The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-13 00:00:00

BIRMINGHAM ELECTION.

BIRMINGHAM, FRIDAY EVENING.-This morning the no-
mination took place in the Town Hall, and excited great in-
terest. At eleven o'clock Thomas Norton, Esq., the Mayor,
entered the Hall, and was received with applause. In a few
minutes after Mr. Joseph Sturge arrived, and was received
with loud applause. Mr. Scholefield was not present. The
usual proclamation having been proceeded with Mr. Spooner
entered the hall, and was received with yelling and hooting,
followed by a few counter cheers from his friends who were
in the organ gallery. Silence having been restored,
The MAYOR presented himself before the electors, and was
received with cordial and general cheering, in which all
parties appeared to join.—l am now prepared to receive the
nomination which any elector may think fit to make of any
gentleman he may, be desirous of proposing as a fit and pro-
per person to represent this borough in Parliament.—(Cheers. )
Mr. Alderman MATHEWS then came forward. After pass-
ing a high eulogium on the late Mr. Scholefield, he proceeded.
There was a division of the 'Liberal party in the town.—
(No, no.) There was, for Mr. Sturge appeared as his
opponent ; for if he had stayed at home Mr. Spooner would
not have thrown a lance against a man who stood so high
as Mr. Scholefield. Any division amongst Reformers
was wrong. He did not believe Mr. Sturge was inten-
tionally. wrong in advocating the extreme opinions he
was there to propound. He believed he was honest, but
having their old enemies, the Tories, there, he ought not to
have come forward. If there were only two Liberal candi•
dates in the field he would not blame Mr. Sturge for coming
forward to push his opinions, but when they had the great
and common enemy—(Cheers)—before them they ought not
to have been divided by any extreme movement. He (Mr.
M.) had come to the conclusion, that although Mr. Sturge
had some very good points in his political composition, he
had some very bad ones.—(No, point them out.) Having
thus stated his opinion he begged to occupy their attention
upon the pretensions of Mr. Spooner. He was in all respects
a very excellent gentleman, but a very bad politician. He
did not deny that three months ago Spooner might have done
some good in the House of Commons, but Sir Robert Peel
had called them all in Birmingham nincumpoops. He had
repudiated their currency opinions, and so far Mr. Spooner's
vocation in the House of Commons was gone. Mr. Spooner
in order to do any good ought now in consistency to vote for
a repeal of the corn-laws.—(Hear.) He could not do other-
wise, and if by any chance he should be returned, he (Mr. M.)
hoped he would vote for a repeal of the bread laws. In con-
clusion, lie stood there to recommend their excellent friend
Mr. Scholefield. He was a thorough-going free trader, and if
ever Le had been called upon to discharge a painful duty,
they well knew he would not shrink from it.
Mr. Md. PHILLIP seconded the nomination. They had
three candidates in the field, two on the Liberal side,—(No,
no, only one.) They had two on one side, and one on the
other. There was no man more honestly desirous of in-
creasing the liberty of the people than Mr. Sturge. lie
knew he was honest, upright, and firm in his purpose, and a
free trader. Why, then, did he not support him ? Because
he believed lie had no chance. If he thought that Mr. Sturge
could have been returned, he (Mr. P.) would not have come
forward to support Mr. Scholefield. But it had been ascer-
tained that Mr. Sturge had no chence.—(No, no.)
J. ALSTON, Esq., then came forward to propose Mr.
Spooner, and was received with tremendous hissing and
groaning, which lasted some time. Mr. A. in closing said
they had often trusted in Mr. Spooner, and were they ever
disappointed?—(Uproar.) Was that fair play_ ? All they
asked was fair play—all they asked was to try Mr. Spooner.
A Voice in the body—lt is useless for him to go on.
Mr. WINFIELD, High Bailiff, came forward to second the
nomination of Mr. Spooner. He had first to state that he felt
it an honour to second the nomination of that gentleman.
.

They had heard much of what had been done, let them see
what could be done in future. He believed Mr. Spooner to
be a true patriot.—(Laughter and hissing.) As they would
not listen to him, he would merely second the nomination,
Mr. Councillor BARLOW came forward to propose Mr.
Joseph Sturge, and was received with great cheering. Mr.
Scholefield was proposed as a candidate. Where was he to go
to represent them ? To London. And how could he repre-
sent them in his counting-house? If he neglected his duty
in local matters, they could not expect he would attend to
national affairs.

Mr. Councillor BALDWLX seconded the nomination, and
eulogised Mr. Sturge at the expense of his opponents, parti-
cularly Mr. Scholefield. He seconded the nomination of Mr.
Sturge upon the ground of principle. Their friends the
Whigs said they were splitting the camp. He denied it.
They had an undoubted right to be there, to put Mr. Sturge
forward, and support him.
RICHARD SPOONER, Esq., then came forward, and was
received with the most deafening and uproarious shouts of
disapprobation. He had known Mr. Scholefield many
years, and lived on the most intimate and friendly terms
with Mr. Scholefield, only differing in politics. Mr. gpooner
then proceeded to say, that beyond all doubt Mr. Sturge,
according to the good old Whig doctrine, ought to be suc-
cessful. The Whigs used to hold that the voice of the
people ought to be the will of their leaders; and if so; most
certainly Mr. Sturge would be returned, for he had clearly
the people with him on that occasion, Mr, Spooner was then
interrogated by Mr. Clarke, the Chartist, when he said he
would not vote for the franchise; he would not vote against
church-rates; he would not vote for the repeal of the union,
because he had taken the oath of allegimiee t and above all,
and before all, he would not vote tbr the return of Frost, Wil-
liams, and Jones, or any of the Chartists.
Mr. STURGE presented himself amid vociferma and long-
continued applause from all parts of the hall. The Hon.
Gentleman followed the example of the previous §peakers in
panegyrizing the excellencies of his departed friend, the late
Joshua Scholefield, Esq., whose parliamentary votes he re-
marked, had generally, if not invariably, been recorded on
the side of freedom.—(Partial applause, the Chartists evi-
dently abstaining.) He then proceeded to deprecate a atiito..
meat which appeared in the Times of the preceding morn-
• ing, to the effect that although he had pledged himself to go
to the poll, he might break his word, as he had done before.
He defied any man to say that he had ever violated a private
or a public pledge, and explained that he had not pledged
himself to go to the poll when he retired in lag.
After an excellent speech Mr. Sturge concluded, a show of
hands was taken, and an Immense mass of hands were held
up for Mr. Sturge.' He was declared to have the glow in his
favour. A poll was then demanded,

A
THE MURDER AND ATTEMPTED S Ming AT
SALFORD.--SALFORD, THURSDAY NIGHT.--1110 adjourned
inquest in this case was held this evening, before W.Smalley
Rutter, Esq., Coroner, and a respectable jury, and a verdict
returned of wilful murder against Stew. lie is in a ninst
deplorable state, and is only lint alive by the unremitting
attention of the medical gentlemen t 4 the Manchester Royal
Infirmary, who' hay@ .PPOrilTd to feed him by, inserting
flexible tuba In ilia throat, through which he is fQcl With the
necessary Stimulants.
WEST INDIA MAIL, r4clißil 'ROUTE.--We under-
stand the Chagres route in the West Indies will henceforth
be performed by a steam packet instead of a schooner, as
heretotbre, and malls for San Juan de Niegagua will be con-
veyed from Jamaica by the Actmcm, Royal West India Mail
Company's packet steamer, after the ISt 6f September, that
vessel coming from Grenada to Jamaica, to be in readiness by
that tirae.