Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-10-29 00:00:00

-it is of importance to secure a preponderance of.'
political allies in the Town Council. There :is
the indirect importance of influence. The men
or the party who attain the high places which
society has to bestow, acquire an- accession of
influence, which Mal- be.exerted in, a thousand
unknown ways, which it- is good to possess
for an emergency, whiCh may be -reflected
unconsciously on . one's political opinions.,
and may be : a 'stepping - stone to political
triumphs. Influence is not only the more
vague and. unsusceptible of precise definition, be-
cause of the intangibility and subtlety of its na-
ture ; but it is, for that reason, stronger, -arid
secures.greater Moral- advantages. The already .
cheniierecli r4fe efiNkitieS will become a moral
r_s • t '
!illuisanceotaagrowing.ann. unchecked corruptinU,
waVittligr(dfflU .Triri'Ce' 'and standing withdraw
.
frowthe 'atage,4nd leave :selfishness, ignorance,
and bkitillty to fear theniselvea and the State in
pieces. 'Thi§,lA the dead. level to which Mr. JOHN
BRIGHT, and sa .many of his short-sighted and
deluded.- panderers, are giving all their wicked
or their wasted energies, to reduce every
form of national: life in the country. This
is the platform where. democracy_ may flaunt;
its faded colours, and riot out its brief
but maddened day. We correct, most effectually,
this destructive tendency, when we invest all
these 'forms of -national and public life with a
Conservative and Constitutional character. We

_ -
save Liberalism itself from its worst issues, by
strengthening the cause of respectability and'
virtue.
But thOugh townsmen of all classes, and of all
opinions, seem to be equally, and in the same
manner, concerned in municipal' questions,
.an,d
to possess in common., interests and convictions
Which no-political or religious prejUdiCes can influ-
ence or vary, it is not impossible to conceive many
emergencies -which Conservatives would rather
see dealt with by a Conservative than by a Radical.
They have occurred before ; and may, nay, often
will, again. "The' Corp Oration are charged with
considerable religious responsibilities. ._They have
Churches, they have, Schools, they have Reforma-
tories,--all constantly suggesting topics and giving
rise to discussions, acutely interesting to earnest
men, who venerate the Church of England, or
value Christian instruction, or have even -a
prejudice in favour of the Bible. Now pont-
Liberal is unpledged, unexplainable, and, for
the most part, indifferent on these points.
As we said the other day, his name is suggestive
only of negation. Conservatism professes, at least,
to have something to conserve, and knows what
it is. Among such things are the Constitution,
the Church, the Bible, as affording a basis for
popular instruction. Liberalism, however, points
to no necessity, except the necessity- of destruc-
tion, or change. But the crude and lifeless
notion, that there are abuses which require to be
done away with., can of itself supply no bond of
a real faith, nor a motive of high and adequate
service. Such a conviction is only lifegiving
or _safe as an incidental part of the true
policy of conservation. As a leading prin-
ciple, it - is the caricature of politics, or
the destruction of the State. Conservatives
are the 'true reformers, because they discern the
good from the bad. They are true conservers,
because they would adapt old institutions to new
circumstances, and endow them with the only
secret of preservation, adequacy to do their work.
It is not safe, therefore, to leave important
interests, such -as we have alluded to, to Liberal
guardianship; for it is absurd to expect that a
man can divest himself of his political or religious
character, when these things challenge his treat-
ment.

-But argue it in the abstract as we may, one con-
sideration, as we have often said before, is sufficient
to confirm this view of the coming elections. The
Liberals have ranged their forces as for a political
contest. Their political clubs—their confederates- of
faction—their masters of election machinery, have
set the score, and given the old summons to their
allies to play it out on Tuesday. The circumstances
of the moment—the reviving fortunes of Con-
servatismthe challenge of our adversaries, all
point out the one necessity, that Conservatives
should be zealous, watchful, conscientious, and
rigidly consistent, in a contest which transcends
its apparent, importance, and is now even more
apparently important than usual.

IN the midst of dark and frowning political pros-
pects abroad, it is some consolation to see a bright
spot breaking in the sky, to revive our fainting
hopes at home. It is-What the oasis in the desert
is to the weary and Way-Worn traveller. That
one bright ray in the tenebrosity Which envelopes
most of .the politicaknffairs in which our GlOvern-
ment is now engaged, is the material prosperity
of the country, as at present shown by the recent
returns of the Board of Trade of the condition of

our Conunerciat Tnierests. These, in spite of
the diplomatic bnngling, the political jobbing,
and the truckling: expediency of the present
Administration, .are happily in a most flourish-
ing and satisfactory state. We say in spite
of the measures of Lord PALMERSTON'S
Cabinet ; since the policy of that party of which
he is the leader, has done much to damage a most
important Interest of the community, by adopting
with reference to it a garbled principle of Free
Trade. We refer to the Shipping Interest.
While we examine the returns issued by the
Board of Trade, of an increased and increasing
commerce, we cannot but feel saddened, when
we know that such an Interest as the commercial
marine of this country has not, in such national
success, a due participation of the general
weal ; but, on the contrary, that it is in a
most depressed condition. In fact, by these very
documents we learn that the greater proportion