Peterborough Election
Alledged Political Apathy
At noon yesterday the annual Bridge Fair was proclaimed by the Mayor and Corporation with a procession of halberdiers, beadles, and other town officials, and for the next three days the town will be invaded with thousands of people from all parts of the surrounding district, and to a great extent from all parts of the kingdom. It is one of the largest stock fairs in the country, and the pleasure fair vies in its ancient glories with the famous Nottingham Goose Fair. Large numbers of extra policemen are drafted into the city from the surrounding counties, and numbers of detectives in private clothes mingle with the throng. Under these circumstances both political camps have agreed upon an armistice until next Friday. No public meetings will be held till the end of the fair, for the reason that it is the harvest of a large number of traders in the town, and they are thus prevented from giving up the time to attend public meetings; others are engaged in duties of hospitality, as the occasion is one of general reunion of families in the city; and those who are not thus employed are taking part in the various amusements that are provided during the fair week. Consequently even canvassing will be carried on with the greatest dufficulty and under serious disadvantages. The two principal days of the fair will be today (2 Oct) and tomorrow, and on those days it is feared, absolutely nothing can be done either by meetings or canvassing. This is rather unfortunate, as a careful examination of several of the canvassing-books sent it to the Liberal Committee room has shown that some of the canvassing has been performed in a very perfunctory and imperfect manner, and time is required to enable the committee to complete what has beeen left incomplete. It is only fair however, to state that in many of the districts the work has been admirably done. It is a curious feature of the present election that none of the canvassers report any defections from the Liberal ranks as compared with previous years; but almost every captain of the twenty-one districts into which the town has been mapped has reported numerous conversions to the Gladstonian cause. A large number of names - as all the books have not yet been returned, the exact number cannot be definitely stated -which in previous canvas books have been marked with a cross, as opponents, have now been returned, in consequence of their voluntary statements, as supporters of Mr Morton. At present the Unionists have not made any similar claim. The remarkable apathy, however, amongst all classes still continues. There is a perfect absence of any excitement or enthusiasm.
Part of the Parliamentary borough extends beyond the municipal boundary, and takes in one or two villages where the population is exclusively agricultural. These especially are Longthorpe, Dogsthorpe, Eastfield, &c, and with respect to these districts the Liberals fear that they will not have a majority in them, as statements have been industriously circulated amongst the agricultural labourers to the effect the ballot is not secret, and that their masters will be certain to know how each man votes. Political education in these districts is not sufficiently advanced to enable the agricultural labourers to controvert thse statements, but in the city things are different, and no attempt has been made to circulte such a rumour, as the working men of the town have been too well educated politically to beleive such statements.
Lady Sandhurst will arrive in Peterborough on Friday, and it is arranged that she shall address a public meeting of ladies, and she will afterwards assist the lady band of Liberal canvassers. Mr S C Buxton, MP, addressed a meeting at Dogsthorpe yesterday, his audience being chiefly agricultural labourers, with a small sprinkling of railwaymen.
A large meeting was held at the Drill Hall last evening in support of Mr Purvis. The chair was taken by the Hon Henry Fitzwilliam, who, speaking with considerable emotion, said that for many generations his family had received from the people of Peterborough great kindness and consideration, and he had come from Yorkshire that day to show them what deep importance the Fitzwilliam family attached to the election at Peterborough. He was there to show what deep interest the family felt in the success of the candidate of whom they had made choice. He asked them if the family had any friends in Peterborough who had a mind to vote with them, let him implore them to do so, and add another obligation which the family owed to the people of Peterborough. If they were to win that election, it would require the greatest unity and cooperation on the part of all sections of the Unionist party in the town to work most industriously for that object. He besought and implored them to do that. He had spoken for himself and his family under difficult and trying circumstances. Had it been otherwise, every member of his family would have been in Peterborough, assisting in the election. Every member of that family was looking with deepest anxiety to the result of that contest. - Mr Purvis referred to the charges that had been made against him of inconsistency, and denied the charge, urging that his conduct had been perfectly consistent. He had not changed; it was the Gladstonian Liberals who had changed. - The meeting was unanimous in support of Mr Purvis.
Leeds Mercury, 2 Oct 1889
Tuesday 8th Oct 1889
The Daily News, London
The polling in Peterborough has resulted in a great victory for the Liberal Party, Mr Morton being returned by a majority of 251. He secured 1,893 votes, as compared with 1,642 cast in favour of Mr Purvis, the Dissentient. Mr Morton yesterday polled more votes than the late Mr Fitzwilliam did in either 1886 or 1885. Our Special Correspondent says that the Dissentients made the most of the Fitzwilliam influence, by the parade of carriages and display of colours, and that they confidently anticipated a majority of two hundred.