Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Monday 15 September 1851, page 2


THE CITY ELECTION.

DECLARATION OF THE POLL.

At noon on Saturday last, A. Russell, Esq., Returning Officer for the City of Melbourne, announced the poll, as taken on the scrutiny. A very large concourse of people, fully as many as had attended at the nomination, were present at the hustings on the occasion.

The Returning Officer, after stating that the return had been very carefully made up, called upon the Town Clerk to read the numbers polled for the various candidates in each of the Wards. The list was as follows : -

Fitzroy. Lons- Gipps. La Bourke.

dale. Trobe.

Mr Westgarth 222 257 260 285 178 " O'Shanassy 53 194 460 197 264 " Johnston 268 174 285 242 162 " Nicholson 292 192 247 254 109 " Hodgson 138 123 162 101 94 " Greeves 21 48 83 64 41 " Cole 13 72 33 41 57 The total number polled for each candidate

would thus be :

For Mr Westgarth . . 1202

" O'Shanassy .. .. 1168 " J. S. Johnston .. 1128 " W. Nicholson .. 1094 " Hodgson ... .. ... 618 " Greeves . . . . . . 257 " Cole .. .. .. 219

The Returning Officer therefore declared Mr Westgarth, Mr O'Shanassy, and Mr Johnston, to have been duly elected.

The announcement of the name of each of the representatives was received with loud and prolonged cheers.

Mr WESTGARTH. The numbers just read off by the Returning Officer showed that he had been returned at the head of the Poll. To be elected to represent any constituency in this happy land he should have considered an honor , but to be elected at the head of the poll for so large and important a constituency as that of Melbourne, was such a distinguished honor, that he had a difficulty in finding words to euable him to express in suitable terms the sense he entertained of it. He could only say that they had conlon eil on lum tho highest honor that hu had ci ci rcciiM.il at tho h mils ot his tallow-men

lue i otts, hon lui, had been no mill) equal foi four ol tho landidatc?, that he logietio I nut tiny had not lud lout moinb rs to icturii ins end of lliae. Ho hid Ioho his biRt on a loi mer oc-casion to soctno timm luui upitheiitiliui., mid lind Imkd I tit hu trusted that tho d;i\ « is not iur distant winn tiny nuull In cat'td on lo a turii foui, ii nut more, icpitsoiitulius tut that gicatcity. (Chtcis)

Mi O'öll liNASSl « as going fii nt lo ask thom a question lluw had they liked the ni ming of tim old hoisi i i hi-y hid"last len emend bun for the Consolât on hlukts id tim Cny Council in Bourke Wind, uni although he bul bom beuten, if «comed that his fiutul« lind so fane id hw

running that they bad this yeal uitutd him loi the To« ii Piulo, und ho hnpid he lind ni tills

appointed tho expeditions ol his li lend-, in lim-ning to llio poll, us he had tlisii| pi Ulled tin hopes ol his mourns in nut nuiuiii-, «win flinn ii In stalling foi the upnsiut i tiou he bud tiki li tem piuiiplis to gil du lu n, mid it (UM um «lo Iml Ulli ml the lists h ni adoplid ibu», it »ould Innu gieully Undid In the Dun dil and a li intake of be collin li llio fust pian, lu I nil di tem.mid not to \v\. tin loss ol his hiiilib, !y | inimbulating the lack lanes ol tho t iii , 111*1110 suomi, hu hud dm i ni ned upiu rpi inlinn us Ililli mon \ as lit could upjii lusibitiini ,iu the thud, lie I ail ni de up his ininti nut lo h an his leuijiei, «li ii in nuijil hu th« r suit , und in tho louith, lie lud i omi io the iioneliHion nut lo Uno v liim-a It into the V. ui i », mu though tlio ilectois lind ti on) d i0aiust mid ic|citul bun Aul no v thal be wits choleil, ho w >iild till tluti'that m loining loiwuid hu lind hud no dtblio but tint of lui -ihering us fal as po>siblt, and tu miiih us his humble liileuts w ni I illni him, tho niiensU o'tin'i minn, f li \ li ni now, li mum, ii

.carded his efforts by raising bim ti ns high a i position as he could well occupy, after his having struggled fur years against those who ?nid opposed him on lind-the very worst of .'round*. Tlie opposition that had been Hero-1 to him had bc.-.i wrung, for I was not, io a innti's religious .pinions, or lo thu country of his birth ?hat objection should bj madoj tho only grounds if o'ppositinii should lien man's principies, and on .Lese, und these alone, lot him stand or fall. Principies were the truo criterion on which to test it mini's c mipi'teucy ; if this test nlone were ipp'ied, they would so m precipitate this scat rered and comparatively insignificant conmu

lily, into a great nation. Dissension lind always »eon the curse of all p.-opie and nations ; whereas by joining together, they would be raised to Hie highest pitch of greatness that n ..ouiitry could occupy. When ho had last stood before them, he lind been the only candidate who bud spoken at any length against what had been considered a most popular subject-the Hullut. Why he lind done so, had been that the oilier candidates hail been asked to give their reasons for opposing it, but had declined doing so ; knowing then that tlio public, wished to have these opinions, he nlono amongst the ciindidales hud had the manly courago to como boldly before thom, in the face of tho assembled multitude, and to stato his oonvictions. Sinco his election ho had not

aitcred those opinions, and his return had shewn him that he had been right in giving them publicity. Ile considered all men responsible fur their actions, and he wished, therefore, to seo no slur-chamber proceedings originate!, but Hint all public acts should lie open, amenable alike to public opinion, and, if needful, to public justin.». There were many questions that he wished to touch upon, but he did not wish to take up their time. There was one, however, that lie must advert to. Any person looking at the working of the Victoria Electoral Act, must have seen that Instead of bei ii g able, as was «aid of Acts of Pitrli.iinent, to drive a coach and four through it, it would he very easy to drive a team of builoo'is and a wool dray through it. The fact waa, it wus such an irrational and con-

glomerated mass of nonsense, that he was assu e l < it would only require n sound from tho voice of the people to secure its repeal. A most power-ful opposition had been offered to him from the quarter lie bad before «I.udoil to, whilst tim whole Press, or at least the majority of it, by long odds, had been against him ; heliad yet, however, found support enough to soi.-ure his positive return. And this support hud not been derived from any sol of individuals, or from any class, but'from men of every shade of religious opinion, and from every country. Ho had recorded votes fruin Englishmen, üootuhinen, und Irishmen, and oven from Gormans. Ho had run them for tlio Town Pinte, and been one of tho winners, < nly Hint tho Collingwood Sweepstakes hud turned ugain.st him, mid prevented bim from holding the most honourable piuco. Still ho was not sorry that, Mr. Westgarth stool nt the head of tho pull, for doubtless that gentleman had far higher chiinii on-them for public services than he could have. Ho had been refused admittance into the smallest oflice that the City Council had at its uisposal, still he had not lost his temper; and this denial had not prevented him lrom endea-vouring io servo tho public elsewhere. Ho had not put, lorwnrd, prior to this election, the" ser-vies bo had rendered to the pulilin ns «'claim for their support ; and ho therefore considered hhtuelf entitled to mention those s.-rviuos ttow, when huviiig allowed the claim to oin-, they could hardly rui'tisu it to another, li'or four years he hal been sect-entry to the friendly Brothers-a society established to afford relief tu nil who required it, iriospectivo of creed or country

with tho hospital also he lind been connected sinco its establishment, und lud laboured nu hard for its e.sliibiishnient und its welfare as any lind done. Un the grounds of local services, theil, ho bud as much claim to the support that had liven given lo -him, as any other candidate had. lie did not disputo tho palin of having been at the head of tlio poll, hut ho had said on the day of nomination that he would be ono ol the représentatives, and he was so, and hu ».as indeed proud of the position he oc ttpied, even though, but a secondnry one. A rep irt had been circulate I, no doubt with ti nulinious inten-tion, to the effect that it was absolutely impos-

sible to account for tho union that'had taken'

placo between a certain class on his behalf ; hough this might haw been accounted for hy the six yi-ari of opposition that liu -had , suffered, during* vi hielt ho would not, however, bo put down. It was said then, that the ministers of his religion had, from their ttltur exhorted thoir congrégation to git up to the poll mid vote f.ir him. Ho could my conscientiously that from tho period hu had first attended the oftWs of his Clitireh, in the rolouy, ho had never heard one allusion made in the Church lo llio politics of the coun-try, nor iiuy advice given to nny as to the m nie in which they should give their vote Tho statement was quite untru?, and he took that public method of stating it, not only as an act of justice, hat as an act of duty. Ha mi^hi mention that whilst he had boen supported hy-men of every sh»de of religious opinion, onu suet in particular had given bim unexampled mi »port, k11 of their body liad voted for Iii ii. tie alluded to thu members of tho Jewish conj.r gitiun. Ho had previously stuto.l it to he ono of his principles that the- provisions of tho Church Act should be extended, to ovcrv religion» denomi-nation ; that had been his opinion then, and such was his opinion now; mid l.c c u'd not perre!vo on what prinople- of justice,

bite Jews wore ox.iliid.-d from- tue nl

vatitage.s offered by the Ant, especially as Hie Úoviriiineiit bad' acted on the principle of the-acl, in granting certain portions of land to tho Jews fur religii.us purposes. The simple rule that lie considered should guide th. m in these matters was, " Do tisi you would be done by." He now begged to thank them for tho support they had given hint, and to congratul-ttu them on "the pcacciitdo and orderly lillimur in which th»y bad conducted thorns -Ive?, ' through-out the electijii. This lia I clearly ^ proved, that if thoy would but adopt his motto, "1'ij.ico, law, order,and temperance," duii-ig election proceedings, there would bo no neces-sity for thu ballot. Tho election had proved tho justice of the remarks he bud wade, mid Mel-

bourne had shown itself to be a credit' to the country and worthy ol' occupying tho place it did as tho head ol' a great und rising colony, froud iudeid was ho of tho City on this eceii kioit, and proud would ho ho if ho could believe that any porli'in ol the tianquillity could be

iitliibiitcd to hint. Hu would uoiv assure them that he should no1 go into the Council .to repre-sent a chiss or a dénomination, hut, ou publia grounds, to bo u-iol'til to all ¡ no class, party, or religion should guiclo him, but only the_ great principles of justice, equality, and universal liberty, (bond cheers )

Mr JOHNSTON had been that mniniiig told that it was tho custom in Sydney and elsewhere for the candidatos to make Jong "speeches at the announcement of the t'o I ¡ but, for his part, he hail been for tho last week past in such a stale of excitement, that ho was now in n stato of col-lapse, and theielbro in uri sort ol' a humour to inilict a long speech on them.' Hu had, there-fore, to return them his guileful thanks for tlio honor they had (hue him ; mid, as ho had said on the i\'m of nomination, lhere was not room for the seven candidates at the head of Hw Poll, lie was quito satisfied lo bo in such it position ns would return lim, in fact, any where that he could bo useful to them ; nnd he wits quite s.ire that ho sh ,uld not ho a bit lois useful because ho happened to bo at the foot ol'tho Pull. He might say with Mr O'shanassy that he should go into tlio Council to loprcseut no class, und ho would go farther lindsay th.t ho should do all in hin power to prevent nil class representation mid ohm législation Ile went into the Council tis theil repieseii'ttitve, as the merni cr of the people, for it had been tho poopliyind i he people ulone.t hut lind returned him All tho Government ofl'nyi-» hail voted against him, so had all the ningis tiatcs and all the greut mon, and hu owed his uleclioii therefore to what the Daily News called the rabble. (Cheers and InnghlerJ Ho was pi'tlecllv «¡Hing, Hun, to yo into the Council as tho rubble loprcontalivi». (bond and prolonged cheers mixed with laughter ) Ho had been u.utioned Itv many ol' Ins friends, that his chief fault was tliat ho' was too personal. Hut let bout reinemiior that he had been now for up w irds ol' six years in tho City Council, nun iliirinu, that period ho had had nothing but au up-hill figltl, having always been woikmgina minority. Ad tho Pi em was against hitit, with titi exceplioii of Olio papor, and that told liim that hu had done nothing. He- had battled hard to support their interestH, and the result ol that election showed that ho had not battled m vnin. If, II.bo lind been loo \io!ent tniil to» pi Mun ii wite-n struggling in the nvnnrity mt .

1 which late had cast hi.ii, it had only been be-

cause he felt koenly for them, the people. Had he ¡.one, however, to tim nt''<- -ide, bud ho trniikied und pandered to'the Cuivrimiuiit instead of stiiiid ing by the people, he might, long ugo have been. .Miyor of Melboune. (Cheers) li« would havo been repaid fur ( his treachery by the .Mayoral chnir. (Cheers.) But his honesty of purpose had been that day rewarded by placing bim in ii position much m ro proud and honour-able limn that of any gentleman who had filled the civic chair,-it bad gained bim the highest object of his ambition, by placing him amongst their representatives, lie was also so much the moro proud at having been placed there by tbam, the people, than if he had been so by any other class. (Loud cheers ) He trusted they' would'pardon him if ho noticed a circumstance thal had almos: slipt his memory. Some ol' his friends had mado complaints to him at his having called Mr Hull, "Old Hull" Ho con-fessed that he had been wrong in so doing, and he was not, therefore, too proud, or too narrow minded to ask panton for that, which li» con. fessed ho had rapped out in a moment of excito

ment, certainly without tho least intention ot insulting that gentleman. They knew, how over, as well ns hu did, mid this might bo some excuse for bim, that Mr Hull, ivith that free-dom of language common in new conulries, was mora gent-rally known ns " Old Hull" in contradistinction, no doubt, to the largo fry of Young Hulls. It, however, tho expression had hurt tho feelings of Mr Hull, or had in any wixy jarre.l upon the ears of tho citizens, he would candidly say ho was very sorry for it ; ho had done wrong. Had ho been beaten he would not have said as much, he lind too much of the S.'oluh spirit in bim ; but nsho hid won the day, ho could well afford to make an apology where a struy word liad done harm. Hid Mr 'Hull con-tented himself with noiifiniiting.Mr Westgarth as he ought to have done, mid spoke .inly to tho subje.'t in hand, he woull havo had no notice from him, Mr J. ; but. as he nbuscil and insulted them by talking of tho pollution of the ballot, and by toiling them over and ovor again that they were none of them hull'so enlightened as he was, ho could not help having a few words to say to that gentleman, especially us hu knew that there was hardly a man thero but ivas as enlightened, and very many of them much more so I lum Mr Hell. (Cheers.) And yet all Ibis was told

ihcm, al! the abuse was uttered whilst ho was

in tlio simo breath pandering tu toe publi-cans,-bo need not teil them why. With regard to the niugist aey, he would remark tbnt some of them «ere honorable men, and independent' enough even to go tho length of voting for him Hu had met one gentloman, a magistrate, coining out of one of the polling rooms, who, informingliim that ho had just given hiss a vote, hoped that he would bo moro modérale in future, mid try to behave, hims.-lf better. He, Mr J, lind promised that he would do so, and for their sukes he would keep that promise. Thoy had honored him by choosing bim ns their représentative, and he would never disgraco them. He lind fought a long; and a savor e fight, anti hud at last reached the top of the hill, and he now assured thuin that ho meant ti bo a good boy and b have himself. (Cheers and laughter.) It had been said by one journal, in lamenting the defeat of its candidates, Unit the re-stilt was solely owing to the apathy e,f the people; and in proof of th's llio writer pointed to-tIib peace ami tranquillity that had reigned

throughout the election. ( Laughter and cries of "oh oh.") Now he would say'1 that this statement was not true, for there never w.is moro real honest excitoment than there

hal been on the day of election, and it was rather too bad that, because the eleotors didn't chouse to fight with auch other, that they should be accused of apathy (Lou 1 cheers and laughter.) Some persons had objected to his colleague, Mr O'shanassy, because he was a »did Irishman ; but he for one had interfered willi none of the

candidates. Hu bud started on his own account.. and had continued so, notwithstanding that ha had b.cn over mid over again bailed up in com-mit loo rooms, and naked to do sotiiuthitig for this or that candidate But in no ease hid ho interfered ; his instructions to his committo.) had been lo get all the votes they could for himself, and not to trouble themselves about anybody else. However, there was no fear of Mr O'shan-assy. (Laughter.) The doctors had managed to keep bim right, by placing him between twa canny Scotchmen. If Mr Westgarth on the on« side, us tho representative of the urislocrasy, and himself on tho other, as the repräsentative of tho " rabble," did not koep their colleague right, it would be wonderful indeed. Thjre was no fear but that thoy would work well toguther. Ile lind been with

bim in the Town Council, and he could safely ! say that ho had always found bim a reason iblu man. ( Loud cheers. ) He would not alíndelo those «bo had not been returned. It was im-

possible that all could win, mid it was impossible that everybody euuld be at the top of tlio Poll.' There was nut room for all, and ho only re-gretted that there was not room fur one moro, at least, amongst the representatives ; at all events, ho trusted ons day, nndveiy shorllv, to make room for more. It lind been said that tlieiv had. denn unfair dealings by som.) of tho return-ing, officers, hut ho did not think this. Hu believed thoy had all dono the best they could for al. He s;ioko of tliem'us a whole,und as lur ns ho had see ., nothing but fair play li id over mot his oyes. Hu know that (hey had given a vast deal of labour mid n mo-t minuto o disidí ration tj til * oil and Unit they had in. d « a return as honest as they could do. He now oily uislioiltonllii.le to one moro'subject. It had boen tho Ballot that had placed him

where he was. It bud been tho Ballot that

at tiireo o'clock lint, placed him ut tho head of the Poll, whero he might have n

maincd had not his Commiltca divided their attention with other candidates. These,

eloctiona, however, had shown that tho days ol' influence and power wuro at nn end ; and that all power now was in the liainls of the pcoplv. Liberty had, within the lust few years, ninda a great advnnco in the colony. Let them hope

that tho march would still be onward-tho watc.li irords " Freedom and Liberty :" but let these bo inscribed on the white banner of Peace, and never raised as a war cry in this happy lnnd. (Loud mid prolonged cheers.)

Mr W. NICHOLSON ; Though they bad not le'.nrned lum hu had nut lost his temper, neither had ho jumped into the Yarra : such a slight re-buff hail scarcely affected bim. He carno now, ns in duty bound, to thank them for the position they hill given him on Ihe Poll, so liltlo liolow

tho elected members. This showed bim that hu

had not aspired too highly, an I that hù'mightbo justified in coining before them at somo future day. (Cheers.) _ As chief magistrate of the City, he bad to congratulate them on tho peuo» sud good order they had maintained throughout

the election.

Mr HODGSON then came forward, and said, that in appearing before the electors that day, he oould not congratulate them on having returned him as one of their représentatives, as the successful candidates had done ; but at the same time he begged to thank most cordially all those who would have returned him if they could, and who doubtless did right when they saw there yvas no change of his success, in giving their votes to those candidates they considered to be most worthy of their confidence. He had

not withdrawn from the contest in the conviction that it was useless to continue it ; for, in one particular ward he knew, for a certainty, that his friends could have polled at least one hundred more votes, had they deemed it expedient to lo so, He begged to congratulate those men who had been returned, and hoped they would bw at all times found at their posts, and would be strenuous in their endeavours to promote the interests of their constituents. The quiet and peaceful manor in which the election had been conducted, redounded to the honour and credit of the people of Melbourne, and would be appreciated not only here, but in Great Britain

In taking his leave of the electors, ho begged to assure them that, whatever position he occupied, he should at all times endeavour to be of service to his fellow-citizens on every

future occasion. He thanked them for the

support which they had given him, and trusted that if he again solicited their suffrages, he should meet with " better luck next time "

Captain COLE was the next speaker, and commenced by assuring the electors that he thanked them for placing him in the position he occupied- the bottom of the Poll. (Cheers and laughter.) He also thanked all those who had us-,it>toil Kim in currying out Ihe principles ho hud adopted ; hu ha I lint solieiti'd a single Kutc, und nnd determined not lo e'oso, ns ho wished nh mo.i lo hu free, and net in nee irdiiiiRu nilli their ooiisnieuco.s. He was quito delighted that tho elect ion had passed off in Mich a peaceable nunncT, mid he hoped llul it always would bo

The .speaker then w th-liviv/and iiiMieiliati'ly ihero were loud cii s for^Dr .(»reeves, win had not nimio Ins "nppeur>ii(i4 on lln itiw'iiigs. The nurthy do-tor not responding to thu call. A Murnini Johnston said, that as it appeared that one of the eunilidatcs was absent, it was to he hoped tit it Mr O'Snauassy had not been joking on a serions subject. (I.ottd laughter.) As the gontlemin was absent, he (Alderman Johnston) considered that it was his duty to ask, und he was Bitro that they would n)\ respond to it, Hit co cheers for the Returning' Oiiijor.

Mr O'SHANASSY had great pleasure in seconding tho rcqu»st, und at the samo time in recording tho expression ol' his sincere thank-fulness to Mr Russell, for the efiioiont manner in which he had discharged his arduous duties.

" Three hearty cheeis were then given, and the compliment having been briefly responded to hy Air Russell, the business ol' tho utty was brought to a close.