The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-12 00:00:00

THE HON: W. F. CAMPBELL ON
.REFOILII.

At a meeting held at the Globe Inn, Harwich,
last evening, Mr. Bagshaw, the late member, intro-
duced the Hon. W. F. Campbell as a fit and proper
person to represent the interests of the borough in
Parliament, and expressed himself most feelingly on
taking leave of his constituents, attributing his
retirement to ill health.

Mr. CAMPBELL, on presenting himself, was loudly
cheered, and after an encomium on Mr. Bagshaw,
proceeded to refer to his (Mr. Campbell's) conduct
in Parliament as the best criterion of the opinions
he adhered to. He (Mr. Campbell) was a general
supporter of Lord John Russell's Government until
1852, when he voted for Lord Palmerston to esta-
blish a regular militia. After referring to various
events and measures between 1847 and 1852, he
stated the line he should have taken on the leading
questions which had been discussed during his
absence from the Legislature, and referred parti-
cularly to the unhappy consequences of Lord
Aberdeen's Government, and the successful termi-
nation of the Russian war. He would not, for fear
of exhausting their attention, state his opinions,
and he had opinions on the war with Persia, the
war with China, and the Conspiracy to Murder Bill.
There was no apprehension, on these points, of any
difference between him and the electors. With re-
gard to the topics of the moment, he had recently
delivered his opinion upon vote by ballot at some
length, and should only say now that he viewed it
as the most prudent and most effectual foundation
of all schemes to alter the Reform Act. Without
it no measure was likely to be accepted by the
people. Let it stand even alone and every sound
reform would then inevitably follow. As to church-
rates, whether good or bad, they could not any
longer be defended. The division on Wednesday
last in the House of Commons was a proof of it.
The great question, however, for electors was
whether a candidate purposed to support the
Opposition or the Government. He then criticised
the domestic policy of Lord Derby's Government,
adverting to the ridicule excited by the first India
Bill that Government propounded, to their late
defeat on church-rates, to the degrading contra-
diction in which they involved both Houses of
Parliament by the incumbrances they added to
Lord Lucan's Bill on Jewish claims, which, stand-
ing by itself, would have been a clear and satis-
factory, although not the best imaginable settlement.
He referred, on foreign policy, to the uncalled-for
manner in which the right of searching vessels
engaged in the slave trade under false flags had
been abandoned, and, above all, to the unwar-
rantable counsel given to the Cabinet of
Portugal on the subject of the Charles et Georges,
which was now a topic of debate in the House of
Commons. As regards colonial policy, the appoint-
ment of a Lord High Commissioner Extraordinary
to inquire into the grievances of the lonian Islands
had notoriously aggravated the disorders it was
meant to settle. On all these grounds he should
feel linable to support the present Government.
He had now performed what appeared to him to
be the duty of a candidate, and would only urge
the meeting to come to a decisive resolution on the
business of the night. Let them either reject the
humble services he offered them, and leave him to
pursue some other avenue to Parliament, or so
evince their firm determination to support him as
to render opposition hopeless, and a majority
secure. (The hon, gentleman resumed his seat
amidst loud and repeated cheering).
An ELECTOR inquired if he (Mr. Campbell) was
in favour of manhood suffrage ?
Mr. CAMPBELL replied that, in this grave emer-
gency, no man ought to enter the House of Com-
mons pledged to details on the suffrage. His in-
tention was, both in counties and boroughs, to
support the widest possible extension of it, consis-
tently with the rights of the electors and the prin-
ciples of 1832.
A resolution to support the hon. candidate was
carried unanimously ; and, after a vote of thanks
to the Chairman, the meeting broke up.