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

ELECTION INTELLIGENCE.

BIRMINGHAM.
BIRMINGHAM, Monday Evening.
The nomination took place to-day in the Town-
hall. The friends of both candidates mustered in
great force, those of Mr. Dixon, the Liberal candi-
date, preponderating. The proceedings occupied a
little over two hours, but from first to last not one
sentence uttered by any speaker was heard; it was
one long-continued deafening uproar. Elch of the
speakers had to put his head down almost to the
very note-books of the reporters, who clustered
around the spot which the speaker occupied.
The MAYOR (Mr. T. Avery) prayed for a fair
hearing for both sides. The mob returned this re-
quest by hooting, yells, and groans, and

Mr. Alderman WIGGIN nominated Mr. G. Dixon,
the Liberal candidate. He said that although that
gentleman was prepared to go somewhat further on
particular questions than he was, yet on the whole
he gave him his cordial support. He added—" I
say to the people of Birmingham, and I say it ad-
visedly, that Mr. Dixon has been most unjustly,
most shamefully, and most cruelly treated.—(hear)
—in the matter of those disgraceful riots. I was
associated as a magistrate with Mr. Dixon during
the whole of that period, and I maintain• that it
would have been impossible for any man to have
performed those duties with greater ability or with
greater fairness than did Mr. Dixon. If I had no
other reason for supporting Mr. Dixon, it would be
sufficient for me to know that he has been the vic-
tim of religious bigotry and intolerance. This would
be sufficient to induce me to come to his support and
aid, and do all I can to secure his election. Now,
gentlemen, I ask you, shall we men of Birmingham,
who have always been in the van of liberalism, shall
we stultify ourselves by sending to Parliament a
man who will always vote on one side of Lord
Derby and Mr. Disraeli rather than support the_
more liberal and enlightened policy of Lord Russell
and Mr. Gladstone? (Cheers.)
Mr. J: S. lirnimrr, vice,:president of the Cham-
ber of Coinmeree, seconded the nomination.

Mr. J. D. GooDatAN,. partner of the late member,
Mr. Scholefield,-.=nomlnated Mr. Sampson Samuel
Lloyd, Liberal Conservative. Do you want (he said)
a man of true patriotism, of unflinching integrity ?
Mr. Lloyd is the man. (Hear, hear.) Do you want
a man of eminent talents? Mr. Lloyd is the man.
(Hear, hear.) Do you want a man of true inde-
pendence—who will be faithful to the high trust
which this day by a large majority you will impose
upon him ? Mr. Lloyd is the man for Birmingham.
(Cheers.)
Mr. JOHN Gnanalt, J.P., merchant, seconded the
nomination of Mr. Lloyd.
Mr. 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-sears 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 furthn 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-
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 Libel*: 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 advocitte 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. Lhave been stated to be a Roman Catholic
—to that statement I give my most distinct denial.
It has also been stated 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-
raged when that freedom to be used in vilifying
the respectable inhabitantsk:of this town. In regard
to my Protestantism my
s principles are firmly rooted,
and I yield to n(ocneienrm)y claim to be considered as
a Protestant. he
Mr. SAMPSON LLOYD, who was received with
much enthusiasm, said—l come before you on this
important occasion, not to serve any personal ends
a very of my own, but at the request of ion a
of and
influential number, to act as the champion 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 from 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. Oa the contrary, I
promise you that should I be 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
trary character. 7 advocating measures of a con-
send me to Parliat:tleast, am not the man. If you
and fearlessly for every I shall vote independently
be for the good of the
measure that I believe to
from the conservative. People, whether it comes
the radical side of the
house, or from an independenter
member. Another
reason why you arc told to reject me is that the Re-