Lord Palmerston has of course been elected for Tiverton, after
a speech scarcely up to the level of his Tiverton speeches. The absence or silence of his ancient antagonist Rowcliffe, the Chartist butcher, seems to have deprived him of his accustomed stimulus, and he did not say anything very good. His point was of course that England had flourished more during the six years of his administration than in any other six, wealth in particular having increased until all Mr. Gladstone's efforts to reduce the revenue by reducing taxation had been foiled. He trusted that as the House of Commons had shown an increasing confidence in him, so also would the electors of Tiverton. He had had offers from larger boroughs, but while his friends stuck to him he should stick to his friends. The best thing said at the nomination was by an unknown elector. Mr. Walroncl, the Conservative, had remarked that Lord Palmerston must some day or other give up his control of the reins, when a voice shouted out, " Yes, and of the drag too,"— an illustration indicating keen political insight. It is because he holds the drag, and clogs the wheels with it whenever he likes, that the Tories accept the Premier.
Previous page
