The Forest of Dean Examiner : — 1875-02-26 (Blakeney, Gloucestershire, England)

STOKEXPON.TREN'T ELECTION.  TILE name of Stoke-on-Trent haa become a political bye-word in the land, and papers of all political creeds have already given effect to public opinion by pouring contempt upon the electors who find their bean-ideal of legislator in the vilest reviler of the century. Not for two hundred  !:years has the choice of any constituency found it impossible to prevail upon two old members of the House to introduae him on taking the oath, and not for more than two centuries has! such a political Ishmael been elected. Blatant scurrility and uncrupulous impudence united with an oily tongue to flatter and deceive the credulous and the ignorant, are the secrets of this success, which everywhere makes intelligent Liberalism grieve, though far more for the condition of the electors, and the repreach it brMge upon the extension of the franchise, than because of any mischief which Dr. Kenealy will be able to do. What good he can accomplish in that House of more than 600 members is revealed 1 by the fiasco of his introduction. He will be chief of the great party, which will consist of ! Mr. Whalley and himself, and all the influence he will have will be to make use of the forms of the House to impede practicable legislation. But Dr. Kenealy is more fortunate in having one supporter in Mr. Whalley than his constituency, for it is difficult to imagine another borough in England committing political suicide in such a manner.  It may be profitable to enquire what are the muses that have conspired to the return of the groat egotist, whose first step towards the attainment of the leadership of the House of Commons is to get only the member for Peterboro' and his umbrella to accompany him to " Speaker I3ra.nd's " chair.  As the constituency consists of more than 19,000 voters, only a few over 14,000 have took part in the election, it is evident that there is a very large number who have deliberately abstained from voting. That some of the Conservatives who have caught the prevailing Tichborne mania supported Dr. 'Comely we believe, but few if any refused to record their votes+. The defection was in the Liberal ranks. It is not to be disputed that though some of the truest and ablest leaders of the party in the borough gave a very hearty support to the Liberal workingman candidate, Mr. Walton, yet it is evident that thousands of those who supported the Liberal candidates, Meesrs;Melly and Roden, at the last election, against Mr. Robert Heath, the Conservative, and Mr. Walton, have revenged themselves upon the hater gteatlemtua and his supporters by either voting for Dr. Kenealy or remaining passive spectatore of the fight in which their principles were being trampled under foot, They looked upon the choice of a worliingman candidate as an unpardonable affront and injury to united Liberalism, yet now, instead of taking the opportunity of cementing the party together they have introduced greater discord than ever, by indirectly causing the return of a candidate, who. besides being a political nondescript himself, will help to wear a section at least of the working men from their faith in the Radical party. These foolish Liberals will have their reward. Their folly like the boomerang will return upon , I themselves, and they will have the pleasure of defeating Mr. Walton at the expense of their own future success. We have heard tie aspiration of the working-men who supported Mr. Walton at the general election was not born of a factions spirit, but was simply the outcome of a desire on the part of the most intelligent and independent of the handworkers to send one of themselves to legislate for them, and it merited respect rather than condemnation and contempt. Some of the shopkeeping class—the aristocratic among the grocers and drapers, and the new-born gentlemen manufacturers' disdained the candidature of the working-man, and rather than defile their lingers with a ballot paper, marked in his favour, they would leave the Course open, free either for the Conservative or for Dr. Kenealy. We question whether the political principle of many of these lie more than skin deep. While, however, we refer so strongly to the renegade or abstaining Liberals, it appears that a high compliment is due to those warmest and most consistent members of the party who buried the past for the sake of the truths they hold dear, and who worked heartily for Mr. Walton's return. There is, however, another , side to the matter, which bears upon the working men. While many middle-class Liberals, and their followers and friends, have looked coldly upon, or openly betrayed themselves, very many of the 5,000 who supported Mr. Walton last year have gone over to Dr. Kenealy.  Variable ag the Yhade, By the light quivering aspen made.  Many working men appear to have no minds of their own, and but love to wander loosely in politics, as free from consistency as from earnest, ;thoughtful convictions. The cry for the direct representation of labour in Parliament was a new one to them, and inasmuch as it seemed to be something in opposition to the powers that be, even some of the most ignorant joined in with that But when as great a political distortion as the Caliban of the poet's imagination, appeared on the scene, pretending to have a Prospero's wand in his hand, with which he intended to bring down thundeboltts on the heads of all who opposed him, then were they as much enamoured as Titania of Bottom the Weaver, who appeared in the guise of an ass. It is useless to ,blame where there is not wisdom enough to feel. We do not wonder that some of the enimies of progress have this week adduced the result of Tuesday's election as proof that the franchise has been extended too far. This conclusion is as great blunder as the event of which they complain; nevertheless, this last vagary of a portion of the people is galling to the yeople's truest friends, who can only console themselves with the reflection that the intelligence of a large portion of the electors of Stokeon-Trent is under a temporary eclipse; and in this district they will have the additional consolation of remembering the very different result of the Wednesbury election in 1868.  The Smith Ettaffordshire Waterworks Bill came hefore one of the examiners of the House on Monday, who declared that the further standing orders of Parliament has been complied with.  THE SUGGESTED LOCAL UNION FOR THE FOREST OF DEAN, AND JOTyj