The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-05 00:00:00

30U SARK ELECTION

MEZI7INO OFSIR WILLIAM MOLESWORTIPS

;MENDS.

A meeting of the supporters of this gentit man met
yesterday evening in the Queen's Head Tavern, High-
Etreet, Borough.

The llrgr., Court-yard was densely crowded, and those
assembled were addressed by the dilleret.t speakers frum
the balcony.
M. J. WATLn was called to the chair, and briefly re-
eommentled Sir W. Molesworth to the electors of South-
wark as a candid-Ate whose opinions had been already
tested in the litmse of Commons.
Mr. COOPlinc, Chairman of the Committee, then, in a
*hurt addre..s. referred to an assertion of Mr. Miall's at
a late meeting, and read the following letter to that gen-
tleman :

" Central Committee, Queen's Head,
Thursday afternoon; Sept. 4.
" Sir—Teti are reported to have stated at
the public meeting, held last night at the Bee-hive,
that it was,said that Sir W. Molesworth's committee,
fearful of the issue of the conflict, had opened thirty
public-houses; with a ca'te blan.rhe for anybody to go
and drink. 'J he i ommittee will nut do you the injustice
of supposing that you made this statement without haw
ing some grounds for supposing it to be founded in fact;
but, as it is an utter falsehood, and it is necessary that
it should bo tra..ed to its source, the committee feel
satisfiel that )ou ts ill, without hesitation, give up your
authority for the assertion. The bearer will wait your
answer.—l am, Sir, yours respectfully,
" EMAN COOPER, Chairman."

Sir WILLIA3I MOLESWORTH then rosy to address the
meeting amidst tumultuous cheering ; and after silence
had been in sonic oegree r stared, he said that he had
endeavoured, in the &urea; of the contest, to enter into
sonic arrangement with one of the rival candidates (Mr.
Misll), with the view of concentrating the strength of
the Liberals in the borough, and so to defeat the Tory
candidate, but, he was sorry to say, unsuccessfully. But
feeling assured, as he did, that the wishes of the majo-
rity weee on his side, ho should assuredly nut recede
from the contest.—(Cheers.) It had been stated by Mr.
Miall that he had opened thirty public-houses. He could
solemnly assure them that rather than resort to any
such species of corruption, he would rather lose a hun-
dred elections, and without resorting to such infamous
means, he was confident that he should stand at the head
of; the poll. And while he gave every credit to his op-
ponents, he must yet advert to a speech of Mr. Miall's
on last Tuesday night. Mr. Miall had there charged
him with having edited the works of Thomas Hobbes of
Malmesbury. He confessed it ; he gloried that he did
so. As many of those present might not be acquainted
with that illustrious writer even by name, he should just
say that lie was the friend of Bacon, that he was intimate
with Gassendus and Marseanus, the pupil of Galileo,
and the not unworthy opponent of the immortal Des-
cartes —(Cheers.) He was the first great regenerator
of politics, for he effected that revolution in politics
that Bacon did in physics. Ile affirmed that the Church
should be subservient to the State ; that clergymen
should not interfere with politics. But Mr. Miall
had denounced those works as infidel.—(A Voice, "And
so they are.") Dave you ever read those works, most
learned Theban ?—(Cheers and laughter.) Had Mr.
Miall read the works ? If he had, he (Sir W illiam
Molesworth) would dare him to point out one single pas-
sage in those works derogatory to Christianity. He had
no wish to accuse Mr. Miall, but he would affirm that
he had been guilty of ignorance, and worse, is the
charge brought against him of publishing the works of
an infidel writer.—(Cheers.) He did not think—he
would suppose—that the enlightened electors of South-
wark would reject him for thus editing the works of one
or the greatest writers that England ever saw, and
choosing instead a man, who, if be had lived in those
days, would have had those works burned by the
faggot at Tyburn.—(Cheers.) Ile would leave the issue
with confidence to the poll of Wednesday. One word
more to Mr. Miall, and then he would dismiss him from
his notice:—(Cheers.) Mr. Miall had said that in philo-
sophy and principle he was a Christian. He (Sir W.
Molesworth) said that charity and Christianity were
one, and Mr. Miall was deficient in the former.—(Cheers.)
The real contest was between Mr. Pitcher and himself.
Mr. Filcher was a Tory, he was a Whig—(Cheers)—
and he would say for himself that, if returned to Parlia-
ment, he would prove himself one of the most strenuous
supporters of everything liberal.—(Cheers.) With the
spread of these opinions there would be an end to war
—that great enemy to civilisation. Mr. O'Connor had
asserted that he had been at one period an advocate for
the immediate and universal extension of the suffrage.
He denied this ; and his word, he hoped, would be of
equal weight with that of Mr. O'Connor's. Finally, he
was in favour of the rote by ballot, triennial Parlia-
snouts; and the abolition of property qualifications.
After some further explanation of his political creed,
the Hon. Baronet retired amid loud cheering.
Mr. IloweeD then came forward, and in a neat speech
proposed that the meeting, feeling satisfied with Sir W.
Molesworth's political principles, do pledge themselves
tp.support his election.
The resolution was seconded by Mr. Harris, and una-
nimously carried.
A vote of thanks was then passed to the Chairman,
end the meeting broke up.