The Life of Thomas Cooper, Written by Himself

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

156, 159–160

text excerpt

[As a Chartist, Thomas Cooper was involved in campaigning for forthcoming elections]

I was also present at the Nottingham election―where the Chartists suddenly reversed their policy [of voting for the Tory candidate] and voted […] in favour of the noble [Radical] philanthropist, Joseph Sturge.  […]

[…]

Mr Sturge’s committee were very confident that he would win the election.  […]  It was agreed that it would be well to watch during the night whether any of the Tory agents were slily creeping about to try to bribe voters.  [Feargus] O’Connor said he would not sleep.

“We will parade the town, Cooper,” said he; “and you shall lead the singing.  We shall be ready then to secure the polling-booths in the morning, so that the first votes may be for Mr. Sturge: that is always the surest step towards winning an election.”

And parade the town we did, singing “The lion of freedom is come from his den” (a song attributed to me, but I never wrote a line of it: it was the composition of a Welsh Chartist woman) and

“We won’t go home till morning―till Walter runs away!
We won’t go home till morning―till Sturge has won the day!”

So foolish are the ways of men at election times!  I have seen the gravest and soberest men do the wildest and silliest things, at such times; and therefore cannot wonder that I have done them myself.

excerpt from 'The Life of Thomas Cooper, Written by Himself' pp. 156, 159–160 (239 words)

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