Testimonies

Surrage, Thomas Lyddon | Day 1

Witness Type: Other

Witness Testimony:

• 151.

  When was the return made of the May election on behalf of the Conservative candidate. First of all, do you produce the return of the expenses of Mr. Crompton Roberts ? – Yes, Do you want the vouchers handed in ?

• 152.

  Yes, the vouchers and the returns ? – Very well. (the same were produced and handed to the secretary.] The secretary has been all through those and they are now just as he arranged them. I see the return was received on the 2nd of August, the vouchers came a day or two after that.

• 153.

  I think that was the last day, was it not ? – No, it was far out of date, it is dated somewhere in the middle of July, but received on the 2nd of August.

• 154.

  There is a memorandum, “Received on 2nd of August. BILLS and vouchers received on 4th of August” ? – That is correct. The return is dated some fortnight before. That might have been in time, but I do not know exactly.

• 155.

  This is the return “Borough of Sandwich, Deal, and Walmer. Election 1880. Expenses paid on behalf of Mr. Crompton Roberts. Agents fee, 210L. Sub-agents, 92L. 10s. Cabs, railway fares, telegrams, Ac, 224L. 5s. 4d. Committee houses, 527L. 1s, 3d.Clerks personation agents at central offices, 125L 14s. 4 1/2d. Ditto per Mr. Usher, 370L. Postages, 22L 18s. 5d. Public meetings, 29L. 17s. Canvassers and messengers at Deal, 468L. 1s. Ditto at Sandwich, 83L. 16s. Ditto at Walmer, 60L. 14s. 5d. Bill posting, 35L 6s. 9d, Boards and boardmen, 139L. 19s. 2d. Posting stations, POLES, cordage, &c., 279L. 19s. 9 1/2d. Printing and stationery, 221L. 17s, 1d. Personal expenses, 106L 13s. 2d. Returning officer, 70L. 8s. 3d. Sundries, 84L. 3s. 3d. Total, 3,153L. 5s, 3d.” That was received by the returning officer on the 2nd of August, and the BILLS and vouchers for these disbursements were received by you on the 4th of August you say ? – Yes, in a separate parcel.

• 156.

  When did you first receive any return on behalf of the Liberal candidate. Sir Julian Goldsmid ? – On the 20th of September. I should state that Her Majesty’s judges called upon the agents for their accounts just as they stood. They sent for them, and they were then impounded by the judges and handed by them into my custody, I suppose I am quite right in handing them.

• 157.

  These were the vouchers handed in by the Liberal agent to the judges at the trial of the election petition ? – They were.

• 158.

  And then impounded and handed to you ? – They were called for, the agent was sent back to get them, and they were handed in to the judges, and impounded by the judges, and given to me to keep.

• 159.

  And these are them ? – Yes.

• 160.

  And the return, as they were delivered to you upon the election petition ? – Yes, I had them from the judges themselves. I have since got their own returns from the parties, but these ware papers taken out of their hands by the judges.

• 161.

  These were the papers handed in by the Liberal agent at the trial of the election petition ? – Yes, the judges called for them and impounded them.

• 162.

  And since then, on the 20th of September, you have got the return of the expenses from the Liberal agent ? – Yes, the regular return.

• 163.

  Did you receive any further vouchers with that return ? – They are all here.

• 164.

  And they came, when ? – Deal and Walmer return came on the 20th of September ; Sandwich on the 23rd, and they contain all the vouchers.

• 165.

  And these are the vouchers that accompanied that return ? – Yes, all the vouchers that accompanied that return.

• 166.

  There was a separate summary for Sandwich and for Deal and Walmer ? – Yes. This is the abstract for Deal and Walmer, “Borough of Sandwich, Deal, and Walmer, Parliamentary election. May 1880.

  Sir Julian Goldsmid, Baronet Expenses paid on behalf of the above candidate.

  For COMMITTEE ROOMS, Deal 30L.
  Messengers, personating agents, COMMITTEE ROOMS’ clerks and assistants, Deal, 220L. 4s. 6d.
  Ditto, Walmer, 69L, 18s. 10d.
  Postage stamps, &c., 6L. 5s. 6d.
  Total, 445L. 7s. 2d.”

  That is signed by the election expenses agent. Then this is the abstract of expenses for Sandwich, “Sandwich. COMMITTEE ROOMS “Bell” hotel, 17L. Ditto per Mr. Coleman, as per list, 28L. Ditto per Mr. Hunter, 10L. Conveyances and carriage hire, 10L. 18s. B. Grey, bill posting, 4L. Dennis, ditto, 2L. Out-voters railway fares, 8L. Coleman, for WATCHERS, 16L. Printing and registers of electors, 20L. lOs. 11d. Committee and assistant committee clerks, 15L. W. W. Woodruff for messengers, polling and personating clerks, 35L. 6s. Coleman, for canvassers, disbursements, and petty expenses, 40L. Personal expenses “Bell” hotel, 48L. 17s. 3d. Special train to Deal, postages, telegrams, &c., 17L. 11s. Returning officer’s expenses, 70L. 8s. 3d. Agent’s fee, 100L. Total, 443L 5s. 11d.” That is signed by the agent, Edmund Brown.

• 167.

  Perhaps to-morrow you will be able to let us have the returns of the expenses in 1874 ? – Certainly. I will send them to the secretary in the course of to-morrow.

• 168.

  (Mr. Jeune.) As far as you could see was there any treating at Sandwich at the last election ? – I do not know at all, but I should say not. I never heard of any.

• 169.

  Were any of the PUBLIC-HOUSES open ? – Not what we used to call being open in the old fashioned way. I saw very little going on in the PUBLIC-HOUSES except BILLS being kept in the window.

• 170.

  Were there crowds round any of the PUBLIC-HOUSES during the election ? – I saw none at Sandwich.

• 171.

  You live at Deal, do you ? – I live at Sandwich, I was only at Deal occasionally.

• 172.

  Were you at Deal on the day of the election ? – I came to the polling booth to see all was going on right.

• 173.

  Was there any drunkenness that you saw at Sandwich or Deal ? – I saw no tippling at all. It seemed a very quiet election as for as regards noise and drink.

• 174.

  You thought as regards noise and crowds and so on it was a quiet election rather than otherwise ? – Decidedly so. Much quieter than the elections some years ago, which were wonderfully noisy.

• 175.

  As regards the FLAGS, before the Act there always used to be, both at Sandwich and Deal, a great display of that kind of thing ? – A great display, especially ROSETTES ; everyone had a colourful rosette or cockade.

• 176.

  The Act was in 1854, was it not ? – Somewhere about that, I think.

• 177.

  The effect of the Act was to put down that kind of thing for a time, was it ? – I think so.

• 178.

  Of late years you think it has been rather growing up again ? – Well, candidates were rather glad to save the expense, and I presume made that an excuse for not doing so ; but at last one was given, and another, and so the thing has grown up.

• 179.

  And of late years you think it has been growing again ? – Very sightly since the last election. There were always FLAGS more or less. Private individuals always supplied FLAGS of their own, There were always some FLAGS, but not in the large lavish way you are now speaking of.

• 180.

  I think you told us that the municipal contests in Sandwich are not political ? – Certainly not.