The Sun.
London, England, 1835-01-08 00:00:00

no doubt they had taken good care to feather their nests well. '
—( Cheers and laughter.) Mr. Sergeant Spankie had said Mr.
Hobhouse was a good boy in India. No doubt he was so—
but he was a precious bad reformer in Finsbury.--( Cheers and
laughter.) One of the Tory candidates of Bath had been
nominated by a partner of Mr. H., and, upon being
asked if such was the fact or not, he admitted
it, and said that he was a d--d good Tory.—( Hear.)
The poll-book has been just put into my hand by Mr. Rogers,
and I will look to see what has been done on that occasion. I
find that Charles Lawder, Somerset-place, gave a plumper
bang for Mr. Hobhouse, the Radical Reformer of Finsbury.
—( Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, lam asked how many of my
friends voted for Pownall. In voting for Pownall they voted
for a man whom they had the satisfaction of knowing.—
( Hear, hear.) He did not disguise his sentiments—(Bravo)
--and that is my answer to the observation. I say I always
esteem an open foe to a false friend. But it is said
that I attacked Mr. Duncombe. I admit it—and I
think I was justified in my attack, although I am
friendly now with him, and consider that he has discharged
his duty in Parliament; that I will say to the last hour of my
life, that that will be a faded leaf in the laurels upon the
brow of Mr. Duncombe. He ought not, on that occasion, to
have hazarded the return of a Tory. What would they have
said of me, if I had done the same thing ? What would they
have said of the " Destructive Wakley," if he had done that ?
A column in every London paper, with the exception of a few,
would have been devoted to slander, and calumniated me for a
whole week.--( Hear, hear.) I now leave Mr. Hobhouse to
settle his accounts with you—( A cry of " We will neither
have him nor his accounts")—for I trust it is not necessary for
me to found my claim of merit as a Reformer on the demerits
of another man's character. If you think I can serve you in Par-
liament, elect me ; if not, reject me : in both cases I will
be content.—(Great cheering.) I come amongst you as one
of yourselves, as a man literally moving with the trading
classes of the community. I boast of no high birth, at least of
no further back than the days of Adam.—(Much laughter.)
I boast of no noble blood in my veins, and, thank God, the
blood which is in them has never been contaminated by the fat
proceeds of corruption.—( Cheers.) I have always laboured
with my own head and hands for my own support, and I can
continue to do so. If you would elect men similarly circum-
stanced you would then be properly represented in Parliament,
but so long as you run after titled gentlemen so long will you
be laughed at in that assembly. You should hear the little con-
versations they have in their snuggeries there, how they laugh
at having, blinded you by their practices. Gentlemen, I will
not detain you longer, as Mr. Hobhouse has to address you,
and as I by-and-bye will have to address you again in return.
ing you my thanks for electing me. But in case I should
forget it hereafter, I now wish to refer to one or two points :
it has been alleged throughout this borough that I had re-
signed, and very unfair play has been shown to me by the
canvassers of one of the parties. I will read a note which has
been handed to me since I came upon the hustings :—" She
on Monday two of Mr. Hobhouse's friends called on me"—
this note is dated from No. 1, Yardley-street—(a cry of
" Name, name," from one of Mr. Hobhouse's friends)—l will
give you his name, Sir, in due time—it comes usually at the
conclusion of a note.—( Much laughter.) " Two of Mr.
Hobhouse's friends called on me to solicit my vote in fa-
vour of him. I informed them I had promised my vote,
when one of the party asked me if I would favour them
with the name of the candidates I had promised to vote,
for. I stated Mr. Wakley and Mr. Duncombe. One of the i
party then said, perhaps, Sir, you will do us the honour to
keep your vote back until the second day, as Wakley is sure
not to get in, and then you will have a chance to vote for
Hobhouse." This gentleman's name is Harrow, and he states
that I am better able to comment on this conduct than himself.
Here is the note, and Mr. Hobliouse or his friends may see it.
I have been hearing of it from one end of the borough to the
Other. The newspapers, in reporting the proceedings, have
omitted my name for days altogether, as if I was not in exist-
ence—( Hear, hear.) But notwithstanding all this Ido exist,
as the voters, and as these other gentlemen will know by
to-morrow morning—( Tremendous cheering.) We have been
acting on the principle of fair play in reference to all the other
candidates. We will fight them fairly, and we shall not commit
any act in public which we should be ashamed of in private.—
( Great cheering.) It has been asserted that I had - received
money from the Tories, in order to keep on the contest.
Gentlemen, we want none of their money ; the public spirit
of this borough supplies the place of money.—(Tremendous
cheering.) We pay nothing for any of our Committee
rooms.--( Cheers.) The licensed victuallers of the borough
have thrown open their houses to us.---( Much cheer-
ing.) If the voters of Finsbury were to be bought with
money (which, he was satisfied, was not the case),
Mr. Hobhouse's bank would soon be obliged to close.—
( Great laughter, and cheering.) If such was the case, it
was time for the old Tories to look out for their deposits.—
( Great laughter.) Mr. Hobhouse would probably discover to
his cost, after having expended some thousands, that he has
not had from the beginning the slightest chance of success.
I am as certain of heading him on the poll, as that I exist.—
(Cheers.) I am satisfied, therefore, that he can stand for
no other purpose than to get his old friend the Tory returned.
I shall now retire, entreating of you not to lose one moment in
going to the poll. I care not one straw about making this
statement public, although the opposite parties may say, " if
you do that, we will do the same." They cannot do it—
( Great applause.) The tradesmen who have been coerced
into promising their votes will find that to-morrow
will be a very cold morning, and they will not
be able either to ride or walk. Some of them will be asthma-
tic, and some of them will be so fond of lying a-bed, that they
will not be able to get up at all.--( Laughter, and great cheer-
ing.) But my voters will rise at six o'cock to-morrow morn-
ing, and will do what Mr. Hobhouse wished to postpone in
1833 they will push along and keep moving."—( Continued
laughter, and great applause.) They will rattle up to the tee';,,
and let us see if the freemen will not be able to beat 'ac slave.
Mr. HonuousE then came forward emitl. groans, hisses, and
some cheering. He asked for fair play, He had been
attacked by the gentleman who had chosen to call himself his
( Mr. H.'s) old friend; and also by the gentleman who had
last addressed them.—( Uproar.) Ho called upon them as
Englishmen to give him a fair hearing —( Hear, and great
uproar.) He had been attacked oa both sides—by the
Tory on his right, and by the gentleman professing oppo-
site principles, who had just addressed them. His worthy
mover had introduced his (Mr. Holtheuse's) name to them
and as a Parliamentary Refermer—he had told them, and
truly, that hp ( Nir, 1:I.) had been on every occasion when he
had Wee before the public, the advocate of the principles of
civil and religious liberty.—( Great confusion.) He had
told them, and truly, that he came before the electors
of Finsbury prepared to make good every statement made
by the Honourable Gentleman who had moved his
nomination,-...4 great uproar.) Entertaining those sentiments
aed theee opietane, it was with great regret that he ( Mr. H.)
witeeeied the dismissal of the Reform Ministry, and the for-
matiou of a Tory Administration. In his opinion that
was a distinct declaration of the principles of anti-
reform for the people of England—( Great uproar. )
When he leelted at the names of the opposite candidates,
anti ift their addresses to the electors, he contended that they
had not stronger claims upon the suffrages of the people than
himself.—( Cries of " Oh, off off," and great confusion, which
lasted some time.) When he looked to the names and past
conduct of the present Ministry—when he looked at their
professions, he would ask the reformers of Finsbury what had
they to expect from Sir Robert Peel and his party.—( Uproar,
and cries of " Off, off! "r, "we don't want you.") He asked
them, did they want to support the Tories? Well then, to
come to the point, for he would not detain them much longer,
the Learned Sergeant had told them in his addresses
to the electors, he was determined to support the
present Tory Administration, and that he was favourable
to the change that had taken place in his Majesty's councils.
He, Mr. Hobhouse, was determined to give them his most
uncompromising opposition—( Uproar.) It was on that ground
he came forward and called upon them to support those prin-
ciples and turn out the Learned Sergeant.—( Laughter,
cheering, and great confusion.) Mr. Wakley had just now
found fault with him, and denounced him because he was a
banker. He had been also denounced as the nominee of a
brewery—what was the Learned Sergeant ? Was not he the
nominee of Sir Edward Knatchbull ?—( Great uproar, during
which Mr. Hobhouse made several attempts to be heard.)
Mr. WAKLEY came forward, and begged the meeting would
give Mr. H. a patient hearing, If th-ey disliked any of the
statements uttered by him, let them give a good groan, and
then ti:, eiletti.—( Applause, and cries of " Bravo.")
Mr. HOBHOUSE resumed. He complained of Sergeant
Spankie, and of the conduct he had pursued towards him, be-
cause he could know nothing on the subject. Sergeant Span-
kie had no right to come forward, and because he (Mr, (- I. )
was an untried man, tell the electors of Finsbury and his
(Mr. H.'s) friends, that he was a sham Reforiner,—(Confu-
sion, and cries of " You are no Reformer at all.") He had
no right to say so, He ( Mr. H.) denied it ; and defied Ser-
geant spankie to show that he had ever, in public or private
life, done any thing inconsistent with the character a a irent)-ce
man or an honest man.—( Cries of "Be oft") He w"-eid now
read a letter from Mr. Sergeant S,, and he tro,.
*ed they would
have the goodness to 4ttOtid to it. T 7... a letter which he ad-
dressed to Mr. White, the SP".7i-etary to the Licensed Victual-
lers, he stated that /. e considered them in the hands of others
as instruMents for election purposes; he should therefore re-
ply to them civilly as instruments, reserving the expression of
phis indignation. He (Mr. Hobhouse) would be glad to
know where was that indignation which the Learned
Sergeant had talked of ? (Mr. Sergeant Spankie here
called out " Read it all," and some observations passed be-
tween him and Mr. H., which, in the uproar and confusion, it
was not possible for us to hear.) He had been accused of
making Whitbread's brewery the means of obtaining
votes, and he now called on the Learned Sergeant to
explain what he meant by that paragraph.—( Great
eonilasion, in the midst of which Mr. H. signified
he would withdraw, that the Learned Sergeant might make
the explanation, but which, in a similar dumbshow manner,
Sergeant Spankie declined.) He was obliged to the meeting
for the geed humour with which they had heard him. They
slight interpret the Learned Sergeant's silence as they pleased.
He believed the Sergeant to be a gentleman, and that he
would not come forward to give any explanation inconsistent
with truth ; and all he would say of it was, that it teas a hasty
expeesslon. The Sergeant had stated that he (Mr. H.) was
a Tory—

Mr. Sergeant SPANKIR here came forward, and said that ho
had made some observations in a private conversation which he
{ever int:?001:1 N have been made public, and by whom they
had been reported he knew not. He had stated he had known
Mr. in India, and it was generally asserted there that
his opinions were those of a Tory.—(Laughter and great
uproar,)
Mr, lionnouss having resumed, said the Learned Sergeant
had estimated him as a Tory, and on the same principle the
Learned Sergeant was to be set down as a regular Reformer.