The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-11-12 00:00:00

.4)
*AO \

, , \
that was regulgrly brought\ re them ; but it seemed to
him incorreetthat they should send their Town-clerk about
the town fishing, as it were, for..individuals who had perso-
nated voters. He wished justice to be done in any case that
could be substantially brought forward.
Mr. I. HOLMES said, the case of Bond scarcely differed
from one in Everton, where the individual certainly knew
that he had not paid his rates. He wished the Council to
punish, wherever they saw personation or other impropriety
of conduct constituting a violation of freedom of election,
whatever might be their bias in favour of particular political
opinions. The act said, that any person offering a bribe,
whether it was accepted or not, should be punishable. The
gentlemen who addressed the Council said they did not know
of a case. lie would support the amendment.
Mr. BOLTON said, as no practical good could result from
the adoption of the amendment, unless it could be proved
that the preliminary questions had been put by the alderman,
he could not support it. If that had been the case. he should
have been glad to have done so.
Mr. JOSEPH HORNBY said, there was a broad distinction
between the case at Everton and that before the Council.
In that ward there were two persons, both named John
Davies, living in Prince Edwin-lane ; and one of them, who
was not really the John Davies on the register, but fully be-
lieving that he had a right to poll, gave his vote. This was
very natural. Afterwards the real individual came up and
tendered his vote, when the error was discovered. There
was no attempt at deceit in this, as the man came openly
forward, on the following day, and stated his firm conviction
that he was entitled to vote, when all was explained. His
name was taken off the poll and the right one put on.
Mr. COGLAN said, if the amendment had proposed to go
into any particular case, and had given the name and circum-
stances, the same as the original motion, he should not have
objected to it ; but he hoped, for the honour of the town and
the Council, it would not be published, that they were about
to send their town-clerk on a Quixotic expedition to discover
offenders. Without having previously brought before the
Council the name of the offender, he should disapprove of
amendment. He was sure, that no party feelings ought
to step in here. The peculiar features of the case were, that
the party who personated Mr. Bond, who was then in Lan-
caster, was dressed up for the occasion—he was a seafaring
man—be lived in a cellar in Gildart's-garden ; and this per-
son, he was instructed by a respectable portion of the con-
stituency, who considered it a disgrace to the ward, as it was
to the• Council, was brother-in-law to the successful candidate,
who was present in the polling booth when he voted.—
(No, no!)
The MAYOR suggested, that this question would more
properly be left to the Town-clerk.
Mr. COOPER, with regard to the case of Davies, said, Mr.
Hornby, the alderman for Everton Ward, should have told
the whole of it. He (Davies) must have known that he had
never paid his rates, that be was rated, that he was not on
the register, that he had no right to vote, and thatle was
called on to personate another man of the same name and
living in the same street.—(lnterruption, and cries of
" Order.")
The MAYOR interfered. He had allowed Mr. Hornby to
speak on the subject, and must hear Mr. Cooper.
Mr. COOPER said, Davies knew as well as he did, that he
had not a right to vote.
Mr. WOOD intimated, that there was a case of personation
in his ward, which Mr. Loch was determined to persevere in
until he could bring it to light.
Mr. R. JONES said, he laboured under considerable em-
barrassment, in consequence of the attack of Mr. Coglan,
and as it was unexpected, be was almost unprepared to reply.
Mr. Coglan had stated, that he was in the booth at the time
when the personated vote was tendered by a member of his
family. This assertion, he begged to say, was entirely un-
founded. The person was, unfortunately, a relation of his,
being the husband of a cast-off of his family. As to any
knowledge of the circumstances mentioned, he had none
whatever. Had he seen the man at the booth, he should
have ordered him off.
Mr. CHRISTOPHER BUSHELL observed, that this was a
question with which party feeling ought to have nothing to
do. Their object should be equal justice. The Mayor knew,
from his experience in municipal elections, that many cases
of personation might be brought forward on either side. On
the pledge of the Council that equal justice should be done
to both parties, he thought that the amendment should not
be persevered in, but should be withdrawn. Whether con-
servative or radical, if guilty of flagrant injustice, they should
punish him if they were able. From his appearing there for
the first time, he did not know whether he should be in order
in putting a question to the Town-clerk, at the request of his
constituents ; but the Mayor would set him right. He wish-
ed to know whether, at the ward elections, when the hour of
four arrived, the voting papers at the window should be re-
ceived, or the window shut? He remembered that, when
Alderman Barclay was in office, and he acted as assessor, he
shut the window at four, by that gentleman's directions. On
a recent occasion, thirteen votes had been received after four
o'clock. He wished to know which was the law ?
The MAYOR observed, that Mr. Bushell would see this was
not the time to put the question.
Mr. BARCLAY denied that any vote had been received af-
ter four o'clock.
Mr. BUSHELL replied, that he was not present, and could,
therefore, only speak on the ipse dixit of his friends.
Mr. RIGHT suggested, that, after what Mr. Jones had
said, Mr. Coglan ought to withdraw his assertion.
Mr. COGLAN said, Mr. Benn was present at the time, and
would, if questioned, confirm his assertion.
The MAYOR thought it was very well understood, that the
Council was pledged to give due consideration to further cases
brought before them.
Mr. BLACKBURN considered the Council would dishonour
themselves by giving any such pledge.
Mr. HODGSON replied, that if theunderstanding was that
the Council, when other cases were brought forward on the
opposite side, should investigate them in the same way, he
would withdraw his amendment.
Mr. HARVEY declared, that that was nothing less than
asking the Council for a pledge, and he should protest
against it.
Mr. MELLOR had no hesitation in pledging himself to this
effect. There were two cases in his ward, and he was most
anxious to detect the villains.
The MAYOR thought there could be no question that both
sides would be alike investigated. This was not a question
of party.
Mr. GLADSTONE withdrew his motion, so far as Mr. Mel-
lor was concerned, and the motion for the appointment of
that gentleman was carried.
Mr. HODGSON, on that understanding, withdrew his
amendment.
The original motion, that the case of John Bond should
be referred to the Town-clerk for full investigation, and for
him to report to the Council, was passed.
The TOWN-CLERK, in reference to the question of Mr.
Bushell, suggested, that questions had much better be pro-
posed to him in writing, and replied to at the next Council.
It would be more satisfactory to him, and, he thought, also
to the propounders of the questions and the Council, that he
should give his opinions deliberately.
DOCK COMMITTEE.

The proceedings, resolutions, and reports of the Dock
Committee were read.
The MAYOR called upon the Council to confirm them so
far as the existing acts of Parliament were concerned. Agreed
to.

The minutes of the committee embodied the notices to
Parliament respecting new docks, warehouses, &c. brought
before the last Council.
The MAYOR called upon the Council to confirm the pro-
ceedings of the Council in respect to the resolutions relative
to these notices.
Mr. EARLE thought it was rather too much to call upon
them to decide upon such weighty matters at once : surely
the adoption of tbe/o resolutions could be put off till the next
monthly meeting of the Council.
The TOWN-CLERK said, the only effect of the present
adoption would be a confirmation of the notices given.
Agreed to.
The MAYOR said, it would be. the next business of the
Council to appoint two members of the Dock Committee in
lieu of Messrs. Brocklebank and Higgins.
Mr. LEATHOM said, he would beg leave to propose Mr.
James Mellor and Mr. Thomas Bulley. He would, first,
propose Mr. Mellor in lieu of Mr. Brocklebank.
Mr. JORDAN seconded the motion.
Mr. GLADSTONE said, he would, as an amendment, pro-
pose Mr. George Hall Lawrence.
Mr. Woon seconded the motion.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE said, he could not but feel flat-
tered by the nomination, but he begged leave to decline the
honour, as he felt that the Dock Committee was very pecu-
liarly situated. There was a minority of members who had
been chosen by the rate-payers, and those members, princi-
pally, represented the political opinions of the rate-payers
also, while the Council had chiefly sent gentlemen who were
of their way of thinking. - Last year, however, they seemed
to have thrown overboard their political feelings, and bad
sent his friend, Mr. Robertson Gladstone. He hoped he
should be allowed to retire in favour of Mr. Mellor; and he
hoped, further, that the system which had been too much
pursued, of excluding individuals on account of their political
feelings, would be done away with.
Mr. RATHDONE would recal it to the recollection of those
who were present, and would state it for the information of
those who were not, that a similar accusation had been
brought forward before, and that it had been proved, in
reply, that the individuals of the party alluded to were elected
in more than proportion to their comparative numbers in the
Council.

Mr. ISAAC lioLikiEs denied that the tories had been
chosen to the committees in fair proportion, and quoted a
statement, showing that they had only been elected in the
proportion of one in six.

Mr. LEATHOM moved that Mr. Bulley be a member of
the Dock Committee in lieu of Mr. Higgins.
Mr. COGLAN seconded the proposition.
Mr. GLADSTONE moved, that Mr. George Hall Lawrence
be appointed to the committee.
Mr. JOHN SMITH seconded the motion.
Mr. ISAAC HOLMES said, there were eight aldermen al-
ready on the committee, and now they were proposing ano-
ther. And who were the aldermen ? They were chosen by
the lights of the Angel, and had no light of their own but
merely what was borrowed. They were nothing but a set
of moonshine Councillors, who reflected the light of the Ra-
dical party of that assembly. (Loud laughter.) Another
alderman was now proposed, and the reason was, that they
•wished to place gentlemen on the committee who had not to
meet their constituents as the other councillors had. Yet
this was the greatest committee that had to be appointed in
the Council, as it had the laying out of upwards of £170,000
per annum. He hoped they would allow Mr. George Hall
Lawrence to go upon the committee.
A few other remarks were made, and the amendment was
put, when there appeared in its favour Messrs. Hodgson,
Isaac Holmes, Houghton, Case, Sandbach, Wright, Barton,
Cooper, Robinson, Wood, Gladstone, Bushel, Rigby, R.
Jones, Leigh, and Smith.

Against the Amendment—Messrs. J. Holmes, Quayle,
Thornhill; Preston, Frankland, H. Holmes, Mellor, Pilcher,
Bolton, Priestly, Woollright, Bright, tathbone, Hugh
Hornby, Yates, T. Harvey, Blackburn, Morecroft, Segar,
Coglan, G. H. Lawrence, Platt, M`Kee, Jordan, Duncan,
Currie, Mather, Sheil, Booth, T. Hornby, Roskell, Leathom,
G. Holt, C. H. Jones, Benn, Earl, Moon, Evans, Barclay,
Bulley, T. Holt, Freme, E. Harvey, and the Mayor.
For the Amendment 16 ' • against it 44 ; majority 28.
The motion in favour of Mr. Bulley was put and carried.

ALLOWANCE TO THE MAYOIi.
On the motion of Mr. JOHN HOLMES, seconded by Mr.
PLATT, the usual allowance was voted to the Mayor.
Mr. ISAAC HOLMES said, he thought if a sum of £250 per
annum were voted to the Mayor, it would be sufficient, and
he might be first and foremost in every charity in the town.

THE QUARTERLY COUNCILS.

The three ensuing quarterly Councils were fixed to take
place in the first Wednesdays in February, May, and August,
1840.

APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS.

Mr. Wybergh was re-appointed Treasurer, and Mr. Cor-
rie Receiver of Town Dues. All the other appointments of
officers under the Corporation were renewed.
The appointment of a new crier was postponed, and left in
the gift of the Mayor.
The old standing orders were renewed, and several new
ones instituted and ordered to be printed.