Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-23 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES.-LIVERPOOL, THURSDAY, JULY 23. 1857.

although their pay and allowances be greater,
the nation reaps the benefit in the long run.
At a time like the present, when such warlike
prospects are before us, a parsimonious and
niggardly spirit towards the army and navy is
policy of a suicidal character. The army, it
appears, wants reinforcements. Let the recruit-
ing service be carried on with energy. Raise
the pay, and increase the bounty. That, and
that alone, will send thousands of young and
daring spirits to join either the infantry or
cavalry forces. We know what we have got to
contend with and encounter in India. It
behoves the army authorities to set about the
augmentation of the army at home without an
hours delay, and with a determination to
succeed in at once restoring it to the effective
strength at which Parliament fixed it. This is

the more necessary, seeing that just now we are
without channel ►feet, or any large naval force
in the Mediterranean. The militia, too, will not
be embodied to any very large extent this autumn.
Beside, without an alteration in the law, they
cannot be drafted out of the country, so as to
occupy our garrison in the Mediterranean, or
settlements of British North America.

Although the discussion led to no practical
result, it will call the attention of the War
Department to the necessity of raising the
required number of men, and also of devising
means to promote the soldiers' happiness, by
rendering the profession of arms more attractive
and remunerating ; and, what is equally import-
ant, when rendered unfit for service, that means
shall be taken that he will not, as at present,
be steeped in poverty, but have such an allow-
ance as will place him far beyond the position
of an out-door pauper.

THE Election Committees are just now very
busily engaged, and with some of them short
work is made of petitions. Besides this, the
decisions have assumed a totally different aspect
from what they did at the commencement of
these Parliamentary investigations. Then, all
was in favour of the sitting members ; now, it is
quite the reverse. It has become quite a saying
that the law is famous for its glorious uncer-
tainties. In nothing has the remark become
more aptly verified than by the decisions of the
Election Committees. Hitherto, the uncertainty
of the law of election has been mourned over—
sometimes laughed at ; now, however, the com-.
mittees are deciding with certainty, but without
variation. There is no distinction between Whig
and Tory. Reason, however, does not appear to
operate upon the minds of the respective com-
mittees as they agree to deliver judgment. 'Fake,
for example, the following cases. Mr. STEWART,
the Conservative, was unseated for Cambridge
Mr. NEATE, the Liberal, was unseated for Oxford
—under circumAances as nearly similar as
circumstances could be. Again, Mr. MooRE, a
member of the Ultramontane party, and Mr.
ANTHONY OTLAGHERTY, the steady supporter of
LOrd PALMERSTON, were cashiered the House for

practices which their respective committees
solemnly averred that they had no knowledge of
or participation therein. This last feature in
the decisions of the committees of this session is
worthy of notice. Indeed, so monstrously
glaring is the circumstance, that we are sur-
prised that some independent member of the
House of Commons has not directed attention
thereto. Any one who has carefully perused the
evidence taken before the Oxford, Galway, and
Mayo Election Committees—aye, and the Falkirk
Burghs, too—must feel satisfied that a few more
whitewashing decisions of the same kind cannot
fail to bring the jurisdiction of Parliamentary
Election Committees into contempt and ridicule.
Will any one presume to tell us that no less than
152 messengers, unattached, were paid from
two-and-sixpence to twenty shillings, for their
special services at Oxford, without the know-
ledge of the rejected Mr. NEATs, who has to pay
the said half-crowns and pounds in question
Again, who credits that in Galway two adherents
of Mr. O'FLAGHERTY (MILES WARD and JAMES
BROWN) bribed several of the electors of the
" City of the Tribes" without the knowledge
and consent of the immaculate ANTHONY ?
And is it not beyond the bounds of
human credulity that the fierce and fiery G.
H. MOORE, the pet and nominee of the " Lion
of the fold of Judah," did not know—aye,
and approve of Priest RYAN'S altar denunciations,
or that he was ignorant and displeased with tire
exertions of Father CoNwAY, et hoc genus omne,
as well as the many plans and schemes which
were unduly resorted to, so as t,.) carry the
Mayo election against Col. HIGGINS ? Lastly,
who can come to the conclusion, after the
evidence given before the Falkirk Burghs Conk
mittee, that Mr. MERRY was unaware that undue
means had been resorted to for the purpose of
carrying his election ? We have no hesitation
in stating that the respective committees which
reported on the election proceedings of the
places enumerated could not have been sincere
in the opinions that they presented to the
House on the aforesaid matters; because, if
they were actuated by the feeling which they gave
utterance to, they inflicted an injury, and did
grave injustice to the four gentlemen who have
been unseated ; for how could they be held guilty
of a misdemeanour which their respective judges
say they did not sanction, and of the committal
of which they were perfectly ignorant ? We
look upon such decisions as nothing but sheer
nonsense. The fanciful and unnatural illustra-
tions and interpretations of the Puseyites are the
height of reason, cor.nmon sense, and candour,