The Sun.
London, England, 1835-03-28 00:00:00

ELECTION PETITIONS.

The petitions presented against the returns from the follow-
ing places--namely, the town of Newry, the county of Mo.
naghan, Belfast, Bandonbridge, Roscommon, county of Cork,
and county of Wexford, were discharged.
Sir W. TRELAWNEY presented a petition from a parish
in Cornwall, praying for an alteration in the law of last Session
increasing the duty upon Spirit licenses.
CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
Mr. C. BRUCE said he had a petition to present from the
Magistrates, Town Council, and Burgesses of Inverness, to
which he was desirous of calling the particular attention of the
House—not only to the body from which the petition pro-
ceeded, but to the sound views, political and social, which it
contained: It contained strong expressions of gratitude for the
notice in his Majesty's most gracious Speech, calling the atten-
tion of the House to the wants of the people of Scotland, as
regarded religious instruction. These magistrates were the
first- born offspring of the Borough-Reform Bill, and might
be supposed to entertain the prevailing opinion of the people
of Scotland. The Hon. Member expressed a hope that the
House would act upon the suggestion contained in his Ma-
jesty's Speech.
The lox. Malmo also presented similar petitions from
South Waste and Inverarity in the county of Forfar.
The lion. FOX MA CLE did not consider it either right,
just, or proper to call upon the public to pay for large grants
for such a purpose.
Mr. GILLON protested against the House being called
upon to vote a large sum of money to propagate one species of
education upon the overthrow of another. All the petitions
presented upon the present subject had been got up at hold
and corner meetings, and hawked about by Elders and others.
After some observations from Mr. PRINGLE and Mr. BAR-
RON, the petitions were ordered to lie on the table.
Mr. R. COLBORNE reported from the Rochester Elec-
tion Committee that Mr. Hodges war duly elected, and that
neither the petition nor the opposition were frivolous or vexa-
tious, and further, that the Committee had amended the roll by
striking off the names of twenty-one persons who had voted
without any qualification.
Lord G. LENNOX presented a petition from the Licensed
Victuallers of Battle, complaining of the high duty imposed
upon Spirit licenses.
Mr. GILLON presented a petition from the hand-loom
weavers of the county of Forfar. complaining of distress, and
praying for the institution of Boards of Trade. One from

the Provost, magistrates, and other inhabitants of Linlithgow,
stating that the petitionerf, did not think that the reduction of
the malt tax would do mucu good for the country, compared
with the reduction of some others, and praying for the repeal
of the window duty. And one from the same place in favour
of the Ballot, and a shortening of the duration of Parliaments.
Dr. 130WIUNG then rose to present the petition from
Blackburn, of which he had given notice. He said it was
signed by 3,000 inhabitants of that borough ; but before he
opened its contents, he was anxious to state to the House that
he did not address it under any feelings of irritation or wounded
pride, but he felt that he owed much to the inhabitants of that
town, from the noble manner in which they had acted towards
him on two occasions; and he trusted they would consider he
was merely repaying a portion of that debt which he owed them
when he tried to put an end to those aboininations which had
been introduced into the last two elections—abominations
which had gone to such a length as to have made the fran-
chise a curse to the town, in place of a boon and, a blessing.
—(Cheers.) At the first election, the first step taken by the
Hon. Member for the town was to roll in a number of . beer-
barrels.--(Cheers, and cries of " Oh, oh I") . The Hon.
Member stated that he had never seen money fail yet, and he
was determined to see how far it would go then—(Cheers)—
and it was over the tombs of their fathers that the beer-barrels
were first broached.--( Cheers and laughter.) A clergyman
of the town waited upon the lion. Member. and prayed him so
Mt an end to such scenes as were then going on. The Hon.
ember, with tears in his eyes--( Laughter)--said he would do
all in his power to do so, but there he contented himself; and did no
more. If he represented the petitioners he would be in a less
proud situation than he was now, having since been returned
by an independent borough in Scotland, which was free fi-om
the corruption and vice exhibited in Blackburn. He went
into that borough pure and independent—(Laughter,) and
was freely returned by the electors. But in Blackburn, he
had seen such instances of profligacy and corruption that
if such proceedings were to continue, the elective franchise
would only become a curse to the whole community. The
Hon. Member opposite went far beyond him when he was a
candidate for that borough. Ho pledged himself to support
every kind of measure in opposition to his former opinions. He
completely turned his coat. That Hon. Member has a tenant
in that borough whose opinions were in accordance with his
( Dr. B.'s), butthe Hon. Member told him that he should vote for
him at his peril, and dared him to vote according to his con-
science and opinion. So great, so atrocious, was the corrup-
tion, and the vice and profligacy at that time in the bo-
rough, that several persons absolutely died of drunkenness,
and coroners' inquests were held on the bodies to inquire
into the subject..—( Laughter.) Honourable Members might
laugh ; but this was, surely, too serious a subject for
laughter, and one which ought to excite very different feelings.
Another elector wished to vote for him, but feared the resent.
meat of the Hon. Member opposite, and he (Dr. B.) told that
elector not to expose himself to the effects of the Hon. Mem-
ber's anger. But was it not too bad that a Member sitting in
that House should thus threaten to visit with punishment the
conscientious exercise of the elective franchise by an honest
man ? After the writ reached the town, this gentleman had
opened public houses with most liberal hands. So horrid was
the system pursued that representations were made to
the Hen. Member by religious persons at Manchester, as to
whether he would thus corrupt public morals, and introduce
vice and corruption among the constituency. Even children
of 13 or 14 were to be seen drinking tumblers of brandy
and water.—(Great laughter.) Hon. Members might langh,
but they,should consider whether the exercise of the fran.
chise should be thus connected with drunkenness and profligacy
The Honourable Gentleman himself, when these presenta-
tions were made to him, did not deny that he had so
interfered—(hear, hear) ; on the contrary, he considered
it an ordinary case of interference, and a case in
which it was very fit and proper in him to use his opulent purse
in accomplishing the result that took place.-4: Laughter. )
He hoped, if the House valued the freedom of election, if it
intended that the Members should come there by honourable,
and not dishonourable means, if it is intendedthat the intellect of
the country should be represented, and not the profligacy,
that the House would adopt some measure,
in order to secure
those constituencies which pOssessed that great rank upon which
the wellbeing of the country, and the well-being of mankind
ad erpees dl
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had stated, it would not be wondered at that the prayer
•f the petition was for Vbte by Ballot ; because; as the peti-
tioners stated, they were fullyt totwinced by expeiiettas, that.