The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-29 00:00:00

SOUTH

,CTION.

•
Sir %V. MOLESWORTH—As the report is rather a bulky
one, I should in the first place read it.—(Laughter.)
A resolution was proposed by Mr. HARRIS, and
seconded by Mr. VOUSLEY, pledging the meeting to
support the Hon. Baronet's election. It was carried
unanimously.
Sir W. MOLESWORTH then proposed a vote of thanks
to the Chairman, who briefly acknowledged the coax,
plimAnt, and the meeting adjourned.

MEETING OF MR. MIALL'S SUPPORTERS.
A ineetieg of the electors of this borough favourable
to the interes s of Mr. Miall was held last evening, at
the Victoria Tavern, Rotherhithe.
Sennly after half-past seven., that candidate having
entered the reoni amid partie.l cheering,
Mr. Bennett was, on the motion of Mr. GAYWooD,
called to the chair.
'ft-. CHAIRMAN introduced Mr. Mitll to the meeting,
observing that, as several misrepresentations had been
promulgated by the supporters of Sir William Moles-
worth, !hat that gentleman had a majority of promises,
he took the opportunity of asserting distinctly that, so
fa- as the 0.1,11v4, had hltherio been made, the return of
M. eas elrnost put beyond a doubt. They had
been a so told that a divisiou am og the Whig interests
was im,toliric a•ni improp• r, but he could not see
why n lane number of the representatives were to be
dented the power of recordieg their votes in favour of
the candidate they p• eferre I. At all events, it was now
too !ale to retry .t. Mr. Miall had pledged himself to go
to the pull, anti he was happy to announce that that pro-
mise would be fulfilled to the letter, as Mr. Miall was
determined to test the sentiments of the constituency to
the last moment allowed by the law. Many voters
were opposed to the election of Sir W. Molesworth in
consequence of hie op eion on the Maynooth question;
and every opportunity would be afferded those who dis •
approved of Church endowment to evince it, by op-
posing the, candidate who would have supported it by
his vote had ho been in Parliament, and did
Dow promote its perpetuation by advocating its
principles in the borough. (Hear, hear.) As
to Mr. Pilcher, that gentleman bated his claims to pre-
ference on th.e iurels ttf being a resident in the borough,
and long Connected ith it. Why. there was not an old
woman, in the town who might not say as much, and as
rellKanably demand support. The claims of both candi-
dates were, in eff et, untenable and inconsistent, and he
therefore calle l on Mr. Miall to address the meeting and
expound those principles which should acquire for him
supp,rt, and eventu tily triumphant success.—(Cheers.)
Mr. MIALL then p-esented himself to the meeting, and
was agein received with a slight demonstration of ap-
plause. Ho commenced by denouning the statements
nightly made by Sir W. Molesworth as to his prospects
of success, as unfounded and insincere. The borough
of Southwark was eminent for its ultra principles
respecting the rights of the people and their
sentiments on certain great questions affecting
the interests of the nation. Let but those
professions be realised—let but those principles which
had been inculcated by himself repeatedly, and warmly
adopted by a majority of the comstitueney—let but
those feelings be energetically evinced on the day of
election, and he felt no doubt that he should appear
triumphant at the head of the poll.—(Loud cheers.)
He had been taunted with being a representative of
republican views. That charge was unfounded. True
it was he had opposed ecclesiastical endowments, and
tried to av-rt all the evils consequent on those measures,
but he never advocated the destruction of all religion.
In the same way he had always systematically supported
universal suffrap.o and other rights to which free-born
men were reasonably entitled, but, at the same time, he
thought that a chief magistrate ought to succeed in
hereditary line. in preference to being elected. He
was an independent candidate, and should, if returned,
go to Parliament unfettered by party feeling. The
Whigs were d iily coalescine more and more with the
Tories, and they foiled Lord John Russell seconding the
most outrageous measures of Sir Robert Peel, and it
was not improbable but that in a few years the latter
would retire in favour of the former, who would introduce
immediately a Bill for endowing the Roman Catholic
Church, and be seconded by his predecessor. He (Mr.
Miall) therefore would not support part), but principles,
and so it was not for himself but for his principles, and
for the sake of th- principles of his constituency, that he
asked for the support of the electors.—(Loud
cheers.) With these few observations he would con-
chide, ham!,► so often previously explained his senti-
ments in other parts of the borough, sentiments which by
means of the pre-s had been made generally known
throughout We. ry within ir.—(Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN havidg invited discussion,
A man in the crowd asked if Mr. Miall would abolish
sinecures and pension lists.
Mr. lifix,_,replied that he should be happy to do all
be could, 4oa I,bic yaicet land_ vote, to abolish pensions,
evialdh Wel%tnerallyAielei by undeserving parties.
Anoffiee nin the - crowd here asked would Mr.
giallettileC4e4.- retain the same principles in the House
as he,thea adviratede All inert talked very highly be-
fore election; wh-.iieitaxing, toe people to credit
ahem,' tint_ when, in Parliament they forgot themselves,

i j-r

MEETING OF SIR WILLIAM MOLESWORTH'S
FRIENDS,
Yesterday evening a highly influential meeting of the
friends of Sir William Molesworth was held in the large
room of the Duke of Prussia Tavern, Tooley-street,
Bermondsey.
The room, though calculated to hold some hundreds
of persons, was most uncomfortably crowded, but still a
degree of order was observed which reflected the highest
credit on those assembled.
Precisely at eight o'clock Sir William Molesworth,
a'tench d by the Chairman and several members of hie
Committee, entered the room.
Mr. 7oung was called on to preside.
T-ne CITAIRMAN said that it was his intention, some
few hours back, not to take any part in this election,
but he could resist no longer the cause of liberty ; and
in supporting Sir William Molesworth he was sure that
he tried to extend that prisiciple. That district de-
pended entirely upon commerce, and therefore they and
he ought to support the liberal candidate, who would
unfetter commerce.—(Cheers.) Ile would add no more,
but at once introduce Sir William Molesworth.
Sir WILLIAM MoLeswotern then rose amid enthu-
siastic cheering, and after thanking the chairman for the
high eulogium gassed upon him, said that before explain-
ing his political principles he should wish to tell them
why and now he becatne'a candidate for the borough of
Southwark. A communication was, owing to the severe
il.lness of their late lame ted representaive, addressed to
him, requesting him, in the event of a vacancy, to allow
himself to be put in nomination, and it was only when
assured that the most influential persons in the different
sections had determined upon supporting him that he
consented to this contest. But many of those
persons had now reeed.-d from their promises, and
though in the first instance they had given those pro-
mises unsolicited, they now unblushingly falsified them.
He had to complain of this unfair conduct, but even with
all this, he was very confident that his canvass would
ultimately be attended with success.—(Cheers.) There
were now three candidates in the field, and there was but
little difference, he believed, between himself and one of
compelitors, but that meeting knew that in election
contes.s, as in ecclesiastical quarrels, the less the differ-
ence that existed the greater the rancour that ani-
mated the parties. He (Sir William Molesworth),
in order to preserve the &iberal interest triumphant
in the borough, would most willingly, if required to do
so by a majority of the electors, retire, and leave the
election in the hands of Mr. Miall.—(Cries of " No, no,"
and cheering.) But what answer was received from Mr.
Miall ? Why he i'eSclared that he would rather that the
Tory candidate were returned than that he (Sir Wm.
Molesworth) should be chosen their representative.—
(Cries of " Shame,") He had, in fact, declared that he
did not care the snap of a finger for the Liberal interest,
(cheers,)--and should he therefore not persevere
in his canvas, in order to preserve the borough from
a person professing a principle like this ? He felt bound
in justice to the Liberal electors of the borough to per-
severe in the contest, for he felt that the great majority
ws-re in his favour.—(Chee-s, and cries of "They are.")
And now to his political principles. He would, in the
first place, refer to a question which was at that time
exci•ing a great degree of interest in the borough—he
referred to the que tien of religious liberty and equality.
He (Sir William Molesworth) had always held the same
views upon this subject. He considered that neither the
State nor society ought to interfere with the religious
opinions of any man. He considered that neither should
the State nor society cast any reproach upon him for his
religious Opinions, whatever these might be, nor dis-
qualify him from any office on account of those opinions.
—(Cheers) Those principles he had advocated and
aupperted by his votes, by his speeches, and by his
writings in the London and Westminster Review. Such
were his sentiments on the subject of religious liberty
and equality, and so far he was prepared to carry them
out,—(Cheers.) But Mr. Miall wished to ask him a
,question. He wished to know if he (Sir W. Molesworth)
was prepared, if returned to Parliament, to vote for the
aperopriation of the Cr.urch revenues to State purposes?
That was, whether he would vote for the destruction of
the Church of Em„ laid fOr the destruction of the Church
of Ireland, rind for the destruction of the Church of Scot-
land, and, as a necessary consequence, for the overturn of
the Universities of Ox ord and Cambridge.—(Cries of "Oh,
bh," and " Miall will give in.") He would ask any sen-
sible in n th, n present if they would not think it better
a' first to try ineir hauls on the Church of Ireland ?
(I.7heets, stel l eieire .) Ile had always supported the
r pre, i.e. •1 p ,r. -.I the revenues of the Irish Church
to st,tte purpo:v s, and he telt confident that some such
rnea,,,are w..ul i be carried at no distant date.—(Cheers.)
The House of Commons had enough of practical mea-
sures on their hands with ut troubling themselves with.
abstract principles, which, however just in themselves,
mold never be reduced to practice, and it would say but
'tale for the discrimination of the electors of Southwark
if their representative were to come down to the House
with a modest proposition of this kind, for destroying at
"one fell swoop" the three Established Churches.—
(Cheers and laughter.) Ile (Sir William Molesworth)
thought that the repeal of the corn-laws would be a
greater b ion to the people than the destruction of
the Church, and he had ever supported Mr. Villiers upon
that question. He conceived that the doing away of
that obnoxious law would greatly extend the commerce
of the country, and so add to the comforts of the
labouring classes.—(Cheers.) He was also an advocate
for the extent ,n of the suffrage and for the vote by ballot.
—(Continued cheering.) He had supported triennial
Parliaments—(Cheers)—and he had introduced a
measure for the abrogation of property qualifications.—
(Cheers.) He did so because he thought the best test
of a Member's fitness was the fact of his being elected
to represent a free and enlightened people.—(Great
cheering) The Hon. Baronet concluded by saying that
he should gladly answer any question that might be
asked by any gentleman present.
An ELECTOR wished to know how he would act with
respect to Lord Devon's Land Commission ?