THE "FEUDAL SCREW."
[To THE EDITOR OF TER "SFECTIT01.1 Sin,—A friend has just sent me extracts from the Spectator for March 5th, including a letter from the Rev. T. Nightingale, in which he makes a number of allegations against Messrs. Boake, Roberts, and Co., some of which to any certain knowledge are absolutely without foundation. The reverend gentleman declares that "on a certain day just previous to the election the manager [of that firm] had the gates closed, and he gathered the men together to hear an address from the Tory candidate. After this he (the manager) went round and asked every man how he intended voting." I was the Tory candidate. The gates were not closed; men from other firms were invited; there was not the least pressure or inducement brought upon the men to remain. I stayed in the yard chatting with one and another, being myself almost the last to leave, and I can vouch for it that during that time no single man was asked how he was going to vote. Messrs. Boake, Roberts, and Co. have satisfactorily refuted the charge that a man was sub- nequently dismissed on account of his politics. Those who k-now the members of the firm referred to, as I know them, would never dream of making such an outrageous charge. This incident confirms the opinion I have long held. There is urgent need for some organisation which shall undertake the prosecution of those who wantonly scatter falsehoods in connexion with public elections. From the day when the "Chinese slavery" lie proved so successful, the dissemination of falsehood respecting a candidate and his supporters has unhappily been one of the characteristics of both Parlia- mentary and municipal elections. It is high time something was done to bring the authors to account. —I am, Sir, &c.,
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