The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-10-24 00:00:00

in a position that the poor man can go out on a summer
evening, if he thinks proper, with his wile on one hand
and his child on the other—his wife, probably, with a little
one in her arms—and two or three running before them—
(laughter)—to frolic in the grass, and that will do a vast
deal more towards the raising and elevating the social
state of the people than could be done by extending the
means for keeping open public houses. (Cheers.) Gentle-
men, I say that parks should be provided as places of
recreation. They cannot, however, be provided without
cost, but what I say is, let us have the maximum of benefit
'at the minimum of cost. (Hear, hear.) I have been also
requested to speak of gas, and it has been said, that my
election has been jeopardised by my not having referred
to it in my address. (Laughter.) Who, in Liverpool,
does not know my opinions on the gas question ? (Hear,
hear.) I have fought the Gas Company in Parliament no
less than three or four times, and what has been the
result? Why, that there is now £150,000 invested in the
gas works for which there is not a penny interest paid.
(Cheers.) In 1839, we lopped off -W-16,000 from the capital
of the old company. They wished to invest their profits
to the extent of double that sum—i-96,060. They went to
Parliament for the purpose of capitalising it, but we
successfully opposed them as consumers, and the com-
mittee of the House of Commons refused to allow them to
capitalise more than £50,000 of the £96,000. (Cheers.)
I take pleasure and pride in saying that I was one of
those who fought that battle ; but can we say so much of
my opponent ? (Hear, hear.) Our friend, Mr. Kitchen,
who is on the platform, brought, for ward his report on
the question of gas lately, and a most able report it was,
and I regret that it was not received and adopted in its
entirety (hear, hear); but the day must come, when the
council will have to interfere with the supply of gas in
some way—not that I wish them to take it into their own
management, that is not what I desire, but the
company having now reached the maximum of
dividend, have ceased to have an interest in
economic working in the application of great scientific
improvements, which would be instantly introduced if
they were not receiving that maximum of dividend.
(Hear, hear.) Well, now, I come to the question of
water. I think that at this moment the less said on
water the better ; but you will recollect that in fighting
that battle, I had the honour to occupy the chair of the
comniittee of rate-payers out of doors, as opposed to the
council in doors/. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Jeffery then detailed
the active part he took in opposing the Pike scheme, and
in conclusion exhorted his supporters to conduct the great
struggle in which they were now engaged, with temper
and good humour. If they returned him to the council,
he would not consider that he hold the seat as a free-
hold, but on a three
„years' lease, and that the renewal of
it would depend on his performances.
Mr. Jeffery concluded amid enthusiastic and long
continued applause.
Mr. Liversedge then came forward to propose the first
resolution. He was received with loud applause. After
apologising to the meeting for his inability to do justice to
the resolution, he proceeded to say, however unable he was
to address them, there was one thing he felt, and that was
that his task was an exceedingly easy one, as it did not
require any eloquence td enforce it. (Hear, hear). Mr.
Jeffery was so well known to the people of Liverpool that
it was not necessary for him to say much on that point.
(Hear, hear). He (Ur. Jeffery), it was well known, was a
gentleman well able to grapple with all the questions that
came before them ; and it required no eloquence on his
(Mr. Liveredge's) part to induce them to think he was not
the most proper man to represent them in the Council.
(Loud cheers). In reference to what was called the " United
Committee," he (Mr. Liversedge must say that he was always
adverse to it, as, in his mind, it was something of a cheek
on public opinion (hear, hear), and so long as it existed,
parties took advantage of it (hear, hear) ; bet now that
they had got rid of that, he did not see why Lime-street
Ward would not, and could not, return, as well as others,
one or two liberals. (Hear, hear). The Ward was now
free from that Committee, and they were, therefore, at
liberty to select the best man to represent them, and he
trusted that, man would be Mr. Jeffery. (Loud cheers).'
He then:pro'Posed a resolution to the, effect, that Mr.
Jeffery vAti a tit and proper person to represent them in the
council, and that alrjegitiinate means should be resorted to

for the gultese of securing return

Mr. :Table* came forward to second.the resolution: He
said they ware called on by the constitution' of the country
to choose a representative in the town council for Lime-
street Ward, on the Ist of November next. (Hear, hear.)
He felt very happy at being enabled to second the motion,
and he was happy to say he stood there that evening, for
the first time, as a free and independent burgess of the
ward. (Hear.) They had heard a good deal spoken about
what was called the " United Committee," and Mr. Reay
had told them there was not a more unanimous committee
in Liverpool than in Lime street Ward, and that neither
Whig nor Tory could bring any charge whatever against
Mr. John B. Lloyd. He did not say that Mr. Reay would
willingly state anything that he knew to be untrue, but that
assertion was not true. (Hear, hear) Some six years
ago, when Mr. Lloyd presented himself- to the burgesses of
Lime street ward, he stated, as one of his qualifications, that
he was opposed to the Pike scheme. (Hear, hear.) But he
would only refer to his conduct since that time, or what he
had done on that question. (Hear, hear.) Well, they
were not now checked by the efforts of the United Com-
mittee, and therefore they had success in their hands.
(Loud cheers.) It could not be said that there were no
charges brought against Mr. Lloyd, and, without referring
to any other at present, it was quite enough to mention that of
the Pike scheme. Mr. Lloyd subsequently stated that if that
scheme cost more than £450,000 he would not sanc'ion it.
Was Mr. Lloyd of that opinion now ? and did he after that
sustain his position on the point he told them ? It was we;l
known that the Pike business had already cost over
£7oo,ooo—(hear, hear)—and, therefore, they sliould be
careful after that in recognising any one belonging to what
was designated the United Committee. (Loud cheers.) That
committee had had its day, and there was now an explosion
and a great deal of smoke followed it. (Hear, hear.) He
trusted, however, that the vapour would pass away. They
had now come to the plain question, of which of the candi.
dates was really the best man—the fittest man to represent
the interest of the ward in the Town Council ? Suppose
Mr. Reap had summoned two hundred electors of the ward
upon his united committee, what had the electors of the
ward to do with that? That committee might dwindle
down to fifty, and were the electors of the ward to be bound
by the decision of these fifty men, although the whole ward
disapproved of whatever resolution such a committee might
arrive at ? (Cries of " hear, hear.") But now they were
free, and let them act accordingly. (Hear, hear.) There
was one thing he would do, and that was, quote the words
of Mr. Reay in reference to Mr. Jeffery, and these were—
" That no one could question the ability of Mr.
Jeffery, when compared with Mr. Lloyd." (Hear,
hear, and cheers.) He (Mr. Jackson) fully agreed in that
observation (loud applause), and he did not think that
there was any gentlemen in that great meeting would
differ with him inithat opinion; and he trusted that the great
majority of the electors of the ward, would. on the Ist
November, prove the truth of the assertion. (Great
cheering.) Mr. Reay also stated, that Mr. Jeffery was a
man of industry, great exertion, and natural talent.
(Cheers.) No doubt whatever about that, and the
burgesses of the ward would not be doing their duty it
they did not send him to represent them in tho town
council on the first of November. (Great cheering.)
Ho then seconded the resolution.

Mr. Robertson Gladstone was received with deafening
cheers, which were continued for some minutes.
After expressing his thanks for the reception accorded to
him, he proceeded to state that he justified his presence
among them, not being an elector of the ward, by the num-
ber of outside gentlemen who took part in Mr. Lloyd's
meeting. By the name of Mr. Jeffery he meant, an
advocate of able, just, and independant local government
(cheers), and when he saw in other proceedings an
attempt to unduly exalt by extraneous aid their opponent,
he felt bound to come forward, and while advocating the
great cause, which they had all at heart, to support Mr.
Jeffery, who sprung from the most honourable of all
sources, that of independent and honest industry (cheers,)
had shown himself by his talents to be a member of the
community !of whom they might be proved. (Hear, hear.)
He considered it was his duty to support such a man, in
order that he might not be crushed by those who would,
from what they conceived to be their aristocratical posi-
tion, (hear, hear,) make a tool of the shopkeepers, and be
civil to them, and acknowledge them only on such
occasions as suited them, when either a member for
the Town Council or a member for the borough was to be
elected. (Cheers.) After declaring that, under the cir-
cumstances stated, Mr. Jeffery was justified in retiring
from the amalgamated committee, which, he contended,
was the true cause of the present difficulty, the eloquent
gentleman continued to say, that the question which they
had to decide was this : There were two candidates before
them for the representation of the ward in the Town
Council—which of the two did they consider the most
competent to represent their interests there ? (Loud
cries of " Jeffery for ever, and cheers.) What was it
that ought to decide that qualification ? Surely it
was
the fitness and qualifications of the individual ? (hleaars,
hear.) And, even taking all that had been said by Mr.
Reay to be true, he (Mr. Gladstone) would upset it, by
denying that any man had a right to place another in such
I chains—to tether him down, and so prevent him from.
giving his services to his fellow townsmen when called for,
as in this instance, by them. (Cheers ) Mr. Jeffery had
been accused of using offensive language in his address,
because he had thought proper to state what he (Mr.
Gladstone) knew for a fact—(cheers)—what ho knew to
be in every word correct. The offensive language
was in the third paragraph of his dr
very properly reminded the e
thebaerdsoefss'n which
i council, b
of
which he (Mr. Gladstone was m m
one was a mem er—
b (laughter)—
e
that there was no one of them thoroughly acquainted
with the property that belonged to the corporation.
(Hear, hear.) Now, he hoped that neither Mr. Jeffery
nor himself would be for a moment supposed capable of
stating that which they believed to be untrue—(hear,
hear),—and what Mr. Jeffery stated in his address was
strictly consistent with fact—(cheers)—and hel (Mr.