The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-03 00:00:00

EAST SURREY ELECTION.

MEETING OF MR. ALCOCK'S FRIENDS.
Oa Monday evening a public meeting of the electors of
Bermondsey took place at the Leather-market Tavern, to
take measures to secure the return of Mr. Alcock. The
large room was crowded by the most influential Liberals of
the county. Soon after seven o'clock the chair was taken
by FRANCIS BRUEN, Esq.
The CHAIRMAN having briefly stated the object of the
meeting,
Mr. VOUSLEY had a resolution to propose for the contd.
deration of the electors of East Surrey. It was their duty
to return, as their representatives, steady and consistent
Reformers—( Hear, hear)—men who did not advocate any
of those violent principles of which the Tories professed
to be so much afraid.—( Hear, hear.) Sufficient materials
existed in the county to do that.—( Hear, hear.) If they
were satisfied with the principles of the candidate who now
came forward, he felt satisfied that there was enough of
public spirit, and a sufficient number of bone fide Re-
formers in the county to return Mr. Alcock to Parliament
as their representative..-.(Cheers.) They were told the
Ballot was unneeessary ; but if Lord J. Russell had had
half the experience of canvassing at elections for
Members of Parliament that he bad, he would be convinced
that some such measure was necessary.—( Hear, hear. )
Ile should conclude by submitting for their consideration
the folloeing resolution :—" That it is, in the opinion of
this meeting, incumbent on the electors of East Surrey, in
supplying the vacancy in their representation caused by
the death of Captain Alsager, to return to Parliament a
gentleman who will support measures for the extension of
civil and religious freedom, and the promotion of the in-
terests of all classes of the community.—.< Loud cheers.)
Mr. CURLING seconded the resolution. He knew not
the cause of recent defeats, but he deeply deplored them.
Since they had lost Briscoe they had been left to the
tender mercies of the Tories, who, he should say, were
the people's worst friends. The Tories bad pit for-
ward a gentleman who was deficient in ma•urity of years,
and who had not the advantage of sound experience.
Ile spoke net without knowledge.—( Hear, bear, and cries
of " His mother's afraid to let him out," and continued
laughter.) He would do much better to be considered of
seven years hence.—( User, and laughter.) In the mean
time he would point to a gentleman whom the Libersl
electors of Surrey had met to support.—(Cheers.) He
came forward determined to support bet MSjesty's Minis-
ters.—(Tremendous cheering.) When they considered
the successful results of their policy, both domestic and
foreign, he would say that they ought to be supported.—
(Continu 'd applause.) Their opponents were working
Ike moles under ground ; but although there had been

fewer Wacards and less stir than be ev'r remembered be-
fors and no pt.b!io meetings, yet they hAd that day had the
hardihood to declare that they should carry the county by
a mjority of 600 —( Laughter.)
The resolution was then put and carried unanirriowly.
There b .ing laud ,!,ries for Mr. Wood, the lion. Member
came forward.

BENJAMIN WOOD, Esq , M. P., said it unfortunately
happene,t that he was not an elector, and had no right to
address the meeting._( Cries of " Yes, yes.") I-I came
there to sanction the principle of reform, by the humble:
advocacy of which he had the honour to represent that
borough —(Cheers.) They had limited means in tho
House of Cammons. They wanted rtinch to add to the
str..ngth they now possessed. Every vote lost now was
almost more than ten would have been some time ago.
—( Hear, hear.) If they could only win one from the
enemy's camp much would be gained.—( Hear, hear. )
'I hey were fi;htirg the same cause at Walsall villa every
prospect of success, and if two victories could be obtained
in so short a time, tho advantage would necessarily b-.!
great.—( Cheer.) There was another subject—he meant
the Poor-laws—on'which the opinions of Mr. Alcock were
equa'ly sound. tne country was in a t artificial state,
cieated entirely by the Corn laws, which were alike ioju-
dons both to individuals and to the community at large.—
( Cheers.) It was impossible to look on the b ibery and
corruption prevalent at elections without being convinced
of the necessity of the Ballot.—(A voice, " The fran-
chise.") He (Mr. Wood) would include all householders.
He believed Mr. Alcock went farther.—.(Cheers.)
Mr. WILSON (the Anti-Corn-law delegate) moved the
following reso!thion :—" That Thomas Alcock, E-q.,
Laving come forward as the advocate of the repeal of the
Corn-laws, and an alteration in the system of Church-
rates, and other liberal and enlightened measures, and
from his being a re ident in the county and a large holler
of property in it, is qualified to supply such vacancy,
and this meeting pledges itself to use their best endeavours
to secure his return."

The motion was briefly seconded by Mr. DONKIN, and
carried by acclamation.
Mr. Aec ,CK then rose, and was received with reiterated
applause. It had been obj-cted agains, him that be was
deficient in respect to the electors in not canvassing them
personally, but the fact was that he had attempted it the
first morning, and finding that he could only see six or
eight or ten electors at most, in a very few hours he had
given it up as impracticable, and determined to resort to
the much more candid and straightforward proceeding of
addressing the electors at public meetings. Mr. Wilson
had said but little, but much to the point. He (Mr.
Wilson) was the brother of the author of the best book on
the Corn-laws. His (Mr. Alcock's) attention was first
drawn to the work by the Earl of Clarendon in the House
of Lords. The Morning Post had ridiculed him for as-
?ening that the price of corn would have been higher on
an average for the last twenty years if there had been no
Corn-laws, but his assertion was perfectly compatible :li'h
common sense. Although it might have been higher on
an average, it would not have been so high within 12s. or
ur Ri aie Atee cast y.ar. His object was to prevent
Excessive fluctuations. He was convinced there was no
measure more for the general good of the country than a
repeal of the Corn-laws.—( Hear, hear.) Ho was inclined
to remove those laws gradually, so as not to hurt any inte-
rest in the country.—( Hear, bear.) Wilson, to whose
work he had already alluded, recommended that it should
be done in this way. The plan that he recommended was
to fix the duty on corn at 103. for the first year, and de-
crease it by Is. annually for five years, then to remain at
53. per quarter for three years, and afterwards cease alto-
gether. Ia this view of the subject he entirely concurred.
A number of Chartists had by this time entered the
room, and by pressing the question as to the five points
of the Charter, in opposition to the wishes of the great
majority of the audience, they caused some confusion.
Respecting the first point of the Charter, namely. Universal
Suffrage, Mr. Alcock answered decidedly in the negative ;
to the second—Vote by Ballot—he replied in the affirma-
tive ; to the third and fourth, namely Annual and Trien-
nial Parliaments, be also gave a decided negative. As to
the last, namely, no Property Qualification, the confusion
was too great to reply.
Mr. WiLsoN, after same time, succeeded is obtaining a
hearing. He proposed a vote of thanks to the Chairman,
which, being carried by acclamation, the meeting broke up.

CANTERBURY ELECTION.

NOMINATION OF THE CANDIDATES.

CAN renneny, MONDAY.-Before daybreak this morning
the friends of both candidates were hastening from one
committee-room to another, for the purpose of making the
necessary preparations to escort Mr. Wilson and the Hon.
Mr. Smythe to the nomination, and about nine o'clock the
colour-men and banner-bearers of each party assembled in
the High-street, opposite the Conservative Club commit-
tee-room and the King's Head Tavern, where Mr.
committee have been sitting. Shortly after ten the
Cceserratives proceeded in procession to the hustings,
which consisted of three waggons, appropriated to the re-
spective candidates and tie Sheriff; and in the couree
of twenti minutes they were followed by Mr. Wilson and
his party.
The Act against bribery and corruption having been
read, and the usual formalities gone through,
Mr. Alderman Pt.reottee begged to propose John Wright
Henniker Wilson, Esq., as a fit and proper person to- re-
present the City of Canterbury in the Commons House of
Parliament.--( Long continued cheering and hisses.)
Mr. Alderman COOPER seconded the nomination.
Mr. PARTRIDGE proposed the Hon. George PAT), Sid-
ney Smythe. —( Loud cheering and disapprobation.) Com-
bined with a feeling of loyalty to his Sovereign, he enter-
tained a thorough knowledge of the measures best calcu-
lated to maintain the dignity of the Crown, the rights of
the people, and the noble institutions of the country...
(Cheers and dissent.)
Mr. BALDOCY seconded the nomination.
The SHERIFF then asked if any elector had any other
candidate to propose, and no answer being returned,
Mr. Wreaoe came forward, and was received with loud
and long-continued cheers and hisses. Fortunately for
them the result of this election did not depend, as in many
instances elaewhere, upon the comparative wealth of the
candidates, but the struggle involved the cause of the Blue
party in opposition to the Tories; and the present contest
was of still more importance, as it was the cause of the
Queen, of loyalty, and of independence, against disloyalty.
Tory oppression—(The remainder of the sentence was
drowned in an uproar.) They were all aware of the means
that had been resorted to, to intimidate and deter the
eleetors from supporting the Reform interest, and he could
now say, after the experience of a long canvass, if he
was a sceptic before, he was now convinced of the neces-
7i'y, of the Ballot, in order to protect the liberties of
the people, and enable them to exercise the elective fran-
chise conscientiously.—(Cheers and hisses.) Ho had
been winless of several painful and heart-burning in-
stances where undue influence had been used to coerce
the voter into the support of principles opposed to the
feelings of the heart and of the conscience.—.(Cries of
" No, no," and cheers.) This being the fact, if it had
only occurred in one individual case, he would have
considered it his duty to have brought that isolated in-
stance before Parliament, as he was of opinion that
alone should be a sufficient ground for inducing the
Legislature to grant the people the protection of the
Ballot.—( Cheers and hisses.) One argument was, that
the Ballot was un- English ; hut nothing could be
called un- English that would have the effect of an im-
proved state of things, and of affording additional
security to the honest and conscientious voter.—(lloar.)
Another argument was, that the Ballot was impracticable,
end that it would not conduce to secret voting and protec
Lion ; but this applied rather more to the mechanical con-
struction of the ballot-box than to anything else. That ar-
gument was easily refuted by the model of a ballot-box,
which be should be happy to show and explain to Mr.
Smythe.—( Hear, hear, and laughter.) Another cause of
strong complaint on his part was the coercion and ill-dis-
guised influence that had been exercised by those connected
with the cathedral.— ( Hisses and cries of " No, no.") He
was ashamed to say that those gentlemen had pursued the
same disgraceful course of intimidation upon this occasion
that was imputed to them on the last election.—( Cries of
Shame.") He had strong grounds for complaining of the
bigoted conduct he had experienced from those gentlemen
during his canvass, and especially at the hands of the inha-
bitants of the fashionable residences about the cathedral.—
( Cries of " Shame," and hisses.) There had
been another powerful weapon wielded to the preju-
dice of the Reform cause. He meant the public press—
* slanderous Tory Press, that had flattered his Honourable
Friend in a manner that he was sure would make him blush
to the very tips of big fiagero, while it had calumniated

him (Mr. Wilson), without having had the slightest pre-
text to say a;word to his prejudice. —("Shame," and hisses. )
It was not only himself that the Tory Journals had tra.
duced, but they had also foully aspersed a lady who was
held most dear to British breasts. The Hon. Carsdidate
here referred to the publication of some articles that ap-
peared in a Kentish Paper, and appealed to the electors if
such language was not an imputation upon their loyalty.
He had always been the unbending opponent of an Admi-
nistration which were driven in a few days from power by
the iniquities of the Pension List —(Cries of " Hear,
hear," and hisses)—anal which would prevent the present
Government from pursuing those measures of reform and
improvement which no person hut the greatest bigot could
deny the people stood so much in need of.—( Applause and
hisses.) He asked why Sir Robert Peel did not oppose the
present Administration openly instead of continually attack-
ing them by indirect means? Why did they not move an
amendment to the Queen's Speech ? Could they find no
fault with it; and were they constrained to pass it over
with the grumbling of Sir Robert Peel? Why did not the
Tories attempt to impeach the Government for their policy
iu the Mediterraneso, or for the measures they adopted
in other parts of the world, by which they have ensured
the pacification of Europe as decisively in a fees weeks, as
it would have taken a Tory Government, with en extrava-
gant and ruinous war of thirty or forty years' duration, to
bring about.—( Laughter and cheers.) The Honourable
Candilate concluded amidst much yelling and cheering.
Mr. SMYTHE next presented himself, and was heartily
cheered and groaned at. He thought the congratulations
which Mr. Wilson broached were somewhat premature,
because he believ. d, by Mr. Wilson's dividing them into
three classes, the freemen, and the 10/. householders, and
the more wealthy householders, rather more would be
inclined to vote for him (Mr. Smythe), and hoist those
colours (pointing to the orange and purple banners, which
called forth cries of " No, no," and " Hear, hear,
bear.") He had made a mistake, then; but allow him to
tell them the reason he had said that. Nobody could
forget the language of the Attorney-General; and it
should be recollected Mr. Wilson supported the Ministry
of which that Attorney .General was a member, and, there-
fore, approved of his words. The freemen of Canterbury,
declared the Attorney-General, were a most venal and
corrupt race—( Loud cries of 's Hear, hear") —but he (Mr.
Smythe) did not think so, nor did he say so.—( Applause. )
He next came to the 10/. householders. Many of them
said that they would vote blue, because they felt grateful
to tha Blues for the vote they had given to them under
the Reform Bill ; but if they were desirous of expressing
their gratitude for that privilege, he (Mr. Smythe) cer-
tainly stood before them with greater claims and advan-
tsges than Mr. Wilson, for he found that out of the Grey
Cabinet, which passed that Bid, only three continued
in the present Ministry, while five were Conservatives.
—( Hear, and applause.) The remainder never voted
fur the present Government, • nor did Lord Spencer
styport the ..: Therefore he said that if they looked
•A
upon the • Act as a boon, they were more
indebte itrin
the party he supported for their
vett s, t se who advocated principles that would
cad in shy and confusion—( Loud uties of " No," and
cheers ten he would say, principl-kk:ibat were im-
practicable to be carried out by any eGovernment.—
( Laughter, and ch'eers.) He (Mr. Smythe) was opposed
to the present doomed and struggling G4lvernment a hich
now alone found strength in its own death-struggle.—
(Cheers.) lie felt that in the present contest he bad
many difficulties to surmount. He was opposed by a mat,
who boasted of hisv,wealth in ten countigsx,and b; a party
who possessed all the influence which a pisrtial Adminis-
tration could throw into their hands. ,The Hon. Gentle-
man then retired amidst deafening pliidits and great
hissing. ir7
A show of hands was then taken by the Sheriff, and
declared to be in favour of the 1-4 n. Mr. Smythe.
Mr. MATTHEW demanded a poll on behalf of Mr. Wil
son, and after a vote of thanks was passed for the Sheriff,
the cand:dates and their friends returned to their respcc
tive committee rooms.

WALSALL ELECTION. 11
de-

WALSALL, MONDAY, FOUR P. M.— PUr9U3Rt to the
claration of the Mayor, the nomination of a candidate to
represent the borough of Walsall in Parliament, tobk
place at nine o'clock this morning. The candidates were
Mr. J. N. Gladstone, in the Conservative interest, and
Mr. J. B. Sinith, the representative of the Anti-Corn-
law League.
At nine o'clock the Mayor, accompanied by the Town
Clerk and the various functionaries of the borough, made
their appearance on the hustings. The number of persons
in the crowd now amounted to about 4,000, but no dispo-
sition to violence was exhibited, no manifestation of party
malevolence appeared.
After the usual preliminaries had been attended to, and
the proceedings had been duly opened by the Mayor,
CHARLES FORSMER, E proposed the election of Mr.
J. N. Gladstone, which was seconded by Mr. S. Perks.
Mr. C. F. COTTRILL then proposed the nomination of
Mr. Smith, which was seconded by Mr. Mills, of Darlaston.
The candidates then addressed tho electors at consider-
able length, in the course of which Mr. Gladstone ex-
pressed himself favourable to a reduction in the price, when
corn might be imported duty free, and Mr. Smith ex-
pressed himself in favour of a total repeal.
A show of hands being decidedly in favour of Mr, Smith,
a poll was demanded on the part of Mr. Gladstone, and
the concourse separated. The town remains perfectly quiet.