During some of the early contests for the borough of Marylebone, it too frequently occurred that ladies drove round to their various tradesmen to canvass for their votes, threatening, in case of refusal, to withdraw their custom. This unfeminine conduct occasionally drew upon them unpleasant though well-deserved rebukes.
In one of those contests I took a considerable interest in favour of a candidate whom I shall call Mr. A. Meeting { 275} a very respectable tradesman—a plumber and painter, whom I had employed in decorating my own house—I asked him how he intended to vote. He replied that he wished to vote for Mr. A., but that one of his customers had been to his shop and asked him to vote for Mr. Z., threatening, in case he declined, never to employ him again.
I inquired whether his customer’s house was larger than mine, to which he replied that mine was twice the size of the other. I then asked whether his customer was a younger man than myself, to this he replied, “He is a much older man.”
I then asked him what he would do if I adopted the same line of conduct, and insisted on his voting for my friend Mr. A. This query was unanswerable. Of course I did not attempt to make him violate his extorted promise.
Such conduct is disgraceful, and if of frequent occurrence would have a tendency to introduce the vote by ballot; a mode of voting for representatives which, in my opinion, nothing short of the strongest necessity could justify.
The election for Finsbury gave occasion to the following _jeu d’esprit_, which, as a specimen of the electioneering _squibs_ of the day, I give _in extenso:_—
“_Politics and Poetry_;” _or_, “_The Decline of Science_.”
TURNSTILE, _a retired Philosopher, M.P. for Shoreditch_. LORD FLUMM, _a Tory nobleman of ancient family_. COUNTESS OF FLUMM, _his wife_. LADY SELINA, _their daughter_. HON. MRS. FUBSEY, _sister of the Countess_.
LORD A., _Prime Minister_. CLOSEWIND, _First Lord of the Admiralty_. SHIFT, _Secretary at War_. SMOOTH, _Secretary for the Colonies; also M.P. for Shoreditch_.
_TORIES_ (_Members of the Conservative Club_):—
LORD GEORGE, LORD CHARLES, MARQUIS OF FLAMBOROUGH, DICK TRIM, _a former Whipper-in_,
HIGHWAY, _a Radical_. GRISKIN, _Colonel of the Lumber Troop_. TRIPES, _his Lieutenant_.