BRISTOL REGISTRATION.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.
Bristol, 4th November 19135.
SIR—A constant and gratified reader of the Spectator, I had intended to have transmitted to you at the earliest period a correct statement of the result of the Registration at Bristol ; but in the hurry of business 1 suffered this to escape me, and I am sufficiently punished in finding that the Tory statement has found its way into the columns of your influential paper. This statement I am enabled, from an intimate knowledge of the subject, to declare incorrect : the result (tithe Registration in Bristol is not favourable to the Tory cause; the Tories did not strike off a majority of votes, but, on the contrary, the ma- jority- and the advantage both in claims and in objections are decidedly OD the other side.
The Register of Bristol electors contained last year between 1000 and '2000 fictitious votes, consisting of the names of fteemen who have long since left the city, who are dead, or who are otherwise disqualified ; and it having been re- solved by the Liberals to purify the list, the Tories were in their own defence compelled to make a show of objections. The result was, that 474 names were objected to in common by both parties, 455 of which were struck off; these the Tories assumed to themselves, omitting altogether any mention of the Liberal share in them. The fairest plan, however, is to class them by themselves, and then to count the remaining objections distinctly substantiated by each party : the result will be—
Liberal. Tory.
Freemen objections substantiated 543 ... 302 Ditto claims admitted 15 ... 9 Householders' and freeholders' objections substantiated 187 131
Ditto ditto claims admitted
94 ... 53
839 493
Balance in favour of Liberals in this respect 344 But the gain of the Liberals is far greater in other respects. Defeated at the two last elections, they were defeated by corrupt majorities of vette! freemen ; for, in each ease, they polled a majority of householders ; and at the last elec- tion, although the household constituency had decreased, as compared with the previous year, and the Liberals withdrew from the contest at the close of the first day, while the Tories continued to poll out their strength throughout the second day, yet the majority in our favour with this branch of the consti. tuency was larger even than at the previous election. Now 1305 freemen have been struck off the register ; and, although many of these did not vote at the last election, yet the continuance of their names—dead men and all, on the list —was always dangerous to the Liberal cause ; the friends of which are content, after burial, not to revisit the glimpses of the sun, for the sake of showing lonv strong the ruling passion may be in death, by a vote at the hustings. Of the whole 1305, I will venture to any there are not 50 names whom the Liberals could have wished to retain; while on the other hand the registered increase of householders, a body which constitutes our strength, is, as contrasted with the last year, 1396. Again, we have compelled the freemen to register themselves properly,—thus supplying a great check to fraud ; for I can assure you, that some of this class are so enamoured of their party as to vote twice in its behalf, and some are so impartial as to vote for all the candidates in the field. On the whole, it may safely be said that the prospects of the Reform cause ia this city are substantially brightening: and so little do the Tories like the pre- sent aspect of affairs, that points were avowedly taken by them in the Court of Revision, with a view to the costly struggle of a scrutiny. It is plain that they think their large majority of corrupt freemen broken down.
I am, Sir, your subscriber and friend,
Joni.' BA RNET r KINGTON.
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