The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-02 00:00:00

THE BIRKENHEAD ELECTION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.
Sir,—The interest you have for some time taken
in the affairs of our township, induces me to hope
that you will exercise your influence to secure to
myself and my fellow-townsmen the full benefit of a
free and impartial exposition of our real sentiments.
In common with the rest of my fellow ratepayers, I
believe I may safely assert that the majority of us
have at all events no other object in view than the
good government of the township, We all know
that there are great and grievous evils to be re•
dressed, but we also know that th® poor iudividual
who ventures to complain has no chance of even a
hearing from the present authorities. I will leave
you, Mr. Editor, to say, whether or not, this is fair
play. We, the poor people, who contribute. each our
little mite to keep the social machine in operation,
should, in my humble opinion, have some one to
whom we could appeal to when we thought that
the law had been stretched, to suit a criminal or a
vindictive purpose.
As it is, however, there is no such tribunal. The
commissioners pay their servants with the public
money ;
these servants yield fealty and faith to
them—the commissioners—and secure in their
pro
they venture to do just as they please.
But how, Mr. Editor,
are we to get rid of this
species of.petty despotism, it is more than I really
know. I hear a great talk of Bretherton, as being
a man who is opposed to the close and rotten
system which has prevailed in our township for so
many years ; but I have very little faith in him.
He is an attorney, and I know from dear-bought
experience, that he will not stick at trifles to gain a
p.- •nt. I have been twice in his clutches,
)1
and he has shown me no mercy whatever.
-uppose that is in accordance with the practice
of the profession. As the old saying has it, every
man must live by his trade ; and so, I suppose,
must Mr. Bretherton. But, Heaven knows,
any change from the senile imbecility of
our old fogies, (the commissioners) could not
possibly make us worse than we are.
Therefore, although I have often wished Bretherton
anywhere but in Birkenhead, I would not, not-
withstanding, like to see him have a chance of
ventilating the rotten atmosphere of the Commis-
sioners' Roms, and the Town Hall of Birkenhead.
"He pretends that he is not too weak for the
place." Let me see what stuff the animal
is really made of. If he realizes his promises
when elected—for elected he will be—then
I shall perhaps be induced to form a different
opinion from that which I have hitherto
entertained respecting individuals whom their
mere factionist opponents denounce as the "
Bul-
lying attorneys." Mr. Commissioner Bretherton—
that is to be—may rest assured that the eyes of the
people will be upon his every movement, and that
any attempt at jibbing or temporising with those
interests which he has so strongly professed him-
self in favour of, will meet with that punishment
which all treachery merits—contempt.—l am, in
haste, your obedient servant,

A NON-RATEPAYER OF BIRKENHEAD,
Ist June, 1837.

EnvS' CLOTHING MADE WITH GREAT TASTE
At LEWIS & COMPANY'S, Ranelagh street.

Tun PERSIAN TREATY.—Mr. Stevens, the British Consul
at Teheran, arrived at Vienna on
Saturday, with the rati-
fied Anglo-Persian treaty.
FIRE AT THE ATLANTIC CABLE FACTORY.—The portion
of Atlantic Submarine Cable waiting for shipment at the
.works of Messrs. Gla!s, Elliott, and Co., at East Green-
wich, where it was manufactured, narrowly escaped
destruction on Saturday morning through the outbreak
of a tire in one of the bending sheds connected with the
factory. It was occasioned by a boy dropping a piece of
lighted yarn into the shed where he had gone to look
after some lost article. Before the arrival of the engines
the building in question was burned down, but by the
exertions of the workmen and others the fire was pre.
vented reaching the docks where the Atlantic cable was
coiled, which, for a considerable time, was in much

danger.
THE TYRANNY 01' SILENCE --What is the Times if not
a faithful racord of events ? The leading organ, however,
relies on its privilege of suppression, not less than on its
power of publicity. It has positively burked two
notices of motion bearing on the administration of the
Duchy of Lancaster—one by Mr. Wyse for certain returns
connected with the revenues, another by Mr. Coningham
respecting Mr. Bartolacci's petition. We are forced to ask
whether a public journal has a right to make this use of
its superiori'y, to taboo an expression of opinion is one
thing, to home a parliamentary incident is another. It
has been believed—aud we should not care to believe
otherwise,—that the Times is a complete and accurate
chronicle of events, but if two notices of motion are
omitted from one evening's report, how much is suppressed
in the course of each revolving year?—Leader.