The Sun.
London, England, 1835-01-12 00:00:00

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, .
like tools, thought we were discontented with c is ii then
and a dissolution of parliament takes place—Loud cheers.
Now, what is the consequence ? Why, Whigs and Tories,
with heart and soul join and say we objected to the Whigs
it is true, but shall we, therefore, because the Whigs were
not doing enough for us, throw ourselves into the hands of
the„ tert44l,, i* will ilte ttg nothing at all. Cries of
No, no.") No, we Rite net ga'll 60,1, hlt Viessvill unite G
with one voice, and say down with the Tories. enita*
I take the bull by the horns. The Tories have done every
thing that men could do, either by fair or foul means. As
far as the influence of authority could go they went at the last
election, and what did they get by it?—1,494 votes for the
Tory, sViiiht the tmbought and the unsolicited men came
fora and anti g4O hid net leas than $,21fl votes,—( Cheers.)
Now, 1 say, are you changed ?—(Cries. of No, rid.") Has
the re-action taken place which the Tories fully calculated
upon ?—(Repeated cries of " No, no.") If it is so, in God's
name I am not your man, for I will never go into the House
of Commons but as a Reformer. The Tories say they arc
. Reformers, but Ido not believe one word of it. How grati-
fying is it to nie, Who lave stood before -my country, branded
with the epithet of a bestructive, featly to destroy the country,
aid all such titles as these—how gratifying is it to the nOW to
find that the Tories have changed their names, like ano-
ther class of persons who become ashamed-of their names, to
Conservatives, and are pleased to call themselves moderate
reformers. I know, gentlemen, what is the majority of the
opinions of this country, and you are to decide whether—for
your eountry— Reformers are to go into Parliament or
not—( Hear)—who will carry on the measures of Reform
or whether you arc to send a Tory like Mr. Thomas Wood,
who will support the good old Tory systerri. What is your
choice? Your choice lies between your tried representative,
Mr. Dyng-s—although he is not so respectable a reformer as I
he Was a reformer long before I was in the field, and I think
his longer standing entitles him, if any there are who look
upon my services as having been more useful than his—entitles
him worthy of being placed in Parliament ; for my own part I
have net lost my elitm—l have done all I could—l am willing
to do what is right and proper now to carry on reform in
Ch,r:.h and State. I will not atop with introductions into the
Universities—l will not stop until all my dissenting brethren
have civil rights equal to any other men.--( Loud cheers.) I
will not cease until I see sinecures in the Church put
down.—( Hear, hear.) I have been the humble instrument in
the House of Commons of putting an end to all sinecures -
in the navy, military, and other departments, and is it to be
thought that I as a Reformer, having acted throughout so consis-
wady, can stop without saying we must put an end
•to every sinecure in the Church ? Gentlemen, your
intermits require it, and it • must be done. —( Loud cheers. )
I believe that is the question nosy to be settleet, and which it
is most important for the public to try at this moment. lam
a friend to civil and religious liberty—l am a friend to
economy—l am for reforming even the present House of Com-.
mons, by the extension of the suffrage and the vote by ballot.
(Cheers.) And further, as I am reminded, lam for cheap
justice; and I beg to tell you, that when it is asked what the
late Administration has done, that they put down sinecure
situations in the Court of Chancery to the amount of 96,000/.
per annum.—( A voice—" Who increased the Lord Chancellor's
salary 1,0001. a-year ?") That was done against my vote, both
in committee and out of it. lam no party man, for I have
opposed both Whigs and Tories, and will again if necessary.
My only point is, are the measures proposed beneficial to my
country ?—( Cheers ) Therefore that gentleman who so
challenges me is just like the rest of the Tories—he mistakes
his mark, and will not be convinced,--( Cheers.) What
choice have you? Your choice is between Reformers and a
Tory.---( Cries of " Reformers, and no Tory.") Mr. Wood's
family, I believe, is most respectable, but who is he ?---(Mr.
Hume here drew a placard from his pocket, headed " Who is
Mr. Wood, of Littleton ?" which caused some mirth.) I
was not aware, though often asked by gentlemen who came
to me—who is this Mr. Wood ? I saki he is the son of a
gentleman I have long known in Parliament as a supporter of
the Tories and of the Castlereagh and Wellington Adminis-
trations • but I was not aware of the claims of the gallant
officer— officer it appears he is—being the 11th Lieutenant
in the Duke of Wellington's Rcgt. of Guards.--(Laughter,)
Why, I ask, is his militaay rank sunk on this occasion?
(Hear.) I believe it is because he knows that a red-coat
gentleman is not much approved by the electors of the County
of Middlesex.—( Cheers.) You have to decide between
a junior officer of the Duke of Wellington's regiment—and
you know what Lieuts. are, and what they have the power of
doing against their Colonel.—( Laughter.) This paper goes
to tell you what he is. He is one connected with the late

Lord Castlereagh of Six Acts notoriety, and he is the nephew
of the present Lord Londonderry. Why, Lady Caroline Wood
is principal bedchamber-woman to the Quees.—( Laughter,
and uproar.) Do I mention this as a dishonour ? It is one
of the most honourable situations a lady in this country can
hold, yet a gallant gentleman behind me ( Capt. Burton) says
it is disgraceful to mention it.—( Renewed laughter.) Is any
thing to be concealed from you? Tell me what company a
man keeps, and I will tell you what he is. I tell you who are
his relations. I ask, will you commit yourselves into the hands of
a lieutenant of the Duke of Wellington ?—( Hear.) Ido not
deny the Duke's military talents, but I speak of him as a civilian
and a minister, and he ham himself declared that he is unfit for
ollice.—( Hear.) Therefore be on your guard. You might
as well elect Sir Robert Peel himself as this gentleman. His
other relations are one of them Under Secretary of State for
Ireland, and Sir Henry Hardinge is Chief Secretary. He is
a relation of Mr. Wood, I believo---

Mr. Woon—Yes, he married my aunt.—( Laughter—a
voice, " He lost an arm in the Service.")
Mr. HUME—No man can speak higher of his services as an
officer than I do. I chew Mr. Wood's connection with
the Tory Administration, and therefore when he comes

forward, and states his desire to act independently, I say to
you, Beware !—( Hear, hear.) I cannot support such con-
nections ; but if this county likes to elect a Tory, let it he so,
but will that lessen your burdens? Will that relieve taxa-
tion? Will that put an end to abuses in Church and State?
—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) I thank the person who pub-
lished this placard to enlighten the public. The gallant
gentleman not only holds office under the Tories, but is posi-
tively identified with them.—( Hear.) I must correct an
error Mr. Fvler fell into. He declared that the murders
at Rathcortriac were committed in the time of the Mel-
bourne Administration.—( Laughter.) Why, it was a month
afterwards ; and I tell you more, it could not have
been committed under that Administration, because when a
Bill for commuting tithes for ever in Ireland had passed the
House of Commons, and sent up to the Lords, the Duke of
Wellington rejected it—(Groans)—and at that time an Hon.
Member in his place in the House of Commons asked when
peace was thus proposed between the Church and the people,
whether they would deluge the country with fire and sword to
collect tithes, Lord Althorp said, " I will give you my word
and the word of the Administration, after so fair and good
a measure, calculated to heal the sufferings of the country
being rejected, we will not allow the military to be
used for any such purpose."--( Loud Cheers.) It was after the
admission of the Wellington Administration this occurred,
though I may be told that the Administration was not formed,
but the Duke was the Administration. He was Secretary at
War, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Colonies, and
everything ; and I think most unconstitutionally so, but a
question will arise upon that hereafter.—( Hear, Hear.) If
it be possible for the King to keep one man his sole Minister
for a month, why may he not as well send for Lord W. Ben-
tick, and give him the reins of Government for a year?—
The late law officer of the Crown has already proved the ille-
gality of these proceedings, and it will not rest here.--( Hear. )
Gentlemen, I have done my duty to the best of my power ;
if you send me back, I can do no more.—(Cheers. )-_I shall
use my best energies, not to support this or that party, but—
( A voice in the crowd—" We will send you to Canada.")_
-
I hope before that time that you, my friend, will be trans-
ported.—( Great laughter and cheering.)—lf lam again re-
turned, I shall endeavour to deserve your good opinion. You
have thrice returned me; and if I am defeated, I shall be
defeated without disgrace. The disgrace will be upon you,
Gentlemen, and I shall leave the matter in your hands.--
I have no hired agents in every parish—(cheers)—l have no
Committee-rooms presided over by Tory magistrates—(ap-
plause)—l have no clergymen to go about canvassing for
me.—[Hear, and cries of " Shame !I—Gentlemen, I shall
now leave the matter in your hands. I have done my best for
you in the House of Commons, and if you send me back I
shall find sufficient opportunities of doing it again, and my
first will be, " Down with the Tories."—[Tremendous
cheering.]
Mr. Woon then came forward, and was assailed by hooting,
hissing, and groaning, mingled with a few cheers. When
silence was, by the exertions of the Sheriff, in some degree
restored, Mr. Wood proceeded :—Gentlemen I have a
favour to ask of you—it is the first I ever asked, and perhaps
it may be the last—(laughter, and cries of "very likely")—
that is simply to hear me.--( Cheers and groans.) Gentle-
men—about 30 years ago my father stood upon these hustings
for the first time he ever came forward in public life ; but not
on such an important occasion as that on which I present my-
self.—( Groans and errs of "go home, Torn.") Tom Wood,
as they choose to call me, is now before you, and asks you for
a fair hearing. Gentlemen—before I enter on the many
topics on which I wish to address you, allow me to answer not
only this bill (holding up a large placard) but other things
that have been personal to myself.—( Hear.) Gentlemen, I
say personal to myself, because what concerns my father is
personal to me.—( Hear, and some cheers.) Gentlemen, it is
true that he is 'a Colonel, but he is colonel of the Middlesex.
( Hear, and a laugh.) There is another point to which I wish
to allude—it was mentioned by the gallant knight who nomi-
nated the hon. gentlemen beside me, that I had acted unbe-
comingly in not having followed the usual precedents on these
occasions, because I spoke to somebody in the crowd.—( Cries
of " Yes," and " Off.") The gallant knight told me thay are
electors, and I therefore thought
there was no harm in ad-
dressing them.---( Laughter, hissing, and great confusion. )
Gentlemen, my friends have urged me to set forward my in-
dependence ; and how am I to do it if you do not hear
me ?—( Cheers.) I know that words go for very little, but
the Hon. Gentleman has alluded to the point of my aspiring
to office.—( Laughter and uproar.) Now, gentlemen, I can
oely say on that point that I shall never accept office of any
kind.—( Great laughter, and cries of " Who would give you
office—you have not brains enough ?") Allow me now to ex-
press my gratitude to this gentleman (turning .to Mr. Hume)
for having brought this handbill here. I heard there was
such a thing on the walls, but you must be aware that I
could only take notice of what is brought here by some
gentleman. —( A laugh.) But as you, Sir (to Mr.
Hume) have brought it here, I address myself to
what it contains. (Hear, hear, hear.) with your
leave, gentlemen, I shall read it—( Great laughter, and
cries of
__
" Why did you not get your speech off?") It commences
" Who is Wood—Torn Wood ?"--(Loud laughter and cries of
be is good for nothing")—" of Littleton"----( Laughter and
cries of--" of little good.") Is that right, gentlemen ?