Chiefly Political
"Do you think that you can really get in?' said Jane, eagerly. 'I know
that my uncle said the Liberal interest was much stronger in the burghs
of late, and you are really the fittest man they could have. I was
quite pleased to hear from Tom that you are so soon appreciated. Of
course, he is enthusiastic on the subject."
"I do not know if I am appreciated or not, but the burghs are a little
tired of a struggle between the Conservative duke and the Whig earl,
always resulting in some one being put up on both sides, to whom there
were no strong objections, and no strong recommendations--a mere
nobody, in fact."
"You are popular in the county, are you not?" asked Jane.
"No, not exactly. I do not think I could possibly carry the county,
even if I could afford the contest, for I am not considered a safe
person for the landed interest. I gained some eclat on the road
trusteeship, by opening a road which was a great public convenience,
but I lost more than I gained there, by my allotments, which are looked
on as a dangerous precedent. The cottages make me popular with those
who have no votes, and with the more enlightened class of farmers, but
the old school of tenants object to them, and almost all the landlords
fear that they may be asked to lay out money in the same way. On the
whole, I am considered rather a dangerous man in the county, but in the
burghs I am popular, I think. I have the character of being a man of
the people, who has not lost sympathy with his class, and I can afford
to give them my time and services, such as they are."
"If you go in, you want to do so independently," said Jane.
"Yes, I do; and here I risk my election. The Liberal party want a
certain vote, which they think they could secure better by sending up a
stranger from the Reform Club, who knows little and cares less about
the burghs, than by supporting a man who will look into political and
national questions for himself, and who will not be a mere partisan. If
they mistrust me and send some one to divide the Liberal interest, I
can only save the Swinton burghs from the duke's man, by retiring."
"But how foolish to divide the Liberal interest," said Jane.
"My dear Jane, you forget that his party is dearer to a party man than
anything else. The question to be considered--and I want to see how
your nice conscience will guide you through the bewildering mazes of
political morality--is this: Whether it would be right to pledge myself
to the party, in which case I am sure of my return, or to remain
independent, and so make it very doubtful," said Francis.
"You cannot vote always with the Liberals--at least with the Liberals
who form governments and oppositions," said Jane. "They are often in
the wrong, and particularly so in the bestowal of patronage, which, I
suppose, is a very important matter among party politicians. The
appointments which the Whigs have made of late years have often been
most shamefully actuated by family or party reasons, and not with a
single eye to the public service. Many times the Conservatives are
really more liberal than the Whigs--sometimes the Whigs are more
Conservative than the Tories. It is of the first importance that there
should be many men such as you in Parliament, who will watch over both
parties; and, if this determined dualism is at work everywhere, how are
such men to get into the legislature? But, surely, you could carry the
burghs--you can speak, can you not?"
"I don't know, I never tried; but I dare say I could beat Mr.
Fortescue, the duke's candidate. He has never opened his mouth in the
House, but to give his vote, and on the hustings he made no figure."
"Try the independent course, by all means; you may be beaten, but then
if you succeed, you will be so much more useful."
"It will probably cost me a thousand pounds."
"It is shameful that the duty of serving one's country for nothing
should be so dearly bought. If you get in, you must try to introduce
some measure to reduce election expenses."
"A difficult matter. The object of the Parliament, when once assembled,
is to make it difficult and expensive to get in. To keep the
candidature within the limits of a privileged body is considered a
great safeguard."
"Not by me, or by you," said Jane. "I want you to get in because you
know the feelings and the wants of the people who have no votes better
than ninety-nine out of a hundred, who are members of Parliament. Oh!
Francis, I feel quite sure that if you exert yourself you can get in.
And what is a thousand pounds?--you have it to spare."
"I am doubtful," said Francis, shaking his head, "if I can afford to go
into Parliament."
"Have you not two thousand a year? and do not lawyers who can scarcely
make a living go into Parliament? I am sure there is some perjury on
the subject of property qualification--but as, perhaps, the latter is
unnecessary, it is the less matter."
"They go to increase their means, or their practice, or their
influence, and generally take the first opportunity of accepting
something better than the Chiltern Hundreds under Government," said
Francis.
"There must be something very wrong somewhere, if a country gentleman
of your standing cannot afford to give his services to the House of
Commons. Have you brought the requisition that was sent to you?" said
Jane.
"Yes; do you really want to see it? I have it in my pocket, and if I
really felt in earnest on the subject, I ought to communicate with Mr.
Freeman, the earl's political agent in London, to know how he will
favour a man who would support the general policy of Government, but
who will hold himself free to vote against them whenever he sees them
in the wrong. My only means of securing the earl's influence is by
convincing him that he cannot carry the burghs against Fortescue by
such a man as he has to put up; and as I am rather doubtful on that
point, I can scarcely assert it confidently. If he chooses to withhold
his family interest he can make me fail; but if it comes to the push, I
would rather retire than let Fortescue get in."
"Electioneering, then, is very nice and difficult work," said Jane.
"Very difficult for the scrupulous, the sincere, and the far-seeing."
"Who are just the sort of people whom we want to see in Parliament."
"Whom YOU want to see, Jane, but not whom the two great parties wish to
see. Then, should I go to Mr. Freeman, do you think, with this
requisition and a frank declaration of my principles, and hear what he
says on the matter? If the earl supports me I may count on a majority
of twenty--a safe enough one; and if not, shall I spend the thousand
pounds in a glorious defeat; writing the boldest and most independent
of addresses; making the most uncompromising speeches from the
hustings, if I can find voice?"
"No fear of your finding voice, Francis," said Jane, warmly.
"Regardless of the savour of rotten eggs; undaunted by the sneers at my
birth and breeding; the tales about my father, the jeers at my mother;
and only retiring at the last moment, when I have said all that I have
got to say, but which, I fear, my audience were not much in a mood to
hear. My own idea is, that I should succeed better in the calm
argumentative debates in Parliament, than as a hustings orator, or a
popular declaimer."
"Yes, you will, and you certainly should try the second, that you may
attain to the first. My uncle was asked to stand for these burghs some
ten years ago, but he was too crotchety, and could not write an address
that was at all likely to be acceptable to the electors, so he gave up
the contest before it began. Yet, you know, it would be well to have a
few crotchety people in the House of Commons. The game of life, whether
social or political, is not played by only two sets of black and red
men--like chess or backgammon."
"I have met a gentleman at Miss Thomson's pretty frequently," said
Francis, "who struck me as having the most remarkable qualifications
for a member of Parliament. He has a habit of recurring to first
principles which is rather startling, but which always forces you to
give a reason for the faith that is in you, and which either confirms
your opinion satisfactorily, or changes, or modifies it. He has retired
from business on about 700 pounds a year--which he has made in America,
principally--has no family, no cares, and plenty of leisure--is the
most upright of men, and knows more of the principles of jurisprudence,
and the details of commercial matters than any one I ever knew; but no
constituency would choose him, and he cannot afford to throw away a
thousand pounds for the privilege of having his say out. He is one of
the electors of Swinton, and particularly anxious that I should contest
the burghs. His own vote he can answer for, but he boasts of no large
following; though he is a man who ought to exert mental influence, he
is too far ahead to be popular. If I were to stand, and were to
succeed, I will find him a most useful prompter; and with you to
inspire enthusiasm for the public service, and this Mr. Sinclair to
suggest principles and details, I ought to distinguish myself."
"I am quite sure that you will," said Jane; "so my advice is to lose no
time in seeing Mr. Freeman. I cannot believe that people who call
themselves liberal can act so illiberally as to endeavour to stifle
independence. You will tell me a different tale tomorrow."
Francis did as Jane advised him, and as he himself thought he should
do, and waited on Mr. Freeman. It happened to be a time of a lull in
party politics; there was no question strongly before the public mind
on which Whigs and Tories were so equally pitted that one vote was of
extreme importance; there was no near prospect of a change of Ministry,
and the great Whig houses had been much baited lately about their
family selfishness and their party selfishness being quite as bad as
that of the old Tory set. So it appeared to Mr. Freeman at the present
crisis to be a very wise and expedient thing to offer support to an
independent man like Mr. Hogarth, for it was very questionable if the
duke, who had been more liberal in his expenditure in the towns, would
not carry it against a mere club man, and they had no better man to
spare. Mr. Hogarth, at least, was sure to ask nothing of the
Government. His support, when they got it, would cost nothing; his
adverse vote would be only on outside questions, as a rule. It would
look very well for the county election, which was to be a very tough
affair between a younger son of the duke and a younger brother of the
earl, that Mr. Hogarth, of Cross Hall, should have the earl's cordial
support in the burghs. His vote was secure for the Honourable James,
and all those he could influence, he hoped. Francis said he could
answer for his own, but his tenants must please themselves.
"Oh, yes, certainly; but tenants generally find it for their advantage
to vote with their landlord," said the agent.
"I will give my tenants distinctly to understand that they must vote
from conviction, and that that will please me. That is my view of being
a Liberal," said Francis.
"And if all the other county proprietors had the same view the
Honourable James would walk the course; but we must oppose all the
stratagems of war of an enemy who takes every advantage, and strains to
the utmost the influence of property and patronage."
"I want to go in with perfectly clean hands," said Francis.
"Bless you, so does everybody," said the parliamentary agent; "but
somehow there is a lot of queer work must be done to get fairly seated
on the benches."
"I not only wish it, but I mean to do it," said Mr. Hogarth.
"Well, well--I hope you will be able to manage it. I must introduce you
to the earl. I think he will say, as I say, that he will give you
cordial support; so that the sooner you get your address out the
better--as soon in the field as possible, and don't fall asleep over
it. The other party are like weasels--they are not to be caught
napping; and will undermine what you fancy secure ground, if you only
give them a chance."
The result of Francis' interview with the earl was as satisfactory as
that with the agent. Party for once was inclined to waive its high
prerogative, and to allow a person to slip into Parliament without any
pledge as to future action. His manner prepossessed the earl; he
received an invitation to dinner to meet a few political friends, and
to talk over the canvass for the county, which was one on which all
their strength was to be expended. Harriett Phillips was all the more
interested in Mr. Hogarth when he had been invited to dinner with a
peer of the realm, and stood a good chance of adding M.P. (though only
for a Scotch group of burghs) to his name. Even Mrs. Phillips felt a
little excited at the idea of a British member of Parliament, and
seemed to view both Jane and Elsie with more favour than she had done
before; while Mr. Phillips, anxious to do away with the impression of
his first interview with Mr. Hogarth, was quietly and cordially
hospitable, and hoped that the Swinton burghs would return him, that
they might have the pleasure of his society in London for the coming
sessions. Francis spent a week or more in London, and promised Miss
Phillips to pay a visit to her father in Derbyshire by and by. Mr.
Brandon was completely at a discount, and as fairly out of the circle
of Harriett's probable future life at Ashfield as if he had sailed for
Australia.