The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-14 00:00:00

LEEDS.

A large and enthusiastic meeting of the Liberals
was held in the Town-hall, on Tuesday evening, for
the purpose of selecting two Liberal candidates to
be put in nomination for the representation of this
borough at the ensuing election. About 2,000 per-
sons were present, and nearly the whole were elec-
tors. Alderman Lnccock was called to the chair.
Before the principal business of the meeting was
commenced, a resolution, on the motion of Mr. D.
Lupton, seconded by Alderman Kelsall, was unani-
mously passed, thanking the Right Hon. M. T.
Baines " for the distinguished ability, zeal, and in-
tegrity with which he has discharged the various
duties devolving on him as member for this borough,"
and expressing " deep regret that his failing health
renders it necessary that he should retire from Par-
liamentary life." Three persons were then pro-
posed to the meeting as " fit and proper to represent
the borough of Leeds in the Commons House of
Parliament"—namely, Mr. Edward Baines (brother
of Mr. M. T. Baines), who was proposed by Alder-
man Botterill and seconded by Mr. J. Middleton ;
Mr. W. E. Forster, of Burley, near Otley, who
was proposed by Mr. J, Lupton and seconded
by Mr. J. Jowitt, jun. • and Sir Peter Fair-
bairn, Mayor of Leeds, who was proposed
by Alderman Gresham and seconded by Mr. Mus-
grave. Both Mr. Baines and Mr. Forster were
present and addressed the meeting. Sir Peter
Fairbairn was not present. In the course of his
speech Mr. Baines said that notwithstanding the
unanimity with which, both in and out of. Parlia-
ment, the Reform Bill had been condemned, Lord
Derby
had had the assurance to appeal to the
country to enable him to pass a bill which the
Rouse of Commons would not pass, and which even
his own followers in that house were the first to
condemn. The appeal was then made to the men
of Leeds, and upon the way in which they
answered that appeal would depend whether any
measure of reform should be carried or not. (Hear.)
For he understood the appeal not only to be to
to
enable Lord Derby, if he pleased, to pass a measure
enable of that character, but much more it was an appeal
him so to strengthen the aristocratic and
Conservative element in that house as to beat down
the
democratic opposition which he met there,
Liberal policy
.establish his own policy, turn the tables in that
house, and establish a Conservative instead of a
there. (Applause.) He (Mr.
Barnes) approved of the measure of which a sketch
had been
given by Lord John Russell. (Applause.)
He approved of the extension of the county fran-
chise to £lO occupiers, and of the extension of the
borough franchise to £6. (Cheers.) That was a
measure which was at once liberal and wise. It
would be a great extension of the franchise to those
classes -which had entitled themselves to it ; would
it not be, therefore, a great advantage to our
glorious constitution that its pale should be so ex-
tended that those who were now outside of its pri-
vileges, and therefore, in periods of discontent and
agitation, assailants of the constitution, should be
strought inside and become defenders of the con-
.titttnttion ? He ought not further to trespass upon
by the
t ()Pic, and now would turn to the second topic
on which he wished to say a few words. It was
and second
once specially referred to by Mr. Jowitt and also
the continent,
gentl
him—the
who did him the honour to move
and with sole (Hear,
question of impending war on
in of the
(Hear,
pear, hear.) It was with awe
burst
that he looked to the gather-
likely to burst inuntder-elouds which seemed so
iearror and destruction upon the
continent.
h t
a istln wasthat
the
e duty ease,
u t
yhe o
fmtuhsi
this
declare to them that he) most deliberately and
resolutely of opinion
first, because he looked
to maintain asiaindtatinhis,
neutrality and peace. (Ap-
pcolaunusterY.)
upon
war as the greatest of calamities and the greatest

of crimes. (Hear, hear,) He looked upon war, ex-
cept when absolutely necessary, as a thing utterly
indefensible, and utterly at variance with all Chris-
tian precepts (hear, hear) the prevalence of
which in the nineteenth century of the Christian
era was one of the most lamentable stigmas upon
the depravity of human nature. (Applause.) War
blighted all the blessed fruits of peace which were
perpetually springing up—prosperity, knowledge,
mutual intercourse and love, the growth of Chris-
tianity, the spread of truth—war blighted all these
things, and therefore it was that on general prin-
ciples, always excepting under some overpowering
necessity, he was the declared enemy of war.
(Hear, hear.) The second reason why he objected
to our interference upon the present occasion was,
that both parties who were about to go to war were
in the wrong. (Applause.) He thought that Austria
had established an iron yoke over the north of Italy
with which we could not sympathise, but he feared
that that remarkable man, who in his deep policy
seemed to have concocted schemes of vast aggran-
disement—the Emperor Louis Napoleon—instead
of going into Italy to liberate Italy, went, not to
liberate, but to appropriate—(applause)—and to
extend the dominion of France, and perhaps to re-
enact the great drama which his uncle began—to
attempt the ascendancy of Europe. Therefore, he
said, it was not for us to interfere in this matter;
but it was for England to exercise her best offices
to maintain peace if possible, and, if not possible,
still to hold the position of being mediator ; and,
when it might be possible, to interfere with effect
to mediate on the side of liberty. (Hear, hear.) One
word only connected with that subject, and he
had done. He thought that the defences of the
country, especially the navy, which was almost
our only defence—our old defence, " our wooden
walls," our " towers along the steep"—that
the navy ought to be maintained. It was the
first duty of the Ministers of England to
maintain it in a state of such efficiency that
England might be able to look on serenely even
against a world in arms. (Applause.) There was
another topic upon which, for a special reason, he
wished to say a word. It was solely upon the abo-
lition of church-rates. He was favourable to their
entire abolition, and he most earnestly wished that
all who were afraid of abolition could but see this
town of Leeds. He wished he could but put their
large-hearted noble-minded vicar, the Dean of Col-
chester—(applause)—into the witness box, and
have him examined as to the working of the sys-
tem of dispensing altogether with church rates in
this borough. (Hear, hear.) What a miserable
thing it would have been if a man like Dr. Hook
had been squabbling for pence to wash a surplice
or pay the chorister boys. Had he not, by doing
without church rates, and depending upon the
noble spirit of his own people—had he not been
ten times more useful, ten times happier, and ten
times more respected, than if he had to fight an
annual battle with the Dissenters of Leeds for a
few paltry pounds for such purposes as those to
which he had referred P (Applause.) It would be
wrong (observed Mr. Baines in conclusion) to de-
tain them by further remarks upon political ques-
tions. He was proud of his native town. He was
ambitious to see Leeds prosperous, virtuous, edu-
cated, enlightened, honoured, happy. (Hear, hear.)
He had witnessed the growth of their trade, and
the expansion of their population ; he had taken
part in the formation of almost all their public in-
stitutions; his whole life had been a long appren-
ticeship in their service—(hear, hear)—and if it
should seem good to them to continue him in their
employment, but in another capacity, he would set
before himself the example of some who had served
them well, and would do his best to carry on their
concerns for their advantage. (Loud applause.)
Some questions were then put both to Mr. Baines
and Mr. Forster. The former declared himself in
favour of the ballot, and the latter in favour of the
entire abolition of church rates.

On the names of the three gentlemen who had
been proposed being put to the meeting, Mr. Baines
and Mr. Forster were carried almost unanimously.
A resolution soliciting Messrs. Baines and For-
ster to allow themselves to be put in nomination,
and pledging the meeting to support them, was
then carried without the slightest opposition, and,
after passing a vote of thanks to the chairman, the
meeting separated.
An active canvass on behalf of Mr. Beecroft, the
Conservative candidate, is going on in the borough,
and one on behalf of Messrs. Baines and Forster
was commenced yesterday. The contest promises
to be a keen one.