The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-22 00:00:00

The Members for Maidstone.

Yesterday evening a public meeting was held at
the Corn-Exchange, Maidstone, for the purpose of
giving the Liberal party in that constituency an op-
portunity of considering the political conduct of the
sitting members—Messrs. Lee and Whatman—under
peculiar circumstances which have recently oc-
curred, and in which they have been intimately
concerned. It may be remembered that Lee and
Whatman were elected as representatives of Maid-
stone at the general election in 1865, and that a pe-
tition was lodged against their return, the merits of
which were tried befere a committee of the House
of Commons in the April of the present year. The
committee declared the sitting members duly elected,
and at the same time reported that one Henry Cham-
bers, who gave evidence before them, had been
guilty of wilful and corrupt perjury. The House
of Commons forthwith instituted a prosecution, and
Chambers was accordingly tried at the August ses-
sions of the Central Criminal Court. Messrs. Lee
and Whatman were on that occasion witnesses for
the Crown, but Chambers was acquitted notwith-
standing. The Liberal party at Maidstone at once
resolved to hold a public meeting with a view not
only to give full expression to their confidence in
their representatives, but also to make known mat-
ters which were locally wellunderstood, but of which
no legal tribunal could take cognisance. It was an-
nounced that the meeting would take place at 8
o'clock, but long before that hour the arched pas-
sage leading to the. Corn Exchange was crowded
with persons evidently anxiously awaiting the open-
ing of the doors. At half-past 7 Mr. Lee, thesenior
member, arrived and at once proceeded to the com-
mittee-room in the Mitre Hotel, and soon after Mr.
Whatman, accompanied by Mrs. Whatman, drove
up, and was received with loud cheering by the im-
mense crowd which had gathered round his carriage.
It may be mentioned that during the day a rumour
was circulated that the Conservative party were
likely to disturb the harmony of the meeting, but
neither during the afternoon nor during the progress
of the proceedings in the Corn Exchange was there
beenan y
indicationresolved
or thatin t
intended.
ehd a. demonstration
phraed.
cisely Mr. Arkcoll, the chairman of the evening, ac-
companied by Messrs. Lee and Whatman, entered the
large room in which the meeting had been convened,
and were received with great enthusiasm. The
platform was occupied by all the conspicuous mem-
bers of the Liberal party in Maidstone, and seats
assigned to Messrs. Lee and Whatman at right and
left of the chairman respectively. The body of the
hall was crowded with an audience principally con-
sisting of the working classes.

The CHAIRMAN having opened the proceedings
by saying that the meeting was one of great impor-
tance not only to the Liberal, but also to the Con-
servative party in Maidstone, and by promising that
every speaker, no matter of what shade of political
theory, should get a fair and impartial hearing,
Mr. ELLIS, jun., ex-Mayor, rose to propose the
first resolution, which ran as follows :
" That in the opinion of this meeting the Committee of
theflouse of Commons appointed to inquire into the petition
presented against the return of Messrs. Lee and Whatman
at the last election were right in their decision that Henry
Chambers had, in his evidence before them, committed
wilful and corrupt perjury, and further expresses its con-
viction that had the evidence that was available, corrobo-
rative of the statements of the sitting members, been
adduced the verdict of the jury would have been in accord-
ance with that of the committee."

(Loud cheers.) He said that no blot rested on the
fair fame of their representatives, who had proved
themselves to be men of undoubted honour and the
L „11
themselves of the false and malicious Claarges made
against them, bat it still remained for their consti-
tuents to express their implicit confidence in their
honesty, and admiration for their conduct under
the critical circumstances under which they had
been recently placed. They were called upon
to express their conviction that Chambers had
committed wilful and corrupt perjury, and no
one who knew anything of the progress of events at
the last general election could hesitate to adopt that
proposition in its entirety. Chambers had sworn
before a Committee of the House of Commons that
Messrs. Lee and Whatman had themselves offered
him money on condition that he would promise to
vote for them on the occasion to which he alluded.
The speaker then went through the various dates
which had been referred to at the trial before the
Recorder as well as before the Committee of the
House, and showed that it was impossible from the
various series of events which had occurred that either
Mr. Lee or Mr. Whatman had been at Chambers's
forge on the evening on which he alleged that they
had visited him. Mr. Ellis then proceeded to ask
was it likely that either of the candidates would
have called on Chambers on the night before the
day of election—the night in question—when the
fact was that the result of the canvass of the previous
week had been that Messrs. Leo and Whatman had
a majority of promises amounting to 200 over their
opponents in the opposite interest? Further, was it
visitedproba cblehtahmatbtehrse candidatespersona: themselves would
object,siwou i
ldhavef
such wore in view, could be quite as well effected
through an agent,when their detection would be far
more difficult ? In conclusion, he had to express his
profound regret that the instigators of the late pro-
ceedings had done so much to moralityesroa.fpvihich
he
toutrage
honour
truth inbe tah
be
um constituency
m em b hadand

Mr. WELLS, in seconding the resolution, made a
most vigorous and telling speech, in which he re-
viewed the whole history of the recent election and
the circumstances which arose from it. He said
that the Conservative party in Maidstone was heartily
ashamed of the part they had taken against the sit-
ting members, especially on account of the exhibi-
tion which their witness Chambers had made be-
fore the Committee of the House of Commons as
well as before the Recorder at the Central Criminal
Court. He had it in his power to prove that Cham-
bers had given his evidence on account of a pecu-
niary consideration, but it was not only from that
cause his testimony should be distrusted, but also
from the fact that he had been
whom previously
ol4noint convictedhheemh aeeatirne
of various crimes. The speaker then reviewed the
Court, and asked wphuotmfrwoemretthheeychtoaicrrewdiat
evidence of other witnesses produced at the Central
ne
lude
do rb those o s e
callingt
Criminal
memberscohillnegeresolution. 0
t°f—erredTteahbererY3tt resolution on being
unanimously adopted.

yr. Stanger proposed and Mr. Vaughan seconded
the second resolution, which was to the following
effect :—" That we most sincerely sympathise with
our friends, Mr. Lee and Mr. Whatman, and we
now most earnestly assure both of them that our
esteem and regard for them, as upright, truthful
men, and as faithful members of Parliament, re-
main altogether unabated ; and, further, that our
efforts to maintain them in their present position as
our representatives will be stimulated by recent
events."

This resolution having been carried, Messrs. Lee
and Whitman briefly addressed the meeting, which
terminated with the customary vote of thanks to
the chairman.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.—The promi-
nent objects of attraction at the fortnightly meeting of this
society yesterday were the Gladioli from Mr. Standish, and
the hybrid forms of Clematis lanaginosa from Mr. Cripps•
There was a very interesting collection of cut orchids from
Mr. Anderson, among which was a fine Oncidium, from
Honduras, and the beautiful Lxlia IVallisii, which, it is
believed, have not flowered before in this country. Mr.
Berkeley made some observations on the Canadian Rubus
exhibited at the last show by Mr. Bateman. Mr. George
F. Wilson, F.R.S., took the chair, several new Fellows
were elected, and the Glamorganshire Horticultural Society
and Middlesborough. Horticultural Society were admitted
into union.