The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-22 00:00:00

BOSTON ELECTION.

The nomination of a representative to serve in Par-
liament for the borough of Boston in the room of the
Hon. Captain Pelham, deceased, took place yesterday.
Mr. D. W. Wire having retired frpm the contest, it
was expected that Mr. Freshfield, the late solicitor to
the Bank of England, would be returned without op-
position. Mr. Wire's friends, however, determined
to nominate him, and to go to a poll, although with-
out much prospect of success.
The nomination took place at 10 o'clock in the
balcony of the Assembly Rooms, looking upon the
market-place, in which about 500 persons were as-
sembled.
Mr. W. 11. CLLRKE proposed Mr. Wire, who, he
said, would shine like the meridan sun in the House
of Commons.
Mr. W. RICHARDSON seconded the nomination.
Mr. F. COOKE proposed Mr. Freshfield as a fft
and proper person to represent the borough in Par-
liament. Is was not a large loaf that the poor man
ought to look to, but the means of procuring that
loaf. It was no use having cheap things if there was
no money to buy them with. They ought to do
away with free trade, which bad done no good to the
poor man, and HO good to any one, indeed, but the
foreigner.
Mr. W.H. ADAMS, in seconding the nomination,
said that Boston had suffered greatly from the effects
of free trade. Witness the great tide of emigration,
which was sweeping away the agricultural labourers.
If free trade were so popular a thing as it had been
represented, bow did it happen that they had not a
candidate at .the. present election to advocate it?
Mr. J. W. FRESHFIELD was received with great
uproar. He said be did not present himself to them
on personal grounds, but in support of a great cause,
on which their prosperity and that of the country at
large would depend. He bad come to Boston to ad-
vocate the rights of British interests and of labour in
opposition to foreign interests and foreign labour.—
(Cneers.) The question was not between the large
loaf and the small loaf, but whether the small loaf
might not be too Clear and the large loaf too cheap.—
(Hear, hear.) The point was as to the means of
paying for these two loaves. There was not a person
present who more desired than himself that bread
should be cheap, and that the people should have the
power of obtaining it. Boston was in a state of pros-
perity in 1846, and even in 1849 as compared
with its situation at the present moment.
It had descended from bad to worse, and
what would be the state of the country
next year, he would ask, if nothing were
done to stay the wicked progress of free
trade ? It was all very well to condemn protection,
and to say that it meant more than it did. He con-
tended, on behalf of the people of England, for jus-
tice. Let bread be as cheap as it could be, but let
those who produced it have the means of raising it.
At present the English producer was like a race-
horse who was overweigbted and running against
another who carried no weight at all. Free trade was
like a rolling ball, which from shopkeepers and
tradesmen would descend upon the labourers. He
had nothing to gein by becoming their representative
but the loss of personal ease and comfort on their be-
half. It the trades of the town had suffered from
free trade, what must he say of their port—that port
which used to send such immense quantities of corn
to a profitable market, and the shipping by which
that corn was carried ? Granaries and every other
species of property had declined in value. The land-
owners could not stay the evil, for it they took off the
whole of their rents corn could not be grown at pre-
sent prices. Would it be for their interests to with-
draw the landed interest from their markets—would
it be for their interest that the landowners should be
able to keep no servants ? He came there believing
he should find no opponent. When Mr. Wire found he
had no chance he wrote a letter to him (Mr Freshfield)
withdrawing himself, and stating that he was no longer a
candidate. He had a right to complain, therefore, of
the present attempt to create ill feeling on the part
of Mr. Wire's friends, who kept open the poll with-
out a chance of success. He condemned the recent
act of Papel aggression, and promised to give his best
attention to all those financial questions which might
enable the farmer to furnish a larger and cheaper loaf

in consequence of being relieved from those burdens
which now pressed upon him. He could not forget
the solemn warning which the vacancy so suddenly
created presented to their eyes. He (Mr. Freshfield)
was old enough to be the father of their late Member.
Young men might die, but old men must die. The
sudden death of their late Member must teach humility
to all. It taught them, whatever they did, to do it
with all their might, and to leave nothing undone
which youth, health, and strength enabled them to
do.—(Cheers.)
The MAYOR took a show of hands, which he pro-
nounced to be in favour of Mr. Wire.
A poll was then demanded on behalf of Mr. Fresh-
field, waich was appointed to commence to-morrow
morning (this day).
The proceedings terminated at eleven o'clock by a
vote of thanks to the Mayor.
A band of music and a British Hon in the interest
of Mr. Wire paraded the town in the course of the
afternoon. Mr. Freshfield's party had no band or
colours.