Testimonies

Testimonies

• 345.

  (Mr. Holl.) Who else ? – Then there is Mr. Rose.

• 346.

  What is his Christian name ? – Edward Thomas Rose.

• 347.

  What is he ? – He is a tailor.

• 348.

  Are there any others that you remember – Cornwell ? – Cornwell lives in Deal.

• 349.

  Rammell ? – Rammell lives in Deal.

• 350.

  Can you tell me the names of any other active Liberals in Walmer ? – There is Edward Thomas Woodcock. He is a builder.

• 351.

  Any others ? – I do not recollect them particularly.

• 352.

  Now, among the Conservatives, who were the active people in Walmer ? – You see I am not a great deal over there.

• 353.

  Can you give me the names of any of them ? You know them, I suppose, by repute ? – I can only give the most influential whom I know to be Conservatives. There is Mr. Mathews, of Walmer.

• 354.

  Who else ? – I should say Mr. Denne. I do not know his Christian name.

• 355.

  What is he ? – He is a builder.

• 356.

  Can you remember any others ? – No, I do not recollect any others. There were a great many.

• 357.

  Are there any manufactories in Walmer ? – No, I am not aware of any manufactories. There is a very large brewery. Mr. Thompson or Mr. Matthews is the brewer.

• 358.

  Besides the brewery, what industries are there ? – There is nothing there.

• 359.

  Nothing but retail tradesmen ? – Retail tradesmen. There is a little fishing. They send some fish to London from there, but that is not very much.

• 360.

  To which class do the greatest number of voters belong, the tradesmen or the boatmen ? – I should think the greater number are the gentry and the middle class.

• 361.

  Middle-class tradesmen ? – Yes, there are a very great many gentry.

• 362.

  Are they more than the boatmen ? – I should say so ; a great deal.

• 363.

  (Mr. Turner.) Are the gentry resident ? – Yes.

• 364.

  (Mr. Holl.) You acted as agent for Sir Julian Goldsmid, at Sandwich, I believe ? – Yes.

• 365.

  Had you anything to do with the election at Walmer ? – No, nothing; not in the acting part of it. Mr, Edwards acted at Deal and Walmer, and myself at Sandwich.

• 366.

  When were you first appointed Sir Julian Goldsmid’s agent ? – Immediately after I first saw Sir Julian Goldsmid.

• 367.

  When was that ? – There was no regular appointment, but I became his representative. Perhaps I should save your time by stating that at an early period Sir Julian Goldsmid wrote to me to ask me whether I thought he would be acceptable as a candidate by the liberal party. I replied to him at that time that we had not heard of Lord Brabourne’s elevation to the Peerage, that nothing had occurred in the borough ; but it was reported so, and that immediately anything did occur I would communicate with him. After that we were searching for a candidate. I then went to London, and called upon Sir Julian Goldsmid, and he returned that evening from London to Deal.

• 368.

  When was that ? – That was on the 4th or 5th of May. It was just the week of the election. He came down with me on the Monday. The nomination was on the Saturday, and the polling took place on the following Monday. It was all very quick. Of course Mr. Crompton Roberts had been in the field a week before we arrived.

• 369.

  Was it on the 5th of May that he came down ? – No, it must have been later than the 5th of May. It was on a Monday that he came down. It was on the 10th of May. I went to London that morning.

• 370.

  He came back with you ? – He came back with me in the afternoon, and he began the canvassing on the following morning.

• 371.

  I presume from his writing to you that you occupy a position amongst the Liberal party ? – Yes, I am known as the person perhaps who represents the Liberal party to a great extent in the borough of Sandwich.

• 372.

  Do you represent them in registration ? – I attend to it myself, and my name also is filed at the central Liberal Association in London, therefore if there are any communications I generally receive them.

• 373.

  Kindly give us the whole account. When did you first hear from Sir Julian Goldsmid ? – It was a week or 10 days before that.

• 374.

  Do you know how Sir Julian Goldsmid came to communicate with you ? – I think very likely, I am not certain, through Mr. Brassey. We heard that Sir Julian Goldsmid was one of the selected candidates at the University. Sir John Lubbock, and others, were also selected. We did not communicate with Sir John Lubbock, but we fixed upon Sir Julian Goldsmid, simply because we heard that Sir John Lubbock was certain to be the selected candidate of the University, and we thought it was more certain that he would come down. We were anxious to get a candidate. We had lost a week or 10 days.