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The town of Downpatrick is likely to be warmly
contested between Mr. HAWTHORN and Mr. CROKER— the
former is the popular candidate and is confident of
success. Our readers will recollect the tradegdy played in the borough at the election in 1807, when a common working slator, totally illiterate, was made returning officer, and rejected the greater part of the electors who tendered their votes for Mr. RUTHVEN, the Gentleman who opposed Mr. CROKER. It will also be recollected that Mr. CROKER (without one shilling of property in the borough or in the town) procured Mr. W. B SWAN, deputy town Major of Dublin, to assist in that gross infringement of the rights of election, who, at the head of a party of the Lononderry militia, with arms loaded, paraded the streets of Downpatrick, threatening destruction to those who opposed him. To the credit of the electors, they resorted to the laws, instead of oposing by force such an unconstitutional outrage.— The wretched instrument made use of on the occasion, deserted by those whom he raised from obscurity, still lingers in prison, under executions, at the suit of electors, for damages found by a jury of their country.— But is the confinement of an obscure individual any satisfaction for an outrage unparallelled in the history of elections. Had such a transaction taken place in England, what would have been the consequence? — The people would have taken instant alarm, and a dreadful retribution followed those who desired to trample on the dearest rights of Freemen.— |