The Sun.
London, England, 1835-04-28 00:00:00

, ELECTION INTELLIGENCE.

CAMBRIDGE.

Yesterday the election of a member for the borough of
Cambridge took place in the Shire-hall in that town. In
consequence of no opposition being anticipated to the re-elec-
tion of Mr. Spring Rice, little interest appeared to be excited
u compared with what has prevailed at the recant elections
in that place. Mr. Spring Rice, in his way to the Shire-
hall, as well as on his appearing on the platform, was loudly
cheered.

Mr. THROWER, the Mayor of the place, presided as return-
ing officer. After the usual oaths had been administered, the
Act against making freemen for the purpose of influencing
elections, as well as the Bribery Act, were read ' • on the
clauses of the latter being read in which it is enacted that the
persons receiving bribes shall be disfranchised, and those giving
them shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanors, there was
great cheering.
Mr. Hovam. then came forward to propose Mr. Spring
Rice. He said that his Right Hon. Friend had been returned
to Parliament on three former occasions, and he trusted that
it was the unanimous feeling of the electors to return him
again triumphantly to Parliament. He had been appointed to
a high situation of great responsibility in the new Govern-
ment, and he (Mr. Hovell) was sure that he would perform
the duties of his office in a way to reflect credit on himself as
well as the town that returned him as their representative.—
Vaear, hear.) He thought that the recent conduct of his
jesty in calling his present Ministers to office was a proof
that he was determined to live in the good opinion of the
people of England.—(Hear, hear.) They all knew and ap-
preciated the benefit that had been conferred on them by
opening the elective franchise, and this had been done by a
Government composed in great part of Members of the pre-
sent Administration. Some fears had been expressed at
granting the franchise to 101. householders ; but the result
had shown that they were groundless, and that those who had
this trust imposed on them had exercised it in a way honour-
able to themselves and advantageous to the country. He
concluded with proposing the Right Hon. Thomas Spring
Rice as a fit and proper person to represent the borough in
Parliament.—( Cheers. )
Mr. GUNNING, the Esquire Bedell of the University, se-
conded the nomination. He said that it was hardly necessary
for him to say that he was an old Reformer ; but indeed all
were Reformers now.—( Laughter.) The distinction between
them and their iopponents was, that while they had long seen
the necessity for reform—some of them, like himself, for half
a century—this had not been the case with their opponents
until the 10th of December, 1834.—(Laughter and cheers.)
Fortunately for himself, for that town, and for the country, his
Right Hon. Friend was not so old a Reformer as himself, and
be trusted that they would long enjoy the advantage they
possessed in having a person of the splendid talents of his Right
Hon. Friend to represent them. His Right Hon. Friend had
ever been a Reformer ; and while an undergraduate of the
University, on its being necessary for him to make a declara-
tion on attaining some honour, he chose for the subject of his
theme the memory of Charles James Fox. Since that time
he had ever advocated the principles of tint illustrious states-
man, who was the main instrument of getting rid of the slave
trade.—( Hear, hear.) That great man was seconded by Lord
Grey, who had repeatedly refused to take office because he
was not allowed to bring forward Reform. At last be took
the helm of affairs, and the result was the Reform Bill, in
consequence of which splendid measure they were then assem-
bled.---( Cheers.) Many friends of liberty, on that measure
being brought forward, had expressed alarm at extending the
franchise to so a large body of persons. The result had shown
the fallacy of their fears, and above all in the town of Cam-
bridge. That class of persons were, generally speaking, affec-
tionate husbands and kind fathers, and when these feelings
prevailed in the social relations—although they-might be mis-
taken in their views—they could not be bribed, nor induced to
do that which would reflect shame on them.—( Cheers.) A
man in such a situation might occasionally take his glass of
ale at his friend Newberry's—(Laughter)—but he would not
join in the nightly orgies at Aaron Skinner's.—( Cheers.) He
would only add, that they had reason to be proud of their re-
presentative, and he had reason to be proud of an indepen-
dent, and, above all, incorruptible constituency of that place.
As no other candidate was proposed, the Mayer declared
the Right Hon. T. S. Rice to be elected as Member for the
Borough.
Mr. SPRING RICE said that he was, on the present oc-
casion, completely overpowered by the personal kindness he
had experienced—he was sure that it was much greater than
could often fall to the lot of any public man. It seemed only
the other day that he was but a stranger to them, and had, un-
der those circumstances, to struggle for the honour of repre-
senting them. In that struggl he succeeded—the second
and third followed ; and as he advanced in the cause, it ap-
peared more satisfactory to himself, and he hoped it was also
more satisfactory to his constituents ; he hoped, also, that the
course was more satisfactory to those gentlemen by whom he
was opposed. He meant that when he first sought their poli-
tical support, he was a stranger ; but he had found many pri-
vate friends, and even amongst those who were his political op-
ponents at the outset. Those struggles, however, had gone
by, and he trusted that his political opponents hod founi
nothing to object to in his conduct. On an occasion like the
present, so deeply important as a political crisis, it was impos-
sible for him not to feel deeply the situation in which he
was placed—it was at a moment when a Government
was formed on principles essentially different from the Ad-
ministration which it had succeeded. It was at such a
moment when, as an individual, and as a Member of the
Government, he was put, as it were, on trial before h's
constituents, he, for the first time, after four contests, had
the honour of being returned by them to Parliament without
opposition.—( Cheers., In the first place he felt bound to
thank his friends for the exertions they had used in his behalf,
and also his Committee, for the public spirit they had mani-
fested as well on that as on former occasions. He felt also,
on the present occasion, that his acknowledgments were due
to the political party opposed to him for not having put them
to the trouble of a contest ; he hoped, however, that he might
be allowed to say, without presumption, that such was the
strength of his friends that any contest that arose must have
terminated in his favour.—( Cheers.) It was notorious, how-
ever, that on many occasions when a contest was hopeless—
and above all, in times like the present of great political ex-
citement—an opposition was raised solely with a view of
creating inconvenience. The town might have been thrown
into confusion on the present occasion, if any person present
had come forward and proposed a candidate in opposition to
himself and have demanded a poll ; and he therefore thought
that in abstaining from such conduct he so far owed his former
opponents his thanks. He also felt bound to acknowledge the
great impartiality exhibited by the Mayor. They had by their
decision returned him as the representative of an intelligent
and thriving community, and as such he trusted they
would allow him to make a few observations on some
questions of a public nature. He hoped that he might with-
out offence allude before the Mayor to the question of Muni-
cipal Reform. He trusted that the measure which would be
brought forward on this subject would be found to rest on such
a principle as to put the Magistrates on a footing of perfect
harmony with the people, with whom they were connected.—
(Cheers.) It was the duty of the Legislature to take care
that no disturbing forces were allowed to exist in this measure,
but that, if a change were effected, it should be like that in
the Parliamentary system, namely, founded on firm and deter.
mined principles. The great question would shortly be
brought under the attention of the Legislature, and he would
assure the Mayor and Corporation, as well as the inhabitants
of Cambridge, that whatever was done every exertion would
be made to promote a feeling of harmony and confidence be-
tween the Magistrates and the people.—( Cheers.) If they
got a better system with regard to Municipal Corporations
than at present prevailed, he trusted that all differences which
at present existed between the Corporation and the inhabitants
of the town would be forgotten, except as beacons to show what
was to be avoided for the future.—( Hear.) In the change to
be made, he thought that it was essentially necessary to have
an enlarged constituency ; and in his opinion the 101. house-
holders formed the proper class of persons.—( Loud cheers.)
He hoped that Magistrates so appointed for the performance
of a public trust, would, either in that Court or on Parker's
piece, administer justice in such a way as was worthy of Bri-
tish subjects performing a public duty.—(Cheers.) He would
ask any man present whether he would not feel insulted, if,

when entering- the petty jury box, any one was to suppose that
he would act corruptly ? and the feeling which thus operated
in this case should also prevail with regard to all who had
public duties to perform, and also all in connection with the
administration of justice. He had no doubt that the measure
of municipal reform, when carried, would put the people of
Cambridge in possession of their just rights, and that they
would have the administration of their affairs in their own
hands. He hoped and believed that such a system as he had
alluded to, if passed into a law, would remove those grounds
of complaint that existed at present, and that they, in its ope-
ration, would have the concurrence of that party which had
hitherto had the administration of the corporation in its
hands. If the officers in corporations were elected by
more popular constituencies than at present, he could
not think that the authority of the magistrates would be
diminished, or that they would be less respected by
those to whom they had to administer justice.—(Hear,
hear.) He had stated that the present crisis was a pecu-
culiar one, and, at the same time, it was one of the greatest
importance. In the 'month of November last—when Parlia-

ment was not sitting—to the surprise of the individuals forming
Lord Melbourne's Government, and to the surprise, he would
not say regret, of a large portion of the community—that
Administration was dismissed under circumstances of a re-

markable nature, and to the interruption of measures they were
then prepaxing.—( Hear, hear.) He would pass over the pe-
riod of time which elapsed before the return of Sir Robert
Peel to England when the Government was formed, and here
he begged to observe, that he could not allude to that gentle-
man but in terms of respect, such as should be used to an ho-
nourable political opponent, no other person connected with
the Tory party could give that party a chance of success. He
would not say that that gentleman was the only man of
distinguished talent connected with it, for that would be
invidious ; but that he was a man of such ability as to
measure with any connected with any party in the state.
On their accession to office, many gentlemen would have
had to go to their constituents, and it was therefore
thought better by them to have a general ',election, which
would give. _them a chance of returning others connected
with their Party,t,An election took place, and many mem-
bers of the Government were returned to Parliament ;
but ten or eleven persons connected with it did not succeed in
obtaining seats. The present Government had not followed
the example of their predecessors and dissolved Parliament,
but each had gone to his constituents to obtain a renewal of
trust. They would have to meet a Parliament which had been
returned on the dissolution by the Tory Government. It was
abold experiment on their part to go each to his constituents,
~.nd thus enable their adversaries to oppoSe them with all their