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

Mr. C. Turner : You said that the labours of Mr. Shand
on the' dock committee were not to be taken into account,
when considering his merits as a candidate for the
mayora!ty.
Mr. Gladstone : I beg again to say I never stated any
such thing. I said, in reference to the committees of this
corporation, that Mr. Shand had never. been . placed on any
of them. - ..

Mr. C. Turner replied that he had not BO understool Mr.
Gladstone. However, when a gentleman was sent by the
council to the dock committee, he (Mr. Turner) considered
that that gentleman, in labouring on the dock committee,
was strictly fulfilling his duty as a member of the council--
(heir, hear) —and that any labours he performed oh the
dock committee ought to be considered quite as much a
merit on his part (if, indeed, there wcre.any merit in dis-
charging. a duty) as any services on any private committee
of the council. (Hear, hear.) It was one of the most im-
portant committees probably that existed in this or any
_other town—(hear, hear)—and he could consider nothing
more important than the duties of that 'committee
which had the care of the trade and commerce of the port—
a trade arid commerce in which the commerce ale) of all
England was largely in terested.:Any gentleman, then, stn.,
fre,in the council on the dock committee had uenierred on
him a very important responsibility, and if he properly
performed his duty on that post, he (Mr. Turner) consi-
sidered that he had great claims on the 'council and the
toan at large ; and, therefore, he thought he was in order in
relying on Mr. Shand's services as deputy-chairman of that
committee, in addition td hiB other previous services to the
trade of the port, which bad been urged by Mr. Tobin, as
his best claims to the office of Mayor. (Hear.) There
was another doctrine propounded by Mr. Earle. which
was also a very extraordinary one. It was that, in chosing
a mayor of the town, they were not to look beyond the walls
of the Council Chamber, and that no Matter how great
might be the services conferred on the trade of the port by
any gentleman out of the council, they-were not to be con-
sidered. That was a very extraordinary doctrine, and one
.which he was confident the council would .not sanction.
(Hear, hear.) He did not wish to occupy the time of the
council much longer, but there was ono part of Mr. Eirle's
observations to which he should refer. To listen to Mr.
Earle's speech. one would stippose there was but one party
association in the town. (Hear, hear.) Now, he believed
there was another party in the town called the Reform
Aezociation. (hear, hear, and laughter.) He would ask
if that party had not met twice or thrice in the past week?
(Hear, hear.) He would ask if Mr. Robertson Gladstone,
Mr. William Earle, and Mr. J. R. Jeffery had not attended
those meetings? (Hear, hear.) He would undertake to
say that some, if not all, of these gentlemen had attended
those meetings, and were active members of that associa-
tion. That association had met also to see whether they
could carry out any particular views of their own. He saw
Mr. M'Guffie smile, and he had no doubt that he'also had
been there.

Mr. M‘Guffie : No, I was not there.
Mr. C. Turner: You are aware that gentlemen of the
council do attend that association.

Mr. M‘Guffie : I never have been there. (Laughter )
Mr. W. Earle : Mr. Turner has stated what is not
entirely correct. I beg to inform Mr. Turner that those
meetings of the reformers to which he has referred were
composed of members of this body. They decided ler
themselves, and did not go, like the Constitutional Associa-
tion, to consult the " tag-rag and bob-tail" of their party.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. Ald. S. Holmes: I attended that meeting, and I
suppose 1 must consider myself one of the " tag-rag and i
bob-tail." Mr. Earle is too much of a gentleman to apply
such observations to members of the council, and I hope
they will be withdrawn.

Mr. W. Earle : I did not apply them to you.
Mr. C. Turner continued : He was glad to have elicited
that fact, though it was already known, that there was
such a Reform Association in the town, and that the
gentlemen connected with it had met for the purpose of
considering whether or not they should propose anybody as
Mayor. Well, if one association had a right to meet
another had. Mr. Earle had used such words as " in-
famous." He (Mr. Turner) did not wish to carp at words
used in the heat of debate, bet he did think that gentlemen
ought to consider the import of words before they used them.
(Hear, bear.) And as there happened to be two party
associations in the town, one the Reform Association, the
other the Conservative Association, and as Mr. Eerie
belonged to the Reform Association, and did not be-
long to the Conservative Association, it was too bad
fur him to get up and make his position in the council the
opportunity of throwing dirt •on that association which
differed from him in politics, and which simply adopted
those means to secure their objects which the Reform
Association took. In the contests for councillors during
the last fortnight, he would ask whether the Reform
Association had not taken an important part in returning
two gentlemen then in the Council-chamber, and in
rejecting others whom the council would like to see
among their number. On behalf of the Conserva-
tive Ass 'elation, he should say that it was qui.e
as pure, to say the least of it, as the Reform
Association to which Mr. E trle belonged. (Hear, bear.)
Let them not throw dirt at each other, but let them
support, if they thought proper, their own principles and
their:own men. They (the Conservatives) supported their
own men, because they thought that they would best carry
out the principles and measures most for the advantage of
the town. But let them do these things without taking the
opportunity of throwing dirt on each other, each party
having the same means of carrying out their objects which
the other had. (Rear, hear.);
Mr. W. Earle: You have thrown enough of dirt on me,
which I shall take another opportunity of returning.
(Laughter)

Mr. C. turner : I am reminded by Mr. Bold, that nobody
but members of the council were present at the meeting of
the Conservative Association referred to.
The motion for the election of Mr. Shand to the office of
Mayor, was then put and carried without a poll,
Mr. Shaud was then introduced by his proposer and
seconder, and took the chair, after ' the 'Oa hs had been
delivered to him, amid the applause of his supporters.
The Mayor elect briefly returned thanks far the
honour conferred on him. He said : Gentlemen; I beg you
to believe me most sensible of the very high honour you
have cincerred on me, in thus electing me to be chief
magistrate of this large and important borough, and
your president for the ensuing year. I thank you very
sincerely for the favour which has thus been shown to
me, but I must confess that, at the present moment, the
responsibility of the office is quite as prominent in my mind
as its honour, and I would fain defer the full expression of
my gratitude till that time when, like my worthy predeces-
sor to-day, I may be enabled to restore the trust which you
have committed to me unsullied into your hands. (Applause)
I enter now upon duties with which I am not very conver-
sant, in fact, I must say with which I am very little con-
versant; and though I should promise you all the
application and diligence I possess, yet I feel and know how
much depends upon the aid and assistance which will be
given me by the council. (Hear, hear). I ask, and I rely
upon your support, both to maintain the dignity of this
chair, and that high character which ought and will, I trust,
ever mark this important council. The subjects which will
be brought before us are of increasing magnitude every day,
and will require the utmost and most deliberate attention on
our part. I, for my part, can only say that I
pray God to bless our united labours, and then, gentlemen,
I have no doubt that the results will b 3 such as
will not only be beneficial to the town, but highly
advantageous to the welfare of our common country and to
the interests of the kingdom at large. (near, hear.)
Gentlemen, I will not detain you with any further observa-
tions. I beg you will receive from me this very imperfect
acknowledgement of the honour which you have done in?,
and will now, if you please, proceed to the business of the
day. (Applause.) I bog, however, to say before closing,
that I shall observe the lime-honoured custom of proceeding
to the parish church next Sunday, and I hope that I will
be honoured by the presence of the members of the council
on the occasion. (Hear, hear.)