election under the reform act took
place. The writs were made returnable on the 29th of January, 1833. As
regards the machinery of the act, it appeared to work more smoothly than
had been anticipated. Generally speaking, in the most populous places,
the polling was concluded within the two days allowed by the act. Less
time and opportunity were allowed for bribery, and the disturbances
which used to arise from drunkenness and profligacy in a great measure
ceased. As regards the candidates which the machinery of the act
produced, there was a great dislocation of old connexions and
previous interests. There were three parties in the field: ministerial
candidates; Tories, now called Conservatives; and the Radicals, who
have been aptly termed "the apostles of pledges." The elections were
generally in favour of the ministerial candidates, or at least of
candidates who professed the same general views, and declared their
adherence to a reforming ministry. This was natural, for in almost all
the boroughs success depended on the newly created electors, who could
scarcely refuse their votes to that party by whose means they had
procured the right of voting. The Whigs were most successful in
Scotland: out of fifty-three representatives elected in that portion of
the empire, not more than twelve were Conservatives; nor could half that
number be termed "apostles of pledges." In Ireland, however, the Whigs
were not so successful. O'Connell had denounced the ministers, even
while the reform bill was in progress, as acting with insult and
injustice towards Ireland in the measure of change meted out to her; and
the refusal to abolish the Protestant established church in Ireland
had converted him and his adherents into declared enemies. All their
energies, therefore, were employed to return members who would either
drive ministers from the helm, or drive them to sacrifice the church,
and repeal the union. The consequence of his agitation was, that, while
Mr. O'Connell was himself elected for Dublin, he brought over with him
when parliament met some half-dozen of his own immediate relations,
besides various demagogical dependents, as the representatives of
Ireland. O'Connell's manners and language on this occasion were violent
in the extreme. In a letter "To the Reformers of Great Britain," he even
ventured to put forth articles of impeachment against the ministers, and
he went so far as to offer to coalesce with the Orangemen in order to