The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-04-06 00:00:00

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from land, I think the community ought in some way or
other to give us fair play. (Cheers.) If you force us to
enter into the race of competition with the whole world,
you ought at least to see that in that race we are not over-
weighted. I don't desire to have an advantage at the
expense of the consumer; but, at the same time, I think
that the consumer ought not to have an advantage at the
expense of the producer. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, it has
been declared in the House of Lords by Lord Derby, and
in the House of Commons by Mr. Disraeli and by Mr.
Walpole, that the Government have no intention what-
ever of reversing this policy, but that they mean only to
alter and modify it. (Cheers.) Now, as an agriculturist,
I am content to wait till I see what these measures are ;
and I feel satisfied, confident and relying as I am upon
the wisdom and integrity of the Earl of Derby—(loud
cheers),—that those measures will be such as will give re-
lief, without giving anything more than relief, and that
they will, in the minds of all sensible and independent
men, set this question at rest for ever. (Hear, hear.)
But, gentlemen, I said that agriculture was not the only
interest that had grievances to complain of. In this town
there are many of you, no doubt, who anticipate the inte-
rest I mean to allude to. I think the shipping interest—
(hear, hear)—l think the repeal of the navigation laws
placed the British shipping in a most unfair predicament
—(cheers); and I think, moreover, while England has
many things of which she may well be proud, there is no-
thing she possesses of which she may be more justly proud
than her great commercial marine. (Cheers.) Now, in
the presence of the inhabitants cf Liverpool, I feel great
diffidence in speaking on a question of this sort; but I
think that the grievances of the shipping interest may be
redressed, and that the wisdom of Government may de- I
vise means, by reciprocity or otherwise, to place it in a
proper position, without any absolute reversal of the law
which has been passed. (Hear, hear.) Well, gentle-
men, the next question to which I shall allude is that
most important question of the relations between the
Protestants and the Roman Catholics. (Hear, hear, and
loud applause.) Gentlemen, there is a paper published in
Edinburgh, near which place I reside, which, from the

first houi; of my entering public life, bas_singied me out

as the object of its envenomed attacks. (Hear, hear.) I
understand that that paper has been circulated in Liver-
pool, and that some attacks have been made on me in the
papers of Liverpool which have been copied from the
Edinburgh newspaper, the Scotsman. Gentlemen, there
is one part of that charge to which, unfortunately, I must
plead guilty. I did once vote for the grant to Maynooth
but when the Scotsman says I gave that vote for the pur-
pose of obtaining office, and that I now reverse that vote
for the purpose of obtaining the representation of Liver-
pool, I say that the Scotsman says that which is simply
untrue; and I think that this refutation of mine is
capable, in some sort, of being proved, because,
within twelve months of the time I accepted office
under Sir Robert Peel, I resigned office, when I found I
could no longer go on with him in his policy. Now, if I
were the sordid being represented by the Scotsman, do
you think that I should have thus abandoned the office
for which I was supposed to pay so dear ? Well, then
they say that I reversed that vote for the purpose of
obtaining the representation of Liverpool. Now, at the
general election in 1847 I told my constituents in Scotland
that I repented of that vote. I saw I had committed as
error, and, thinking that the manliest thing I could do
Wl/45 at once to avow that error, I came forward and told
them that no persuasions would induce me to vote one
shilling of public money to the Roman Catholic 'church.
(Vehement applause.) Gentlemen, lam willing and ready
to repeat that solemn declaration now—(cheers),—and I
pledge myself here, in the face of 4000 inhabitants of
Liverpool, that be a grant proposed by whomsoever, when-
ever, or for whatever purpose, towards the Roman Ca-
tholic church in this country. that vote shall have my
uncompromising opposition. (Loud cheers ) Hut, gen-
tlemen, having disposed of these two questions, there re-
mains one point scarcely less in magnitude and moment
than those of which I have been talking, and that is,—
under what form of Government are we in futue to live ?
(Hear, hear.) When I look to the opposite benches of
the House of Commons, I see there three parties. The
first party is of the late Government—a party strong in
numbers, strong in union, led by an able tactician,. the
late prime minister, Lord John Russell. (A hiss.) Then
there is another party likewise strong in union and num-
bers—l mean the party of the men of Manchester—
(expressions of disapprobation),—and that party is led by
Mr. Bright and Mr. Cobden. (Renewed groans, followed
by a cry of " Three cheers for them," and shouts of
" Turn him out," Order," &c.) Then there is a third
party sitting there, not so numerous, certainly, as that.
which I have now mentioned ; it is a small section of the
followers of the late Sir Robert Peel, and it is led by, if
not entirely composed of, Sir James Graham and Mr.
Cardwell. (Disapprobation.) Now, gentlemen, these
three parties have coalesced, and assumed an attitude
hostile to the present Government; and it is perfectly
obvious to all men who look to the signs of the times,
that, should the Government of Lord Derby fail, out of
those materials a new administration must be formed.
Now, gentlemen, this is the question which it behoves
every elector in the United Kingdom calmly and carefully
to ponder before the coming election. Are you content,
gentlemen, with the blessings you enjoy under the
present constitution, or do you want others ? (Cries
of " No, no.") Are you satisfied with the peace and
plenty, the security to life and property, which you now
enjoy ?—(hear, hear)—or will you throw all these bless-
ings to the winds, and renounce the substance while you
grasp at the shadow ? Are you prepared to support the
Government of Lord Derby—(" Yes, yes")—composed
as it is of men who, though untried in official life, have
already shown that they are capable of conducting the
public business of the country, while they have at their
head a nobleman whose position precludes the supposition
of any corrupt or selfish motives, who brings to the con-
sideration of every question a vigorous intellect, and a
judgment the most mature, while his eloquence is so
brilliant and commanding, that it wrings applause even
from his political foes ? (Loud cheers.) Well, then,
gentlemen, are you prepared to support this Government,
which will secure you the wise administration of the laws,
which will stand by the connexion between Church and
State—(hear, hear)—which will uphold the rights of the
Crown, which will maintain the authority of the House of
Lords, which will respect the privileges of the House of
Commons, and preserve unimpaired the civil and religious
liberty of the people of this country ? (Cheers.) Or,
gentlemen, are you ready to subvert this government, and
to set up another in its place, composed, as 1 have shown
it must be, in a great measure, of the men of Manchester ?
—men whose views tend obviously to a revolution, which
will be succeeded by a republic, but which, like other re-
publics we have seen in modern days, will speedily dege-
nerate into a military despotism. (Hear.) Gentlemen,
the British Constitution may be likened to a tree which,
under its spreading branches, shelters all in the sphere of
its influence, as well from the too great heat of the sun
as from the storms of wind and rain, while its roots ramify
through all classes of society, giving sustenance to all.
Do you think you can transplant that tree—that you can
dig it up by the roots, and place it elsewhere, and bid it
grow and flourish as it has hitherto done ? No ; the first
blast of popular fury would bring it to the ground ; and
small indeed would be our consolation when we found
that those who had caused its ruin were the first to be
crushed beneath its fall. (Cheers and Kentish fire,
amidst which the speaker sat down.)
Mr. CHARLES TURNER next rose, and was loudly and
repeatedly cheered. He said,—Highly, gentlemen, as I
should appreciate the distinguished honour of represent-
ing in Parliament the greatest commercial seaport in the
world, I am not here to-day, gentlemen, to gratify any
personal vanity of my own, but because it has been repre-
sented to me by friends whose opinion I value, and which
opinion has been backed by the requisition which has
been presented to my friend Mr. Forbes Mackenzie and
myself, bearing the signatures of nearly 3000 electors,
representing that, in their opinion, by coming forward at
the present crisis, I should render good service to that
Protestant and Conservative cause which lies so near to
the hearts of all of us. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) I fear,
gentlemen, that my friends may over-estimate my ability
to serve you—(" No, no")—but I did feel that, called
upon as I have been, it was my duty to lay aside all per-
sonal considerations, and to place my services at the dis-
posal of my fellow-townsmen. (Cheers.) Gentlemen,
my friend Mr. Forbes Mackenzie has said that he is no
orator. I may truly say that this is the first time I ever
addressed a public meeting of this kind ; and therefore
you must not expect from me any lengthened or eloquent
address, which I trust, indeed, is the less necessary, be-
cause, having lived amongst you nearly a quarter of a
century--(hear, hear)—during which time I have been
actively engaged in the commerce of this port, I am well
known at least to many amongst you; and wherever I
am known, I trust that I am known for maintaining those
Conservative and Protestant principles—(cheers)—from
which I have never swerved. (Renewed cheering.) A
firm and decided Protestant, and sincerely attached to
the Established Church of which I am a member, I am
still in favour of the free exercise by others of those civil
and religious liberties which I claim for myself. (Hear,
hear, and cheers.) lam opposed, gentlemen, to the en-
dowment of the College of Maynooth. (Loud cheers.)
I am opposed to that endowment, not only because I
think it is unsound in itself, but I am opposed to it on
the principle of toleration, which is the glory and pride
of this Protestant country. (Cheers.) In this Protes-
tant community, gentlemen, all denominations of reli-
gionists, and Roman Catholics amongst the number, are

allowed the free and full exercise of their religion, ac-
cording to their own forms of worship (hear, hear) ; but,
gentlemen, when I look abroad at other countries, where
the Roman Catholic religion is predominant, and, parti-
cularly, when I look at Rome—(hear, hear)—the seat of
the head of that religion, whose health is drunk in the
festive assemblies of the Roman Catholics before that of
our gracious Queen—(hear, hear)—l find, gentlemen, in
that country that that toleration is not given to Protes-
tants which is accorded by Protestants in this country to
Roman Catholics. (Hear, hear.) When, gentlemen, I
find that such is the case, I would put it to you whether
it is right, in this Protestant country, to support the
endowment of a college in which 500 priests are constantly
receiving their education, the main object of whose life is
to propagate the Roman Catholic religion, and to pull
down the Protestant religion ? (Hear, hear.) Gentlemen,
1 shall think it my duty to support any measure which
may be necessary to maintain the supremacy of our gra-
cious Queen in this country, and especially the indepen-
dence of this great nation. (Cheers.) Although, gen-
tlemen, I am, with all commercial men, strongly in favour
of real freedom of trade, I think that the late Govern-
ment, and the Government conducted by Sir Robt. Peel,
unwisely in extending to foreign nations all the
sion of their ships and pro-
s country, without ohtaining
~n countries reciprocal advantages for the
and manufactures of this country.
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