Page:History of the Anti corn law league - Volume 2.pdf/264

 for, as yet, there was little hope of a change there before another election. Mr. Wilson was in the chair, and gave a detailed account of the great gains to the free-trade parties in the registration for every borough in Lancashire, and stated that in sixty-eight boroughs, in other parts of the kingdom, there had been similar gains. He then came to the county of Lancaster:—

"We all know the position of South Lancashire. On the one hand, you have evidence of the greatest amount—I may say the gigantic amount—of energy, of industry, of capital, and wealth, ever seen; and on the other you have a landed proprietary, with a territory almost unknown in any other county. At the last election—the first contest on free trade principles—we all know the trifling majority which graced the victory of the monopolist candidate. It has been no secret that the work of registration has been going on ever since that time; the monopolists placarded the walls immediately the contest was over inviting their friends to come and claim to be on the register, and the League gave them due notice to 'put their house in order,' and hold themselves ready against another election. (Applause.) And if they have not done so, it is for the best of all reasons—that they could not. (Hear, hear.) Well, the first reports from the monopolists of what we were doing was our index to what would be the result—for they began to cry out against the shameful number of objections made by the free traders (Laughter.) We admit that there was a great number; and why? We took the register—and every one knows that it was in a most shameful state—the properties giving qualifications were described in the most vague manner—we took the registration upon our own hands—and, with the greatest anxiety to place it in the best possible state, we induced 2,600 of our friends to reclaim, in order that they might give, as they were bound to do, the best and fairest description they could of the property for which they claimed to vote. (Hear.) Then we objected to our opponents, finding they had not done so, on that ground; and I am sure no man here will feel sympathy for men wishing to remain on the register with a wrong description while they had it in their power to amend such description. (Hear.) We had not the means of striking off these votes if they attended before the barrister; but we considered ourselves justified, in order that we might have the descriptions corrected and given in accordance with the law. Most of you are probably aware of the result of the last election for South Lancashire. There were 14,544 votes given for the two candidates together; being for Entwisle 7571, and for Brown 6973, leaving a majority for Entwisle of