Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-26 00:00:00

whole people is the only safe path to improved

institutions.

It seems most unlikely that the present con-
dition of things should continue in France. Yet
how the change is to come no human wisdom
can divine. The Emperor has no constitutional
bulwarks around him ; there is no safety valve to
let out popular discontent, or inform him of the
real wishes of the people he rules. Here is the
greatest danger There is representation of the
people but only by the Emperor. The Corps
Legislatif is the creature of one will ; ditto the
Senate with its pay and paraphernalia. Should
any sudden event cut short the life of the
Emperor we should despair of seeing a NAPOLEON
IV., and we should tremble to think of France
thrown again into the cauldron of revolution.
Yet this must be regarded as a possibility.
France is not finally constituted. As there are
few or no constitutional guarantees and connect-
ing links between himself and his people, his
throne, in spite of the spy system, may be under-
mined without his being made aware of it. And
no one should know better than he, that what
was gained by one revolution may be lost by
another.

THE Council have granted the Water Com-

mittee a respite till August, but, in the mean-
time, the inhabitants of this great !town are
doomed to drink a mixed water which, in many
instances, is truly abominible. True, we believe

that the doctoring and drugging with the Pike

rubblsh is not carried on to the same extent as

it was. In place of seven-twelfths of Pike, and

five of well, the decoction now consists of only

one-third Pike, and two-thirds well water ; at
least that was the Chairman's statement. Just

enough of the wash to destroy all the good

and brilliant qualities of our unequalled well

water. But why, we ask the Water Corthnittee,
should this be, with abundance of. pure'-.spring
water at their disposal ? Why, in the name of

all that is sacred, just, and merciful, should they

still continue perversely to persist in contami-
nating our pure well water with any admixture
whatever of the rotten bog wash from Rivington..

We have no wish to re-open old sores, no desire

,o embarrass the Water Committee, or further

to excite the indignation of the inhabitants
against proceedings which admit of no palliation

whatever.

The wells have been proved capable of
supplying forty-four million gallons of water
per week, a yield which might be increased,

at a trifling cost, to upwards of fifty millions,
and that, too, within a fortnight. This, as we
have over and over again stated, will be equi-
valent to upwards of twenty gallons to every
inhabitant of Liverpool, men women, and
children. We all know that this is far more
than can be legitimately used by the ratepayers
or their families ; and we here repeat the question
we have often put before without receiving any
answer—" What becomes of this enormous
quantity of pure spring water ?" One thing is
certain, the people do not receive it. The
manipulators of our water supply ought to be
honest—be, in fact, open and aboveboard. With
the dog days upon us—the thermometer
ragning from 80 to 100 degrees, we must have
no more tampering and juggling by a parcel of
emperical officials, who, to promote selfish
objects, keep all their proeeedings in the dark,
and make a mystery of the simplest subject in
creation. No, no. The poor thirsty sons of
toil are not to be longer compelled to
drink a hot and unwholesome compound,
called water, to please the caprice of a
few scheming jobbers.

We repeat, we have abundance of pure,
cool, and pellucid spring water—the greatest
luxury and blessing that our reeking,
teeming thousands could at present enjoy.

But this, the choicest gift heaven ever
conferred on an aggregation of humanity, is
adulterated and poisoned by some few unprin-
cipled Aventurers, who have no object to serve
but their 'own selfish interests. And we do
trust that the Water Committee will yet have the
honesty—the moral courage—to emancipate
themselves, even at the eleventh hour, from the
mass of corruption, secrecy, and juggling trickery
which has been hitherto perpetrated upon them
by their own servants. Such a piece of reckless
and brazen imposition must meet the condign
punishment it merits—if not at the hands of the
'Water Committee, then the people of Liverpool
must speak out in a manner which shall not lie
misunderstood. We are no advocates of
Lynch law—far from it : but if ever an
organised body deserved summary punish-
ment at the hands of a grossly outraged
people, it is the water jobbers—men who stint
the poor of their water, and who conspire to
pollute the pure springs which the people of
Liverpool have enjoyed for the last century. The
poor man cannot get a patent filter, neither can
he enjoy the luxury of Wenham Lake ice ; nor
can he swallow the rotten stuff which in many
parts of the town is the only water beverage
which he can procure. Hence he is driven by
dire necessity to the public-house, or beer-house.
It is notorious that since the introduction of the
Pike water into Liverpool, drinking has increased
to an incredible extent. Nor is this unfortunate
propensity confined to the mere working classes.
Ask any of our hotel and restaurant keepers, and
they will prove that hundreds—we may say,
thousands—who were formerly water-drinkers,
now indulge in beer or spirits to qualify the
Pike decoction. On this point there can be no
doubt.

In conclusion, we do hope that the Water