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210 Old Memories of East-Bourne. [Chap. XVI.
votes, notwithstanding a most striking speech against it by Admiral Field, M.P. for the East-Bourne Division. It was well understood at the time that the votes of the M.P.'s concerned would have been different, perhaps widely different, if a General Election had not been coming off in a few weeks, and many members were frightened by the threats of the Salvationists. The feelings of the inhabitants of East-Bourne were manifested in a remarkable manner by the votes on. the question whether Sir Henry Fowler's Bill should be opposed by the Corporation at the expense of the Ratepayers. The votes were as follows :—
Persons Votes. Voting.
For opposing the Bill 5331 .. 3257 Against .. ..738 .. 470
Majority for .. 4593 .. 2787
The vote was taken by Plural Voting under the " Borough Funds Acts, 1872."
These figures show the majority to have been as follows : of persons voting 6*9 to 1: in actual votes 7*2 to 1. Lest it should be said that these votes came from the big people, and that the democracy supported the Salvation Army, I will add that the democracy voted 2371 for opposition and 347 against, showing a preponderance of 6'8 to 1, practically the same as the ratio arrived at on two other different bases of calculation. This vote was a great consolation to me who with Alderman Morrison had borne the brunt of the burden of supporting the clause.faJ I will not pass away from this subject without stating my deliberate conviction that the desecration of Sunday which has now (1910) reached such alarming proportions in the shape of Sunday concerts, Sunday travelling, Sunday trading, Sunday newspapers, &c, lies in no insignificant degree at the door of " General " Booth with his Sunday bands, Sunday journeyings and Sunday hawking of newspapers.
The next time the Corporation of East-Bourne went to Parliament, was in the Session of 1897, when they
(a) 1 had even to submit to the assaults of Miss Eva Booth's tongue delivered in my own house. |
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