Political Campaigns 



of North Lincolnshire, not only of those who voted for him, 

 but the canvassers and the voteless ones who worked so hard 

 to secure his return. What a time of excitement it was 1 To 

 quote from a local paper of December 15, 1894 : " Reckitt looks 

 blue, and Lord Rosebery has come to grief in a Lincolnshire 

 drain. Mr. J. M. Richardson has steered another Disturbance 

 to victory in the Grand National contest." 



Then the account goes on, " The counting of votes took 

 place in the Corn Exchange, and although conducted in private, 

 the result that Mr. Richardson had won, by some mysterious 

 means leaked out before the official announcement was made, 

 and at once the newly elected member was received with an 

 outburst of cheering which lasted for some minutes. When the 

 figures were announced the outburst was renewed, and the cheers 

 were kept up for a considerable time. Speaking after repeated 

 calls, the new member said : — ' I congratulate youupon having 

 won a great victory, but the victory is due to your exertions, 

 and not to the man who is now addressing you. Now that 

 the battle is over I hope all the voters, whether they supported 

 me or not, will look upon me as their Member, a Member who 

 will endeavour to serve their interests to the best of his ability 

 and in no party spirit.' " The account then tells how Mr. 

 Richardson and the Countess of Yarborough and Master Jack 

 Richardson entered an open carriage, out of which the horses 

 had been taken, and were drawn round the town by enthusiastic 

 supporters, being splendidly received everywhere. 



I was in the good old town of Brigg one summer, collecting 

 at first hand material and local colour for this life of my brother, 

 and was astonished at the vivid manner in which all the details 

 of that one election, when Maunsell's political colours were to 

 the fore, had captured the minds and the hearts of the North 

 Lincolnshire people. I shrewdly suspect that very many of 



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