidation. He requested that his friends would
come early to the poll in the morning ; and he told the in-
dependent electors of Warwick that the victory was their
own.—( Cheers.)
The MAYOR having asked, and there being no other candi-
date to propose, then put the show of hands, which he de-
clared to be• in favour of Mr. Hobhouse. A poll was demanded
on behalf of Mr. Canning, which is appointed to take place to.
morrow morning at eight o'clock.
A vote of thanks having been given to the Mayor, that gen-
tleman returned thanks, ana the meeting was adjourned. The
candidates subsequently addressed their respective friends from
the windows of their hotels.