The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-23 00:00:00

might t

e benefit of the public. ,(Hear, hear.) Ho ex-
pressed a hope that the resolution he was about to propose
would receive full support, and that the petition adopted,
and the exertions of their Mends in parliament would
show the danger of introducing such a bill as this one and
put a stop to it. (Cheers.) Mr. Lace concluded by'pro-
posing the resolution.

Mr: Ralph Brocklebank seconded the resolution. He
said the whole subject had been exhausted, Or very nearly
so, by the preceding speakers, but yet he considered it
his duty, as well as his privilege, to stand up there and
raise his voice in protesting against the principle of the
bill which sought to deprive the burgesses of• Liverpool of
rights to which they. were clearly and legally entitled.
(Hear, hear.) In the introduction ofthat measure by Mr.
Lowehe thonght that gentleman had rather disingenu-
ously stated , that 'the measure to take away the
town dues to which he specially referred was
to relieve the shipping interest of that port of an enor-
mous tax. Now, what Was the fact ? It would relieve
the shipping interest of no Charge whatever. lie con-
sidered that the probability was that If ever the dues were
taken away, which. God. forbid, ' from Liverpool, the
shipping interest was not unlikely to- be more taxed than
it had been. He felt- convinced as a shipowner, and he
might speak on the part of shipowners, and say they would
not attempt to derive any advantage.--and he spoke also
as a merchant, and,felt colivideed the merchants of Liier-
pool would net atteriapt to derive any advantage— from a
reduction of these tolls which was sought to be carried
through by means unjust and illegitimatea (Hear, hear.)
In commercial phraseology he would ask whether Mr.
Lowe and the Board of Trade really belieVed the people
of Liverpool were in the habit of putting their hands to so
Much waste paper as to accept that bill? (Hear, hear.) He
declared that they would not. The unanimity which had
been expressed at that meeting would send the bill back
to the place from whence it came with a protest. (Heir.)
The strenuous exertions of the corporation, aided by able
and wiling hands in the House of Commons, would have
sufficient . energy to send back that bill .to the archives of
the Board of Trade, there to remain he trusted for all
time, .to come: (Cheers.) He begged leave most cordially
to second the resolution.

Mr. J. A. Piaton came forward to support the resolu-
tion, and. was received with loud Cheers. ite taid—Mr.
Mayor and, fellow-townsmen, it wonld be very bad taste
in me, at this periodl of the Meeting, to attempt to inflict
a long.speeeh upon you; fr I can very well Synipathise
with those who have been standing so long, and how
painful it. is in be placed under similar circumstances.
But; as a native of this town, as an Owner of property in
the town,.and one feeliny a deep interest in .its prosperity
and its progress, I have been requeiled to say a few
,words,-, and they shall be but few, upon the present occa-
sion. ;Sir, there is an anecdote told of a certain Manches-
ter worthy, a great advocate of free trade, where it was
Profitable., He went trp'with a deputation to London,
when the late Sir Robert Peel was about to abolish the
cinty upon certain articles in which' that 'gentleman was
interested. He went to oppose .the abolition of r those
duties.!adth all his might. When he ha lan interview

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(Laughter.)

all for ourselves in •thi

"we ar
Now, it really- appears as irour
anohester, yesterday, have been acting on the
65 the gentleman of whOm I have spokep.
Sir, the principle carried out to •a
'and in a legitimate manner, is a fair and
it, let private, and public, and corporate
ted. If the, nation requires to take from
dividual .or body of . individuals, any
Res "which hare beetihitherto enjoyed, and to which
lave been hitherto entitled, let them be dealt fairly
let them be fully compensated, and no one can have
iAht to complain. Hitherto on that subject, culvert-
and.respect for vested interests, has been the•pre-
filing principle in our legislation, and a vested right,
3wever injurious it may have been to the public at
.rge, howese r questionable in many instances the title
3ay have been, up to this time has always been respected,
'and if taken away, has uniformly been compensated for
by giving its full value for it. If time would permit, I
could mention numerous instances of this fact, but I must
pass them over., But it would seem that we have now
tuned over a new leaf. After so many reforms, we begin
to estaleisti a new principle. Compensation has hitherto
been the order of the day. • I .am afraid that if the dill
now before the Hpuse of Commons passes, we shall have
to substitute for the word "compensation," the word
"confiscation." (Hear, heat%) ,And where it is to end no
man living can foresee. But, sir, there is such a thing
as being too sharp—as being too clever—as being too
foreseeing, or fancying one's self so. There is such a
thing as going out for wool, and coining home shorn, and
I very much fear our Manchester friends and neighbours,
many find that upon this occasion they have only been—
supposing they should succeed--a cat's-paw for a higher
power which uses them for its own ends, and will then throw
them' off, when it has no further use of them. (Hear. hear.)
Sir, in the report of the meeting yesterday in Manchester,
there is wgood :deal said about plunder, about the title
being rotten which we hold respecting our town dues, and
abOnt the liberality of the government incoming to the
rescue and taking them out of our hands. They seem to
have taken it for granted throtig;hout the whole of the
proceedings, that if the bill passes, the enormity of town
dues will immediately cease—that there will be no more
town dues levied upon goods, and that the enormous sum
which is now paid, I think 41. a bale on cotton—(a voice:
twopence)—or 2d., upon' a bale worth probably 101. or
151., will at once and for ever cease, and halcyon days be
in store for the city of Manchester. Now, lam afraid
they are reckoning without their host. (Hear,. heir.) I
hold the bill in my band. I read it carefully over; and
cannot, I declare, find in all its provisions, anything which
would warrant the idea that the town dues are to be done
away with at all. I have looked also over the speech of
Mr. Lowe very carefully, and there is samething in that
speech of a very significant character to which I beg to
calf your attention. He talks about the various ports and
the conveniences of the harbours. He talks about
the works which the, "'government" have been prosecu-
ting at Ramsgate, Dover, and other places. He then
goes into the gut.; et ef the funds which government
haveHe
as their resource ier carrying en these works.
H said in regard to Ramsgate that " there are
certain char- opou. shippitor entering that harbour,
as also a tax upon rails, and that, if these sources of
income should fail, or if they should not be strlicient to
earn' on the works in Ramsgate"—What then? " Some
other source of revenuei must be found out." Very well.
'Now, I find, on lo
which refer to the° hie over the bill, that the only clauses
11th, and ',sth. subject of abolition at all, are the 1011 i,
- Clause 10 says":-:-." That all taxes, so
collected bY,the comtnis,sioners of customs, Szc., shall be
paid'Overto her Majpst mast er-general, in such man-
ner as the Beard of ThaiddsesPsoatit all direct." The money, you
see, is paid into the
.ggeon)veernment. How is it-to be
laid out ? " The PaYmastee
paid to him, under the provisiensrcV this, apply
such man-
all monies
ner ag.thle Board of Trade shall direee?,actt in
.esltsee also, in,the
95th clause, the folio wing:—" Her Ala shall, by an
order in council, from time to time, declare that all or
'any taxes, to which the 'second part of the
'shall be' reduced in amount, or shall be abollshtriin
There is, therefore, full power' given to her Majesty
Council, simply means the ministry for the ti in
me
being, or the Board •of,Trade; tinder their influence, to levy dues, to reduce them, as they choose, to raise them
again, if they please, to their fornier amount, and to do
with the money absolutely whatever they please. (Cheers.)
I see no restriction whatever. 1 see uo control on the part
of Parliament. Parliament is out bf the question. It is.
simply a fund at the service of.the-ministry df the' day
to ',devote in what manner they please, and
call' it by thenitne of giving advantage to commerce. (Hear, hear.)
Depend upon it, sir, that if this-bill be carried out, .the
youngest person noyv thing, no, noteve,i grandchildren,
*ill never see the abolition of these dues—and. the Man-
chester men will find out, to their cost, that if the Corpo-
ration of Liverpool chastised them with the whip, the
Government will chastise them with scorpions—that if we

friends in M

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