Amongst those who addressed the various meetings during the week of the
election, and previous to the commencement of the polling, were Mr.
William Rathbone, Mr. Henderson, barrister (afterwards recorder), Rev. W.
Shepherd, Captain Colquitt, Mr. James Brancker (who proposed and seconded
Mr. Ewart), and Mr. Falvey. The orators on the part of Mr. Denison were,
Mr. Edward Rushton (afterwards stipendiary magistrate), Messrs. Shand, W.
Brown (now Sir William Brown), John Bolton, W. Earle, Leyland, Sir John
Tobin, etc. About the fourth day of the election the real excitement
commenced, and the baneful system of bribery was resorted to. On the
fifth day the prices of votes advanced from 20 to 25 pounds, and as much
as 40 to 50 pounds were asked and obtained. It was expected that on the
sixth day the contest would close, but it seemed to be then continued
with unabated vigour. On the seventh day voters were brought from all
parts of England, Scotland, Ireland, and wherever they could be met with.
The tricks played by both parties on voters were most amusing, either to
deter or compel them to vote. Nearly four hundred freemen declined or
were unable to record their votes.
Even in the elections for mayor the most inconceivable interest was
excited, and in one case, that of 1828, between Messrs. Porter and
Robinson, from 16,000 to 20,000 pounds, if not a larger sum, was said to
have been expended in carrying the day. I recollect a worthy
tobacconist, who kept a little shop in the town, who had a vote and was
not inclined to sell it cheap. In every insidious way was he assailed to
part with his vote. On the occasion of this election the list of voters
was rapidly running out to the last drop; the hour of closing the poll
was approaching, and it was found impossible to keep the poll open
another day. "Come, Mr. Pipes, what about your vote?--it's half-past
three!" "Call again in a quarter of an hour." In this quarter of an
hour the little tobacconist's shop was besieged by canvassers on both
sides, when the tempting sum of 30 pounds was reached. The cunning
little Abel Drugger knew his value, but no higher sum would either party
advance. Pipes had, unfortunately, gone into the back part of his shop
for a few minutes, when a wag put his clock back thirteen minutes.
Keeping his eye, while in the shop, on the clock, every now and
then--although, as he admitted afterwards, it seemed a long quarter of an
hour--he still kept off his persecutors. When the hand approached the
quarter on the false-telling dial, one canvasser, bolder than the rest,
laid 35 pounds on a box of cigars, as the bid for it. But Master Pipes
only was sold, for just as he was about to take up the tissue paper
bearing the magic name of Henry Hase, St. George's church struck four,
and the prize was re-pocketed to the great discomfiture of "Pipes," and
the merriment of his customers. Of electioneering tricks I could tell a
full score.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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