and T. H. Osborne conducted the Times. Thomas M'Combie subsequently got hold of the Gazette and William Kerr was editor and afterwards lessee of the Fawknerian organ, which, passing into the hands of G. D. Boursiquot, had its name changed to the Daily News. Kerr next started and killed two papers—the Melbourne Courier and Melbourne Argus, whilst Doctor Greeves, and Mr. John Stephen, were literary free-lances, writing for any of the papers that would pay them in cash or in kind, by subserving their views in any wished-for way. Fawkner, Kerr, Stephen, Greeves and M'Combie "ambitioned" seats in the Council, the others begrudged their doing so; and the result was a low, internecine, journalistic warfare, not only unworthy of a respectable Press, but utterly discreditable to the malcontents. Then there were outside influences warring on both sides, which intensified the strife, and unprincipled coteries were not wanting, whose guiding spirits had their own little games to play, some dirty work to do, and in the doing of which they employed other hands that did not scruple much over the soiling. And so it continued during the early years of the Corporation, when Mayor, Aldermen, and Councillors danced, whilst Melbourne paid the piper.
But to return to thefirstelections. Considering the quantity of tall talk previously indulged in, and the number of would-be seekers of Civic honours, who talked and blustered and "shouted" in more ways than one, there yvere few actual nominations; but this did not abate the excitement of the polling-day, nor the delirium in which otherwise cool-headed men spun round to work up the very circumscribed Ward-motes on behalf of their favourites.
Lonsdale Ward.
The election was held at the Royal Hotel, in Collins Street, where the Union Bank now stands, the Acting-Alderman being Major St. John (Police Magistrate), and the Assessors, A. Cunninghame and J. S. Griffin (the former an Official Assignee in Insolvency, and the other the Registrar of the Court of Requests). The candidates were John Pascoe Fawkner (the well-knovvn "Johnny"), John Orr, a merchant of the first respectability, Henry William Mortimer, the owner of a large butchering establishment at the north-east corner of William and Collins Streets, and Thomas Clarke, an enthusiastic, good-humoured, full-faced Irishman, who kept an hotel in Little Flinders Street. Though the Act made no provision for it, the Alderman's Court was opened at 8 a.m., for the nomination of candidates, which was by vivâ voce proposers, and seconders; and in the event of a contest the polling began at 9 a.m. and closed at 4 p.m. This custom prevailed at every Ward-election, until the passing of the 11th Vic, No. 17, by a section of which one day was fixed for the polling and another for the nomination. The voting was by the presentation of a paper inscribed with the names of the candidates voted for, and the name and qualification of the Burgess, when the Returning Officer read aloud how the vote was given, and after being verified by the Burgess Roll, if found correct, it was dropped into what was called "the ballot box." It was "open voting" of the most pronounced kind, for it was customary at all the early elections (Municipal and Legislative) up to the introduction of the close ballot, for the Assessors to unlock the ballot-box, count the votes recorded every hour, and issue slips noted with the result, which used to be posted at the door of the polling-room. By such means the excitement prevailing, instead of being abated, would be intermittently stimulated, and coercion and illtreatment of voters coming to poll as the afternoon advanced resorted to. A crowd of half-drunken loafers hung about the door, cheering and hissing, applauding and abusing, the favourable or unfavourable Burgess as his name and how he voted were sang out by the Alderman; and the rudeness often passed beyond the bounds of a fair or foul speech, for hugging, shoving, a covert kick in the shins or punch on the head were not unfrequently the physical accompaniments. The candidates behaved remarkably well to the "free and independent" electors, and also to non-electors disposed to a skinful of eating and drinking. Clarke spent most money, for he held open house at the Exchange Hotel, on the opposite side of the street; and Fayvkner and Mortimer adopted the co-operative system by securing, a little further east a slop-store recently vacated by a Mr. Lazarus, which was filled with "slops" of a more appetising kind than "old clos." Orr, who was something of a swell, had a sort of select restaurant on duty at "The Royal."
