The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-21 00:00:00

ELECTION INCIDENTS AND SPEECHES.

Of all the election speeches that have been delivered
Mr. Bernal Osborne s, at Nottingham, was the richest
in humour and most good-tempered. It was inimi-
table in the way of turning defeat into laughter, and
stands as a comparison to the bad-tempered
attack of Mr. Layard, the successful candi-
date at Southwark, on the Conservative press.
Athlone, the beloved of the mighty Bearden, did
not take long to skew on which side she intended to
cast her lot. By half-past eleven all the voters, save
one, had polled. Portarlington was even more
quickly polled, for by the same hour absolutely all
the voters had given their adherence to the candidates
of their choice.

• BUYING OFF CANDIDATES.
'II the pipers express, apropos of the Harter-"
fiasco, a disapproval of the principle of buying OP/
candidates.. But still it would often be difficult to
obtain the retirement of useless candidates unless by
the passage of money. When a man has spent so
much money and thinks he has a chance, however
slight, he does not care to give up the money and the
chance both. So he holds on to the end. But if his
expenses are paid there is removed one obstacle to his
retirement. Perhaps it ought not to be so, but
unfortunately the facts are too notorious. The Dag!,
News even hints that there are some who trade on
candidature. The worst form of political adven-
turers it declares is the Mall who holds out
to be bought off. Mr. Hartwell, the cause
of these comments, does not hold a very enviable
position, one would think. It will be seen that he
has not so far succeeded in his attempts to get the
men committed who had the money paid to them.
It appears that they were responsible to a large
amount, and have therefore been reimbursing them-
selves from the sum put into their hands.

TENANTS' VOTES.

The Marquis of Bute has again been required to
avow his impartiality. The Liberals of Ayrshire
have called upon him to say whether his tenants are
to vote as they please. It appears that some of the
tenants were under an apprehension that they would
incur his lordship's displeasure if they recorded their
votes for the Liberals. Lord Bute replies :" I
am not aware that anything has occurred
on my estate since the termination of the
tutorship at law which justifies the chairman of
a political committee in requesting me to make
a declaration to the tenantry on the estate to the
effect that they are free to vote as they please. At
the same time, as you have invited me to express my
feelings in reference to the election, I have no
objection to state that I should always wish that my
tenants should vote according to their consciences,
while I see no reason for concealing from them
that my personal sympathies are strongly
in favour of the Conservative candidate."
A writer in a Conservative contemporary
states that the Liberal landlords are repeatedly
sending earnest messages that their vote and support
to the Liberal candidates will be a great personal
favour which will not be forgotten, and that the
chairman of the Northern Liberal Committee either
delays or declines to answer a similar question sent
to him in a letter from the chairman of the Con-
servative committee. If "'tis true, 'tis pity."