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

interests of the country, and promoting those great commercial
principles of which he has been so long the able, eloquent, and
zealous advocate, and from which no persons have benefitted more
than the inhabitants of Manchester.—( Cheering.) . I will not
detain you longer, but conclude by proposing Mr. Thomson
as the most fit and
inproper person to represent this great and
important borough Parliament.---( Great cheering.)
Mr. GREGG, in coming forward to second the nomination of
Mr. Thomson, was rapturously cheered. He said—l am
most highly gratified in meeting the electors of Manchester
once more under more auspicious circumstances, and a less in-
clement sky, to exercise the same duty they were called
upon to perform a few months ago.--( Cheers.) In saying
so, I cannot agree with or approve of that part of our Con-
stitutional law, which imposes a duty upon every Member
taking office under Government, to return to his constituents.
—( Cheers.) It gives a means of annoyance, but does not
prevent the sending to Parliament of inefficient men.—
( Cheers.) Whether lam right or wrong in that is not, how-
ever, material to consider. We are met here to select a re-
presentative, and I trust we shall choose one who will reflect
honour upon us.--( Cheers.) lam aware that comparisons
are odious ; but as there are but two candidates, it becomes
necessary, in some degree, to compare their respective claims.
--( Cheers.) In doing this I would avoid, if possible, giving
the slightest pain to any individual, and I will endeavour not
to do so.—( Cheers.) I know little of Mr. Braidley's quali-
fications beyond what are contained in his public addresses.
Here some little confusion was created in the crowd by an in-
dividual hoisting a flag representing the Manchester massacre,
and underneath the words " Tory misrule." The boroughreeve
ordered it to be taken away, but no attention was paid to his
order, and it remained in the crowd during the tvhole of the
morning. After the confusion had subsided,)
Mr. GREGG proceeded.—ln referring to the address of Mr.
Braidley, I see in them principles and opinions in many re-
spects erroneous, and which would be productive of mischief
were they carried into practice. One principle pervades them,
and that is to catch popularity, and entice your votes.—( Great
cheering.) At our last meeting Mr. Braidley laid claim to
our gratitude and regard for having settled the Great Man-
chester Tithe Cause.—( Cheers.) Without at all wishing to
detract from Mr. Braidley in that respect, I must say, that I
think he should have given praise to others, and not have taken
all to himself.—( Cheers.) There was a Committee sitting
for five-and-twenty years upon the subject, of which my father
and myself were members—( Cheers, and cries of " Oh,
oh !")—and to the fund my father subscribed upwards
of 1,0001., and we, together with the Committee, did more
to bring the Wardens and Fellows to reason than any
thing that ever Mr. Braidley did.—( Cheers and laughter. )
Now, as to Mr. Thomson, look at his address, and you will
see there his opinions on commercial matters, not in a crude
and uninformed, but in a sound state—( Cheers)—and he has
carried Bills and measures into effect which have done great
service to his country, and this town in particular.--( Cheers.)
One thing we must admit—whoever is returned to Parliament,
in one respect Mr. Thomson will be superior to Mr. Braidley
in the power he will have to serve us.—(Cheers.) Strange
to say, but I have heard from some electors that the very ad-
vantage is urged in opposition to his claim.—( Cheers.) I
have heard electors say—we like Mr. Thomson, we
approve of his principles; but we will not vote for him be-
cause he is a Minister of the Crown.—( Cheers.) However
incomprehensible it may be, such is the fact. Now this ap-
pears to me to amount to this—l am glad you are anxious
to do good, but I am sorry you have the means of doing so.
—( Great cheering.) If it is necessary, and who can doubt
it, that this town should have its representatives, how much
more important is it, that those representatives should have
the power of doing good by having a voice in the Cabinet.
--(Tremendous cheers.) One objection to Mr. Thomson
is, that he voted against the Irish Church Bill ; that is a
very important matter, and as I have no doubt Mr.
Thomson when he address you, will notice the subject,
I will not presume to say any thing further upon it. There is
one single fact, however, which I must mention, and not allow
it to pass in silence. In my way to town last night I observed
the town placarded to this effect—that O'Connell and the
Catholic priests were exerting themselves in Mr. Thomson's
favour, and calling upon the Churchmen and Dissenters to
give their votes against Mr. Thomson for that reason. Now
one word upon that score. I know not whether the allega-
tions made in that placard are true or false, but this I know,
that Catholic Priests have as good a right to interfere
in elections as Protestant Parsons—( Great cheering)—.
and more, that Catholic Priests have as good a right
to interfere on the side of reason, justice, ar.d sound
legislation, as Protestant parsons on the side of intole-
rance.—(Tremendous cheering.) In short, they have as good
a right to interfere on behalf of Mr. Thomson as the
Protestant parsons have to interfere on behalf of Mr. Braid-
le%.—( Increased cheering.) As to Mr. O'Connell, what is
the fact ? Why, it is the intolerance of the High Church
party that has raised him to power.—( Renewed cheering.)
It is that intolerance that has caused the Irish people to
choose so eloquent and able a leader to release them from
b,elr7e.—( Loud cheering.) That it was that Lad given
Mr. O'Connell what I may call a left-handed power.
Are there no means of reducing that power, which
I must confess I should wish to see reduced—certainly there
is one means, and that is by doing justice to Ireland.—( Great
cheering.) If there be one means of securing the safety of
the Irish Protestant Church, it is by removing abuses, curtail-
ing its monopolies, and giving it the sword of justice and the
garb of charity.—( Cheers.) The placards call on the Pro-
testant Dissenters to vote against Mr. Thomson ; lam a Pro-
testant Dissenter, and I believe the majority of the electors are
the same ; and I will say this, that it is dangerous for those
who live in glass houses to throw stones.--( Cheers.) The
placard says " Beware." I say beware—beware of the Protes-
tant, not the Catholic Church.--( Hisses and great cheering.)
I tell the Protestant Dissenters this—all the insults they have
endured, and all the persecutions they have suffered, come from
the Protestants.—( Great cheering.) My father's ancestors
were driven from their native country by the Protestant
Church, as were the ancestors of my mother, in the time of
Charles the Second.—( Cheers and laughter.) The electors
may laugh, but this I will tell them, that though the power
be now dead, the spirit of persecution only slumbers.—
( Cheers.) Not many months ago, the Rector of our parish
forbade his curate dining with my father, because he was a Dis-
senter; and not many days after my father died, he sent to
me, saying that if I wished to have a tablet put up in the
church to his memory, he must see it before it was erected, as
he denied that my father was a Christian.—( Hisses). If I
was asked what, sort of representative Manchester should have,
I should say this—that it ought to have a man who had some
knowledge of business and comprehensive notions of commer-
cial affairs. The worthy Gentleman concluded by seconding
the nomination of Mr. Poulett Thomson.

Mr. GARDNER then came forward amid cheers and disap-
probation to propose Mr. Braidley, and addressed the electors
as follows. Gentlemen, I shall say very little to you, and
what little I shall say I hope you will hear with patience. I
know that you wish to hear the addresses of the candidates, and
therefore I will not detain you long. It gives me great plea-
sure again to propose my much respected friend Benjamin
Braidley, Esq. as a proper candidate to represent this borough
in Parliament. He is well known to most of you.—( Cries of Yes,
too well known, and laughter.) I have no doubt that his ser-
vices are highly appreciated by every unprejudiced mind.
(Oh, oh.) As far as he has been tried as a public man he
has given unparalleled satisfaction, and in private life he
is both moral and religious. (Cries of " Peterloo,"
and much confusion, which lasted for some time.) Gen-
tlemen, if you had not interrupted me I should have
concluded before this. I say that Mr. Braidley is not ashamed
of avowing his religious principles—( Cries of " He has no
shame")—l say that it is of the most vast importance that men
who are sent to represent this borough in the Commons House
of Parliament should be of high moral as well as religious
character. It is very frequently stated, what has a man's mo-
rals or principles to do with his political line of conduct? I
think that it has a great deal ; if it is thought necessary
to investigate the character of a servant in a most mi-
nute manner before you receive them into your house-
-( Cries of Don't say any more ; we have had enough ; and
much confusion)—if that was thought of vital importance, of
how much more importance was it to investigate the character
of our representives in Parliament. Mr. Braidley has devoted
much time and expense for the purpose of giving to the poor
a religious and moral• education.—(Cries of " the Holy Alli-
ance," and "No bribery.") Gentlemen, I consider it of the most
vital importance that our Members should be men of high mo-
ral integrity.—( Here considerable confusion prevailed, and
Mr. Gardner finding it impossible to obtain a hearing, con-
cluded by nominating Mr. Braidley as a fit and proper person
to represent this borough in Parliament.)
Mr. HAYNES, in seconding the nomination of Mr. Braidley,
said—l feel exceedingly indebted to the electors for the kind
manner in which they have received the mention of my name.
—( Laughter.) I shall occupy very little of your time—l
shall merely second the nomination of Mr. Braidley. If I had
sufficient power to express my opinions of the qualifications of
Mr. Braidley to represent you inParliament, I should be proud
to do so. —( Cheers and laughter.)
Mr. THOMSON then came forward to address the electors
amida the most deafening shouts of applause and clapping of
hands, which lasted for shveral minutes. When silence was
restored, the Right Hon. Gentleman spoke as follows :
Gentlemen, most sincerely do I thank you for the kind recep-
tion you have gWen me to-day, an earnest I hope of the re-
sult of the struggle in which it seems we are once more to be
engaged.—( Cheers.) As was justly stated but three short
months ago, I had the pleasure of appearing before you here, ,
and of receiving at your hands the highest mark of confidence
which you could give to any individual.—( Hear, hear, and
loud cheers.) Gentlemen, the events of those three
months are before you, and it is for myself, no longer
your representative, but hoping to become so, to justify
any acts of mine in the manner in which I have dis-
charged the trust reposed in me.—( Great cheering.) Gen-
tlemen, I listened with attention to what fell from the proposer
and seconder of my honourable competitor, in hopes that I
might hear some charges brought against me—some reasons
adduced why, after the triumphant manner in which the sense
of this great constituency had been declared on so recent an
occasion—(great cheering)—the confidence which you then re-
posed was to be withdrawn from me, and grounds adduced
why I was unfit again to obtain your suffrages.—( Cheers. )
Gentlemen, it is easier to attack by anonymous placards than
it is to bring charges face to face.—(Tremendous cheering. )
It is easier to whisper slander than to bring forward ac-
cusation.—( Continued cheering.) It is less open to denial,
for if charges, had been brought they would have been in-
stantly answered and shewn to have been false in themselves.
Cheers.) Although I have not this day heard those
charges repeated, I have seen myself, and those with whom I
acted, accused of factious conduct,—(Cheers, and cries frorti
Mr. Braidley's friends of—Yes, yes.) Gentlemen, I hear it
confirmed—was it faction in the House of Commons to decide
that they would' place at the head of their (mit body a Re-
former known and tried, instead of one oivosed constantly to•