HOW THE IPSWICH ELECTION WAS WORKED.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1264, 21 May 1886, Page 3

HOW THE IPSWICH ELECTION WAS WORKED.

The cable has a'ready informed us how Mr Jesse Colling?. the Under Secretary to the Local fiooenmi-nt Board, and Mr Henry Wyndham West, Q.C., members for Ipswich, were unseated on petition. The English papers furnish us with some instructive infoimation as to how this untoward result .was brought about. Briefly speaking, it was clearly proved that these een'lemen’s agents had been guilty ot the crime of bribing the simple Suffolk electors for their votes. Bearing in mind what took place in the “ goo 1 old times,” it cannot be said that the price paid at luswich was an extravagant one. It ranged from a twoshilling piece to as high as ha'f a-c own “ it t’.ie voter was obstinate ” This is a paltry amount beside tbe one to twenty guineas, which was usually the figure in preReform times. It is absolutely insignificant beside the L3OO per man which the free and independent electors at Grampound are said to have received. On further consideration, however, it wou’d appear as if the 2s 61 paid to the Suffolk voters represented the full value of what was obtained for them in return. All that the agents at Ipswich could purchase was an uncertainty. Some of the enlightened electors who took the Liberal half-crowns, undoubtedly voted for the Tory candidates, while some were enterprising enough to draw three or four half-crowns from different agents without voting at nil—merely going into the porch of the polling booth, and then coming outside with the air of men 1 who were martyrs to their plighted wo-d at tbe aacrilicc ot their political convictions. In one instance, the liberal secretary actually “tipped” a man who had been openly (acting as a Conservative runner. This gentleman pocketed the money, and at once set to work to get up a little corroborative evidence. Presently he overheard the agent instruct a wharf laborer to “go to Norton, and say that Ellinger ssnt yon.” This sounded very mysterious, not to say suggestive, and the Conservative runner thought he himself would go to Norton wilh the message, and see what came ot it. Having adopted this course. Mr Norton promptly said. “That’s all right, ’ and gave him n card inscribed I J. Stroulger, 25.” Stroulger turned out to be the name of a benevolent publican, who apparently passed a great portion of the day in givin- florins to poor hut deserving voters who came to him armed wifh similar letters of recommendation. Tho whole business is not creditable, but it contains one crumb of conso'afion. Now that we hays got the price down to ns low as a two-shilling piece, perhaps politicians will come to the concludon that votes are not worth purchasing, and bribery will disappear altogether.—“ Press.”