The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-30 00:00:00

THE APPEARANCE OF THE STREETS.

One might, at a glance, see there was something
,more
than ordinary a-foot, for the streets, particularly in the
business portions of the town, were full of people of every
class, and it was clear that the operative and labouring
community bad taken a holiday to themselves.. Castle street
was very much thronged, and about. the Town
Hall, the crowd was little less than on Friday,
but not so noisy. Large assemblages of people col-
-I.cted about the committee rooms of .the several
candidates, and other places, in order to get the state of
the poll, as it was issued from time to time. Altogether
there was a good deal of anxiety and excitement visible
from ten o'clock up to the final close of the poll.
The eventful proceedings of Friday induced a deeper
interest regarding the issue than all manifested at the
elections for the borough tor some years p ,st.

THE TORY DODGE,
of issuing incorrect returns of the poll to suit their own
purpose, was much censured and condemned by the more
respectable portion of the friends of the Conservative
candidates, but the tricks and stratagems of the party
only begat ridicule, at the same time that they illustrated
the means resorted to by them MI all occasions when a fair
atand_up fight is offered by the Reformers. We give the
returns, as issued by the Liberals and the. Tories, at the
several hours, and the reader can contrast these, and say
which was the comet ono.
MR. EWART ON 'CHANGE.
-•

Shortly before eleven o'clock Mr. Ewart was, according.
to his usual custom, on 'Change and he was immediately
surrounded by a large number of merchants and others, who
cheered him with great enthusiasm, in tome short time after
Mr. Turner appeared, but he was not received by arty popular
demonstration, and he merely walked through as an ordinary
individual. .
At ten o'clock Mr. Ewart had a decided lead in the poll,
Mr. Horsfall being well up. The battle, however, waa yet
far from being won, and all parties knowing full welt
that whoever had the lead at one o'clock would be certain
to keep it:for the next three hours, Reformers and Tories
exerted every energy to bring up their supporters, and
have their votes recorded. In every quarter of the town,
in the main thoroughfares, iu gloomy back streets, and
narrow tortuous lanes, known only to policemen, postmen,
and election agents; active committee-men on both sides
were, o be met• with beating up for voters as sportsmen
do for other game on. a Highland moor, at the end of a
season when the birds are wild and few. Cabs, some
chock lull of electors, others bearing only one solitary
" independent," who looked and felt his importance,
were to be seen dashing up to the several booths,
discharging their precious freights, and then, directed by
active partisans,whipping away for more. The Reformers
stimulated by early success. and their lead on the poll
becoming each moment more decided, looked the winners,
and the spirit of their party rose on all sides. At
eleven o'clock the odds were freely offered on Ewart,
though the false returns issued by the Tories tended
much to disturb and mislead the public opinion. Will
the desperation of men playing a losing game, every
artifice which election trickery, acquired by long
experience in such arts and audacity could sug-
gest, was resorted to. The returns which were
exhibited at the Courier office showed Horsfall and
Turner ahead of Ewart by a fabulous number, but faith
was not long placed in them, for it was soon found that
not only did they not tally with themselves, but the-; alsti
differed from the returns exhibited by the Tories elsewhere.
These tactics were however soon exposed by the Reformers,
who promptly caused the following placard to be extensively
circulated throughout the town :—" Ewart a head !
Electors, do not be misled ! The Tories are issuing false
reterng. State of the poll at eleven o'clock :
Ewart
Horafall
Turner
- This had the desired effect. Wavering voters who like
to be on the side of the strong, and reserve their votes for
4., aeeme to incline. waxed strong in
the conviction that the Reformers were about "to go in
and win," and hastened to the poll to record their vote in
favour of freelom and enlightenment. Twelve o'clock
passed by, and still Ewart crept steadily up,
Horsfall a good second, but Turner, in sporting phrase-
ology, was looking as if in a short time he
would "be nowhere." The pace was becoming too heavy for
him, and though whip and spur were freely used, his position
could' not be improved. His friends began to feel his cause
hopeless, and they looked their fears. On the other side, con-
fidence grew into certainty of success, and from one o'clock
until the final close of the poll, at four o'clock, the Reformers
may be said to have bad the " running all their own way."