THE BRIDGNORTH ELECTION.
OF all the contests in this General Election, there is per- haps none that presents facts more deserving of, notice than the struggle which has occurred in the hitherto so quiet little borough of Bridgnorth. That contest combines indeed every element that can invest an election with significance. It was a battle for emancipation from the almost immemorial supremacy of a particular family, which was fought strictly on purity principles against tremendous odds, and which has resulted in the return of a Roman Catholic gentleman of high standing, by the zealous efforts and truly Liberal feelings of a constituency, the numerous Nonconformist members whereof have shown themselves free from the narrow-minded pre- judices of Exeter Hall. Such an election is a memorable occurrence. It is not merely the case of a successful Woodstock throwing off the denomination of an arrogant dictator. Triumphant rebellions of the simple stamp have often been seen, but it is a memorable occurrence that in the famous Tory county of Salop,—the county that sent up twelve Tory members, and struck a medal to commemorate that triumph of pig-headedness—an absolutely Protestant con- stituency, for we believe there are not above two Roman, Catholic voters in Bridgnorth, should be sufficiently imbue,' with the true spirit of Liberalism to appreciate the w of a Roman Catholic like Sir John Acton, and to elect hint for that alone. The electors of Bridgnorth have fought a fight for which they deserve the thanks of all who have at heart the true principles of Liberalism, and the merit of the victory is enhanced by the arduous circumstances against which they had to contend. The borough of Bridgnorth counts about six hundred electors, of whom a full third are freemen ; and it sends two representatives to Parliament. Just outside the town, amidst beautiful woods overhanging the Severn, lies Apley Park, the seat of the Whitmore family, which for centuries has been in possession of many adjoining acres, and owns much house property in the town. The Parliamentary representation of Bridgnorth has been practi- cally an heirloom of the house of Apley. Since the days of James I. the name of Whitmore has appeared as a representa- tive of Bridgnorth on every roll of members, with the excep- tion of five Parliaments, up to this new one, while the second representative was as regularly a family nominee, until a few years ago this.last prerogative was wrested away on Sir R. Pigott's being unseated on petition. Not that the reign of the Whitmores even in their greatest ascendency was one of uninterrupted quiet. At times they were assaulted, although fruitlessly, in _their ,proud domination by bold spirits. In 1735 there occurred an especially memorable contest, when Sir R. Acton and Sir 1.. Lawley vainly tried to carry the two seats against the Whitmore interest. And so the Whitmores went on representing this borough until their position came to be thought so impregnable as to give rise to the proverb, " Like a Bridgnorth election, all on one side,"—a proverb which with infelicitous self-confidence the now rejected candidate, Mr. H. Whitmore, quoted in his nomination speech. But there was also another tradition which became associated with Bridg- north. Like most boroughs with many freemen, it had the reputation of being a notable quagmire of corruption, that could suck up any number of money-bags. The Lords of Apley, according to the customs of olden days, pampered with a demoralizing condescension the little secret propensi- ties towards drink and animal comforts of their adherent freemen, while of course the dashing adventurer who ran a tilt with them could__not eneanntering his adver-
saries on their own ground with their own weapons. So it came that Bridgnorth had as bad a name as any borough in England for a Liberal to contest against the Whitmore interest, especially since the return of Mr. Pritchard, on Sir R. Pigott's being unseated for bribery, gave the Liberal section of the constituency a member who, although elected as a Conservative, has gradually drifted away until Dod has begun to class him as a " Liberal. To a constituency thus demoralized, yet partially represented, Sir J. Acton ventured to appeal on Liberal princi- ples of the broadest kind, and with the plainest announcement that he would have nothing to do with illegitimate means.
The contest was of a very exciting kind, for from the be- ginning Sir J. Acton was the popular candidate. The only question was, whether the promises given him would prove true against an element of intimidation that appeared early on the field, and against a possible application of other persuasive elements in certain sections of the constituency. At the out- set Sir J. Acton made a speech which at once put the contest on the ground of broad principle, and disentangled it from any merely personal cries. During the whole contest lie studiously avoided making a point of the neglect which Mr. Whitmore is supposed to have shown for the interests of the town in the matter of a railway bill. But the same forbearance for indi- vidual feelings was not shown by the Tories, who did their best to get up a "No-Popery" agitation. On the day of nomi- nation Mr. Whitmore came with a display that smacked of the style of bygone days. Instead of being content to arrive, like the other candidates, in his carriage with a friend or two, a monster cavalcade of all the Whitmore tenantry, riding two abreast, and forming a line half a mile long, preceded the car- riage of the Tory candidate, who then delivered a speech with the easy confidence of a man who can afford to smile con- temptuously upon his doomed adversary—a speech remarkable only for the opportunity it afforded that adversary for a re- joinder which, spoken with the impressive accent of convic- tion, then and there brought him the adhesion of several votes. The Tory attack was at once opened by a "No-Popery" fire. Mr. Whitmore was a Churchman, a sound Churchman, while his opponent was a member of the Roman Catholic communion. What that meant the electors of course knew, as also the necessary consequences involved in the fact,—at least they were evidently credited with so knowing, for no explanation was given,—the only other topic of the Tory speakers havine.° been a clumsy tribute of homage to the Whit- more family. It was then that Sir John made a reply which, as the expression of the opinions of a very conscientious Catholic, and the most deeply-thinking member of his per- suasion in England, deserves to be known far beyond the bounds of Bridgnorth. He said that in standing for the borough in deference to the wishes of some electors he had obeyed a sense of duty—to prove that a Catholic and a Liberal were not incompatible beings. From Mr. Whitmore's speech it might be accepted that a Conservative must be hostile to Nonconformists, but he denied it to be therefore true that a Liberal must prove an enemy to the Church.. And then, with admirable frankness, which disdains subterfuge, Sir John said that he well knew how some Catholics had been induced to side with the Conservatives, under an idea that Lord Derby would do something for the temporal power of the Pope, but that he had come forward to show that the Catholics in Shropshire had not forsaken Liberal principles—a declara- tion which from such a man is a notable and precious utter- ance.
The polling was marked by intensely excitine.b circumstances, for during the whole day the fight was neck to neck, the Conservative candidate never being second until at the close, when he was one behind. What gave peculiar interest to the fight was the fact that early in the morning it became apparent that voters had been tampered with who had given Liberal promises. The intimidation brought to bear was unblushing, and at ten o'clock matters looked ominous for Sir John Acton. The victory was plucked out of the fire by the zeal and really admirable exertions of his canvassers—men who were volun- teers in the cause, and who exhibited here the same superiority which their fellow volunteers exhibited in Lambeth. Money had nothing whatever to do with the triumph, which was due solely to pluck and energy. At two o'clock there was a tie, which at three was changed for a majority of four in favour of the Tory. It was now plain that the result must depend on a vote or two, and both parties exerted themselves with increased strenuousness to bring up unpolled voters. It was half-past three when Mr. Whitmore gave himself the benefit of his own vote, a rather strange proceeding as against a candidate who was not in a position to do the same, and the clock struck four without either party knowing how numbers
really stood. Presently it was whispered in Sir Johu's com- mittee room that there was a tie, when a minute after the report came that the other party claimed a majority of one, and then an incident occurred which is characteristic of Tory electioneering. At the last moment a most respectable clergyman, who early had voted for Mr. Whitmore, finding that he had mistaken his proper booth, tendered his vote a second time, for the expressed purpose of making it safe from challenge. He distinctly said he had voted before, and that he now only wished to do so that Mr. Whitmore might not be deprived of a vote through his error. Incredible as it seems, the Tory agent, in order to secure the return of his client as the sitting member, deliberately induced the Town Clerk to tamper with the polling books so as to enter as recorded this merely tendered vote, thereby counting the clergyman's vote twice over, and then to strike off the last Liberal vote that had been. given, on the plea that it was rendered null from having been, recorded in the wrong booth. Anybody who knows what the duties of the town clerk are on such occasions, must be amazed, at the audacity of this electioneering dodge, which was defeated, only by the vigilance of the Liberal agent. Such is the history of this spirited contest. Never was the battle of genuine Liberalism, of broad principle, and com- prehensive tolerance fought in a more manly, open, and, legitimate manner. Of course the inevitable threat about a. petition where a majority is but of one was brandished on the hustings, and the rejected candidate went off muttering unutterable menaces of the castigation he will inflict on a corrupt faction before an immaculate committee. We feel confident that even without the cooling effects of six months' reflection, Mr. Whitmore would find it more prudent not to venture on so rash a process of exposure, and that he will come to the conclusion that to stir in this matter will only be to aggravate his defeat.
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