A man may run what course what course he pleases but not blaspheme the name of jesus", Arthur Mills, 1873-1880, House of Commons

"A Man May Run What course He Pleases But not blaspheme the name of jesus", Arthur Mills, 1873-1880, House of Commons

Image shows an A3-sized illustration with black ink depicting a horse race leading to the House of Commons, which is shown in the top right corner of the page. Two men ride horses down a hill-side following a path to Parliament. The figure on the left lags behind, sat astride a horse that wears a sash around its next with text that reads: 'POTTER. BRADLAUGH. DILKE & CO.’ He carries a flailing banner on a pole displaying the name ‘WATKIN’ and his saddle displays a pound sign followed by two zeros. He is in the act of stumbling over a fence with an obstacle in the form of a large barrel simply labelled ‘GIN’. His helmet, displaying his initials ‘E.W.’, has flown from his head as he looks forward with shock. A dog running beside the horse has text over it reading ‘BRAG’. The figure on the right sits confidently on his horse, with his banner overhead reading: ‘ARTHUR MILLS’. His horse wears a neck sash that reads: ‘CHURCH & STATE’ and his saddle reads: ‘A. 1’. Another dog beside his horse is labelled ‘FIDELIS’. Between the two figures is another central character, which depicts Jesus facing the left of the frame and pointing at Watkin. He carries a wooden cross that is leant upon a rock which has text overlayed reading: ‘ROCK’. Large text below the image reads: ‘VOICE OF APPARITION / “A MAN MAY RUN WHAT COURSE HE PLEASES, BUT NOT BLASPHEME THE NAME OF JESUS; CHRISTIAN VOTERS’ UPLIFTED VOICE/ PROCLAIMS Ye. KNIGHT NOT OF THEIR CHOICE.” ’

This satirical illustration depicts a horse race between Edward Watkin of the Liberal Party and Arthur Mills of the Conservative Party, representing their campaign for the by-election in Exeter which took place 11 December 1873, prompted by Liberal John Coleridge’s resignation after being appointed Chief Justice. It is unknown whether the illustration was completed before or after the election took place; Arthur Mills' lead in the ‘race’ is therefore either a record or prescient of his coming win (he gained the previously Liberal seat with a close 2,346 votes to Watkin’s 2,025.) In John Neville Greaves’ thesis, The Last of the Railway Kings: the Life and Work of Sir Edward Watkin, 1819-1901*, he states:

“The by-election campaign of 1873 was a hard-fought one, with both Liberal and Conservative Parties laying claim to be the natural expression of the city’s character. The Tory newspaper, Exeter’s Flying Post missed no chances of discrediting the Liberal candidate…[it] spoke proudly of the large numbers of conservative working men in the Constituency, and claimed that "the intelligence of the Exeter working man was outside Watkins' previous experience, and too much for him. Scorn was poured on Watkins' background: "Exeter was not only a Conservative City, but a place of some culture, and it would be a disgrace to return a hard-grained, coarse-minded man like Sir Edward Watkin to represent it in Parliament.”

Evidence of the Conservative’s campaign to publicly discredit Watkin is further evidenced in the empathetic response by the Liberal Party to Watkin after his defeat:

“Notwithstanding the fact that he had not been successful, Watkin was presented by the Liberals of Exeter, at a great public demonstration on 7 December 1874, with a substantial leather-bound volume, in illuminated Gothic script…given as a token of our respect for your public and personal character, and our admiration of the talent, the energy, and the unflinching courage, you displayed in the arduous contest of December last…Tory Exeter slandered your good name beyond the ordinary bounds of electioneering license [sic] ... Liberal Exeter tenders this token of respect as an abiding answer to the slanderers."

Given the nature and narrative of the illustration, it seems likely it would have been used in Conservative propaganda against Watkin. There is no artists mark, signature, or name, nor date. The sketch has been completed first with pencil,
overlayed with black ink, with brown and white oil pastel used only on the figure of Jesus, suggesting it was perhaps unfinished.

* Greaves, John Neville (2002) The last of the railway kings: the life and work of Sir Edward Watkin, 1819 - 1901, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online

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