The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-10-19 00:00:00

THE CONTESTED WARDS.

The wards in which it is likely that anything like an
exciting contest will take place at the ensuing municipal
election are, so far as we can at present judge, few in
number. St. Anne's, in which Mr. F. Shand is opposed
by Mr. T. L. Hodson, will be energetically battled for by
the friends of the latter gentleman ; and it is currently
reported that they are prepared to sport their money
freely on the occasion, one gentleman in particular, hav-
ing made a very handsome contribution towards the
expenses of the contest. What any of the parties have
heard of their candidate to lead them to suppose that he
is likely to be any very great acquisition to the council, we
are at a loss to know. All that we are aware of very
striking in his previous municipal feats, when member
of Vauxhall ward, from which he was summarily
ejected, is that he chattered a little against the Pike
scheme ; and when in London on a deputation upon the

subject, he charged the modest sum of £7O or £72 for
nine days' loss of his valuable time. The doctor on that
occasion was a dear bargain to his friends ; and we record
the fact lest the constituency of St. Anne's Ward should
commit the very common error of taking " omne ignotum
pro magnifico." Mr. Shand's friends are very sanguine
of their candidate's success, notwithstanding the money
which is at Mr. Hodson's back, and the uses to which it

is said to be put.
In West Derby, Mr. William Earle comes forward,
without a ghost of a chance of success, to oppose Mr.
Arthur Henderson, and to create ill feeling in the ward.
Perhaps lie has a grudge against the constituency for its
signal rejection, on a former occasion, of his relative, Mr.
George Hall Lawrence. We observe that a Radical con-
temporary advocates the return of Mr. Earle, on the
ground that there has been no fun in the Council since he
ceased to be a member; and there would be some reason
in the argument, if the main study of a constituency was
to return an oddity. The burgesses of West Derby, how-
ever, do not view their duty in this light ; and we are
informed that there is no doubt of Mr. Arthur Henderson
being placed once more at the head of the poll. Mr.
Earle's pro-Popish, or we suppose they must be called
" Liberal" leanings, are not particularly acceptable in
that ward.

In St. Paul's ward, the contest seems to be entirely one
between individuals and classes, and not involving any
particular party or local question. The struggle between
Mr. Godfrey and Mr. Savage will be a severe one.
In Abercromby ward, where Mr. Hall, the retiring
member, was threatened with a contest, the opposition
candidate, MI:. Robertson Gladstone, will not, it is thought,

present himself to the constituency. Mr. Gladstone has
recently suffered a severe bereavement in the los s of his
eldest son ; and the turmoil of an election cannot be at

present his choice.
In Great George Ward Mr. M'Nicoll, a well-known
member of the timber trade, has just come forward in op-
position to Mr. Rogers, the present member. His views,
as to keeping that trade at the south end of the town, are
likely to be very popular with a portion of the constituency.