OLDEN TIMES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 10, 13 January 1932, Page 16

OLDEN TIMES

EARLY ELECTIONS

CURIOUS METHODS USED

COLOTJRFITL CAMPAIGNS

VAs the upheaval usual with .'general Elections', dies, with it subsides for a political season that atmosphere of uncertainly, that "dexterous cordiality" assuniea' by . candidates for Parliament the world over when thoy arc wooing smd wheedling, the electorate, writes B. W; Beetham in tho "Melbourne Age.'" 'In the year preceding hia death, Charles Dickens, speaking before the Birmingham and Midland Institute, -declared his political creed thus:-—"My faith in. the people governing is," on tho ■whole,.'infinitesimal;; my faith in the people governed is, on the whole, illimitable."" Trily much had happened in the conduot of elections since the great :noveiist,:-33 years earlier and four years sjfter tho Kefornv Bill became law, had satirised-'''.in ''Pickwick" the British electorate claiming its national birthright, tie due representation of tho people. . Borough-mongcring, pocket boroughs, and all thoso bad devices to Jjamper the popular choice of representatives, producing' corrupt, legislatures, Irad been abolished. Yet the politician still laughed with everybody, and shook ■Ji'a'ada'. right and left, in tho manner of Ppndennisj 'f acted like a" consummate hypocrite; and as gentlemen of the highest birth .find most spotless, integrity7 act when they wish to inakethem•TeLyes' agreeable to their constituents." Thackeray, too, with Dickens,, apparently "trusted the electors, 'more than he jtiusted tho elected. r '■..■..■..■,■' i ■/" ?'THE KIN&'S WRIT.V / -'John' was the first king "recorded as summoning his barons by writy and the reluctance of men to aspire to the duties of law makers was .fust as marked then as it is in'certain' quarters to-day: under the popular franchise. Sir Francis grave, in- his "Truths -und'-.Fictions, of the Middle Ages," sketched an election at a- time' when the state "of "'villainage?' approximating t& feudal serfdom : was ■ the condition of thei labouring . classes." picture fche^ event.v A /sheriff, ■ Sir Roger de Swigville, mounted on a iioble Steed worthy of so stout a knight, " rides up to the county court, tho-seeno of the" elections of the party;: where is gathered a goodly assemblage of1' mounted gentry, the sheriff's jayelin-men : about him; his silken and brbidered banner waving in the breeie.^.Forthwith is displayed the sacred "scrap sof Jj'archnient, "the- king's writ," informing _ the estates of tho realm, in 'the Xiatin tongue,- that a Parliament: is to >J6: hplden at- Westminstcry;Winchester, ;Tork, or e-lsewhere. : The ■baro'nago and £reeholder;3 are bidden to'1 choose ? a ■worthy and discreet knight of the shire for the county to aid tlie king with his advice—duly providing for ; his ex- ( penses during the. term - that :Parlia•ihent may' sit,' and for his 'charges goI ing and returning; but first "taking care to ascertain if the great Darou of tho ( county—de Clare or de Bohun—has not . already signified, through his steward or- attorney, whom he would :have ; chosen. The name of Sir Fulke de ■Braose is mentioned—yonder handsome ; "chivalier," who, hawk on wrist, is i watching the proceedings. But that ' gay knight, preferreth the customs of iwar or sport, and at the words "elecition" and "parliament," hastily withdraws frqni the crowd, and spjirreth..off ! as' fkat as his good liorse may carry ;Jiim." The "Chiltenj Hundreds" was a ; sanctuary where knights, anxiqus to 'avoid the honour of being sent'to the ■'■ Senate, frequently sought refuge. NOT A VIRTUE. . /'Records of Parliamentary-history deal ifraiikly. with the men who intrigued and scrambled for the honour of representing the people. In 1571 one Thomas Long was returned for the Borough:of Westbury, Wiltshire. Being" -avowed "a very-simple man, and Sot "fit to serve in that place,',' he; was questioned how lie came to be elected. Thomas Long confessed to having 'given •Anthony Garland, -Mayor.;of the town of Westbury, - and one Watts, -■: of the same town,' £4 for his place in Parliament.. A fine of £20 was imposed for the Queen's use on:tho corporation and inhabitants of Westbury, thoughl the actualbriber escaped, - •: .:': -■-,", It was' the organised party .warfare, which remains a feature of Parliamentary life, and the commencement of •winch dates from the -Stuart's and produced the designations "whig" -and toiy,'', that introduced rancour and strife into electioneering incidents, bitter enough in their original setting, but amusing as records -in retrospect. The elections.in.the time.of George L-arid J.l. were productive of some particularly stirring ■■ struggles, and the art"'of the caricaturist.<has left behind , strange commentary, on the manners' of-that day. In- one allegorical representation stands a^figure between' the statuesvof Jolly and^Justice. i His backvis turned from us, and numerous persons'are arbn?S g m^ ey;'into"pockets covering the rear of his coat,- th& recipient declaring T™ 'Tmb-ery; but pockets are-free." Favourite figures seized upon: by'the satirists of. 1754 were the^ily party wanoeuvrers described with appro P riateIn,"?,' 1, Caa/? T Ur as "^rmin,catcLrs." .The Dnke, of Newcastle was depicted in a political cartoon as "This mmvleie ;of Great> ® BH^riHogarth Vf our plates werq produced "in that same, c ection, the subject includehairirrg the Members and The J^^ooth, in which latter theto^ *o ffi -v" ght *he bli*a':aWthe, halt rin'i t StlngS> Qne o£ -the.victims is dopictea, apparently in an Unconscious iied'hV^t PP- .a W««tet andcarJried by two repulsive ruffians;' " : c, . r.'BUENED IK EFFIGY; la™ tt inspired^ perlaps, by tho fatal ncmesis>wKich - end|d the :reign of most ancient kings of Persia .and. a ■ featura of the British f™Mn -oc that ;day^as the w£ >n- effigy of the defeated PrimoMinis.tei. . .A caricature, of; 1756 represents %ula -^ the P5 ec? ncts of Westminster .with, enthusiastic . butchers on ■their _way,to make, a bonfire of the 'ft tgo, 1?. g, l , :PrlWe Minister's effigy. In tJie Middlesex elections of 1768-1769 scenes of wild. disorder culminated in shambles of bloodshed. The; "Oxford Magazine" describes "the! aripomted day" at Brentford in the con-' test, between Sir William Beauchamp Proctor ana. John GJynji, the friend and advocate of WUkes, who was.then in prison. It was in this election that the notorious "Brentford parson" addressed his scathing philippic to Proc-

■t™J * •7" (Thurs(la 7> SthDecember, 17b8), being appointed for the Middlesex election," runs tho descriptive record, 'the candidates appeared on. the hustings at ten minutes before noon. Notwithstanding this, the opening of the poll was delayed till eleven. One ot tne narrow avenues leading to Brentlor.d butts was occupied very early by a hired mob, with bludgeons, bearing on their hats the. inscription, 'Proctor and Liberty.' A much larger, but ■yery compact, body, armed as the former, and with the same distinctions, were placed near the hustings on an emipence, and in a. disposition which was evidently the arrangement of •an experienced sergeant. The rest of this banditti_-:wer.e stationed in different quarters of the town to strike genuine terror'into the honest part of tho *reoloJderg; hero was, besides, a 'corps de JCHerve,' -which was to sally forth on

a signal given. ■.-: As' these dispositions were■:seoured a- chosen .party of butchers, in tho same 'interest, traversed the town, and assaulted the hustings with marrow bones and cleavers. When Sir William Beauchamp Proctor's troops/^vere nearly, exhausted und.the course.of; the poll declared decisively for' Mr,. S.crgeant Glynny who had; still great multitudes unpollod,; the signal was givfln. An instantaneous 'and furious, but' regular attack, was/made - ou the. .hustings, tho "sheriffs,'.the.'; candidates., .'.the clerks, and tho poll boobs.'all vanishing", in a. moment. • Tho whole town was presently a scene ofblbod. „ *'< Westminster election. '": ■ The -'Westminster '. election of 178-t Jvas remarkable''for a.;four daj's' reign of terror. Fox, tho Whig chief, and rival of "the great Tory; Pitt- the Younger, who' was Chancellor of the; Exchequer at twenty-three, was elected,' despite the powerful opposition of the. Court and the -Navy! Almost hourly intelligence was conveyed to George: 111., who is stated :to havo been affected, in the-"most evident manner by every change hi the state of the poll.' Threats- and .promises Tvero freely made, in.tbq Boya.l iiamoj old illegalities were revived} members of the King's household claimed votes, and at one stage 280 of the Guards were sent in a body to record, their ; votes "as/householders.! Admiral Lord Hood, at.the beginning of the election, had brought up a large contingent'of sailors^or, as the Whig Opposition alleged, hiredrufflans drpssod' in sailors' clothes; These desperadoes' surrounded the hustings and intimidated - Fox's friends, and,. even hindered those who attempted to register votes in favour of the Whig chief. The. crowds in the' streets became- uproarious as the poll: progressed, and the Shakespaare Tavern, where Fox's committee met, was : stormed, beginning what chroniclers have "described as a four days' reign of terror. : Jack Eobinstihy. the politica,! rat-catcher, became a public character: of the. day, and "Honest Sam .House,", publican, who canvassed for Fox, kept-open-his house vat his own expense during the contest}"-'and "was honoured with the presohce of many of the Whig aristocracy."- A boon companion of the brilliant Fox was the Prince of Wales, who embarrassed thoKing and.Queen by interesting himself warmly in favour of the Whig-chief. ;■ It was declared that theT?rineo had canvassed-' in " person, and) with men; of his household, ..was actively engaged in promoting" the successof Fox. ■;.■- ■:-»:: "'■■ : %./;\^-:, •-■ '^jouEib'cs^sEßViGEs;, ■<';:';■'. ..- Even to : day it-may, be saidithat an election reveals cunning -. veraaiility/. in the. talent of a; variety, of peoplejamid the horde of nondescript canvassers enipldycd behind the lines in .party warfare. But the curious services rendered. at the close of the eighteenth century have a humorous savour that is priceless. -Major Topham, the .pro? prietor and editor of the..'-.' World," a society paper; presented his bill to the Government after, the Westminster election— } for ;puffs nnd squibs: andifor aßusing the Oppositiou.V.-.'. '■ A boy of:'whom the'late':L6rd■N,orthcliffe would -have made at leasi an; editor of feature publications, produced a claim, for -hiring ballad singers and, Grub street c^writers." The bullies/and bruisers-had their price, three troopers of/the- Guards presenting their /bill "for the attack in Bow street;*.''■'.'■ A cobbler with Hood's cockade, suggesting, how widespread was the' practice of personation, brought to the'party rooms a modest bill." for voting three times.'' By contrast, in their Dutch: courage and ostentation, was, a body of Hood's sailors, armed with cudgels, who came to demand payment "for kicking up a row." Yet these ,were the days of Edmund Burke, who in-English history bopk3 is described as the: greatest political thinker that ever liviedV..'J'--'r-;i l -. ■•;:"■*'.:■'.(: ::;i;,v.'-^t ,■;;);;; ;^.-;i: Aii improsaiqn dftho election at/STork; when Wilberf prcey the slavery abolitionr ist, demanded a poll a_nil.wpn his way to victory, provides evidence1 that the election to-day is just <as great a distraction: in-the routine -of .public affiajffi as-it was in".1807. T^e York <f Herald?' 1, wrote of- the -event :■ thus:—r"KIDth"ing since the days.of the revolution has ever presented to tho world such a scene as this greatl county for fifteen days and nights: Eepose or rest have Jjeen nnknown /in :it,: except At iwasj seen, in a messenger aeleep Upon his post-hota^o^ in his .carriages;; ■■."Every: day the. roads in every direction/ to and from every -:remote part ot the county, have been cqvr ered with vehicles--loaded, with voters; and barouches,rcurricles, gigs,.jflying wagons") and i military; ears with eight horses,1 croivded,sometimes'.with.; ./f orty voters, have been scouring thercoun? tryy leaving not the slightest chance for the. quiet traveller to urge his humble journey^ or find:a chair at an inn, to sit down upon." ;. .. : .- . -. .. STRONG rEELTNGS. Obviously, thei writer was not .the York journal's special political correspondent,and was either, bomd,or>. disgusted wtih -the intrigues against Wilberforce, though surely he did: not wish to sit down.in:the inn when the poll was declared, with. Wilberfo'rce 11^806, Lord-Melton 11,177, ana the defeated candidate;: Lascclles, running a close third withlo,9B9.votes! After all, why shouldn't an election-stir, up the people arid become a public obsessionj particularly ■ iii -whirlwind- campaigns such! as Australia experiericed'in 1929' and;l93l. Oile may bo too sensitive about:.the strong personal antagonisms displayed afc:-tliese tiines/'if he regrets that the occasion serves, too frequently, to bring much bad 'blood to the social surface. Recall the fight around Bungaree in the Ballarat East election before federation, when the defeated candidate, returning thanks, shouted, "Gentlemen of Ballarat arid-: savages of Bungaree!'' •Pi cture also-that other fight—or was it- the-same-political■ contest?-^wben .a netvous chairman .rose as the candiaate concluded' his harangue-.at avdisorderly meeting.. He was ■ about to • say something soothing, when, a man in-front got upand directed a question at the candidate/ /but was: quickly knocked insensible. Still'a little nervous,'but with a brave effort at self-possession, the chairman asked: "Any other gentleman like to'ask'a-question?"' " -;