The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-01-30 00:00:00

!9, 1849.

Mr. Council
the able moor

FERGUSON rose to move the reception of
t of the proceedings of the Council of the
ssociation for the past period of its existence; and in

to thank him for the very valuable
information which he had supplied. He agreed that that

of the Chairman

regarded local affairs. They ought to be proud of
:ing such a man amongst them, who was so wellquali-

wealth

association had in view

oojec

opinion. for they hat

They all knew the for

dev trusted they would see it nationally

locality

thought fit to sneer and scoff at public opinion, but we
should soon see the time when its impression throughout
the land (through the branching out of this association to
other towns) would be felt far and wide. The way to gain
success was to stand firmly and unitedly by the principles
which they had adopted. They had but to go on and
prosper. The report contained everything, so that there
was no need for him to detain them. lie moved the

adoption of the report.
Mr. Councillor HARBORD was called on to second the
adoption of the report, and commenced his address, by
saying that he had just risen from the feet of Gamaliel,
(turning to the chairman,) whom he had listened to with
great pleasure. From what he had heard that gentleman
enunciate that night, he considered the Confeieration

)arliament

He had to apologise for the im

an ally in

of his remarks, as he was not well, and, moreover, he had
been called on to second the resolution since he

assigned to him the proposal of another motion, and
the fact was, he had nothing to say. (Cries o f "Go
on.") In the first place, then, their great teacher had
said so much, that he had made it almost unnecessary to
read the report; and then the report was so ample, that
it left nothing for him to add, though he had certainly
taken a few notes as the'repert was being read. It was
an old saying that there was as much fish in the sea as
ever was caught ; this might be true, but they swam so
deep that they would not be caught. It was so in his
case ; for after the reading of the r' 114'.

—who was churchwarden, town-councillor, rind indeci
of almost everything, and master of most—came al
away the only little shell he (Mr. H.) had hoped to

nd too

this town. He (Mr. H.) did not scruple to say he meant the
Financial Reform Association. Now, with all due deference to
their twin brother, he really thought the two associations
should not have been spoken of together. The great difference
between the two was, that the one was born a great talker and
the other a great worker. (Hear, and laughter.) No sooner
was the precocious infant whom he first referred to born, than
he took to writing most furiously; and indeed he had been
writing ever since he was born. Now, their political Hercules
had set to, as soon as be was born, to pitch into every one who

lie thought :Rinsed him. (near, bedr.) Ile would-liken the
mother of the babe before spoken of to Juno, and call her
Envy, who had like Juno sent two snakes to destroy their

strangled 'both the reptiles: But. Herciiiei had a number
of feats to perform. The first trial set him was to slay the
Nemsean lion, which their Hercules had done by destroying the
lion Apathy. The next labour was to slay the creature called
the hydra, having seven beads. He (Air. H.) thought they
would discover in class-legislation the modern hydra which

exist in all its deformity ; and it will leave the door open to a
renewal of lavish expenditure as soon as the excitement of
agitation dies away. There is little doubt that even the present
government will make a parade of concession to the wirmi- „
remonstrance ; they know there is a limit to human patience their Hercules had attacked, cutting at the peculiar privileges
and to human power of endurance ; they will propose some of a favoured class, and making it level with ourselves. (Loud
reductions, and ask credit for good intentions. It is an old cheers.) The young gentleman then took into his head to
policy, which must no longer be allowed to deceive the people, hunt down a hind belonging to Diana, having feet and
Let it not be forgot that, since the year 1835, these very men, horns of gold ; no doubt it was very hard run. He
and the classes they represent, have been instrumental in in- (Mr. H.) really thought the history of Hercules was written in
creasing the annual expenditure to the extent of one-fifth, or anticipation of the National Confederation. (Laughter.) Well,
upwards of ten millions, and bad shown every desire to pro- if they believed what he told them, (renewed laughter,) they
ceed in the same spirit of reckless extravagance. until they would say it was all very fine, Mr. Ferguson_ I

. , .„.......... ~
found that the attention of the country was roused. The people and applause.) The speaker completed the figure by likening
cannot always be on the watch ; their occupations will not per- the last-named denisen of the forest to placemen, who he
mit them ; but let them place fellow-sufferers in charge of the thought were provided with a cornucopia. Hercules, in the pro-
public purse, and they will have some guarantee for economy. secution of his labours, had to perform the task of dispersing a
Let each member of the government and of the legislature pay bevy of improvident females called Amazons, the queen of
his own just proportion of the national burthen, according to whom was called Hippolite, who was not at all polite. flow-
the interest he possesses in the country. Let the rent rolls ever, Hercules took her captive. He (Mr. IL) wool ' " ' -
and other sources of income of such men be affects

by the I !R

public expenditure, and there may be some hope, looking to bug to the consideration of the Confederation. But to continue,
the care they have hitherto taken to save themselves, that the the last feat was to clear out the Augean stable, which contained
same saving policy will guide them under the altered condition 30,000 oxen, and had not been
cleaned for thirty years.
of circumstances. It might be imagined that -this receptacle was rat her
The Council then urge strongly on the members to be
firm in their determination to promote the principle ofthem, in clearing
impure, but h. e (Mr. H.)
harderdid not hesitate to say, that
the Confederation had a task before
direct taxation, until realized property shall bear its just Hercules in cleansing these foul stables. Mr. Ilarbord said
away the amount of moral torpitude in the countr than had
share of the national obligation, and industry the same he would refrain from carrying his similes further, though he
of the society's objects. The fol-and no more. The prizes offered by the Confederation doubted not he could adduce other abuses having ttliioetiirtyp
have elicited communications from eminent statesmen (Hear, hear.) It had been asked why their astsuactilit
originated should-
and others approvingline called the National Confederation, seeing h
Liverpool ? Why, everything
lowing paragraph from the report is worth perusing : and hew would like to know what place had a better right dead
pursued baneful effects of the course which has hitherto been had its origin somewhere.
the great town of which they were inhabitants to take the lead
pursued in national affairs present themselves on every hand, in an association fraught with objects of national good. (Ilear.)
The millions who create the wealth are struggling for existence, They would find from one portion of the report that the corn-
while the produce of their industry passes to other hands made
imposed mittee had arranged to open communications with distant
free by law of its just liabilities. The toil of the many is for towns, with the view to mutual co-operation in the cause in
the benefit of the few ; and in proportion as men are poor are
fgovernment on them, as if in mockery of all just. Here are enormous structures to which they (t
what
Confederation) were so deeply interested. Now
victims of class-legislation, whose poverty their they hoped to show the different towns hat had been effected
in the way of improvement in local grievances by their efforts
estatesiel
tei. obligationsprinciplest h eo
in Liverpool, and further, that by a comprehensive combination,
fellow-men alone have ordained; there, extensive mural en-
similar results would ensue with respect to national grievances.
closures to confine but too many whose necessities drive them
from the path of virtue. On this side, barracks filled with excepttieai..) As he was very anxious that nothing should go forth
what was intended by the speaker, he would refer to a
soldiers, as if the sword offered consolation to a distressed remark which the president made ;—it was, that the Confede-
people, or as if the whole world were inimical to us ;on that, ration had no religions or political feeling whatever. Now he
arsenals and ships of war, replete with materials and men to was sure that was not altogether what Mr. Jackson meant.
ward off invasion, as if our soil alone constituted England's , He (Mr. H.) conceived the meaning of the expression to be,
wealth. Everywhere extravagance in public outlay, nowhere that the members of the Confederation would not allow