MR. ODGER'S CANDIDATURE AT CHELSEA.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.1
SIR,—While heartily agreeing with your well-deserved rebuke of the Pall Mall Gazette's most improper attack upon Mr. Odger, one of the candidates for this borough, perhaps I may be allowed to explain why I am unable to take so favourable a view as you do of his claims upon our support.
When Mr. Odger came forward, two Liberal candidates had been iu the field for more than a year, and had been, to all appearance, accepted and approved of by the Liberal party in general. Two Conservative candidates had started a short time previously, whose prospects have of course been very materially improved by the action of Mr. Odger and his supporters ; in fact, but for this division among the Liberals, I believe they would have had no chance at all. The position assumed by Mr. Odger can, therefore, only be regarded as one of antagonism to one or both of the Liberal candidates, and of unintentional but none the less effective support to the Tories.
A similar state of things unfortunately exists in several other boroughs ; a notable instance may be found only a few miles off, at the other end of the metropolis, but I forbear to mention names, or trespass further on your space.—I am, Sir, &c.,
A LIBERAL ELECTOR OF CHELSEA.
[We cannot agree with our correspondent that mere priority of candidature ou the part of others,—those men who have not served the borough as members, who have earned no gratitude from the electors,—should exclude a fresh candidate who is in- vited by a large and dissatisfied body of electors to enter the field. That is Mr. Odger's ease. He received a requisition from 1,000 working men to try his chance at Chelsea. We think this fully entitles him to ask to compare frankly with the other Liberal candidates his and their relative prospects of success. Mr. Odger has expressed his desire to do this, and his willingness to retire on fair evidence that he has less support than his brother candidates. We do not see how he could do more.—En. 6'pectator.]
Previous page
