Gentlemen,
A dissolution of Parliament having been announced, I beg to declare my intention of offering myself as a Candidate for the honour of being one of your representatives for the fourth time.
I trust that you have found me acting consistently with the principles of civil and religious liberty, which I have always professed, and I hope that my earnest endeavours to be attentive to your interests may have met with your approval.
I am well aware of the great inconvenience, and interruption to business, caused by frequent dissolutions of Parliament, and I would gladly have supported any moderate measure of progressive Reform, brought forward by Lord Derby’s Government, rather than have incurred such a result, could I have done so without depriving a number of my Constituents of their ancient right of voting, which the bill introduced would have unjustly taken from them.
On referring to the Division Lists, I am happy to see that my Colleague, and I, have on all occasions supported the same measures, so that the votes of your Members are no longer neutralised by being given in opposition to each other; under these circumstances, may I venture to hope that all those who do me the honour of supporting me, and to whom I may have been longer known, will kindly extend the same to my friend, Mr. Calthorpe.
I have the honour to remain, Gentlemen,
Your faithful and obliged Servant,
J. H. HODGETTS FOLEY.
Prestwood, April, 1859.