Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-08-15 00:00:00

be reversed

picture is no longer imaginary, but real. It becomes
a true and faithful record, and takes its place in the
National Gallery of portraits. But let us add one
word
.of advice. When the Liberal party shall
again go forth on the search for a new character, or
for materials to mend the dilapidations in the old
one, let them not trust to the vain hope of building

it upon the ruin of their neighbour's reputation, or
of lowering the standard of virtue by scattering
about them the suspicions which mark the evil con-

science. It is the knave who seeks to compensate a
bad character by bringing everything down to its
own level, and blunting the fine edge of the contrast

between good and evil

To come, however, to the point. Although the
Liberals have suffered so much punishment by
the wholesale condemnation of their recent
elections, and by the just as wholesale acquittal
of their slandered , opponents, we are still

inexorable enough to deny them the solitary
set off of Hull. It is true, that after the unseating
of eight Liberals, and, the confirmation of every con-
tested Conservative return, we are at last called upon

to vary the course of the narrative, by announcing
the rejection of the Conservative elect of Hull, Mr.
HOARE. But in all sincerity, and with the greatest
disposition to be candid, we have to protest that the
balance is not adjusted by one iota more ; and that

the adverse decision on the Hull petition, taken in

connection with the details of the petitioners' case, is
a secondary triumph to the Conservative cause. For
if the Liberals have achieved but one solitary suc-
cess—if, through all their disastrous exposures, they
found consolation in this one hope, that their mis-
fortunes would be retorted tipon us---fthen we say,
and say fearless of contradiction; that the very ques-
tionable nature of this success, the very doubtful
form assumed by the only charges they have been

able to substantiate, but render more conspicuous
than ever their own bad pre-eminence, and our cora-

parative freedom from the arts of corruption

How stands the case ? In the first place, the very
name of the Conservative candidate is a guarantee ol'
propriety and conscientiousness. We should not ex-
pect to find the name of HOARE sullied with any
acts of suspicion, much less with any connivance
But next, never were there more pre-

at crime

cautions taken to prevent the employment of
those electioneering tactics which might afford

room for accusation or even question. Mr. HOARE
knew something of the character 'of the con-
stituency he was about to solicit, and took especial
care to repudiate suspicious alliances. He was even
too scrupulous. He openly proposed to the Liberal
Committee a mutual arrangement as to the machinery
to be employed, that all chance of collusion or deceit
might be taken away. Mark the result ! One of
Mr. HOARE'S propositions was, that both sides
should agree on the number of " runners " to be em-
ployed. The Liberals refused to be limited. They
refused to be put on a par with the scrupulousness
of their opponents, or to be cut short in one chance
of indirectly influencing the election. Will it be
believed that, because the Conservatives offered to
employ as few " runners " as thp Liberals might
allow, and because they did actually ethploy fewer
than their opponents, they have been deprived
of their election, -and a victory at least bearing,

even in the Committee-room, every appearance
of fairness and openness of intention has been
turned into a practical defeat ? And does not
one thing strike our readers as very probable--that
even supposing the Conservatives did employ too
many " runners," they were induced to do so by
observing their opponents stealing a march upon
them, and, by " colourable employment," robbing
them of their own voters ? The fact remains that,
supposing the Conservatives to have adopted, the
doubtful tactics which the Liberals positively refused
to repudiate, they were more slack in the use of
them than the Liberals themselves. Now, from the

very high character of the testimony, which

came to the defence of Mr. HOARE'S return, we are

quite disposed to think the whole a trumped-up

charge; and that the opposition to which disappoint-
ment has provoked the Liberals, is far more " colour-
able " than the conduct of their opponents.
At all events, after Hull, men turn with wonder
upon those many places where mere technical defects
in the proof of agency saved the Libeials from the
consequences of the most shamelesrdeeds of political
profligacy. We do not wonder to hear them openly