The Sun.
London, England, 1832-11-27 00:00:00

Candidates for their attendance, and were satisfied with
their ansa ere.
Thanks were voted to the Chairman, and the meeting
broke up at a very late hour.

S 0 UTEIWARK—kR. BR 0 U HAM.
Ye‘terday evening, a very numerous meeting of Air.
Brougbarn's friends was held in the Riding school, Black-
friar's-road. Mr. Gmatmat in the chair.

The CHAIRMAN opened the business of the meeting by
saying that they were assembled to promote the return of
Mr. Brougham, who, from his devoted zeal in, and his
services to, the interests and liberties of the people, was
eminently entitled to a continuance of the support of the
electors of Southwark.—(Bear, bear.)
Mr. COTTRELL proposed the first resolution, to the
eiT.ct, that Mr. Brougham having redeemed all the pkdets
made by him in favour of Reform, and supported every
measure connected with the liberties of the people, the
meeting feel satisfied that he will, if returned, advocate
every possible retrenchment in Church and State.
This was semi& d.

Before the resolution was put, Mr. BROUGHAM was
called on to express his opinions. He first observed, that
it was reported that he compared Mr. Allen) as a R--
former, to Sir C. Wetherell. He denied having ever ut-
tried such a sentiment. As Mr. Allen was a candidate
for the suffrages of the electors, he should consider it 9
most unfair and reprehensible interference with the choice
of the electors to give any opinie n. When Mr. Allen
first offered himself as a candidate, he did not know whe-
ther he was as good a Reformer as himself, or as bad a one
as Sir C. Wetherell. He knew nothing of his political
sentiments, but having since read his speeches and address,
he now thought him a Reformer.— (No, no.) He at
least hoped so. When he (Mr. Brougham) first pre-
sented himself before the electors, be had nothing to re-
commend him but his name, and that was considered
much, for they thought it was one identified with the
support of the rights and liberties of the people. He
trustod he had not forfeited the confidence reposed in him.
—(Cries of " No, no.") The Learned Gentleman then,
with great earnestness of manner, and in a slow and mea-
sured tone, spoke to the following effect :—There is a sub-
ject to which at present so much importance appears, in
some quarters at least, to attach, that I am anxious to
explain t'listinctly my views regarding it, as indeed I have
always done when I have lately had the pleasure of ad-
drrssing my constituents,—l allude to the subject of re-
quiring pledges from a candidate. Gentlemen, I hold,
and always have held, that the system of pledging is
utterly indefensible. It is degrading no less to the can-
didate than to the constituent: it is debasing to' the con-.
stituent, because, on requiring and receiving the pledge, he
undertakes to support a candidate whose honesty he sus-
pects : it is degrading to the candidate, because, by giving
it he admits, if an untried man, that private worth is no
guarantee of public virtue ;• if a tried man, that is past
shall be no test of his future conduct. A candidate is se-
lected either from the knowledge his electors have of his
private life, or from the experience they have had of his public
conduct. The knowledge of the one and the experience of the
other are the only pledges that ought to be required. If you
ask tne to pledge myself upon particular questions, you
doubt my integrity,—you distrust my judgment,—you im-
pair my usefulness. You doubt my integrity, because,
knowing what I have been, you discredit me in future.
You distrust my judgment, because you deprive me of my
free egency, and send me into Parliament a mere puppet.
You impair my usefulness, because you take from me the
power t:f deliberation ; for who can pretend to discuss the
merits of a question when he goes to the discussion
pledged and bound to vote in one way only? " You dis-
cuss ! you argue !" it would be said, "why you have
already decided ; you are a mere tool delegated by others
to elyit m or deny, tight or wrong, convinced or uncon-
vinced, you have no choice, you must put your own judg-
snent in your pocket, and vote as you have been ordered !"
Is it possible fir the slavery, the helplessness of the most
perfect nominee of a borougbmonger to exceed this ? And
who are they who require the pledges? Is every possible
question so sifted, ao discussed, so thoroughly understood
in all its hearings, by the demanders of pledges, as to ren-
der unnecessae y all further discussion ? If so, in God's
Lame, put an end to the House of Commons; save us
from the late hours, so hurtful to the health ; from the
lengthy harangues, so trying to the patience ; from the ex-
penditure of money, so inconvenient to the pocket ; wl ich
are now entailed upon the aspirants to Parliamentary ho-
nours. Go back to the olden times. Let the united
constituencies of England assemble on Salisbury-plain,
there to decide with that calmness, that judgment, that
admirable facility for deliberation which their numbers
will afield, all questions of foreign and domestic policy ;
tl is at least will save us from the absurdity of a House of
Commons composed of mere puppets. I should say dim-
truq the man who hesitates not to pledge himself to every
thing ; distrust the man who, in his anxiety to obtain a
seat in Parliament, is ready to say that he has so fully
made up his mind upon every question you propose to
as to be able to pledge his vote. Can you believe
such a man ? Can you believe any man who shall say,
" I have so well considered all the great questions likely
to be discussed, I am so prepared to vote upon them, that
no arguments—no new facts—no change of circum-
stances can alter my opinions ?" No, no. Learn, if you
please, the opinions of your candidates, but if you • think
them trustworthy, fetter them not with pledges; leave
them the free exercise of their judgment to act upon
those opinions according to time and circumstances.
(During the delivery of this part of his address the
Learned Gentleman was frequently interrupted with
mingled disapprobation and applause.) He then ob-
served, that he would vote for the repeal of the Septen-
nial Act. —(Cheers.) He considered the duration of
Parliaments quite too long. He would also advocate
Church reform, because he was a friend to the Protestant
religion. He would have no pluralities; every clergyman
should reside on his living, and he would not allow a cu-
rate to starve with a large family on 401. a year, while
a Dean of Durham bad 9,000/.—(Cheers.) He would
have no political Bishops. He would make them reside
ea their sees, and confine themselves to their proper
sphere. He begged it to be understood that these were
his own private opinions. What might be the views of
Government he really did not know. There was an
apprehension abroad that undue influence might be used

in the election of Members for the next Parliament.—
(Hear, hear.) lf any unfair and unconstitutional control
were exercised, either by the aristocracy or the democracy,
to impede a voter from giving hi, suffrage according to his
conscience, he (Mr. Brougham) would use his utmost
exertion to protect the voter—(Hear, hear)—and, much
as he disliked the ballot—highly objectionable as he
thought the system of putting balls in a box--(lmmense
uproar)—he (Mr. Brougham) would ask those gentlemen
who interrupted him, how did they think he meant to
conclude the sentence?—(Hear.) Well, then, he would
adopt the ballot as the only safe-guard against oppression.
—(Great cheers.) When the Marquis of Chandos carried
his motion for extending the franchise to tenants-at-will,
he declared that the ballot was then eventually carried.
As to the corn laws, his opinion was, that the total aboli-
tion of protecting duties would be gross injustice and utt, r
ruin to the farmer.—(Loud murmurs.) If one trade was
free, why should not every other be so ? The farming
interest was entitled to the same protection as every other
manufacturing interest.—(Hear.) The abolition of slavery
he was always averse to, and would vote for it when he
found that it would not be attended with bloodshed
and revolution.—(Bear, Lear.) He would prefer a
moderate property-tax to the taxes on knowledge, and
to the assessed taxes.—(Hear, hear, hear.) Military
and naval flogging and itupressment he thought a great
outrage, and they should be done away with.—(Cheers.)
Although he considered the new police, as a body, a great
iniprovetrent—(Great disapprobation)—surely it was
most unfair and at:surd to interrupt Lim—he was no
advocate for the police. He was not Colonel Rowan or
Mr. Mayne.—(Cheers.) lie meant to say, that though
it was an improvement it was purchased in many instances
too dearly ; and he would gladly vote for a reduction of
the police expenditure.—(Cheers.) If the electors sent
him again to Parliament, he assured them lie would do
his duty. He should be found ever at his post to promote
the interests of the people generally, and the interest of
Southwark in partidular. The Learned Gentleman con-
cluded amidst considerable applause, mingled with a few
his.es.
Mr. Wan, jun., having repeatedly interrupted Mr.
Brougham during his address, then addressed the meeting
with great vehemence, and in a peculiar tone and accent,
which produced immense laughter and confusion for a
considerable time, on a variety of subjects, en which he
did not think Mr. Brougham went far enough.
Several other persons (one in a smockfrock) spoke at
great length, amidst unutterable confusion and uproar.
An ELECTOR then proceeded to take Mr. Brougham to
task for his votes .on the grants to the Queen and the
Princess Victoria and the Russian-Dutch loan.
Mr. Baor;GHAM said, that as to the grants to the
Queen and Princess of Victoria, he would answer, that
when that question was under discussion be was not in
the House of Commons at all—(lmmense cheering and
laughter)—and with respect to the other, be gave his vote
to defeat the Tories, who wished to make that question a
handle for turning out the Ministers, and thus robbing the
people for ever of the Reform Bill.—(Cheers and disap-
probation.) The scene was altogether such an one as we
time seldom witnessed, even in the most tumultuous as.