The Sun.
London, England, 1835-01-14 00:00:00

LANCA SHIRE.

NORTHERN DIVISION.-LANCASTER, MONDAY', JAN. 12.
The nomination of candidates for this division of the county of
Lancaster, took place on Monday, the 12th instant, at ten
o'clock, in the Shire hall, at Lancaster.—The candidates,
Lord Stanley and John Wilson Patten, Esq., the represen-
tative of this division in the last Parliament, made their ap-
pearance shortly before the hour appointed, and were received
with the most enthusiastic cheers from their assembled par-
tisans. _

The high sheriff, T. J. STAFFORD, Esq., having opened the
business of the meeting,
TOWNLEY PARKER, Esq., proposed John Wilson Patten,
Esq.
EDWARD BRADDYLL, Esq., seconded the nomination.
PEREGRINE TOWNLEY, Esq., proposed Lord Stanley.
Mr. BOLDEN seconded the nomination.

Mr. PATTEN proceeded to address the electors. He said he
believed and considered that the Reform Act was a final mea-
sure so far as the construction of the House of Commons was
concerned. And he also believed he should represent the
the wealth and intelligence of the county, when he asserted
that it was his duty, as it was his intention, to oppose all mea-
sures for the shortening of Parliaments—for altering the mode
of voting to that of the ballot—or for the extension of the fran-
chise. As to the tithe question, he considered that he should
be acting as the best friend of the clergy themselves, as well
as of the nation, if he gave his support to any measure for a
satisfactory arrangement of it. And as to the church rates he
would make the same avowal ; yet in neither would he con-
sent to anything which would in the least degree infringe the
just rights and privileges of the Establishment.—( Cheers and
hisses.) Considering the circumstances which had brought
him once more before the county, and the change which had
recently been expected in the administration of affairs, he
should not be acting candidly or honestly to his constituents
did he not declare that, if the present Government were
ready to act up to the principles professed by Sir R. Peel to
his constituents—if Sir Robert were prepared to go the lengths
of that address, and his colleagues to march along with hire,
it was his determination to give them his cordial support.
The Right Hon. Lord STANLEY next presented himself to
the freeholders, and spoke as follows :—Mr. High Sheriff and
Gentlemen—lt is fortunate for me on the present occasion
that I have no new opinions to profess—no doubtful votes to
explain away—no alteration of opinion to announce. The
EUMC that I was when I appeared before you first—the same
that I was when I entered into public life—hoping at least that
my life has not been thrown away without the advantage of
some additional experience, the same, with that difference, in
principle and opinion do I appear before you this day.—
( Cheers.) My Hon. Friend has apologized to me for taking
one leaf out of my book.—( Hear.) I can assure him, that so
far from thinking thrt it requires any apology, I have even a
higher gratification than that which I daily feel in seeing, not
my Hon. Friend only, but many of those who have come for-
ward on this and former occasions to support him, gradually
taking out of my book one leaf after another.—(" No, no,"
from Mr. Patten, and cheers.) I rejoice to find from my Hon.
Friend, not only that he—for that I was well aware of—
but that all, with the exception it seems of a very sins 1
party, who are desirous of going to dangerous extremes,
are now sensible how necessary it is to follow the course
of public opinion, and not to shrink from the danger of en-
countering necessary improvements—not to shrink from salu-
tary alterations even in the institutions of the country.---( Ap-
plause.) Gentlemen, the speech which my honourable friend
has addressed to you this day, nay more, I will say the mani-
festo to which he has referred as hitt profession of faith, ap-
pears to me—listening to the one witA the greatest attention,
and having perused the other with the most earnest anxiety to
see what were the sentiments it contained—appears to me, from
one end of it to the other, to contain sound constitutional Whig
doctrines.—( Cheers and laughter, and a cry of " No" froni
Mr. Patten's friends.) It breaths that spirit of Reform with-
out the fear of innovation, which was the bugbear of a few
years ago—it breathes that spirit of attachment to the Con-
stitution which I venture to believe, coupled with the desire
for rational improvement, has ever been the leading principle
of that great Whig party to which I hold it an honour to be-
long.—( Applause.) I proceed to the ground which com-
pelled me, however unwillingly, and however sensible of the
deep responsibility which by that course I took upon myself to
withdraw from the Government of Earl Grey ; for I feel thyt
in times like the present—nay, in any times—the public man
who timidly shrinks from a post of high responsibility and of
high station is not less guilty of a dereliction of duty, is not
guilty of less treachery to the interests of his coun-
try, than he who, even from corrupt motives, takes
a high station in the Administration.—( Hear, hear.) The
measure upon which I felt myself compelled to leave the Ad-
ministration, was not one brought forward by any Member
of the Government—it was a measure upon which for
years, it had been well known that, between me and
my colleagues there existed a conscientious difference of
opinion. It was an abstract question, brought forward, as I
deemed, unnecessarily—as my colleagues deemed unneces-
sarily; because, knowing our difference of opinion, we had
honestly endeavoured to avoid bringing the abstract question
forward, while working together cordially in the progress of
general reform. It was a question which, in my mind, en-
dangered the stability and the independence of the Protestant
Church of the United Kingdom—it was a measure against
which I protested in 1824, and a measure for which I felt
bound to resign office in 1834—( Cheers.) And in resigning
office, I trust did so in a manner not to throw unnecessary
embarrassment in the way of those whom I left in the Go-
vernment of the country—not to do more than give effect to
my motives in retiring from a situation which I no longer
could have filled with conscience and honour, and which if I
had continued to fill with disgrace, I should have been useless,
more than useless—l should have been mischievous to the Ad-
ministration, and I should have degraded myself in the eyes of
all honest men—( Cheers.) It is unnecessary for me to trouble
' you with the details of the measures which shortly after
followed, which were introduced, not by the Government,
but as amendments which were forced upon them, and
which the Government were unable or unwilling to resist.
I willingly pass over topics which may have led to some
excitement. Their reiteration is not necessary to my own
defence or explanation ; and with your permission I wil-
lingly pass them over. The Administration of Lord Mel-
bourne succeeded that of Earl Grey ; and I will not conceal
from you, that although in that Administration there were
many mon for whom I entertained the most cordial friendship
—nay, more, with whom I was united by the closest political
ties—l did not feel in them the same degree of confidence
which I;felt:I could repose when the Government was directed
by the energies of Earl Grey. But with its fall I have nothing
to do. I pass to the period when the Administration was dis-
solved, and a proposal was made to me again to take a part
in the Government of the country. And here I pray your
patient attention, because I feel that it is not only necessary
that you should believe that I have come to a right conclusion,
but because I feel it is necessary for you to know that I was
influenced by right motives in coming to that conclusion.—
( Applause.) Gentlemen, it did so happen, that shortly after
the dissolution of the Government I had an opportunity of
meeting certainly at the time with no political view—
those friends with whom I was most immediately and
nearly connected upon political questions ; and as at that
time there was a report that some application would be
made to them and to me, it was not very unnatural that
we should discuss the line of conduct which we should
pursue. And I think it due to them—and more particu-
cularly to one of them, an intimate friend of mine, who is now
standing his trial at the election for a neighbouring county—
it is due, I say, to them, to state that as, in coming to that con-
clusion, there was no shade of difference of opinion between
us ; so neither subsequent to the conclusion to which we came,
has there been the slightest difference or hesitation as to the
propriety of the course we adopted. I trust you will believe
that we were actuated by no unworthy, or party, or personal
motives.---( Hear.) I should hardly have felt it necessary to
say anything on this point, had it not been intimated to me that
it might be necessary to correct an impression in some quarters,
that if I was willing to act with Sir Robert Peel, I was un-
willing to act under him. Gentlemen, lam incapable of any
feeling so absolutely personal—( Cheers)—and I hope you will
believe, that if it were competent for me on public grounds,
to join the Administration of Sir Robert Peel and the Duke of
Wellington, with me the words of "with," or " under," would
never for one moment have balanced the scale.—(Cheers.)
And I hope you will also believe, that if we had felt the ac-
ceptance of office at that time the most effectual means for
promoting, and supporting, and carrying into effect, those
great principles of sound and rational improvement to which
we were attached, we might have had the firmness of mind
not even to shrink from the obloquy which we knew
we should have incurred—even to risk all—to risk even
the appearance of the loss of character, and trust
to time to do us justice, even in the acceptance of office.—
( Cheering.) But at least we have the gratification to feel
that, in this instance, the sense of public duty, the sense of
personal feeling, the sense of private friendship—all led us to
the same conclusion—that our public duties would.be best per-
formed by following the natuml inclinations of our own private