The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-14 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL ELECTION.

MEETING OF THE LIBERAL PARTY.

A meeting of the members of the Reform Association
was held at twelve o'clock, /esterd,iy, in Powell's

Royal Hotel, Dale street, to appoint a committee and take
other steps to secure the re-election of Mr J. C. E WIRT,
M.P., at the approaching contest. The meeting was
convened by private circular. There was a crowded
attendance, and among the gentlemen present, w 1
noticed Messrs. Thomas Brocklebank, William Rath-
bone, William Earle, H. J. Cross& eld, W. F. M‘Gregor,
C. E. Rawlins, J. Finch, 3, R. Jeffery, Capt. Johnson, T.
A vison, H. Farnie, E. Harvey, G. Melly, C. W. Corbally,
C. Melly, R. Rathbone, William Rathbone, junior, Enoch
Harvey, Thos. Chilton, solicitor, J. Denten, Dr. Hannah,
and Thomas S. Raffles, barrister. Several other prominent
members of the Liberal party were else present, whose
males, owing to the crowded state of the room, we could

not obtain.
Mr. Finch moved that Mr. Thomas Brocklebank take
the chair.
The motion was seconded by Mr. J. R. Jeffe-y, and
carried by acclamation.
Mr. Brocklehank accordingly took the chair, and opened
the proceedings by stating that the meeting had been
called together in accordance with a circular sent round
to all present, for the purpose of appointing a committee
to secure the return of Mr. Joseph C. Ewart. The first
res'lu ion, he believed, would be moved by Mr. Rath-
bun. (Cheers.) •

Mr. William Rathbone then came forward, and was
received with loud applause. He said : Gentlemen, 1
am rather an old hand at this sort of work, and I thought
to have nearly dote with such things. (Laughter.) Yet
it is really with great pleasure that I undertook the duty,
which has this day been laid upon me, which is, to move
•-• 4 That this meeting desires to express its
nraltered confidence" perhaps one might say
its increased confidence. (Hear, hear, and cheers.)
" in Joseph Christopher Ewart, Esq , and pledges
i'self by every legitimate means to promote his re-elec-
tion forte -borough of Liverpool." (Enthusiastic ap-
plause.) Mr. Chairman and my friends, you never were
called together, in my humble opinion, at a of
greater importance to the country, than the pr,:,sent crisis -
and it will depend upon how the eleet.ors- of Liverpool
and other places perforni their d];.:iies, Whether we are to
have the " same do-little," Of Parliame ,t in the
next session,) which tiad in the last— (hear, hear)—
in my humble ors nionl about one of the worst Parlia-
ments which eceri disgraced this kingdom. (Hear,
hear) ne questions which will come before the next
'Pa-L.13.111;w, are, I may safely say, of vital interests to the
country. (Hear, hear.) We want some measures adopted
to cleanse the augan stable of the administration in all its
departments. The want of such measures previously was
an evil which has led to an enormous expenditure

of money, and, I lament to say, a most unnecessary and
e tormous expenditure of the blood and of the lives of
Scone of the noblest men England ever had to boast of.
(Cheers.) There is a power somewhere—l do not say
where It is—which has interfered with Englishmen
expressing their opinions, and expressing their gratitude
in the way in which they ought to those who, I may say,
have assisted at all events in saving the lives of our fellow
creatures, and in saving millions of money which would
have been expended in the war; and who have been the
means, with the blessing of God, of bringing to a close
a war which might have cost you fifty milliling, and as
many more lives, hut for the firmness of Lord Palmer-
roe. (Cheers) Yes, let me say one word about Lord
Palmerston. (Hear, hear.) Lord Palmerston, while he
was minister for foreign affairs, kept us out of war,
because the Continental people feared biea' (Hear,
hear.) He was no longer in power, and that dawdling
man, Lord Aberdeen, came in. Lord Aberdeen, who
boasted, although he was premier, that he knew
no'hing at all of what was going on in the Crimea, and
of the sufferings of others, although he had Colonel
Gordon there, his own son, to tell him. Do you believe
that, gentlemen ? I do not. (Cheers.) Well, Lord
Palmerston came back again, and he brought us out of
the war. He did more. By making our allies know that
we would not be trifled with, he has prevented the ex-
pr.nse of blood and treasure from being of no avail, and
enabled us to have the advantages for which we went
into this war, unlike'any ether war which I recollect in
my remembrance, where we went out without the slightest
Wish for aggression, the slightest wish to get anything
by it, but to stand by our allies to whom we were pledged.
(Hear, and cheers) I consider the late war to have been
an honourable and a noble war But now, gentlemen,
to tome back to Joseph Christopher Ewart. What we
'event on the present occasion is a man who will only
support the.government when he thinks they are doing
right, who will have the moral c mrage, the independence,
and the ability to discern whether they are doing right or
wrong. (Hear.) And if we felt confidence in Joseph
Christopher Ewart when he came forward before, we
have greater teason to do so now. (Hear' hear, and
cheers.) Thanks to the town of Liverpool, it was the
first to originate an address to Sir John M'Neill and
Colonel Tulloch. (Hear, hear.) How has that been
supported by Joseph Christopher Ewart in the House of
Commons ? He has commanded a position in that house
whieh has made him respected lby all; and at last it has
ended, as we learn by a telegraph to-day, that the House
of Commons, roused to it, I am sure, by his motion, and
feeling that he was not a man to be trampled upon, has
Coins to an unanimous resolution to address the Queen,
that she may signify to Sir John M'Neill and Colonel
Tulloch her approbation of their services. (Hear, hear,
and cheers.) Now, I consider this one of the turnirg
points of the country ; I consider that wherever 'the
obstruction has been, it is now said—" You shall go no
further." (Hear, hear.) I consider that this is getting
the narrow end of the wedge in, for that Parliamentary
Reform without which . the country cannot be
supported. (Hear and cheers.) That, I consider, we
owe to Mr. Joseph Christopher Evart—to his firmness,
his manliness, and the respect he has ensured for himself
in the licrale of Commons; and. therefore, it is with
much pleasure I beg leave to move the resolution—
" That this meeting desires to express its unabated con-
fidence in Joseph Christopher Ewart, Esq., M.P.,
and pledges itself to use every legitimate means to
promote his re-election for the borough of Liverpool."
Now, gentlemen, the question is in your hands. Do
your duty. lam sure Mr. Ewart will do his duty by
you, and you will read a lessen for the people of Eng-
land, which I hope they will never forget. (Loud
cheers.)
Mr. William Earle rose to second the resolution, and
was received with warm acclamation. He said : Mr.
Chairman and gentlemen, it is eu,tomary for every
resolution to be seconded, or else, I think, from whet
my young friend, as I may call him—Mr. Rathbone—
(cheers and laughter)—for he-need not have made any
apology on the score of his antiquity, for I think he has
shown himself a very young man on the present occasion
—(cbeers and laughter)—from what he has said, it is not
necessary for me to say much, and, indeed, I have
mething important which ells me off immediately.
M st cordially, however, do I second the resolu-
tion. I thick the greatest compliment which can
be paid to Mr. Escort is paid by several of pis own
political opponents. I have heard many of them
say that he is an honest man (cheers), and that we can
trust him. (Hear, hear.) Now, gentlemen, there are so
very few of whom we can say that, who go into that
honourable—or, as I would call it, that" most dishonour-
able-I)on3e (laughter), that I think it is a great feather
iu Mr. Escort's cap ; and, I hope, as it is in your bands
to elect him, that you wilt not fail to do so. My friend,
Mr. Turner—for my friend I shall call him, and I am
always hipny to shake his hand when I meet with him ;
not my political friend, for I cannot agree with him in
one single thought upon the subject—whatever be may
sty to the contrary, he is a most determined Derhyite.
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) Nothing but that, sir, (bear,
hear), and lie will use all the influence ha can possess to
move Lord Palmerston out of the situation be nriw holds.
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) Now, gentlemen, if you choose
to elect him, do so (Loud cheers and laughter.)
The resolution was carried by acclamation.
Mr. C. E. Rawlins moved the second and last resolution.
He said—l have, sir, to propose that a committee be now
formed for the purpose of conducting the election of Mr.
Joseph Christoper Ewart, and that it consist of the follow-
ing gentlemen. Mr. Rawlins then read the names of
several of the leading members of the liberal party, and
continued :• There are some 4,000 other names, but suppose
'you will' excuse me from reading them on the present
cceasion. It seems to have been the desire to make the
whole body of electors Mr. Ewart's committee. (Cheers).
I em sure that I need not say very much in support of this
resolution. The men whose names I have read are men
who are known to be earnest in every good work and word
in the liberal cause, and the same can be said of those whose
names I have not read. (Hear, hear.) But, perhaps, I
may be excused in saying a word or two with regard to the
position and prospects of the liberal perty at this election
• (Hear, hear). Now, it is well known that in this town
parties are pretty evenly balanced. The Conservative
party and the Liberal party, both of them number among
their ranks very many honest and respectable mensLmen