The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-11 00:00:00

ELECTION INTELLIGENCE.

LAMBETH.
Ov. Saturday evening, a public meeting of the
sup porters of Mr. Doulton, the new liberal candi-
date for Lambeth, was held at the Horns Tavern,
ii.:ensington ; Mr. R. Taylor in the chair.
Mr. DOULTON, on coming forward, was received
with prolonged cheering. He said that no one
could feel more strongly than he did the danger
and impolicy of a change in the representation
when it was made only for the sake of change, and
there existed an identity of opinion between the
representative and the represented, and it was only
in consequence of the retirement of Mr. Williams
that he had come forward to solicit the suffrages of
the electors of Lambeth. If he were asked what
were his claims to that honour, he would reply that
if unity of opinion, if an entire sympathy with their
views, if an identity of interest qualified a man to
aspire to the position of a representative, he pos-
sessed those qualifications. It was his pride to be-
long to the middle class ; it was his pride and boast
to have sprung from the working class, and it was
his greater pride and boast still that he owed to
the borough of Lambeth all he possessed in the
world. (Cheers.) In stating his political opinions,
he would commence with the question of reform.
The bill of the present Government was in fact no
reform bill at all. ft unsettled everything and
settled nothing. By the bill of 1832 the middle
classes were enfranchised, and it was necessary that
any new reform bill should enfranchise the work-
ing classes. (Hear.) The measure of the
Govern-
ment, however, did not meet that necessity, and its
greatest fault was that it left untouched the close
boroughs. (Hear, hear.) The result of the late
debate must discourage every honest reformer, for
none of the aspirants to power were prepared to
give an efficient reform of our representative sys-
tem. Whilst Lord Palmerston was willing to give
an extension of the franchise, he was also favour-
able to the continuance of the small boroughs.
Lord John Russell proposed to deal with not more
than twenty-five of those boroughs, although
a few years ago he proposed to get rid of
seventy or eighty seats of that description. (Hear,
hear.) A great variety of suffrages had been talked
of, but his opinion was that every man who lived
in a house, or part of a house, and was the registered
occupier of such whole or part for a period of six,
nine, or twelve months, ought to be entitled, whether
the rates were paid by himself or his landlord, to
the privilege of a vote. (Cheers.) Such a suffrage
would bring within the pale of the constitution the
honest and industrious citizen, while it would ex-
clude the person who had no fixed residence. By
giving the working men a fair share in the institu-
tions of the country they would be placed on a
firmer and more enduring basis, because they would
rest upon the affections of the people. (Hear.) If
the working men would apply themselves, as they
had recently done, to their mental improvement, the
suffrage might be made still wider ; and he would
ask the middle classes, who had been placed in the
enjoyment of the franchise by the aid of the work-
ing classes, to assist the working classes in their
efforts to obtain the same position. (Cheers.) But
beyond giving a man a right to vote, he ought also
to be permitted to exercise that right with the
most perfect freedom by means of the ballot.
(Cheers.) If any man doubted the necessity of that
protection let him become a candidate for a small
borough. (Laughter, and cries of " Reigate.") He
knew something of thetonstitue*cy of that borough,
one-fourth of whom voted according to their own
conscientious convictions, one-fourth according to
the convictions of their employers, one-fourth. did
not vote at all, and the remaining fourth for those
who paid them best. (Laughter.) He called on
one man 15 or 16 times in Reigate, to ask him for
his vote. That man had received £5 from each
party, and at the poll he was claimed by each.
(Laughter.) When there he made a clean breast
of it, and taking half-a-crown out of his pocket,
said, " Heads, I vote for A ; tails, B has my vote."
(Laughter.) With respect to our foreign affairs,
he knew them to be in a most critical state, and
was
.prepared to support a policy of non-inter-
ven ton ; but looking to the fact that we had a
neighbour who, if a faithful ally, was somewhat
eccentric, and seeing that his views of morality,
were.
not such as commended themselves to Eng-
lishmen, it was desirable, whilst making every
effort to preserve peace, to be prepared for
the worst. (Hear, hear.) He assured the elec-
tors that he would ever promote the local interests
of Lambeth, and concluded by saying that if at any
time it should be thought that he had failed in the
performance of his duty as a representative, he
should be ready to resign the trust he now solicited
into the hands of the electors. (Cheers.)
An ELECTOR wished to know Mr. Doulton's
opinion respecting the imposition of the income tax
on the working men.
Mr. DOULTON was of opinion that the income
tax ought not to be levied on any man whose in•
come was less than £l5O a year, because the work-
ing man paid more than his fair share towards the
State in the shape of indirect taxation.
In reply to other questions,- the hon. candidate
said that he should vote against the grant to May-
nooth, not because it was against the Roman Ca-
tholics, but because he was opposed to all grants for
religious purposes. He fully endorsed the senti-
ments of Mr.. Bright. (Cheers.) He was in favour
of the equalisation of poor rates, but he would not
support the proposition for opening the British
Museum on Sundays, because he did not wish the
Sabbath to be made a day of pleasure.
"'Mr. SYLIIESTER, of Newington, then moved—
" That this meeting having heard Mr. Doulton's
statement of political principles, and considering
his long and tried services in connection with all
local and public questions, is of opinion that he is
eminently qualified to represent the borough in
Parliament, and pledges itself to use its utmost
endeavours to secure his election."
Mr. ELLINGTON, of Camberwell. seconded the
resolution, which was supported by Mr. MORROGH,
and carried unanimously.
Mr. DOULTON thanked the meeting for their
enthusiastic reception of him, and the proceedings
terminated.

BUCKINGHAM.
A meeting was held on Saturday afternoon in
the Town-hall of Buckingham to receive from Mr.
J. H. Hubbard, of Addington, an exposition of his
political principles. Mr. Hubbard's invitation to
the electors to meet him having been exten-
sively circulated, there was a very large attendance
of both the enfranchised and unenfranchised inha-
bitants of the borough;and the other two candi-
dates who were up to this time in the field, viz.,
Sir Harry Verney (one of the present members) and
Mr. G. W. Barrington, were also present. General
Hall, the other member, has intimated his intention
of retiring from the representation.