The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-04 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 4, 1857.

THE LAMBETH ELECTION PETITION.

A public meeting of the electors of this borough
was held last night at the Horns Tavern, Kenning-

ton, to takeinto consideration the petition presented
to the House of Commons against the return of Mr.
Roupell—Mr. F. Doulton presided.
The CHAIRMAN opened the proceeding by read-
ing the petition, which charges Mr. Roupeli, by
himself and it's agents, with bribery, treating, and
using undue influence to procure his return. He
then observed that for the first time in the history
of the borough of Lambeth the return of one of its
members had been questiong 1 by petition to the
Rouse of Commons. (Hear, hear.) It 'would be
well to recollect that the last election was the first
at which anything like an expression of opinion
was given by the great mass of the eleotors—that
at previous elections not more than one-fourth Of
the registered electors had ever recorded their votes
—that no candidate had ever before polled more
than one-fourth of the telectors—and that no repre-
sentative had ever been returned by a majority of
more than 2,000 vote'. At the last election more
than two-thirds of the electors voted, and Mr. Ron-
pell obtained the votes of more than one-half of the
number of votes on the register. (Cheers.) The
man who had been instrumental in calling from
more than 9,000 elect )rs an expression of opinion
on some of the most important topics of the day--
the man who had been returned to tha House of
Commons by the altuo4.omanitnous consent of the
eleCto s—was the man whose return was petitioned
against' on" the ground of bribery, intimidation, vio-
lence, undue influence, and every, o hf-r ground
which could be strung together in a petition.

(Hear.) He would glance for a m ,meat at-the his-
tory of that petition, At no period of the elec-
tion until the day of polling was one word said as
to any undue influence having been used to procure
Mr. Ronpell's return. On true contrary, a general
opinion was expressed by Mr. Wilkinson's commit-
tee, and throughout the borough, that the election
was being conducted in a more creditable manner
than any previous election. (Cheers.) But at 12
o'clock on the day of polling, when Mr. Wilkin-
son's friends saw that no effort on their part could
avert the ridiculous p:,sition in which he was placed,
the charge was made that Mr. Roupell's return bad
been brought about by improper practices, and
that Mr. Wilkinson had not had fair play. The
cry of bribery and intimidation having been raised,
it was readily caught up by certain parties, who fl)
doubt thought they could turn the affair to their
own benefit. (Cheers.) Mr. Wilkinson's corn-

mittee were called together, in order to consider

whether a petition should be pr( sented ; but to the
honour of almost all the members of that com-

mittee, including Mr. Rhodes, itq chairman, they
declared that having fought the battle, and having

been beaten, they ought to rest content, and not
to sanction any petition, unless it could be bayed
on clear 'and unmistakeable grounds. (Cheers.)

The parties interested in the matter, however, de-
termined to proceed, and got up a committee, and
pased a resolution to proceed against either Mr.
Roupell or Mr. Williams, one or bosh. (Laughter.)
They then determined to get up evidence, and two
persons were employed for that purpose. At .the
end of the first week one of the men applied for
payment. When asked what evidence he had ob-
tained, he stated that he had gone through the
whole borough, but could find nothing to report

against Mr. ltou- pelt, his agents, or his JommiCe
(Cheers and laughter.) "Then (ssid the com-
mittee) you are not the man for us—you were
engaged on the principle of no evidence no pay."
(Laughter.) When the man applied to a magistrate
on the subject he ascertained that he could not
interfere in the matter. Of course, when the other
man found that he could not get paid without pro-
curing some information, evidence became as plen-
tiful as blackberries. (Laughter.) The first thing
which he reported was this :—He took from his
pocket a small piece of card contiiuing the signi-
ficant words " g;n and water"—(laughter)—and
forthwith through the length and breadth of the
borough it was gravely asserted thAt Mr. R3ll-
- had circulated no less than six thousand
little bits of card entitling the holders to a full
draught of that .delicious beverage. (Laughter.)
Having obtained tint evidence, question
arose who was to father it, and after some &Setts

sion it was settl.:(l that the names of Patte3on

Niekons, of Trafalgar-road, gentleman, and Robt.
Henry Bristo we, of Grove-road, Brixton-road,
stockbroker,_ should be affixed to the petition.

He had no doubt these gentlanen would say they

had acted on public principle, but public principle
meant no principle at all—(la.ighter)—and he had
no doubt they would be ashamed of their work
when the day of reckoning arrived. (Cheers.) He
should very much like to see tie list of subscribers
towards the expenses of the poition. He did not
bdieve there were 20 who resided in the borough,
and felt quite certain that te matter was better

known on the Stock Exchange than in Lambeth.
(Cheers.) The question naturally arose, was there
any truth in the petition ? In his conscience he
believed it was a fabrication, and a most malicious
falsehood. (Cheers.) Toe petition charged Mr.
Roupell with having promised to obtain places for
his constituents. Now, the fact was, that before
Mr. Roupell bad been a candidate for a single day
he said, "If I am elected let it be distinctly under-
stood that I will not throw away my independence
by asking for favour or place for any man in the
world." (Cheers.) To that pledge Mr. Roupe I
had strictly adhered, and there was not a word of
truth in the charge. Another allegation in the
petition was the extravagant expenditure of money.
The lowest amount he had he ird mentioned was
10,0001., and the highest 50,0001. (Laughter.) The
lower sum was nearly the amount, but the a3tual
sum would be given at the proper time. But it was
rather strange that such a charge should be preferred
by the friends of the man who on a former occasion
spent 1,0001. a-day, and whose last contest cost him
nearly 3,5001., being a little more than a guinea for
each vote which he received. (Cheers and lau4h-
ter.) He believed that Mr. Roupell could have
gained his seat without incurring any great ex-
pense, but he wished to enter the House of Com-
mons stamped with the approval of a large majority,
and said ha was prepared to incur all legitimate ex-
pimses to secure a triumphant position. (Cheers.)
The fact of a man having been returned by a majo-
rity of 6,000 over his opponent was unpresedented
in the history of elections. (Cheers.) The question
was, whether the electors would consent to remain
under the stigma which had been cast upon them.
He had heard that there was a probability of the
petition being withdrawn. (No, no.) He trusted
it would not be withdrawn, but that the charges
would be either proved or;disproved. (Cheers.) The
cause was that, of the electors, and he asked them
to do their duty, and show that earnestness and de-
termination which were characteristic of English-
men whenever they had a righteous cause in hand.
Let them not rest content under the stigma which
had been cast upon them, but let them show a bold
front, and they must succeed. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. GODDARD moved the first resolution, to the
effect—that this meeting having read the petition
presented to the House of Commons against the
return of W. Roupell, Esq., and believing the
allegations contained therein to be utterly un-
founded, hereby expresses its indignation at
this scandalous and untenable attempt to throw
a discredit on the 9,318 electors who recorded
their free and unbought votes in favour of that gen-
tleman at the recent election., A great deal had
been said by the friends of Mr. Wilkinson about
gentlemanly conduct, and that it was unfair to
bring forward a man against another who had the
sympathy of the borough. (Laughter.) Now the
first thing done by Mr. Wilkinson's friends was to
issue scurrilous lampoons. Was that gentlemanly
conduct ? (Cheers.) Was it gentlemanly conduct
for Mr. Wilkinson's agent to give the lie to Mr.,
Roupell on the hustings ? (Cheers.) Mr. Rou-
pell had been charged with giving-. his committee-
men three guineas a day, and he himself had been
told that he had received a cheque for 201. for
speaking at two or three meetings, when he had
never received twenty pence. (Cheers) The fact
was that Mr. Wilkinson, by his votes in the House
of Commons, had forfeited the good opinion of the
electors, and had sunk so low in their estimation
that Mr. Roupell would have been returned if he
had not expended 101. (Cheers.) Mr. Roupell
had been charged-with forgiving his tenants their
rents, on account .of their voting for him. (A
voice—lt's a lie.) That was the proper term to
apply to the charge, and he believed all the others
to'be equally unfounded. (Cheers.)
Mr. GRADY, in seconding the resolution, said
that such an aggregation of mortal lies had-never
before been put together in a petition. (Cheers.)
It was monstrous to think that a man--one of the
electors of the borough—should be subjected to
such charges, when there n. was no foundatio.wliat-
ever for them ; and it was perfectly ridiculous to
suppose that 9,000 votes could be' brought clown
before a committee of the House of Commons.
(Cheers and laughter.)
Mr. F, Burl., who had frequently interrupted