The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-10-11 00:00:00

- - -
THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

t:rol:ihneeaPproaching Municipal Elections promise to in
e
a greater number, and more important changes;
into our council than have been witnessed for many past
lettsnils• Some of the most influential and generally
tesPected members of that body have already intimated
a Positive intention not to continue longer public repre-
-Be4tlttives than the expiration of the present month ;
audit is rumoured that several others, who have not as
',3est:et aignifled their resolution, are equally desirous to
une
have the quietness of private life. The ward meetings
1
. not commenced as yet, and probably none of
any
/41:Iattance will take place until the close of next week
at the earliest. The retiring councillors are :
11a3cf114ND WARD.—Mr. John Woodruff. The council
11,00,•ew more active and useful members than Mr.
contest
eertiltilrn, who will again offer himself for election. He
%test, of being returned, and probably without a
evttib.x...llALL WARD.—Mr. William Nicholson.
4 ,")/1.---Mr. S. M. Mellor.
1.101-; rAi3L's•—Mr. Oliver Holden. In this ward Mr.to
ea "en will, in all probability, have no competitors
filliter
3/4xe •
bete -ele 11
ct ed.4IIGR.--141r. Charles Turner, who will, no doubt,
already BTREET.—Mr. George Holt. Our readers are
4sia-Y Well aware of Mr. Hole's determination not
110 to seek for election. Whatever opinions may
whi"ehbeen held with regard to particular measures with
be tin Pr• liolt's name has been associated, i lei c
eep -."llbt that his absence will be felt as a loss in the
e„_ oecil 1,
yet e"ainber. There will be, no doubt, a sharp
stst for the representation of this ward.
e°114.• PElta's.—Mr James Holme, than whom the
doubet:lLdoes not possess an abler business man, will, no
piz oe re-elected.
teq e:ll,B7Rtar.-51r. W. P. Jeffreys has been already
eotiusenie" by his friends to come forward again, and has
• 131..... ed t.., ,_ e
•Op„ u ° put in nomination.
),4t.,jan7aovo.—Mr. Alexander Shand, Rodney-street ;
'mil this ZeB 4. Tobin. There will probably be no contestnce
Nat Ward, although a rumour existed some days si
I, 441,,?al to Mr. Tobin was about to come forward.
1,-4 (1, ,-;"14Bv --:Mr. William Earle. We have not
je,tP4,l.let, of any intention to contest this ward with
leetior, c) who fought so hard a battle there at his
lietviee''' 4nd Whose character and talents render his
tilt 8 alnloBt indispensable to the Liberal cause.
-,f,l4llaeitcl-ihillET.—Mr. J. B Lloyd. It is strongly
closit; 'at Mr. Lloyd will have to encounter a strong
,_. .on
Lo
c A. in this ward.
-I,_tiaed"Niea• —Mr. J. Nicholson.
0. Wit 57,4,11 intention to retire.
°(4kl bO,,VBIIBY.—Mr. F. A. Clint, a fluent speaker and
aeol,„`iless man, will probably be re-elected.
,1141ok,„ 4„,aVrtilt Mr. James Robertson.
the le "„ iorr . Geg on The council and
li-11-ce ath-e"elee:ll3'niETilitt.e7!fr. which he has been chairman
phis of Mr. Tbin to te Maoral has
rot elect determinationo not to comeh forward y
a, gain
.

This gentleman has

The revision of the burgess lists was resumed at ten o'clock
yesterday morning, in the Sessions-house, Chapel-street, before
the Mayor, John Stewart, Esq., and Mr. Bremner and Mr.
Jevons, assessors. Mr. Harvey appeared for the Reformers,
and Mr. Buckmaster for the Conservatives. In Great George
ward the Conservatives objected to Mr. Thomas Bolton, one
of the magistrates of the borough. Mr. Bolton, who came
into court while his case was under discussion, said that he had

received a notice of objection from a person, named Henry
Buckmaster. He had occupied the house for upwards of thirty
years, and had never been in arrear for his rates, and he was
therefore anxious to know by what authority Mr. Buckmaster
objected to him. Mr. Buckmaster replied, that he acted as a
public servant, and on behalf of parties interested in the wards.

was sufficient for him that he acted i❑ tho capacity of a

)üblic servant, and he did not intend to give any further
•articulars of his authority. Mr, Bolton : Then, if you are
eked to rob a man, are you obliged to do it because a person
ehind a screen tells you ? The sooner such people give over
uch dishonest practices the better. It is a most infamous

-actice, and I conceived it my duty to come here to record
y strong condemnation of it. (Applause.) Mr. Bolton's

)te was then allowed

IMPORTANT DECISION.—In the same ward, Mr. Richard
Sparing, of 37, Cornwallis street, was objected to by the
Conservatives. Mr. Feren appeared on his behalf, and produced
his receipts to show that gr. Sparing had occup.ed the house for
ten years. Tile witness, however, of his own knowledge, could

the vote was in consequence about being
owed, when Mr. Lewis, whose vote in the same
ward had just been allowed, said that lie could prove it.
Mr. Harvey, for Mr. Feren, tendered Mr. Lewis as a
witness in support of the vote. Mr. Buckmaster objected to
such a course. Ho begs to remind the court that they had. on
Thursday, decided that a man should stand or fall by the
evidence of his agent. Mr. Harvey admitted that the point
had been under discussion, but denied that the court had
decided on it. Mr. Bremner thought his evidence could not
be received under such circumstances. It would be a bad
precedent, and had never before been allowed by the court.
Mr. Harvey replied, that it would be a violation of every
principle of justice, unheard of in any court in this or any
other country, to refuse to receive the evidence of any witness
whom the parties in a case might tender. It was a common
right of every citizen to tender in a court of justice whatever
evidence he pleased, and he now, under the 19th section of the
act, tendered Mr. Lewis as a witness. Mr. Bremner: Yes,
but a court has a right to lay down rules to regulate the
manner in which that evidence should be received. Mr.
Harvey: No court has a right to refuse evidence properly
tendered. Mr. Bremner : Very true, but this is not evidence
properly tendered. Besides, look at the inconvenience and
evil that would arise from such a principle. Au agent might
call a person to prove a certain point, but if that evidence
failed, and the principal lost his vote in consequence, he might
turn round and say to his agent—" I did not authorise you to
call this person." Mr. Harvey : The man is here by his agent,
who is authorised to do all things necessary to sustain the vote.
Mr. Bremner : We cannot take voluntary evidence to eke out
a proof. Mr. Buckmaster: Ho has no authority from Mr.
Sparing to call this witness. Mr. Harvey : He has authority
to do all things necessary to sustain this vote, and in the
exercise of that authority, he calls Mr. Lewis. Is that so,
Mr. Feren ? Mr. Feren : It is ; I tender Mr. Lewis
as my witness. Mr. Bremner : I refuse to receive
his evidence, upon the ground that such a
course would be contrary to the universal practice of
this court ever since the Municipal Reform Act passed. At
every registration at which I attended, either as an advocate or
assessor, it was the rule when a party sent an agent to prove
his qualification that he should stand or fall by that man's
proof. We have acted in that manner in a number of in-
stances, and if we have acted wrongfully, we have improperly
struck many men off the list. With respect to the law of the
point, I do not dispute that we are bound to hear any witness
when properly tendered, but that is not the point here. The
question is whether the court, when there is a break in the
proof of the qualification, will listen to a volunteer, and allow
him to eke out the proof? That would be a very inconvenient,
and a very improper practice, and one never before attempted
in this court. Besides, Mr. Spurnng himself did not give the
tendered witness authority to come here to supp irt his vote.
Mr. Harvey : You have omitted one fact—that his agent has
called upon that witness. Mr. Bremner : He has 110 authority
to do so. Mr. Harvey (to Mr. Ferne) : Did her. Sparing
authorise you to come here to support_ his vote? Mr. Brem-
ner : That is not the question. Did Mr. Sparing authorise
you to call Mr. Lewis as his witness ? Mr. Harvey : Did lie
authorise you to do all things necessary in your judgment
to support his vote ? Mr. Fern() : He did. Mr.
Jevons said he regretted to have to aiffer with
Mr. Bremner in his view of the question. He
conceived they were bound in law to receive any witness
tendered by an authorised agent; and the authority given to
the agent in this case, implied an authority to do everything in
his judgment necessary for the support of his vote. The court
had nothing to do with the mode in which he obtained his
knowledge ; it was sufficient for them to know that he
tendered the witness to receive the evidence. He was, there-
fore, of opinion, that they were bound to receive the evidence,
both by common law, and by the 19th section, which declared
that all witnesses presented on either side should have the oath
tendered to them. The Mayor said that he felt great diffidence
in deciding a question which was purely legal. He would
decide on receiving the evidence, and simply on this ground—
that they were already too shackled by forms, and ho was
unwilling to make them more stringent than they were.
(Applause.) Mr. Lewis was then examined, and as he proved
that Mr. Souring had occupied the house for the required
time, the vote was allowed. In St. Peter's ward there was
no claim nor objection by the Reformers. There were twenty-
seven objections by the Conservatives, and of these fifteen were
sustained. In Pitt street ward there was no objection by either
party. There was one claim, which was not allowed, the party
not appearing. In Great George's ward there were no
objections by the Reformers. By the Conservatives there were
160, of which 54 were sustained. In Rodney-street, Lime-
street, West Derby, and South Toxteth wards, there was no
claim nor objection by either party. In Abercromby ward
there were no objections by the glonservatives, There were
23 by the Reformers, who sustained 22. In St. Anne's ward
there was but one objection. It was by the Conservatives to
Mr. Edward Langsdale ( Alderman), whose name was struc
off. In North Toxteth ward the Conservatives lodged an
objection against Mr. Enoch Harvey, but did not pass it.
This concluded the business of the revision. Mr. Harvey then
moved a vote of thanks to the Mayor for the patience and
courtesy lie displayed during the sitting of the court. Mr.
Buckmaster seconded the motion, and, in the course of his
remarks, referred to the attacks made on him by persons to
whom he had objected. His, he observed, was a very un-
pleasant situation, but it should be remembered that the
practice condemned in him was resorted to by both parties.
He hoped, however, that that day's proceedings would put an
end to it, for he could assure the court that he was heartly
tired of it. The Mayor, in acknowledging the compliment,
observed that he was perfectly satisfied with the conduct of
both gentlemen in their conduct of the business which had
occupied the court. He should say, however, that though
always ready and willing to discharge the duties which,
in his capacity of Mayor, he was bound to per-
form, he had felt a very great reluctance to
take part in this, and he hoped that both parties would get a
sound rating for the very objectionable and frivolous manner in
which they objected to voters. Mr. Harvey replied that there
had not been, by the party for whom he appeared at this revi-
sion, one single objection that was not grounded on proper and
reasonable course—a fact clearly shown by the character of the
examinations. As to Mr. Buckmaster, he believed that for
the system that day adopted in Great George's ward, of
objection to gentlemen of the character and position of Mr.
Bolton, Mr. Buckmaster was in no way responsible ; but still
it was a system which deserved the greatest censure. He did
not believe that Mr. Buckmaster was responsible for it, but, at
all events, his own party (the Reformers) should be absolved
from the imputation of having practised or adopted it. The
Mayor : You are both very pure, I dare say. (Laughter.)
The court then broke up. During the day, innumerable were
the " blessings," both loud and deep, invoked on Mr.
Buckmaster's head, by persons who had been frivilously
brought from their work to sustain their votes. One of the
indignant's declared, with an emphasis which must have made
every true Tory in court shudder at the fate which awaits their
venerated chief, that "if Buckmaster again objected to him,
he would put him in a buck basket—that lie would, and no
mistake !"

ST. PETER'S WARD.—Mr. Edward Willmer, 32, Church-
street, was objected to by the Conservatives. He was repre-
sented by Mr. Robinson, a person in his employment, who
proved his occupation of the premises, and his residence at
Huyton. A long discussion arose between Mr. Bremner and
Mr. Harvey, as to whether Huyton was within the prescribed
boundary, when the Mayor agreed with the latter that it was
within the prescribed limits. As Mr. Robinson could not swear
to being personally at Mr. Willmer's residence at Huyton
since the 31st of August la#t, although being aware
of his occupation from the fact of his arrival and
leaving the country house daily, the Mayor, after
consulting with Mr. Bremner, disallowed the vote. Shortly
afterwards Mr. Willmer attended personally to substantiate
his right to be on the municipal register; but the Mayor
refuted, after some hesitation and another consultation with
Mr. iremner, to re-open the case—a decision that excited no
small surprise, Mr. Willmer, in very indignant terms, com-
mented'iipon the injustice of the decision, and denounced the
dishonesty of objecting to persons, who, like hir, had paid
heavy municipal rates for a long period of years, and putting
thew to the trouble and, as in his case, exceeding inconvenience
of attending in o,A,lrc. in order to servo the purposes of a party

64 THE NEW SAFETY INKSTAND, we can bear personal
witness to, secures to all classes one which will keep the ink
always clean and good. will prevent that accumulation of
oxide which spoils the finest writing, and destroys the
best pen ; by means of this inkstand, too, the amount of
ink taken up by the pen can he easily regulated."—
Portsmouth Times and Naval Gazette.—Sold by all Book-
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