Testimonies

Surrage, Thomas Lyddon | Day 1

Witness Type: Other

Witness Testimony:

• 91.

  Do you know whether there is a Conservative Association ? – No, but I know there is some kind of committee where a few gentlemen meet together.

• 92.

  No place of meeting ? – I am not aware of it; they do meet sometimes and talk over their affairs, but what they call themselves I do not know at all.

• 93.

  Can you say who are the leading active Conservatives; who do you look upon as the leading Conservative in the place ? – I should be rather puzzled to say just now, because some of the old gentlemen have gone, and who their successors are I do not know, I think I might give one as Mr. Frank Baker, he is a comparatively young man and has recently come into the Conservative ranks.

• 94.

  Of whom else can you think ? – I happened to see the other day about the election, Mr. W. J. Hughes, a grocer in Sandwich.

• 95.

  Can you tell me any other who by repute you know as an active man among the Conservatives ? – No, it does not occur to me at this moment ; in fact I have been obliged to fetch this up. At this moment no other name occurs to me.

• 96.

  Who would you look upon as the leading Liberals ; first of all, is there a Liberal Association ? – No, I think not in Sandwich, they meet in the same way as the others do, but there is not an association, it is a sort of committee I think.

• 97.

  Who are the leading Liberals ? – I do not know that there is any man who takes any particularly strong part in it ; I think I might name a Mr. Harrison for one.

• 98.

  What Harrison is that, what is his Christian name ? – Mr. Robert Harrison.

• 99.

  Do you know what he is ? – He is in the corn trade.

• 100.

  Does he live in Delph Street ? – Yes, that is the one.

• 101.

  Who else can you mention ? – I think a nephew of his has come forward lately, Mr. Richard Collard, but I really keep myself so entirely aloof from these parties that I know nothing about it.

• 102.

  You do not mix yourself up with them, but I thought it probable that you might know the leading men by repute ? – If I thought it over I might know more about it.

• 103.

  Does anybody else occur to you at this moment ? – No, not at this moment.

• 104.

  Do you know anything about the political organisation at all, do you know whether there are ward committees ? – There are no ward committees because there are no wards. I think you may take it that there is & sort of open committee on each side,

• 105.

  Had they district committees at the last election ? – No, I think not, it is so small a place that I should think not.

• 106.

  Have you heard of any illegal or corrupt practices occurring in the Borough of Sandwich in this last election ? – None whatever to my knowledge. Of course I have heard gossip in the streets.

• 107.

  Had you heard anything of the kind spoken of before the election petition was tried ? – No, nothing at all substantially.

• 108.

  You had heard some rumours ? – I heard gossip in the streets occasionally, and I heard some wonderful stories occasionally, quite incredible on the face of it, I heard nothing in any tangible shape or form at all.

• 109.

  What was it you did hear, anything about excessive payments to persons ? – All sorts of things. I really do not know anything about it.

• 110.

  I understand you to say you know nothing at all about it, but what were the rumours or gossip that you heard ? – There was a rumour that there was a great deal of money spent, and I believe that was true, and that is all I know, in fact it was evident to the eye in the shape of FLAGS, PUBLIC-HOUSES, and so on, and people running about the streets, who were all paid more or less.

• 111.

  Was the excitement as regards FLAGS, PUBLIC-HOUSES, carried to a greater extent than at previous elections ? – Yes, I think it was.

• 112.

  In what other way was it patent to the eye that a good deal of money was being spent ? – There were a good number of FLAGS flying especially over here, very handsome FLAGS indeed, which must have cost a good deal of money, in point of fact people came over to see them. There were a great many flying in our place.

• 113.

  Were there more at Deal ? – Yes, more at Deal and Walmer, there was quite a show of FLAGS over here, and very handsome ones.

• 114.

  I understand you to say that was done to a considerably greater extent than you had ever known it before in your knowledge ? – If I went back a good many years I would not say so, because we used to have wonderful shows years ago, before the Act putting down FLAGS and banners came into operation ; before that time we had most wonderful shows, worth seeing, FLAGS, banners, and ROSETTES, to an enormous extent.

• 115.

  I understand you to say that you have seen nothing like this since the Act passed ? – No, nothing like it; but before that the show was worth coming to see.

• 116.

  Was there any other respect in which you noticed a good deal of money being spent ? Did you notice anything in regard to the number of persons employed in canvassing ? – No, I know nothing about that. I saw a good many people running about the streets in Deal one day, but I know nothing about those that were employed. I should not think, as far as I know about it, that there was any excessive employment in Sandwich, I did not see the streets crowded with those people more than usual ; they always have a lot of hangers-on in the shape of agents, touters, canvassers, and so on.

• 117.

  Were there any great number of boys with boards ? – I happened to be in Deal one day and saw a procession of boys with boards ; they attracted my notice on account of the curiosity of the thing.

• 118.

  Was there much of that kind of thing in Sandwich ? – No, I did not see any.

• 119.

  Do you know whether a large number of conveyances were employed at the time of the election ? – I should think not at Sandwich, because there are not many conveyances there, I think all were employed that could be obtained, but I should think there would be many more at Deal and Walmer.

• 120.

  It is not a very long distance to walk from one end of Sandwich to the other, is it ? How long would it take you ? – Perhaps seven or eight minutes ; you may say 10 minutes.