The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-08-15
the HumOr. Of q Briti.n election.


The English people and the English
frequently affect great contempt
1t the K publican institutions of the United
States, and express their horror at the COZ
ruption and fraud that is practiced in our
elections with a gusto thst IS resliy 70
freshing. Unfortunately for them, now
ever, they sometimes, though NOS irequen'
lv. have an election, and the revelations
which these elections make OF the Venshsy
of voters, and the frauds prscticed BY csn'
didates, give the American people an ex'
ceIlent chance to retort upon their British
with the proverb about glass houses and
throwing stones. The receht election n
Great Britain developed many such cases
of trickery, one of which, occurring at
Weymouth, is worth telling. o l'''
Weymouth is q small seaport, in Dorset
shire, England, which, in conjunction with
Melcombe Regis, has the right Of sending
two members 70 the House of Commons.
The two towns are connected by q
bridge, and their united population is under
ten thousand. The number of persons
registered to vote is about seven hundred
and forty. Having very little trade, an
election becomes of great interest and even
value to the voters, who, not TO put too fine
a point upon il, are VIGOROUSLY corrupt.
The last election for Weymouth and Mel.
combe Regis took place in April, 1859, and
was contested. If there were no contest,
there would be no vote buying; SO, to
avoid this, the electors would hire q
couple of candidates rather than have 81
unopposed return. In 1859 there we're
fonr candidates. and six hundred and fifty
electors gave their votes. The successful
candidates were Mr.. Robert Brooks, q mer-
camille man, son of a Lancashire Squire,
and Lord Grey de Wilton, then 8 Lieuten-
ant in the Life Guards, only t~wenty-six
yesrs old, eldest son of the Earl of Wilton,
and cousin of the Earl of Derby. AS each
of the winning men polled thsee hundred
and forty votes, and as the average priceof
a vote was $500 TO say nothing of the
price running up to $500 in the last hour
of the polling, it Is evident thstesch mem
Der had to pay sos, 900 for a seat. The
losing men would pay little less, SO that the
freedom and pure electors must have re-
ceived some $275, 900, in 1859, for "their
most sweet voices"
At the election just ended the two form
er members, who are Tories, were opposed
by two new candidates, Mr.. Henry Ed
wards and Captain Gillet Gridley, who
ayowed Liberal principles. On the nomi-
nation, the show of hands was in favor OF
the new candidates, whereupon q poll was
demanded on behalf of Mr.. Brooks and
Lord Grey de Wilton, and the following
day appointed for taking it. Great JOY in
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis and, the
four candidates being rich, a mutual u
Outstanding was had between the voterE
that not 8 vote should be given for less
that $3.50, in hard cash. When the NOR
row came, and the polling commenced, the
few honest and not.to-be purchased cleo
tors gave in their votes. Bus the surprise
and grief, the indignation and despair Of
the Venal electors, constituting a vsst ma,
jority, may be imagined when they heard
that, by a mutual arrangement, one candi-
date on each side has retired-Lord Grey
de Wilton and Mr.. Edwards having left
the town early that morning, leaving Mr.
Brooks to be re elected, with Captain Grid,
ley as his colleague, neither of whom had
paid n sixpence to any voter, and the
electors st large being unable, at a mo,
ment's notice, to find two other candidates
Verdict, "6adLy Sold"
It appears that the late members, Mr.
Brooks and Lord Grey dc Wilton, had MOI
(68,00O each) of the previous election-ths-
family reasons made it desirable that hi
LOrdship should not again sit 10 the Low
er House, bnt that he very cordially tool
part in the little plot to "sell the vena
electors, by allowing his seat TO be occu
pied by Captain Gridley, whose fellow can,
didate, Mr.. Edwards, was a mere dummy
unsmbiHous of parliamentary honors, snd
merely set up for the nonce. The comprO
mise which allowed Brooks and Gridley t
walk over the course, has spread dismsy
and lsmentstioR among the electoral body
For the first time within living memory
there has been a Weymouth election with
out bribery! .7