Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-11-10 00:00:00

ao personal
ound

move as an amendment that Mr. Beloe be
as a member of the dommitte
Mr. STITT seconded

amendment

Mr. CLINT said he thought if there was a man actuated
by high and noble motives in the discharge of his duty,
that man was Mr. Tobin. He knew if Mr. Tobin felt
that to occupy the double position would militate or
interfere with each other, he would be the first man to
resign. He would leave it as a matter of conscience to
Mr. Tobin, knowing that he would do that which his
mind taught him to be right.' He had seen questions
settled that day which. were but repetitions of ^ what he

had seen before, and which were altogether of a party
character. He would say, and he regretted to say it,
that the interest of the town was sacrificed at the altar
of party. He would not be influenced by any such low
and unworthy considerations as influenced many, and he
had only to leave the question to Mr. Tobin's own good
sense.

Mr. Pic-rox expressed his regret that party feeling
should influence so many.
Mr. GRAVES said he agreed with Mr. Jeffery so far
as he stated that he was not influenced by any party
motives, but he could not see that the interests of the
dock estate, and those of the Corporation were separate,
and he thought it desirable that the union existing
between them should be more thoroughly cemented. It
was for the Council to decide whether that union
was more likely to be cemented or torn asunder by
the members of the one,body forming part of the other's
committees. Ile had always understood that the
reason the members of the Dock Board were not on
the Finance Committee was, that they could not give
the time necessary to the affairs of the Dock Board.
Mr. Tobin was A gentleman of great experience and
high qualifications, and he thought it was very ungen-
tlemanly to propose a gentleman in his place who had
attended for the first time that day as-a member of the
Council, in opposition to one whose services had been so
I valuable

Mr. BELOS said no one could be more surprised than
he was when his name was mentioned in opposition to
Mr. Tobin. He knew he was not a fit person to super-
sede Mr. Tobin, and that fact he was sure was apparent
to every person. He hoped, therefore, that Mr. Jeffery
would withdraw his motion ; and, for his own part, he
would vote for Mr. Tobin.
•

Mr. Alderman S. HOLME said he wished tcrsay a word
or two with reference to the remarks of Mr. Picton on
the question of parties. No man could regret more than
he did that party questions should be introduced. He
bad been a member of the Council for fifteen years, and
during that time he had never intruded his political
opinions on its members. He would ask who had first
introduced the question ? The walls were placarded
with bills of a political character, and it was published
in the newspapers as an ddvertisement. Why did Mr.
Picton not then protest against it, if men were to be
chosen for their politics, and not for their qualifications ?
He would say if a man was to be excluded from the
Finance Committee he could not be a member of the
Watch Committee, or of. the Water Committee, for the
Dock Board had nothing to do with the Watch Com-
mittee, and the Water Committee supplied the docks
with water. It was quite possible for the Dock Board
to act in
.concert with these committees, but they could
not come into collision. He thought it cast a stigma
on any gentleman who had been chosen by a con-
stituency, and sent there believing him to be able to
serve on any committee. Mr. Tobin had great ex-
perience, and was well acquainted with all the details
of the committee, which were, in themselves, important.
It would therefore be invidious and an insult to the
constituency of Rodney-street Ward to say of him that
he was not fit to sit on any committee.

Mr. EARLE said, if Mr. Holme had not told them
what his politics were, he had taken care to give right
good Tory votes on every occasion, and he was sure he
would not deny_ that ; and as for the constituency of
Rodney-street Ward, they did not care a pinch of snuff
how they acted or thought.
Mr. TOBIN wished, to assure them that he did not
think that it was a personal feeling that had actuated
any of those gentlemen who had spoken against his
continuing a member of the committee; and he should
be very sorry if any gentleman should vote
in a way which he would not otherwise do,
thinking that he, should feel hurt by the way he
should vote. If he had felt that he could not have dis-
charged his duty honestly, he would have resigned his
seat long ago. He did not come here to make money
from the commerce of the port. He was a native of
the town, and he felt as lively an interest in the pros-
perity of the town as he did in its commerce. He rejoiced
to see those great public improvements, and he would
pay as much attention to the improvement of the
streets, of buildings, of the sanitary condition of the
town, as in the commerce of the port. He concluded
by saying he could • not think that the objection was
personal.
Mr. JEFFERY then withdrew his amendment, and Mr.
Tobin was appointed to act as a member of the Finance
Committee.
Mr. STEWART then moved the appointment of Mr.
Wm. Earle, Mr. John Aikin, Mr. James Steains, Mr.
Richard Sheil, Mr. John Farnworth, and himself (Mr.
John Stewart), Mr. William Preston, in the room of
Mr. Shand, retired; and Mr. Robertson Gladstone, in
the room of Mr. Toulmin. This was agreed to. The
Finance Committee will, therefore, consist of Alderman
John Stewart, Alderman S.
,Holmes, Alderman John
Bramley-Moore, Alderman James Parker, Alderman H.
Turner, Alderman James Cooper, Alderman Thomas
Dover, Alderman William Preston, Mr. J. A. Tobin,
Mr. James Tyrer, .Mr. William Earle, Mr. John Aikin,
Mr. James Steams, Mr. Richard Sheil, Mr. John Farn-
worth, and Mr. Robertson Gladstone.

I COMM!'

Messrs.