ll Spring Bidwell had attained his majority he was
regarded by all who knew him as having a brilliant future before him. A
year before his candidature he had been called to the Provincial bar. He
now presented himself before the electors of Lennox and Addington in
opposition to the Tory candidate, a gentleman named Clark. The combined
modesty and assurance displayed by young Bidwell throughout the contest
gained for him many warm friends, while at the same time his earnestness
and flowing eloquence proved that he was a true son of his father. He
conducted the campaign with signal ability, and laid the foundation of a
lasting reputation in the constituency. At the close of the poll the
returning-officer declared Mr. Clark to have been duly elected, but, as
it was notorious that corrupt practices had been resorted to, a protest
was entered by the friends of the Reform candidate, who himself appeared
in person at the bar of the House to conduct the argument. The result of
the enquiry was that the return was set aside and a new election
ordered. Young Bidwell so distinguished himself by his argument before
the House that the official party perceived that he was likely to be no
less formidable as an opponent than his father would have been. When the
new election was held he again presented himself as a candidate, but
found that the returning-officer had received instructions to accept no
votes for him, upon the ground that he was an alien. The Tory candidate,
Mr. Ham, was accordingly returned; but another protest was filed, with a
similar result. The election was once more set aside, and Lennox and
Addington still remained without a Parliamentary representative. It had
by this time become notorious that the whole power of the Executive was
exerted to keep the Bidwells out of public life, and the conviction that
such was the fact gave rise to a counter-movement on the part of the
victims. The friends of Reform bestirred themselves to such purpose that
during the session of 1823-24 an Act was passed[62] repealing the
measure of two years before, and relaxing the conditions under which
persons who had resided in or taken the oath of allegiance to a foreign
state should be eligible for election to the Provincial Parliament. It
was provided that a residence in the Province of seven years next before
election should render such persons eligible for membership in the
Assembly. This clause removed all existing disqualifications from yo