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

FINSBURY.

going to attempt also to obtain a hearing for the Learned Ser-
geant, but Mr. Sergeant Spankie opposed his interference.
Mr. Sergeant SPANKIE, at length, having in a degree ex-
hausted the groarings and hissings of the meeting, begged to
assure those present, that he was in moderation a Reformer.
—(Cries of " Oh, oh.") A pamphlet which he had published
had been alluded to. Some observations in that pamphlet he
should wish to correct. But in it he should propese that the
duration of Parliament should be only five years. That book
was full of observations on Government, and would do any
person a great deal of good to read it. He hoped the meet-
ing would not consider the candidates there like fighting-cocks,
that some of them should die. He did not mean to attack
Mr. Wakley, Mr. Duncombe, or his old friend Mr. Hobhouse.
(Cries of " oh, oh," and groans.) He did not like to press
upon Mr. Hobhouse. Mr. Hobhouse was rather in an awk-
ward situation at present, and it would be exceedingly un-
handsome in him to press on that fallen gentleman. He had
come here, because the waters of Bath had not agreed with
him, in the hope that a little of Whitbread's porter would
carry him through. But even that he would find to fail
him.—(Great laughter.) He ( Mr. Sergeant Spankie) had
never been absent from the House of Commons on any important
occasion. He was absent, undoubtedly, from the House of
Commons when there were about 600 votes on the books, and

when every foolish fellow who called himself a Reformer
would make a motion.—( Immense groanings.) He could
make motions as well as others, and 'no protested, before God,
that he considered one of his first claims upon the electors
was, that he had never made one motion, nor brought in one act.
He was not one who thought the country could not go on
without his making some new law.—( Great disapprobation.)
Notwithstanding all these attempts, he was satisfied that the
electors were decidedly in his favour—( Great laughter)—
and they might depend upon it that he would be at the head
of the poll. The Reformers who appeared before them
were all kind to him. They were mutually tearing them-
selves to pieces, but he was the object of none of their hos-
tility. He was sure that they hated one another, but he
was equally sure that none of them hated him.—( Hear.)
He was confident that he would be at the head of the poll,
a very numerous poll. He was much obliged to Mr. Wakley
for interfering to obtain him a hearing, but he did not
want Mr. Dunconibe's interference.—(Hear, hear.) He
was sure that the meeting was almost entirely composed of
Mr. Wakley's Men—( Hear, hear.) He knew Mr. Wakley
was a very good Reformer—as to the other Reformers or non-
Reformers, he believed Wakley to be the only ReforMer among
them. All, except Wakley and himself were disguised men—
they did not understand Reform. Wakley and himself were
the only two among the candidates who had read about Re-
form, who understood it, and who were capable of represent-
ing the Borough of Finsbury—( Loud shouts of laughter.)
Mr. DUNCOMBE then came forward and was received with
loud cheering : " Gentlemen, I little thought when I stood here
but a few months ago, as a csndidate for the honour of your
representation, that I should so soon have again to offer myself
for the same honour that I am satisfied you are about to bestow
on me.—( Cheers, and cries of " Yes, yes.") I regret it not
on my own account--I regret it on your's rather; because I am
satisfied that my time and your time could have been more pro-
fitably and agreeably occupied than in following and obeying
that which we have heard called to-day the rightful preroga-
tive of the King, but which I declare to be the, capricious and
injudicious prerogative of the King.—( Cries of "Bravo,
bravo, give it him.") Mr. Serve's. t Spankie-(Groans)—
in the address that he has just made to you, and
which I - thank you for having listened and attended to,
has told you forsooth, that we three gentlemen, Mr. Wakley,
Mr. Hobhouse, and myself are three Reformers in disguise.—
( Cries of " No, no, not Mr. Wakiev.") Gentlemen. Mr.
Sergeant Spankie says he did not--2( Cries of " Ah, that's
just like him")—that he did not say Mr. Wakley was a Re-
former in disguise.—( Cries of " No, he did not.") Gentlemen,
I will make Mr. Sergant Spankie come forward and say what
act of my life authorizes end justifies him in stating that I am,
or ever have been, a reformer in disguise.—( Loud cheers.)
Why, Gentlemen, I went into Parliament in 1826 to advocate
the cause of the people, and to maintain their rights—to advo-
cate the cause of the people—not the aristocracy—but the
people. I was called a radical reformer. I was returned to
Parliament. Mr. Sergeant Spankie stood forward here be-
fore the electors of Finsbury and stated—l dare him to do it—
(tremendous cheering)—but he cught in justice to myself to
come forward and state any one vote of mine which authorizes
him to state here, but which I declare to be false—( Loud
cheers)—that I am a reformer in disguise—( Loud cries
of " Bravo, bravo.") The learned Sergeant has sat in
the Reformed Parliament two sessions. =-( Great laughter.)
Who was he returned by, but by the Reformers, and have his
votes during the last two Sessions been anything like the votes
of a Reformer ?—( Loud cries of tt No, no.") Ought I not,
therefore, gentlemen, to throw the slur back upon him, that he
seduced you to support him at the last election, and that HE is
really the Reformer in disguise—( Loud cheers). But gen-
, tlemen, as he has thought proper to attack me, I am not afraid
of war ; and as he has thought proper to attack me, I ask you to
look at his votes, and I will show you there never was a
greater insult offered to a respectable constituency than the votes
of the learned Sergeant, during the time that you allowed
him to remain as your representative. He has told you that
there are a great number of statements, in a pamphlet to
which he has alluded, which he avows, upon a revision, he
thinks are correct. The vote by ballot, I suppose, is one,
because he expresses himself strongly—no doubt honestly and
conscientiously—that the vote by ballot was the best protection
for the Englishman's right. He has not told you -why he has
changed his sentiments—why he supported the Whigs be-
fore, and why he is now going to support this detested
faction in the House of Commons.-( Cheers.) He has
not told you what claims the Tories have to your confidence.
They can have no claims to any honest Reformer's confidence.
I am not a Reformer in disguise, and I have no hesitation in
saying that I shall oppose, as I always have opposed, the
Tories, in my place in Parliament.—( Cheers.) I have no
hesitation in saying I shall give them my most uncompromis-
ing. opposition the very first day that Parliament meets.—
( Loud cheers.) Is it Sir Robert Peel's manifesto that has
made the Learned Sergeant a convert to Toryism ? What is
there in it ? It is addressed to the electors of Tamworth, a
precious set of electors to be addressed—for any one knows it is a
rotten borough—a mere nomination borough ; and no man who
claims the peoples' support could address such a letter as that,
to any body but those who were his mere subservient slaves.
( Cheers.) Are the people of England to be cajoled by such
an address as that ? I am confident they will not. I am con-
fident that the Tories have only ibst in view, and their object
s merely to support the Court awl Its capricious votaries. It
is stated that the King has changed his Ministers by what is
taalled a rightful prerogative ; but does not every one know
that it was to prevent and arrest Reform. It is said,
if you give there a fair trial, they would prove themselves
worthy of our support. lint Sir aobert Peel's own address
requires no fair trial, because he pleads guilty to the
charge of anti-reform.—( Loud cheers.) I remember, Gen-
tlemen, and I will tell the Learned Sergeant this, because
he was riot then in Parliament—that when the Reform Bill
first came in, Sir Robert Peel got up, and in that manner
so peculiar to himself, he said, " You will talk
of a dissolution of Parliament if wu lln lint past the
Reform Bill "--yes, said the Mieieers, we will apr 041 to the
sense of the country, and we will know if the country Is in fa-
your of that Reform or not. Upon the first occasion when
they were in a minority, they did dissolve the Parliament, Sir
Robert Peel had got up in his place, and he spoke to this
effect :—" I shall not complete of 4 di,NlPtioll of Par-
liament, because I will go to the people, sties presont my.
self upon any hustings in England ; and I will
carry this Reform Bill in my hand, and I will ask the people
for their support, because I will oppose this Reform Bill."
Gentlemen, what was tie', reollt? e did go to the hustings,
and his friend went to the hUSti!ids, 464 tire ressnit was, that
even in the unreformed Parliament, with all their noteintsSloir
boroughs, the Tories were beaten ; for the people 'of England
were determined to possess that great charter of their liberties.
—( Cheers.) Gentlemen, I say t 411 Reformers use the word
of Sir Robert Peel—let them go to the vasiotig finfliirlgi in thy
country, and let them carry in their hands the list of the pro?
sent Administration, and ask, I will not say the contempt of
the electors, but ask whether they are entitled to the least
confidence from those whom they fire seeking to represent, if
they support those who, throughout their wholo career,
have been the people's bitterest opponents.—( Cheers)—Oens
tioieen, I am detaining you longer, I am aware, than I ought
to have clone,.-.(.Cries of—No, no.) I ask for, and I claim,
your confidence in my favour at OW ensuing election, in con-
sequence of my political consistency, and .hill it Gkn be proved
to you that I have ever been inconsistent in polities, no imam
has a right to say I am not worthy of your support and confi-
dence—( Bravo.) I alp convinced, after what has been stated
here this day by Sergeant iiipai;kie, that the present Ministry
will find there has been no re-action hi the borougirof Finsbury ;
but that the electors will follow the great and -glorious egarnple
which has been set them in the City of London—(Tremendous
cheering)-.-and all I ask of you is to recollect that it was the
people, and the people slang, who planted the standard of Re-
form in 1832 ; therefore, declare by sous votes at the ensuing
election that you will not allow that standard to be polkaed by
Tory hands, or trampled under foot by military dictation.
Mr. WAKLEY then came forward, and was received with
shouts of acclamation.—" Gentlemen, for the third time I
have the honour of appearing before you as a candidate for
your suffrages.—( Hear.) Twice have I been unsuccesful,
but now I am about to triumph.—( Cheers and laughter, and
a cry of " Well done Old Chap.") There is a laugh behind
me lucre at that expression, but I assure you, gentlemen, it will
be on the left side of the mouth on Friday evening.—( Great
laughter.) Gentlemen, I am rejoiced to Bagyen iii Ftgal 4
good humour, and I hope you will maintain it to the end of
the contest.—( Cheers.) Remember that words are not
blows. Give us all a fair hearing, and when you have
heard us, decide who are the best men, and then elect them. I
am sorry to observe teem the accounts in the newspapers this
morning that there have been sous iii 4 slistnrhnnee at the
west-end of the town. Now, at the two preceding contests
tor Finghory, I believe not a single police case arose : we are
all here discharging g duty for the accomplishment of
a great national object :::±tto bet, 44,0Arpt let us dis-
grace ourselves by carrying personal feeling so 'far -as to
aes, selyerds each other in an unfair and unmanly manner.—
( Hears_ bear, Gentlemen, I am about to state
some disagreeable thinks:4 Istiegtoniss sii4 p Fry of, " Now
you'll catch it, Hobhouse")_--with regard to one oflfie
but as was the case at the last election, when I spoke
against U. i;p4,4zewrl)e. the moment the contest terminated,
that moment soy *lvry fepti4g# wol r it will again ;
for I am asking nothing for !sionit, #A4 sw9npaptly,
I do net win, f cannot be disaPpointpl4(Hear, and la-tighter.)
I cannot be grieved, ffir I .goly e 5.1014 upon iqsOf
a dreadful and responsible duty iii.tto teg;f44tim pf the p,okinr
try. If then I state facts, by and bye, which will 'he unpick.
sant to one of your honourable candidates, do not consider
that I would wish that gentleman to bo the object of unmanly
insult.—( Hear, hear.) If there be an individual in this assem-

Mr. G. ROGERS' speech concluded from our First Edition of
yesterday, and which appeared in our Second Edition of last
night.—He declared to God, if he could have found a better
man to propose a man more moral in his conduct, and of greater
public and private virtue—( Great cheering)—of moral talent
and intelligence—( Cheers)—or a man poseessing:more hostility
to mis-government, he would have proposed him in preference
to Mr. Wakley ; but he could find no such man.—( Great
cheering, and cries of " There's none like Wakley.") He
( Mr. Rogers) believed, and entertaining that belief, he came
forward to propose that gentlemen.—( Cheers, and cries of
" Hear, hear.") The electors might, and probably would say,
if Mr. Wakley was so great a friend of the people and their
rights, how had it come about that he had not been elected
before ?—( Cheers, and cries of " We will return him now.")
He would tell the electors the reason. Mr. Wakley was too
sincere and single minded, and the Tories had done every
thing they could to obstruct his election.—( Cheers, and cries of
" We'll have him.") Mr. Wakley had been deceived twice,
but he would not be deceived again.—( Cheers, and cries of
"No Bath buns 1") Mr. Wakley had the support of all
honest men in the borough.—( Cries of " No, no ;" and
" Yes, yes.") He must say a few words with respect to the
probable success of another candidate, Mr. Hobhouse.—
( Cheers and hisses.) He would say that in his presence, because
what he stated he would maintain. Mr. Hobhouse had stated
that he had two or three thousand promises of support. He
( Mr. R.) had no doubt that he thought so, or he would not have
made the assertion ; but he would tell the electors and
Mr. Hobhouse himself that he had been deceived.
—( Cheers.) Mr. Hobhouse had plenty of men employed
as canvassers, and they of course carried home to him a most
excellent account of their mission—( Great cheering.) Now,
what had been the conduct of these canvassers ? Why, if true,
it was an eternal disgrace to them—they had represented, at
least so he was informed, to almost every friend of Mr. Wakley,
that he had resigned in favour of Mr. Hobhouse.—( No, no.)
Who did they suppose he would resign in favour of ? A Tory
turned Reformer?—(Groans, and cheers.) But to re-
turn to the matter. A canvasser calls upon Mr. Wak-
ley's voters, and says, " Who will you vote for ?" The
v„,:er replies, " Wakley." The canvasser replies, " Yes ;
but Mr. Wakley has resigned in favour of Mr. Hob-
house." 44 li ::hat's the case," replies the freeholder, "it is
possible I may give Mr. Hobhouse a vote." " Thank you,
sir," replies the Commissioner', and puts down the voter in
in his list.—( Groans and hisses.) such was the conduct that
had been pursued up to yesterday, and he should not wonder
if Mr. Hobhouse would find himself really deceived as to his
strength. But the electors would satisfy him by, 12 to-morrow.
He had some important papers in his pocket in reference to
this subject, but he would not now refer to them. He had
been told that Mr. Hobhouse was to be dissected by a friend
of his, and if so, that was all he (Mr. Rogers) cared about.
( Hear, hear.) lie would now take leave of them, begging
that the freeholders of Mr. Wakley would come to the poll
early on Thursday (to-morrow) morning, and they might be
assured that his success was certain.—( Great applauze.)
HENRY SMYTH, Esq., said he came before them to secohd
the nomination of Mr. Wakley, and he did so because he firmly
believed that there was no better or more worthy man to repre-
sent
them in Parliament.—( Great applause.) He was con-
fident that if the electors came early to the poll to-morrow
they would have the satisfaction of seeing Mr. Wakley in a
most respectable position, and of sending Mr. Hobhouse back
to Bath with whatever small remains of political character he
might have left.—( Great cheering.) lie would not detain
them longer—if they did not know the opinions of Mr.
Wakley, that gentleman was there to state them.—( Cheers,
and cries of "We know him well.") He again begged that
they would be early at the poll, and, as Mr. Rogers had said,
they would shortly undeceive Mr. Hobhouse as to his
strength.—( Applause. )
RICHARD TAYLOR, Esq., then came forward, and observed
that he appeared before them, actuated by the same principles
and feelings that influenced Mr. Rogers in seconding the
nomination of the last candidate, and also by the same feelings
that influenced Mr. Armstrong—and at the same time with
the view of preventing Mr. Sergeant Spankie from being re-
turned for that great and influential boroughs.—( Cheers.)
He came before them for the purpose of ensuring the rejec-
tion of one who had been perfidious to all his promises, he
meant Mr. Sergeant Spankie—(Great uproar, which lasted for
some momeuts.)
Mr. Weenier observed, that as they had done him the kind-
ness to hear the gentlemen who had moved and seconded his
nomination, he was satisfied that they would be doing him an
injustice if they refused to hear the gentlemen who were to
propose the other candidates—( Great cheering.) If they did
not hear them, they would paralyse his (Mr. Wakley's) tongue,
and he could not address them at all, upon his honour—( Ap-
plause.)
Mr. TAYLOR resumed. He came before them as an old
Reformer—fresh from the triumph of Reform in the city of
London—(Tremendous cheering and uproar)—anxiously that
the candidate who had been all his life exerting himself in the
cause of Radical Reform should be returned—( Hear, and
great uproar.) If ever a constituency had been betrayed and
insulted, it was that of the Borough of Finsbury by Mr.
Sergeant Spankie—( Groans, hisses, and great uproar. )
The attempt now made upon the liberties of the people of
England by the Tories was one of the greatest instance* of
public fraud that had ever been practiced upon the people.—
( Hear and uproar.) The pretence of the King's preeogative
was absurd.—( Much confusion.) In the present instance it
had been exercised in a manner most pernicious to the best
interests of the country over which he presided.—(Uproar and
cheering.) He meant the pretence upon which the late Mi-
nistry had been dismissed from power.---( Hear, hear.) The
same false pretences were now made use of to return
Tories to Parliament ; and the first person who bad
put himself forward to prosecute that fraud was Mr. Sergeant
Spankie.—( Groans.) He called upon all them, whether
they agreed or differed with him on minor points, or with the
candidates who had been proposed to them, to unite in doing
the best they could, to inflict exemplary disgrace on the man
who had betrayed them. The best way to defeat him by a
considerable majority, was ( Uproar, and cries of " Let
Hobhouse resign.") The best way to insure that was, after
a full consideration of the subject, in his opinion, to propose
to their consideration Wm. Henry Hobhouse, Esq.—( Groans
and cheering.) He had minutely inquired into all that had
been alleged against Mr. Flobhouse, and he was satisfied
that they could not have a more honest representative.
So long ago as the year 1818, Mr. Hobhouse bad exerted him-
self manfully in forwarding; the election of Sir F. Burdett,
( Groans and cries of " His brother-in-law"—" So he might.")
He had done that at a time, when it was not so popular to be a
Reformer—when Reform was scouted by both Whig and
Tory, then Mr. Hobhouse had been its advocate.—( Cheers
and great confusion.) He had exerted himself in favour of
Sir F. Burdett and Mr. Romilly at Westminster.—( Uproar,
hooting, and cries of " Off, off.") He was sure they had
come there to learn the truth, and it was important for them
to know, that from 1825 to 1827, Mr. Hobhouse had been
exerting himself in the cause which they all advocated. In
the year 1831, when the Reform Bill had been passed, and
his Majesty had dissolved Parliament, Mr. Hobhouse had ex-
erted himself at Grimsby to secure a Reform candidate.
His address was one upon Reform principles.—( Laughter and
hootings.) Any one who doubted that, could never have read
his address. For his own part he had read the address, and
also the address he published in 1832, which were completely
consistent; and to say that he was not a Radical Reformer
was a complete calumny on his character. He (Mr. T.) was
sure that he had been a Reformer all his lifetime, and he
would not come forward now to propose Mr. Hobhouse if that
gentleman was not a Radical Reformer. He (Mr. T.) consi-
dered the great thing to be to defeat Mr. Spankie, Let the
electors drive him out of the field, and follow the example of
the citizens of Loudon, because Mr. Hobhouse was a man
who would be found to be generally acceptable to the borough
of Finsbury.—( Great hissings and hootings, atuidet which the
proposer withdrew.)
DAVID Simesoe, Eaq., came forward, and said the man
whom Mr.
,Taylor had nominated as candidate for this borough
he knew to be a sincere and honest Reformer.—(A cry, " He
has no right here.") He has always come forward, net only
with his exertious but with his money, to support the greit
cause of Reform, svhich he was anxious should prosper. He
therefore felt much pleasure in seeese&l the nomination of
H. W. Hobhouse, Esq.—(Groans.)
Mr. Sergeant SPANKIE then presented himself, but the
groans and hootings were immense and continued. A person
threw a rope towards him, which he caught in his hand, and
good-humouredly for a while flourished before the meetine,
Mr, WAKLEY entreated the electors to allow him to mate a
suggestion. It was, that the electors would hear Mr. Ser-
geant Spankie, and, if he uttered any sentiment which the
meeting disapproved of, they would give a hearty groan, and
then hear him again.—( Much laughter, and continued boot-
ing.)
Mr. DIJECOMBE appeared in front of the hustings, and was

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1835.