The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-24 00:00:00

PA PL may TA 1? AND 31 U N 1P AZ

ELECTIONS

The Select Committee of the House of Commons
charged with the inquiry into the manner in which par-
liamentary and municipal elections are conducted, met
again on Friday, the Marquis of llartington in the
chair. The first witness called was the Mayor of Brad-
ford whose evidence was interrupted by the rising
of the committee on Tuesday. He said that
unless vigorous measures had been taken at the time of
the declaration of the poll at the last election the conse-
quences would have been of the most serious kind. The
practice of having a nomination and declaration of the
poll at such a place as Bradford was inadvisable. There
ought, witness thought, to be some means adopted to
prevent the fictitious nominations which now took place
with great frequency at muncipal elections. Persons were
often nominated merely for the purpose of obtaining the
money which was paid, Was in favour of two or three
days intervening between the day of nomination and
election, both in the case of municipal and parlia-
mentary elections. He also comp!alued of the
way in which auditors were elected. A voter
could vote for any persons he pleased between
the hours of nine and four, during which hours
the Mayor and Aldermen had to sit. If an hour passed
without a vote being tendered they could leave. If a vote
was tendered every fifty-eight minutes they might
remain there all day. Witness went on to say that the
corruption at the parliamentary election in Bradford was
confined to treating. The last election was very pure.
At the general election in November he believed that
many messengers were employed at 10s. each per day.
Was in favour of the Ballot.

By Mr. Villiers: There was an inquiry before Baron
Martin against the return of Mr. Ripley, who was unseated
chiefly because the expenses were excessive. A large
portion of the money wai spent at public-houses. It was
common in Bradford for the committees to be held at
public-houses. Voters were allowed to obtain beer
there before, and not at the time of, the election
without paying for it. The practice was a very
objectionable one, but proceedings were not taken against
it. Believed that the adoption of the Ballot would he
the best means of preventing bribery and treating at the
municipal elections. Gentlemen who had opposed the
opening of public-houses had been carried at the head of
the p(,11. With the exception of some amongst the most
uneducated class of the voters there was a growing feeling
against the practice of treating.

To Mr. Gathorne Hardy the witness said the legal
expenses of a candidate at a municipal election were
about £6O or £7O for the whole borough, in which there
were eight warls.

By Mr. Ward Hunt : The opening of public-houses at
elections was very popular amongst a certain class. At
the inns where the chief business of the committees was
conducted little drink was given away. There were,
however, many lower public-houses which were nominally
used as committee-rooms, but were really used for the
purposes of treating. Believed that in Bradford there
was a better feeling growing up against corrupt practices
at elections. People still thought they had a right to
influence voters, but public-house treating and bribery
were getting into disfavour. The Ballot would screen
voters from the consequences of undue influence. With a
certain class of voters whose education was defective some
portion of the work necessary to vote by ballot (as in
vogue in Australia), would have to be done by other
persons.

By Mr. Cross : It was a common practice in Bradford
at municipal elections to Lave a number of fictitious
nominations. This had prevailed ever since he had been
connected with the borough. In some of the wards there
was more bribery and intimidation than in others. This
was owing to the lower condition of the residents. In
Bradford acre were about 3,000 Irish voters. Believed that

at the last e!ection, when Mr. Thompson was returned,
there were only a few public-hou,res opened as wininittee-
rioms, and the election taken altogether was exceedingly
free from corruption. This fact, he thought, proved that
the feeling against corruption and bribery was
increasing. There had been prosecutions for personating,
but none for bribery. Witness complained that at
municipal elections the number of voters at one polling
place was excessive. In one room 3,500 votes had to be
taken. It was thought that it was not legal to have more
than one polling place in a ward. This caused great
inconvenience.

The next witness was Mr. Johnson, of Blackburn, who
said he believed 90 out of every 100 of the persons who
voted at the municipal elections had "substantial
reasons" for doing so. Bribery was exercised in
all wards, and by both political parties. Intimidation
was more frequent on the Tory side. Witness
proceeded to state that when the Blackburn election
petition was before the judge a much worse case might
have been made out. The practices adopted were so bad
that had they been fully brought to light the
franchise would have beets taken from the borough.
Ife produced what was known as the" Screw Circu:ar,"
document which was sent out by the Conservative Regis-
tration Society to employers V labour and overlookers,
asking them to influence those under them to vote for
" Constitutional candidates " at the municipal election
prior to the parliamentary election in November. At the
election in March a good deal of intimialation prevailed.
After taking some further evidence from Dl tckburn (of
a similar kind to the above) and from Liverpool, the com-
mittee adjourned.

LAW AND POLICE.

--+---

CHAItGE or CoNsrluacv.— At the Guildhall, on Friday,
the secretary, manager, directors, collectors, and agents
of the National aud Provincial Union Assurance and Loan
Society were summoned before Mr. Alderman Causton
to answer a charge of conspiring to obtain money by false
pretences. Mr. Straight, for the prosecution, said
that the case against four of the defendants who were
directors was very different from that against the others.
They were gentlemen's servants, who had bitherta borne a
high character, awl their masters had instructed
counsel to defend them, and to ask the Court to
discharge them as innocent agents in the hands of
others. With regard to Reid, the secretary,
the case was different. He had previously been
district collector, agent, and messenger for another
assurance society, which was wound up, and while it was
in process of liquidation, Reid started the National and
Provincial Union Assurance en 1 Loan Society, and, by
keeping the offices at Chatham-place, poor people
were induced to cuntinue their subscriptions, not
knowing • that the original society was extinct.
The defendants Broomham, Laing, Taylor, and
Heather were induced to become directors and to sign the
articles of association, in order to float the scheme. as a
company. A statement was issued shewing the
capital paid up, the cash at the bankers, the
cash on deposit, &c. The fact was that there never was
any cash at the banker's, and if £2,000 had been paid for
the business, as represented,it should have been paid to the
liquidator. The four counsel who appeared for the four direc
tors referred to said that Mr. Straight had rightly judged
the conduct of their clients, and Mr. Straight withdrew
the summons against Broomham, Taylor, Laing, and
Heather, who were discharged. Evidence was then given
by some of the policy-holders. Alfred Single ton held a policy
for six guineas in the Friend-in-Need Society as the
nominee of his aunt. He paid 2d. a week on it. In
April 1867 he received a certificate of membership
in the Provincial Union Assurance Company (Limited),
in substitution of the Friend-in-Need policy. He
paid the 2d. a week until October last, when
his aunt died. He Lad not been told that the
Provincial Union had been wound up in June. He
called at the office after his aunt's death with his
policy and the certificate of death, and saw Reid
several times. Reid put him off until he got
suspicious, and one of the committee saw him and
said he had no claim, as the company was wound up.
Broomham, one of the directors, explained that he bad
bean a member of another society, and that his signature
as director had been obtained without his knowledge of
what he undertook. The prisoners were remanded, two of
them being allowed to go on their recognisances in £lOO,
but bail was refused for Reid, the secretary, and Kiddie,
the manager.

TILE REDNAL MURDER.—Bishop, who stands charged
with the wilful murder of a man named Peate, has been
brought before the Oswestry magistrates. On Good Friday
prisoner, deceased, and a man named Briscoe were drinking
together. Briscoe left the others, but some time after-
wards he came up with them on the road, and found the
prisoner attacking the deceased. He made sonte ineffectual
attempts to r scuo him, and his injuries were so
great that he died a fortnight afterwards. An
inquest was held, and a verdict of manslaughter re-
turned. Bishop has been committed on the charge of
wilful murder to the Shropshire Assizi s.
TILE GREAT FRAUDS AGAINST A CEMETERY COMPANY.—
A. clerk in the employ menu of the Abney•park Cemetery
Company was on Thursday charged at the Mansion
House with having, in the company of a fellow-clerk not
in custody, conspired to embezzle the company's funds.
It is believed that the defalcations represent a considerable
sum. The case, however, was not gone into, but the
prisoner was remanded.

A cutlery Erin at Sheffield have suit ex-Secre-
tary Seward an elegant penknife with a star for each
State of the Union set in gold upon the ivory handle.
THE: BARKING EXPLOSION.—TIic inquiry into
the cause of the explosion at the Chartered Gas Works,
Barking, which resulted in the loss of four lives, has been
:Ajourned to May 4, in order to give time for an exand•
I.a.tion of the remains of_the destroyed boiler.