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

form Bill is in danger in the House of Loris, and
that my return will further endanger the passing of

the bill. What I have to say on that point is that
I for one, if I am sent to represent you in Parlia-
ment, will not countenance by my vote any modifi-

cation which would affect the main principles of the

Reform Bill. lam thoroughly in favour of the Re-
form Bill being passed by the House of Lords, sub-

stantially in the same state in which it was passed
by the House of Commons; and if it required any
changes,.those changes must be in the direction of
carrying those pliuciples more fully iuto effect, and
not of restricting the operation iu the least. The

organ of my opponent accuses me of being the nar-
rowest and strongest Churchman in existence. This

is a pretty strong term, applying, as it does, to all
the members of the Church of England throughout
the world. I have only to defy my opponents to

point to any act of my public or private life that
justifies such an assertion. lam the brother of a
Dissenter, and I have relations who are Dissenters

of various denominations. lam an humble but an

attached member of the Church of England. But
I am an advocate for the fullest liberty and tolera-
tion in all religious sects whatsoever. Again, it has
been asserted that if you send me to Parliament,

- -
though I shall oppose the Maynooth grant, I shall
-

support the Regium Donum. I repeat what I have
before publicly stated in this town, and which the

organ of my opponent seems wilfully to ignore, that
if the Regium Donum be given from the taxpayers'

money, and not under state inspection and control,

I am prepared, if you do send me to Parliament, to
vote against the appropriation of the taxpayers'
money for any religious purposes whatever, whether
it be the Church of England, or the Church of

Scotland, or any other religious body, unless it was
under state inspection and control. lam next ac-
cused of being a candidate repudiated by all shades of
Liberals in this town. I have only to point, in

answer to this, to the two honourable men, well
known in Birmingham, who have done me the bon-

our to propose and second me this day. The names
of those gentlemen are a triumphant answer to such
a contemptible charge. I was an active supporter of
Mr. Aclaud in 1859, and the prominent point of Mr.
Acland's political creed was the advocacy of a £6
franchise. I have worked as well as I could for free

trade, and I have laboured for the reform of our
commercial laws. I have laboured for the reform of

the law of debtor and creditor. I have supported my
friend and opponent, Mr. Dixon, and my friend and
proposer Mr. J. D. Goodman, in their endeavours
to reform the law of partnership. (Hear, hear.)
Having now disposed, I trust, of those misitOpresen-
tions, I would state in a few words the principles on
which I seek your suffrages. lam a Birmingham
man, born and bred, and I trust I have from large
experience made myself well acquainted with your
commerce, with your social, commercial, and educa-
tional wants. If you send me to Parliament I shall
make it my conscientious duty, to the best of my
ability, to make those wants one of my chief con-
cerns. (Cheers.) I am, as respects the Reform Bill,
as I have told you, in favour of a further redistribu-
-1 tion of seats, and I shall vote for any measure which
I think honestly calculated to effect that object,
whether the bill come from one side of the house or
the other. I have told you that lam in favour of
exempting every person from the payment of church
rates who can be ascertained to object to pay those
rates on religious and conscientious grounds. (Hear,
hear.) I am anxious to reform every abuse which
can be proved to exist in the National Church of
England or Scotland or of Ireland. (Hear, hear.) I
have told you before that I am not prepared to con-
fiscate the property of the Church of England or of
Scotland mekly to gratify the jealousies of an alien
priesthood, or to do what is called separating the
Church from the State. So long as the Church of
England is distinctively Protestant in her character,
so long, I believe, she will be an invaluable insti-
tution to the people of this country. If ever a
time comes when she forfeits that character, which
I trust God may ever avert, she will have forfeited
all claims to be any longer the established church
of these realms, and I shall cease to think her estab-
lishment a national advantage. (Hear, hear.) lam
an advocate for the extensi m of the Factories Act
to Birmingham. lam against any interference on
the part of the law with the right of working men to
meet together and combine for any lawful purpose
whatever ; but I repudiate and reprobate, as I know
the working men in this town do, the abominable
outrages which have taken place in Sheffield. Fellow-
townsmen, my principles are fully before you, as
they have been explained at ward meetings through-
ou, the town. I come before you under no false
colours, and I am determined never to sail under
any. If you think my principles and abilities are
such as to unfit me to fairly represent the opinions
of the majority of you, then I trust you will elect
some one else and not support me ; but if my
lopinions do fairly represent the opinions of the
' majority of you, and you come to the conclusion
that on the whole I am the fittest man to represent
you in Parliament, then I ask you, in the name of
the welfare of our country and the credit of our
town, in the name of independence and of freedom,
to vindicate that independence, and to support freely
and fully the man who represents you, and to vote
for him and to work for him. I believe that to-
morrow I shall be returned as your representative.
One thing I am determined upon, and that is that
I will never sail under any false colours, or make
any false pretences. My great desire is to act ac-
cording to my conscience, and if I have the honour
to represent you, it will be as a free representative,
freely chosen, of a free and enlightened people.
(Cheers.)
The show of hands having been taken, the Mayor
declared it to be in favour of Mr. George Dixon,
the Liberal candidate.
The disorderly proceedings concluded with a vote
of thanks to the Mayor.

CAMBRIDGE uNn ERSITY.

CAMBRIDGE, Monday.

The re-election of Mr. Selwyn took place here
this morning in the Senate House, the Vice-Chan-
cellor presiding. The whole of the authorities would
appear to have returned for the election, but the at-
tendance of members of the Senate was but scanty.
After the usual formalities and the expiration of the
statutable time Mr. Selwyn was declared re-elected
without opposition, and the right hon. gentleman,
who was present, received the warm congratulations
of his friends.