The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-16 00:00:00

them, there was nothing affecting the character of the board
or any member of it, that they now adjourn sine die.
Mr. CARNE said it was Mr. Bradley's duty to ask Mr.
Hodson to give some specific charge against him, and then
to bring it before the vestry. At the present moment it was
the most vague thing which it could possibly be; and he
(Mr. Cane) could not understand why Mr. Bradley did not
communicate with Mr. Hodson by letter in the first instance
to say what he meant. If Mr. Hodson then said to Mr. Bra-
dley he had exercised his influence as a member of this board,
and was willing to bring it forward and prove it before the
board, then it would be for the board to take it up at the
earliest moment it could be gone into. The vestry would be
the laughing-stock of the town of Liverpool if it took notice
of a thing so vague and trifling. He should also mention
that the .Albion condemned the course taken by the council.
Mr. DENTON objected to this; they had nothing to do
with the council. .

Mr. CARNE continued to say the Albion condemned, in the
strongest terms, the taking notice such things as Mr.
Hodson said they would be laughed at for taking notice of
a vague charge, not knowing really whether it affected the
conduct of this board.
Mr. BRADLEY considered that it not only affected him,
but it affected, as he stated in his remarks, the character of
the board. He was charged publicly with having, at least
by insinuation—whether pecuniarily, occupying! as he dierthe
financial department of this establishment, as one of the
committee, he did not know ;—but whether it insinuated
that course or any other course, it became the bounden
duty of the board to appoint a committee, and for that com-
mittee then simply to ask Mr. Hodson what charges he had
to make.

The CHAIRMAN : That you should do yourself.
Mr. BRADLEY : No, no, sir ; I think it is the duty of the
board. (No, no).
The CHAIRMAN : No, no ; That you should do yourself ;
and if he says he means the Select Vestry, and specifies the
charge, then bring him before us.
Mr. GARDNER thought it was the duty of the board to
inquire, and to call on Mr. Hodson to let them have his
charge, if he had any. He should move that a committe be
appointed, and he would do so as an amendment, on Mr.
D enton's motion.

The CHAIRMAN : Let the motion be read first. He then
read the motion.

Mr. GARDNER would move, as an amendment, that a
committee be appointed to investigate the charge, and call
upon Mr. Hodson to know what charges he had against Mr.
Bradley at the board. He thought the board should protect
its members from any such insinuations.
The CHAIRMAN : What charge is there?
Mr. GARDNER : There is a charge directly for malprac-
tices at this board. (No, no.)
Mr. DENTON : There is no such charge made against any
member of the board.

➢Tr. GARDNER contended that inquiry could do no harm.
If any gentleman's character was attacked, he should like
the charge upon which the attack was founded to be inves-
tigated. If Mr. Hodson did not bring this before the vestry,
he did not dare to do so, and then Mr. Bradley's character
would be placed in a proper light.
Mr. CARNE : Well, it is so placed in this resolution.
There is no charge against him.
Mr. GARDNER : The resolution says there is no question
before the board. I say there is.
Mr. BRADLEY only wanted the matter placed in its proper
light, to show that he was fearless of the charge, and that it
was the duty of this board, in whose hands he placed himself,
to make this inquiry.
The CHAIRMAN : You shmild yourself call on Mr. Hodson
to know what he means. If he means anything specific, we
can deal with it; not that I know how we can deal with him,
because we cannot summon Mr. Hodson to give evidence.
Mr. BRADLEY : You can simply ask him, as having made
the remark.

The CILURMAN : That is your business, and not ours.
Mr. BRADLEY : I. do not know. A public body ought to
look to its position in matters of this kind.
Mr. HUGHES remarked that the board was quite willing
to play the pact of Jupiter ; but like the carter, Mr. Bradley
should first place his shoulder to the wheel. _

Mr. HUTITINSON, who was in a great measure inaudible,
was understood to say that, as one of the churchwardens, he
had called the meeting, but of course was not aware
what business was to be brought before it. If he had he
would have been no party to convening the meeting.
He thought this was a matter which this vestry were not, or
ought not, to be called upon to take cognizance of; and in
the present state of the vestry those proceedings were alto-
gether informal and irregular. (Hear, hear.) If they were
to be called together whenever a person made a reflection on
the character of any individual member of the vestry they
would never have done meeting. (Hear, hear.) Just refer
to the words used by Mr. Hodson. He said, "there were,
he was sorry to say, instances in which that gentleman
(alluding to Mr. Bradley) had used his influence in other
elections." What elections were alluded to ? Were they
LO tell what ALF. axua.,,.. brs
that remark ? If they appoin'.ed a sub-committee what were
they to do ? They had Mr. Bradley before them, who said
they had made an attack upon his character ; but if a com-
mittee were summoned, they should have the plaintiff and
defendant before them. He thought it would be irregular
to take any action on the vague remarks mad° by Mr. Hodson
in the council. After all, he did not see what Mr. Bradley
could gain by a committee, for he did not know what parti-
cular elections were referred to. There was only one elec-
tion that he knew of, where it was asserted by the church-
warden at the time that a certain gentleman had no wish to
come into the vestry, and Mr. Bradley reiterated that he
had a desire—

Mr. Moss : That is not the question.
Mr. HUTCHINSON : It only shows how vague it is ; none
of them could tell to what it alluded. (Hear, hear.) He
(Mr. Hutchinson) could very well sympathise with Mr.
Bradley ; but in the present stage the vestry could not go
into the question without having something more definite.
If Mr. Hodson came forward to make a complaint to the
vestry that Mr. Bradley had been interfering in any parti-
cular election
Mr. BRADLEY : That is what I want the board to take
up ; it affects the public board.
_ _ _

`The CHAIRMAN asked if any gentleman seconded the
amendment ?

Mr. Moss was anxious that an amendment should be pro-
posed which would ensure unanimity. If Mr. Gardner had
got the committee and had proposed that he (Mr. Moss)
should be on it, he would have declined to act, because per-
haps he might be somewhat prejudiced in favour of the posi •
tion of Mr. Bradley. But at the same time he considered
that at the last meeting of the council the ex-mayor very
ungenerously charged him—
Mr. DENToN rose to order. The council had nothing to
do with it.

Mr. Moss begged his pardon. He would illustrate his
subject as he pleased.
The CHAIIt3IAN remarked that this proved the great inex-
pediency of having this meeting. They were getting into ques-
tions with which they had nothing to do. As he said before,
if Mr. Bradley wrote to Mr. Hodson to ask him if he meant
the Select Vestry, and 'then if there is any specific charge,
and he comes before us, they could not help investigating it.
But he really could not see what they could do even if he
were to say that—_ •

Mr. BRADLEY : This is a public thing, and ought to be
taken up publicly.
The CHAIRMAN : You have spoken of the press, and that is
a tribunal which is open to every aggrieved individual,—you
can always find the means to set yourself right with the press,
and if you write to Mr. Hodson and ask him what he meant
by a specific charge, and call upon him to substantiate it, if
he cannot do so, he will be obliged to retract in words,
or retract in silence, and your conduct will then be set
right in the estimation of the public, which is what you
want.

Mr. BRADLEY: Yes, that is what I want; but I want that
,o come from a public board in the same way as he appealed
:o it.

Tile CHAIRMAN: That is the very thing against which he
protested. He did not think this public board should be
made the instrument of writing Mr. Bradley's character, un.
less a specific charge was made affecting him as a member of
the board. If Mr. Hodson said he had done so and so,
then it might be perhaps well for them to take it up, and
call on them to substantiate it ; but he had done no such
thing.
Mr. BRALEY : You know he has inferred.
Mr. Moss : By a general imputation.
The CHAIRMAN: A general imputation, and Mr. Bradley
should call upon him to make it speceific.
Mr. Moss : I think he should. (" Hear, hear," and
laughter.)
Mr. Wiirrry suggested that the Vestry Clerk should write
to Mr. Hodson.

The CHAIRMAN protested against this.
Mr. Wurrric was under the impression that Mr. Bradley
was charged with having used his influence to cause undue
elections at that board. That was Mr. Hutchinson's impres-
sion, and it was a very general impression.
The CHAIRMAN said the vestry was not mentioned.
Mr. liriiirrY remarked that the council and vestry were
the only two public bodies of which Mr. Bradley was a
member. That was well known. He contended that a
committee should be formed, and an inquiry made into the
charge; for otherwise, any public man might make insinua-
tions against the character of the members of that board,
and no redress could be obtained, unless the board called for
an explanation. After complimenting Mr. Bradley so very
recently, the vestry should call on Mr. Hodson to know what
he meant.
After some further conversation,

Mr. Moss proposed the following resolution as likely to
meet the views of all parties, and induce them to come to a
decision. " Certain observations having been made by
Mr. Hodson at thp last council, which are believed by Mr.
Bradley to affect his character as a member of the Select
Vestry, resolved, that this board cannot entertain the ques-
tion in its present form, and consider it more judicious for
Mr. Bradley to apply to Mr. Hodson for a specification of
any charge he may have to make against him, affecting his
position as a member of the Select Vestry."
Mr. DENTON objected to this board being mixed up in the
' matter. It was better to let the plain question be put.
When Mr. Bradley has properly matured the question,
then let it be brought forward, and the vestry would enter-
tain it.
The CuAiumArr said in answer to Mr. Denton, that two