New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-11-04
ELECTORAL CORRUPTION IN ENGLAND


cester and Wakefield only confirm, by their daily
disclosures, the saying Of old Coppock, the late
electoral agent of the Reform Club, that the real
Constitution of the British House Of Commons
might be summed up in the word Corrap,ion The
present inquiry derives peculiar interest from the
circumstance that Gloucester ii a rotten borough Of
old standing while Wakefield is a constituency
created by the Reform act and that the Gloucester
briber is an outrageous Tory, Sir Richard Garden
Of Dogberry memory, while the Wakefield broer
il Radical, Mr.. Leatham the brother-ln-ia" Oh
Mr.. Bright. In both cases, the chlidlke innocchcc
Of the Parliamentary candidates rs something re-
freshing in this wicked age OF skeP'iclsih. Do'n
candidates find the money tor thr Palcnase " ~
but both take good care not 10 sno" "heie 'ne
nancy ooes From the beginning of the election 10
its end their solicitors bills run up I'D ge0metrlcai
progression, but at the same rauo increases
their belief in the Immaculate purity oI
the constituencies which to represent IN farna-
ment they confess the highest aim of their worldly
ambition. Take first, that pattern of q Quaker,
honest Mr.. Latham. In 1857, he stood for Wake
field and EMPLOYED solicitor of the name of VAIN
wright as his illegal friend" This Wainwright,
in fit of openbeartedness, takes his friend the
Quaker aside and surprises him. innocent Leathani,
who had considered himself rhomme qu'on anne
pour iu;--mSme and the candidate TO be elected
pour lie col de Trusse, by the shakingy shrewd re-
mark that an election was question OF +. g. d.
and that consequently the "neediul" ought to De
found. Wainwright fixed the amount OF cash re-
CURED at $1,000. Leatham exclaims " i have
not got it, but will borrow it, and, as true as
bic word, has fl 900 sent over to Wainwright by
Cyer,-nd Il Quincy, the Quaker bankers Of Lombard
street London Shortly AFTER Wainwright, who
seems given to confidential pou' paners' lsnes
Leatham again Z" aside" whispers in l,s COZ 'nas n
had found out the election could grow more
sive than at first contemplated, and insi.
upon another f500. Innocent Leatham e." thinks |
ths rather strange" but, further consideration,
and remembering that the election of 1852 had cost
Il COO he extended the credit TO f5O0 more, but |
the most curious thing that he feels not quite sure
as to the source from which these 1000 flowed. |
Again, two weeks later stern wainwright insists |
upon another supply of 1000, and now Purity I
Leatham wakes quite melodramatc. Il was"
says he "m9ch ve1ed az aus, and said as much to
:. MI. nl anu a'- said that there were great many
..ugs l did not like about his office. mad
~ noticed great many strange people about the
office, and hoped there was nothing wrong gong
on. He said, You must leave that to me and
"'ask no QUESTIONS You must give me the COM
mand OF another fI, 900, though don't think
''s shall want it, was foolish enough to consent,
" and beliere the money was obtained from the
same source as before" The mysterious stranger
who "obtaned the money" Is Mr.. Leathams part
ner. being not present at the pending inquiry be-
cause at this rather unreasonable time of the year,
i.h.s COZ. -. the whim of setting out upon trip
over the Continent
If Quaker Leatham, despite his credulous temper,
has misgivngs Of his own, but cOntrives 10 com0rt
his conscience by "asking no questions, Slr L.
Garden, on the other hand, since Ito the pure az
things are pure" felt so much edited by his
election experiments in 1921 .aal IN
1852 he stood again for the same borough, although
=. Thay vary Il-
dnced him TO walk into ST. Stephens on the shoulders
Of Gloucester was that he thought Gloucester to,
be go pure that it would be honor and dlstnc zion
10 represent il in Parliament, whereas CJppock
"and his myrmdOns used to call Clio acester the
cheese because it was 80 dehcio dsly decayed;"
in one word, 80 fuly-Aayored alnk of corruption.
From f5OO, at which the necessary electoral ex-
penses were at first settled, they were by sudden
expansions sv.elled to something like f6,OOO, but
stii and even after the Auditors return fixing the
legal expenses at f6l6 Sc. Id, Sir X Gardens
conviction of the purity OF the Gloucester proceed
ings remained mistaken. he had oelle'eu .ne
election had been pure until only day or t,oo ago.
when he was positively shocked to hear the horrl-
E. BILE revelations that had been made. Those rev.
Citations had taken him quite by surprise
The electoral philosophy of the Parliamentary
candidates, then, consists simply in allowing their
left hand not to know what their right hand does and
thus they wash both hands in the water of innocence
and believe in the general virtue OF mankind, serves
best their purpose
As to the legal gentry, solicitors, attorneys, and
barrsters employed in the electoral business, they
Of course have a legal claim to their professional
fees They cannot be expected to spend their
lime and ''msnage" the thing for nothing why
exclaimed one of the Gloucester Nj. +. makers,
~ bean't a.Qoing to let 'em have my vote Tor
"nothiug, Look at the twenty-iour lawyers
"hayipg their eos down and five guineas day
,;ono and beant a-going to let em he ,s
:. NINE for nothing" And, saws NJ george Blu.
y chanan, gentleman who canvassed in compan.
with Sir T. Garden, In fact, it was genera
scramble for money, and do not like to hear sc
much obloquy thrown on poor men who TOOK IS
ed a day. while the professional men who made
heavy charges for doing nothing, escaped"
Now, as to the NJ P.'s makers themselves, few
examples will suffice to characterize them Mr..
W. Clutterbuck a solicitor, and canvasser IN behalf
of Sir X. Garden, chuckles in his sleeves while
stating that Gloucester is as eorrupta place as
'any in England" He had set his eyes upon the
Coopeys" There are eight or nine of the Coopeys,
a family that, from immemoral times, have played a
prominent part in the Gloucester elections. They
are, says Clutterbuck, people you must amuse,
and, consequently, he went to the Coopeys, and
smoked pipe with the Coopeys, and gossiped
with the CoOpeys and held out To them no direct
promises by no means but " led them to believe SO
and So" In his track, there followed MIR. John
Ward, builder who offered the Coopeys TO each.
Two of the COopeys, he says were bribed. One
of them dead, but somebody polled in his stead
"I," says Mr.. John Ward, builder, "gave TO nine
" of them f5 each, and the dead man CO. The man
was dead at the election of 1857 but he poed for
"Sir r. Garden there" Then comes Mr.. Maysey.
81" says he, Al keeps general shop, and are a
hairdresser." He found bribery was going on to