The Sun.
London, England, 1817-09-30 00:00:00

ELECTION. OF A LORD MAYOR.

Yesterday Common Hall Was convened, for
the. purpose of electing a fit and proper person
to fill the OtNee of Lulu) MAYOR for the year en-

Stlll;},r

At one o'clock the Hall was eroWded to excess,
and tie Lord Mayor, Aldermen, Recorder, Com-
ilynt Stojcrant, together with the Sheriffs, Messrs.
-IYsanges aud Alderson, ascended the hustings.
'1
he Recorder having stated the object of the
:Meeting, retired with the Lord Mayor and Alder-
men ;. the Cornarou Serjeant then read over the
I);inles of the Aldertutn who stood in lotation for
the offiee of Lord Mayor,for the City Of London.
Mr. 1-Il•rctnt4s then came- forward for the pia-
tetse of proposing the Lord Mayor and Mr. Al-
etl;inan Goodbehere. He adverted. to the pro-
ceejlings of last year, when the present Lord
"aiyor was again elected to the civic, citak. That
glorions strtwgle, he said, ought to be a.stimtilus
„
'to the Livery of London again to exercise their
in/doubted of electing that mon who in !lICIT
own minds was most competent to fill the office of
Chief Magistrate. The Country, he said, had
arrived at a state of elespootism.—(Hisses
would it peat, that it was ,at a crate of despotism.
Could it, be would ask, be :denied, that %rithin
the last 30 years this Government had extorted
.3nore money out of tie pockets of the people
:than any other cation ? Could it be denied that
it In-id hten Juost,proluse.and lavish iZI its expen-
diture ?

Mr; Sheriff DBSANGES caved Mr. Hitchins to
vrdur. The Livery., he said, had been. called to-
vii;er to .elect a fiord Mayor, and hot to discuss
;pub; its.
Mr. P ITCH I NTS appealed to tie Livery to decide,
whether .Alr. Alderman Smith had not been the
indefatigable -advocate, and constant supporter of
rvery measure of infamy and oppression—(Hear!)
Was be. fit for. the office of Chief Magistrate by
reason of his merits, as well as by rotation ?
(No, no t)--.Last year Mr. Alderman Smith had
been declared unfit for the office ; and, for the
F„kt, of consistency, the Livery .could not elect
Itim this year, unless indeed he was- grown nurre
--trinorts than he was last year. The same engines
of .corrupt ion existed, and could be put in motion
at plea,:iire. He called therefore upon the Livery
of London to assert their rights. The word ro-
tation, he said, was an anomaly in the City
riglos,and ought to be scouted anti 'driven away.
(This adrlress 'vas as much hissed as applauded.)
%Mr.Woot.Eft was received with applause mild
acclamatiOns. lie stood forward to second the
propoi..ition loch had just been made: It was,
lte'said, natural to expect that in such a meeting
83 lie was then addressing, he should receive. many
tokens of disapprobation. He came there to claim
a common right, that of stating an opinion, and
leaving thoSe whom he addressed the judges of
Its propri ty and importance. The ciicumstances
in" which this country teas placed rendered public
no4.tings par: itularly important, be,ause in them
•an. •Englidimatt teat enabled to exercise that right
width the :Ministers had. vent tired to declare should•
vOt exercised in the, usual manner. The pab-
lie shttl4l belonder the more it was ended-
ymired to he repressed, 41(1.0)e more decisive the
rt+C,ri it teas restrained. Ile did not 110 W come.
fortvara to oppose himself to particular
but to express his abhorrence of certain
certainsystems, which, if sill:ft:red
to continues would nitimately.produce the ruin of
theina4.ion. Tlrere were, indeed, many to whom
014 system teas pleasing,: there were many st,
Hind to their real interests, that if they them-
selves
,could fatten • upon loaves and fishes, they
eared not whether their descendants. starved or
not.

Mr. Slier; DFsANoEs here interfered, and wish-
ed Mr. I,l'oolef nut to touch upon political
matters. „
Mr. liroot.Ra said, that he was not so little ac-
qu'ainted with public meetings as to suppose that
ire could' please all parties. it was not the cla.
moor 0.1 arty set of, men, however lunch they
might he interested- in supporting the system he
.deprecating, that could induce hint to recede
• from .the expression of those sentiments which he
so-trougly felt. He earnestily- entreated the Li-
very rut. London boldly and manfully to demand
- their rights, and to vote for that man whom they
thooght most likely to preserve their indepen-
dence. I\ cutraltry at this crisis was treason to
t:le Nation. Every. matt present etrertained
those sentiments and possessed those feelings
which were au honour to every Englishman, and
he oast he a wretch indeed who could root them
and pla,tt sell-interest in their stead.—
(Ilear !)--if these principles had not altered
sioce the last twelve mouths, the next goestiou
was whether individuals had altered ? Would
Air" Alderman Smith protect the rights of • the
city Could they repose implicit confidence in
him ? Was more eonfi•lence to be reposed in him
than they gave last year ?---(Cries of No, no )
What pretence was there, then, for supporting
iliat man against .whom the poblic voice was last
year so decided ? The Livery Kurd • advanced to
thre charge, would they now retreat-? Would
they turn their backs upon the enemy and fly '?-•—•
Wherever Om enemy had advanced beltad been
ti,!l! ued, arid although the other party had stooped -
to the most base and degrading machinations and
c,ii,,rieAnces, yet they had been beat n and driven
itiou the tii.lll, abashed and confounded. The
only pl -a • 11014 Collld be advanced 011 the \other
n•as th it of rotation. 11e would not stoop
ininuyn the character of any. man, but the best
that could he said of Air. Alderman Smith -was,
th it he had no•poblic ' t,r political character to
. Joie. the miter side were to be found trite
friends to the Constitution), not mere weather;
cocks, not men • who would change sides as easily
as they ,eould change their dress if their own in-
terest was concerned, hut men who Would firmly
fiiii,tain the rights of Ettgli3hmen, at all times
4111 1 i r all weathers., He was persuaded, that ail
husc.vt ho felt that they were guarrians of their
own rights, would glee their votes fOr men "110
tti •ix.4,letermined to support that Mild] r'as placed
proteetiou to the last drop of their
wider this pers.iasion it was tha,t he
st'enbcieti the plopoi!ion which had lust
ni.ide try the-preceding speaker.
1.11.1 vEit then catuc tiiirtvata to propote Mr.

t •

~. ,

'N"