A History of Parliamentary Elections and Electioneering 56

A History of Parliamentary Elections and Electioneering 56

“Brave bald-headed Sam, all must own is the man,

Who does canvass for brave Fox so clever;

His aversion, I say, is to _small beer and Wray_!

May his bald head be honour’d for ever, for ever!

May his bald head be honour’d for ever!”

 

The fact that the public was being treated to the excitement of perhaps

the most momentous and embittered, if not the hardest-fought election

on record, is shown in Rowlandson’s version of the Covent Garden

Hustings, round which is assembled a crowd of persons who are being

addressed from the platform, whereon stands one of the ministerial

candidates, Admiral Lord Hood, who is made to announce his intention

of carrying “two faces under a Hood!” This caricature is a pointed

comment upon the Court manœuvres, and exposes those royal tactics

which had already demoralized the allies of the defunct Coalition

Ministry. Major John Cartwright--the consistent and energetic advocate

of reform, of which he was one of the most valorous pioneers--is made

the mouth-piece of the artist’s satirical strictures, while endorsing

those views held by “The Drum-Major of Sedition” (March 29, 1784), as

the liberty-loving major, who remained conspicuous in the foremost

ranks of reformers all his days, was entitled by his adversaries. A

strongly ironical tendency characterizes the speech, which may be

regarded as a tolerably pungent electioneering squib:--

 

[Illustration:

 

_Themistocles._

Lord Hood.

 

_Demosthenes._

Charles James Fox.

 

_Judas Iscariot._

Sir Cecil Wray.

 

T. ROWLANDSON: THE RIVAL CANDIDATES--GREAT WESTMINSTER ELECTION. 1784.

 

“The gallant Lord Hood to his country is dear,

His voters, like Charlie’s, make excellent cheer;

But who has been able to taste _the small beer_

Of Sir Cecil Wray?

 

“In vain all the arts of the Court are let loose,

The electors of Westminster never will choose

To run down a Fox, and set up a _Goose_

Like Sir Cecil Wray.”

 

[_Page 266._]

 

[Illustration: MAJOR CARTWRIGHT, THE DRUM-MAJOR OF SEDITION.]

 

“All gentlemen and other electors for Westminster who are

ready and willing to surrender their rights and those of their

fellow-citizens to secret influence and the Lords of the

Bedchamber, let them repair to the prerogative standard, lately

erected at the Cannon Coffee House, where they shall be kindly

received--until their services are no longer wanted. This,

gentlemen, is the last time of asking, as we are determined

to abolish the power of the House of Commons, and in future

be governed by Prerogative, as they are in France and Turkey.

Gentlemen, the ambition of the enemy is now evident. Has he

not, within these few days past, stole the Great Seal of

England” (this had actually occurred, the great seal being

mysteriously carried off on the eve of the dissolution, which

had to be postponed until another seal could be made to

replace the missing instrument) “while the Chancellor[62] was

taking a bottle with a female favourite, as all great men do?

I am informed, gentlemen, that the enemy now assumes Regal

Authority, and, by virtue of the Great Seal (which he stole),

is creating of Peers and granting of pensions. A most shameful

abuse, gentlemen, of that instrument. If you assist us to

pull down the House of Commons, every person who hears me has

a chance of becoming a great man, if he is happy enough to hit

the fancy of Lord Bute and of Mr. Jenkinson.[63] Huzza! God

save the King!”

 

Pitt’s valour, then deemed intemperate, in taking up the reins of

office by “the royal will,” and thereby jockeying the discomfited

ex-Coalition Ministry, is commented upon by Rowlandson in the course

of his numerous caricatures on the great Westminster election. “The

Hanoverian Horse and the British Lion; a scene in a new play, lately

acted at Westminster with distinguished applause. Act ii., scene

last” (March 31, 1784), is a version intended to be prophetic of the

end, a view then warranted by circumstances, but one falsified by

the results of the general election, which consolidated the power

in Pitt’s hands, and completely left the opposition “out in the

cold!” a surprise by no means anticipated at the date of the cartoon

in question. The Parliament-house is shown as the arena of this

constitutional tournament, and the faithful Commons are victimized by

the aggressive tendencies of Pitt’s steed; the White Horse of Hanover

is trampling upon “Magna Charta,” the “Bill of Rights,” and mangling

the “Constitution.” Pitt, a remarkably light and boyish jockey, is

exciting the brute, who is neighing, “Pre-ro-ro-ro-ro-rogative” with

vicious energy. The youthful premier is enjoying the capers of his

mount: “Bravo! go it again; I love to ride a mettle steed. Send the

vagabonds packing.” The heels of the White Horse are effectually

scaring the members and making a clearance. The British Lion has

descended from his familiar post as a supporter of the royal ’scutcheon

over the Speaker’s chair; in the vacant space lately occupied by the

British Lion is the announcement, “We shall resume our situation here

at pleasure.--Leo Rex.” The sturdy figure of the Whig Chief is safely

mounted upon the British Lion, who is keeping a watchful eye upon

his Hanoverian rival, while protesting, “If this horse is not tamed,

he will soon be absolute king of our forest.” Fox has entered on the

scene of conflict, armed for the encounter with bit, bridle, and a

stout riding-whip, to tame and control the uproarious White Horse; he

is volunteering advice to his upstart rival, “Prithee, Billy, dismount

before ye get a fall--and let some abler jockey take your seat!” Fox

was reckoning without his “Martyrs,” which the results of the election

were destined to create on an unprecedented scale, as this review will

show. The reverse was shortly to be realized, as set down pictorially

by Rowlandson. The poll was opened April 1, and three days later

appeared a version of Fox as “The Incurable,” in a strait-waistcoat,

and with straw in his hair, singing:--

 

“My lodging is on the cold ground, and very hard is my case,

But that which grieves me most of all is the losing of my place.”

 

[Illustration: T. ROWLANDSON: THE HANOVERIAN HORSE AND THE BRITISH

LION. MARCH, 1784.

 

[_Page 268._]

 

The royal physician, Dr. Munro, is examining the patient through

his eye-glass, and attesting, “As I have not the least hope of his

recovery, let him be removed amongst the Incurables.”

 

“Dazzled with hope, he could not see the cheat

Of aiming with impatience to be great.

With wild ambition in his heart, we find,

Farewell content and quiet of his mind;

For glittering clouds he left the solid shore,

And wonted happiness returns no more.”

 

The most active and successful of Fox’s canvassers was undoubtedly the

Duchess of Devonshire, who, by the influence of her personal charms

and her winning affability, succeeded in procuring for the Whig chief

votes which would never have otherwise been polled in his favour. It

was of the beautiful and winsome Georgiana Spencer, that Hannay said

the Spencers had laid the world under further obligations by sending

forth a second “Fairy Queen,” and it was the Westminster Election of

1784 which first brought into celebrity this gay and graceful leader

of fashion, who, by universal suffrage, was the Queen of the Foxites.

In the earlier stages Fox was behind both his opponents, and although

Cecil Wray had only a small majority, Fox was at his last gasp. The

story is told in Wraxall’s “Posthumous Memoirs” by an eye-witness of

the incidents:--

 

[Illustration: THE DEVONSHIRE, OR MOST APPROVED MANNER OF SECURING

VOTES. 1784. BY T. ROWLANDSON.

 

“However courtiers take offence,

And cits and prudes may join, Sir,

Beauty will ever influence

The free and generous mind, Sir.

 

“Fair DEVON, like the rising sun,

Proceeds in her full glory,

Whilst Madam’s duller orb must own

The Duchess moves before her.”]

 

“The party were driven to new resources, and the Duchess

of Devonshire restored the fates of the Whig champion. The

progress of the canvass thenceforward is amusing. The entire

of the voters for Westminster having been exhausted, the

only hope was in exciting the suburbs. The Duchess instantly

ordered out her equipage, and with her sister, the Countess of

Duncannon, drove, polling list in hand, to the houses of the

voters. Entreaties, ridicule, civilities, influence of all

kinds were lavished on these rough legislators; and the novelty

of being solicited by two women of rank and remarkable fashion,

took the popular taste universally. The immediate result was,

that they gallantly came to the poll, and Fox, who had been a

hundred behind Sir Cecil, speedily left him a hundred behind

in return. An imperfect attempt was made on the hostile side

to oppose this new species of warfare by similar captivation,

and Lady Salisbury was moved to awake the dying fortunes of the

Government candidate. But the effort failed; it was imitation,

it was too late; and the Duchess was six-and-twenty, and Lady

Salisbury thirty-four! These are reasons enough, and more than

enough for the rejection of any man from the hustings.”

 

“A certain lady I won’t name

Must take an active part, sir,

To show that DEVON’S beauteous dame

Should not engage each heart, sir.

 

“She canvass’d all, both great and small,

And thundered at each door, sir;

She rummaged every shop and stall--

The Duchess had been before her.”

 

The Tories were furious at the success of the duchess, who, attended

by several beauties of the Whig aristocracy, and, among others, by

the fascinating Lady Carlisle, carried all before her; another rival

canvasser, in addition to the “Diana of Hatfield,” was set up in the

person of the Hon. Mrs. Hobart, Lady Buckinghamshire, of “Pic-nic”

fame, who, though “fat and fair,” was under “forty,” and remarkably

volatile, but, being of portly figure, this dashing lady, a connection

of Pitt’s, was by the opposition nicknamed “Madame Blubber,” and the

caricaturists, who represent her as canvassing for Hood and Wray, with

a weighty purse by way of inducement, make the electors on whom she

has tried her persuasive powers unanimous in asserting “I’m engaged

to the Duchess.” Mrs. Hobart was, however, looked upon as a rival of

the gracious Georgiana, and many satirical shafts, both by verse and

picture, were launched at her full-blown charms. Balloons, as novelties

at that time, were exciting a share of attention, and Madame Blubber as

the “Ærostatic Dilly,” was, as a balloon “launched at Richmond Park,”

shown in mid-air, convoying to the hustings outlying and dependent voters.