The Sun.
London, England, 1835-09-11 00:00:00

YORK BRIBERY COMMITTEE.

The Select Committee appointed to inquire into the Alle-
gations, contained in the Petition of certain Electors
of the City of York, presented to this House on the
30th day of June and the 14th day of July last, and
who were empowered to report the Minutes of the
Evidence taken before them to the House, have
examined the matters to them referred, and have
agreed to the following Report :
Your Comthittee proceeded to examine witnesses on the
subject of their inquiry, and they find it has long been the
practice at York, that after the election the Members
should pay a certain gratuity to their respective supporters
in the poorer class of freemen. The existence of this prac-
tice rests ilia-on general notoriety, and was proved in par-
ticular by an individual voter, who stated that for the last
sixty years he had himself received such a gratuity as often
as the occasion arose. It appears that in the earlier part
of that period every freeman received, on his application
after the election, the sum of half-a-guinea from each
Member if he had voted for both, or of one guinea from
the Member for whom he had exclusively voted ; but
that about the year 1807 these sums were raised to one
and two guineas ; that the payment was thenceforward
known by the name of " the guineas," and that it was
publicly made, though not until some time had elapsed
from the close of the election. It further appears that
it was customary before the election to set down in
writing, on behalf of each candidate, a considerable num-
ber of such poorer freemen as were disposed to be his
supporters, and to retain them in the capacity of runners,
or messengers, at a payment of about ss. a day, which
was termed " running money :" it amounted sometimes to
as much as 21. 15s. per man, and was paid to the voter
immediately after the election, without prejudice to his
subsequent claim for the guineas. This immediate payment
was, however, discontinued in 1830, in consequence of the
Act 7th and Bth Geo. IV., commonly called " Lord Al-
thorp's Act," which disqualified persons so employed for
money from voting at the election ; but it appears that
.those candidates, in behalf of whom voters were set down
in the election which occurred in that year, paid to such
voters the sum of two sovereigns and one respectively. At
the election of 1831 it does not appear that any such pay-
ments were made.
Your Committee having endeavoured to trace the pay-
ments previously made to voters at elections for York, pro-
ceed to report on those which, having occurred in con-
nexion with the contests of 1832 and 1835, are the chief
subject matter of the petitions to which their attention has
been directed by the House.
At the former election (1832) there were four candi-
dates, and the state of the poll was as follows :
Mr. Petre
Mr. Bayntun
Mr. Lowther
Mr. Thomas Dundas .
One of the recent Members, who was regarded as having
been unfairly led into a heavy expenditure at a former.
election, and who was both personally and politically po-
pular, was returned without setting down any voters on
this occasion, neither did Mr. Moms Dundas engage at

..2-1.., .. 4..e.e. tumtrutis --hie6.,.,cr ui Ine-geherm
committee decided that such of those voters as had given
one vote to their candidate should receive one sovereign,
while to those who had voted for him alone three sovereigns
should be paid ; and although these snms were ostensibly
paid to the two classes of voters, as having served four
days and twelve days respectively, in the capacity of mes-
sengers, body guardsmen, bill-stickers, runners, and con-
stables, your Committee are of opinion that these desig-
nations were, with some exceptions, only colourable, and
that the sum of about one thousand pounds so disbursed
was for the main part really paid in consequence of the
votes which the parties had given, and not of any effective
services which they had bona fide performed. It must be
further remarked, that the sum so expended by the com-
mittee was made good from the same source that the other
expenses of the election proceeded from. It was in like
manner proved by Mr. Anderson, the principal agent of
Mr. Petre, that recourse was had on his side to the prac-
tice of setting down ; that this practice was a well under-
stood promise of a payment to be made after the election ;
but he asserted that it was only resorted to by the friends
of his client, in consequence of its having been commenced
by the opposite party. These two, witnesses were agreed
that from the time the friends of Mr. Petre followed the
example set by those who employed Leadley, voters began
to transfer their names from the books of Mr. Lowther to
those of Mr. Petre.
Your Committee cannot close their remarks on this con-
test without observing that, during its course, a system of
intimidation wholly inconsistent with freedom of election was
,
pursued by .the party opposed.to Mi. Lowther towards the
friends of that gentleman ; in illustration of which they
will mention that one of his committee-rooms was forcibly
entered by a tumultuous assemblage, countenanced, if not
headed, by parties whose situation particularly bound them
to refrain from being mixed up with such outrages. That
fire-arms were seen among the crowd, and that the friends
of Mr. Lowther, entertaining apprehension of the serious dan-
ger that might ensue to him, finally urged him to leave the
city. On another occasion, a supporter of that gentleman
was subjected to so aggravated an assault, that he had not
yet recovered from its effects.
In 1833, a vacancy having occurred, one gentleman only
Mr. Thomas Dundas, offered himself to the electors, but
on the day of election two freemen of the poorer class put
Mr. Lowther in nomination. The numbers on the poll
were as follows :
Mr. Thomas Dundas
Mr. Lowther 846
No illegal expenditure appears to have taken place on
this occasion.
At the election which occurred in January, 1835, the
two late Members having resigned their claims, three
candidates presented themselves, who were then placed on
the poll.

Mr. Lowther 1,499
Mr. John Dundas
Mr. Barkley 919
The petitions referred to your Committee contain an al-
legation that liquors were freely distributed at this election,
and, as one of them adds, at the expense of Mr. Lowther.
In proof of which allegation no evidence has been brought
forward, nor has the allegation been sustained that unusual
drunkenness prevailed on this occasion ; but it was proved
that several voters were conveyed to the polling booths in a
state of intoxication.
In reference to an allegation of the petitioners, that Mr.
Lowther's return was occasioned by money distributed
among the poor freemen, it is necessary to remark, that
the altered situation of that gentleman on the poll at this
election may be partly accounted for by the circumstance,
that the Blue party, as they are locally designated, had
ben divided on the former °evasions, but were now united
in his support. The same individual, however, James
Leadley, as appears by his own evidence, was again em-
ployod in setting down the names of voters at the house in
which the principal Committee of the Blue party was held,
which Committee was constantly attended by the candi-
date's principal professional agents ; and he stated, that al-
though he had no accurate knowledge on the Subject, he
supposed that between seven and eight hundred names were
so enrolled. It further appears, that about the middle of
April last, letters, to the number of about six.hundred and
eighty, containing coin, were transmitted through the York
post-office, for the greater part of which receipts ivere taken
on their delivery to the parties whose addresses they bore ;
that many of these letters, which were opened in the pre-
sence of the letter-carrier and others, were seen to con-
tain two sovereigns, and that they were addressed exclu-
sively to electors who had voted for Mr. Lowther. It
appears, therefore, to your Committee, since no other
payment is traced to have been made in consequence of
the act of setting down which occurred, and since that act
was universally considered in York to imply a promise to
pay, and since its employment by the same party had been
followed by payment at the preceding election, that this
transmission of money through the Post-office was the
completion of the undertaking, which had been virtually
entered into by the Committee of the Blue party with the
electors, and that the money so sent was accepted by those
electors in acquittance of that engagement, and without re-
ference to services actually performed.
A further payment was subsequently made by means of
a parcel left at a coach-office, containing towards forty
packets, that appear each to have contained two sovereigns,
and it is remarkable that among those voters to whom
these packets were addressed, and whom they were re-
ceived, were persons, some of whom are designated as
farmers, others as cow-keepers.
It is also established by the evidence, that the said
James Leadley, shortly before the day of polling, set down
the names of a large number of voters, with the understand-
ing that if they gave plumpers for the Blue candidates, on
the first day of polling, they would be paid for holding up
their hands at the county election, and that they were so
paid accordingly.

Further evidence was adduced before your Committee,
proving that many leadinr, members of the opposite or
Orange party--supporters of Mr. John Charles Dundas—
were also implicated in illegal pecuniary transactions, to
which, however, they appear to have had recourse reluc-
tantly ; and as they state in self-defence, and concerning
which they have shown much readiness to facilitate the in-
quiries of your Committee. By a departure from the usual
practice in setting down, the voters who presented them-
selves on that side were informed that they were not to
consider this registry of their names as a promise of pay-
ment, but only as an engagement that if services were re-
quired, the persons so set down should be employed. And
it appears to your Committee an important fact, as indi-
cating the effect of the system upon the result of elections
at York, that although not less than 372 persons consented
to be set down on these terms, about 150 others refused to
accede to them ; and having presented themselves for the
purpose of supporting Mr. John Dundas, did nevertheless,
in consequence of such disappointment, subsequently trans-
fer their names to the opposite party. Of the 372 voters so
set down, 55 were employed in what were regarded as real
services for the seven days, during which the personal.canvass
of the candidate lasted, and each were paid at the rate of
ss. a day. The services of about twenty of them appear to
have consisted in daily attendance upon the candidate, who,
it should seem, according to the practice of York, is gene-
rally accompanied during his circuit by a large body of his
suppor.ters, many of them paid for that purpose ; such a
practice, however, even if legally conducted, appears likely
rather to produce disturbance than any beneficial result.
The whole of the 372 were considered to be subsequentlY
employed at the election for four days also at ss. a day, in
the following manner :—On the day of nomination, it was
their business to attend the candidate in a procession,
through the streets of the town, which is called " riding
the challenge," or to hold up their hands in his favour
when the Sheriff took the sense of the electors on the
names of the candidates. During the two days of polling,
they were regarded as being employed in bringing up voters
to the booths, or in carrying messages ; but it must have
been difficult to furnish in this manner even ostensible em-
ployment for so large a number. The fourth day's wages
of these electors were earned by their attendance at the
declaration of the state of the poll, and at the .hustings.
Your Committee have adverted to these details of the em-
ployments in which the voters set down for Mr. Dundas
were employed, in order to show the nugatory and colour-
able nature of the services supposed to be performed at
the elections for York. The above payments are proved
to have been made by the directions of Mr. Dundas's prin-
cipal agent.

It is right to observe, that Mr. Barkley and his sup-
porters, from the commencement to the close of the elec-
tion, protested against all illegal expenditure.
One of the petitions referred to your Committee by the
order of the House contains an allegation that Mr. Bark-
ley would have presented a petition against the return, if he
had not been deterred by the attendant. expense, and it does
appear that such a proceeding was contemplated by that
gentleman, and was abandoned by him partly on account of
the expense, partly by reason of the uncertainty of the re-
sult. The same petition alleges that, but for the unlawful
practices set forth therein, the candidate, whose name stood
first on the poll, would have been the last and lowest. Your
Committee have not the materials wherewith to test this
allegation, but they think it right to observe, that if the
circumstances contained in the present Report had been
established by legal evidence before an Election Committee,
and so as to bring them within the provisions as they un-
doubtedly are within the intention of the laws provided for
such cases, more tban one thousand voters_ mustlavo been

~" ~..

ivuutu effieges nave ueen estauusneu uy mune, -may
be classed in the following manner.

Householders, a
Freemen. few perhaps Total.
Freemen.

Persons identified as having re-
ceived money-letters
Persons who received money-
parcels
Persons identified as having
been set down for Mr. Dundas
and paid as stated above

27

6