The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-23 00:00:00

_
DixoN, in the course of his speech, said—My
principal claim upon the suffrage of the electors of
Birmingham is that I stand here as the chosen can-
didate of the liberal party of this town. lam not
a liberal of to-day. I have always been a liberal,
and an advanced liberal, and the part that I have
taken—the prominent part—in all political move-
ments that have agitated this town during the last
few years is proof that I not only belong to the great
liberal party, but that I have occupied a prominent
place in it. What I have been I shall continue to
be, and whether in or out of Parliament my place
will always be amongst the foremost and most earnest
of the advanced Liberals of the country. If I should
be returned to Parliament as the representative of
Birmingham, my first efforts will be to assist in the
completion of that measure of reform which is now
before Parliament. I should like to see those
clauses in the present bill which provide for the
personal.payment of rates either entirely annulled
or considerably modified. I should wish to promote
the passing of a bill for the further redistribution of
seats which should provide for a full and fair repre-
sentation of the numbers, the intelligence, and the
wealth of the great commercial towns and districts
of the country, and I should further desire to see a
bill pass through Parliament which should give to
every voter the the protection of the ballot. And then,
when the House of Commons shall have been re- I
formed, I trust that there will be no further obstacles
to our taking into considera!ion and properly pro-
vide for the revision of the game laws and those
land laws which favour the, accumulation of land in
the hands of single individuals. I should hope that
then we may be in a position to deal equitably with
all those questions which have for so long engaged
the attention of the Liberal party, and I trust that
we shall not find it beyond our province that the
time had come—when we might fully consider the
whole question of international law. I should fur-
ther be a strong advocate for the entire abolition of
church rates. I should be an advocate for the en-
tire abolition: of the Irish Church, and when that
question comes to be considered I shall consider it
my duty to vote for its abolition. I wish to tell you
that I have studied all those questions which have
agitated and are likely to agitate this country. I
would also allude to the misrepresentations which
have been made respecting my religion, and indus-
triously circulated by the canvassers of the opposite
party. I have been stated to be aH. )man Catholic
—to that statement I give my most diitinct
It has also been statel that I have been to Birken-
head, Liverpool, Manchester, and other places, for
• the purpose of inducing the authorities there to re-
fuse the visits of Mr. Murphy ; that statement I
deny. It has also been said that I went to London
for the express purpose of inducing the Home Secre-
tary to authorise such measures as would cause Mr.
Murphy to be imprisoned for six months. That I
also entirely deny. It has been said that the object
I have had in view in all this has been to strike a
blow at the Protestant religion. Now, for the last
time, I most earnestly and most entirely deny that
this is a proper conclusion to draw from what I have
said. As I have said before, under difficult and try-
ing circumstances I had to perform certain duties
which devolved upon me as mayor of this great
town, and I have in consequence discharged those
duties. If I have erred I can only say that I regret
the mistake. But even now on looking back on
all the circumstances of the past I cannot see
that I did wrong ; and I cannot but believe
that, when the present excitement has passed away,
my fellow-townsmen, on considering the circum-
stances of the case, will approve of the course I
took. It has been said that I was opposed to free-
dom of speech, and that I was opposed to the truth;
but I am the last man to whom that should be ap-
plied. I yield to none in my desire to see it ex-
tended, not only throughout this country, but
throughout the world. But Ido not concur with
those who think liberty of speech should be encou-
rages when that freedom is to be used in vilifying
the respectable inhabitants of this town. In regard
to
my Protestantism my principles are firmly rooted,
and I yield to none in my claim to be considered as
a Protestant. (Cheers.)
Mr. SAMPSON LLOYD,
who was received with
much enthusiasm, said--I come before you on this
important occasion, not to serve any personal ends
of my own, but at the request of a very large and
influential number, to act as the champion of prin-
ciples which both you and I agree in holding dear,
and on which I believe the permanence of our liberty
and prosperity mainly depends. I have engaged no
lecturer. I have brought no champions front the
clubs in London. I prefer to come before you as a
free man, and as your fellow citizen, invited by free
men, to stand or fall by your free suffrage alone.
You are urged to vote against me because if I go
to Parliament I should make it my special business
on every available opportunity to contradict Mr.
Bright, and vote against him. On the contrary, I
promise you that should rbe elected by you, and
should I find Mr. Bright to advocate measures
which I believe in my conscience to be be for the
liberty of the people, for their social improvement,
or their mutual welfare, I shall only be too delighted
to support Mr. Bright in any measure of that kind.
But I am quite sure you do not want to represent
you a man who has not independence of character
enough to vote against Mr. Bright or Mr. Anybody
else when they are advocating measures of a con-
trary character. I, at least, am not the man. If you
send me to Parliament, I shall vote independently
and fearlessly
for every measure that I believe to
be for the good of the
from the conservative or the radical side of the
house, or from an i
reason why you independent member. Another
are told to reject me is that the Re-
.