The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-07-24 00:00:00

THE IRISH CORMORANT.

We extract the following from an able letter which ap-
peared in the London Times of Thursday last, from the pen
of Mr. Eneas M`Donnell. Alas, poor Ireland ! Given up
as she is to the tender mercies of so insatiable a cormorant,
need we wonder that her famishing children are ready for
every and any outrage to escape from the pestilence of famine
on the one hand, and the devouring jaws of her oppressors on
the other!

" The Dublin Weekly Register of last Saturday contains
two prominently placed paragraphs, from each of which I
beg leave to insert a brief extract, and to place them side by
side, without note or comment, as follows :
DISTRESS IN THE ' THE O'CONNELL COM-
COUNTRY. PENSATION FUND.
DISTRESS IN Coax.— The SIMI jUSt forwarded by
The distress of the working Mr. Lyons makes the total re.
classes, arising from the al- ceipts from this great locality,
most total cessation of em- in which he acts as treasurer
ployment, and the dearness of (CORK city and county),
provisions, occasioned by the amount up to this day to
late unfavourable harvests, is upwards of two thousand
as great as we remember it pounds, and this striking pro-
to have been at any time. " duce will bespeedily increased
by contributions from the pa-
rishes still outstanding.' "

TO THE CONSERVATIVE MERCHANTS OF

LIVERPOOL

GENTLEMEN,—It being now publicly notorious that,
through the combined interest of papists, radicals, quakers,
and dissenters, about 800 " precursors" have had their taxes
paid, and are placed on the register as legitimate voters for
this borough, it becomes a most important question, By
whom do these said 800 individuals live ?—upon whom do
they depend for a subsistence ? I will answer the question,
and challenge proof to the contrary,—that a great majority
of them gain their livings from the employment given them
by the conservative merchants of Liverpool. And it the
men fairly paid their own taxes, in order to entitle themselves
to a vote, I would not complain, although they voted to a
man against the views entertained by their employers, being
bound to suppose that they acted conscientiously in so doing.
But the case is far different when other parties do that which
the employer himself has not thought it right to do—paid
the taxes of his men, in order that they may make those men
act directly contrary to the wishes of such employer.
The case having arrived at this point, I think every con-
servative merchant or employer is fully justified—nay further,
I would say, every sound conservative is bound to take a list
of the men in the habit of being employed by him, and ascer-
taining if their taxes have thus been paid, in order to secure
radical votes, and in such case give orders that his ware-
houseman should in future select others more deserving of
his employ.
I might be told that this would act two ways; but I know
a little too much of radical tactics to Mippn,se that a radical
papist would allow a man to continue in his employ whose
tales had been paid by the conservative party, and whose
vote would go to support that party. Your liberal would
not be guilty of such a truly liberal trick. It is time that
you, the conservative merchants of Liverpool, should see
that you are yourselves instrumental in swamping your own
conservative influence with a set of the lowest class of Irish
Papists, while there are hundreds, I may say thousands, of
honest English and Irish Protestants—aye, and 1 may say,
your own townsmen, too—who are near starvation for the
want of work. The porterage work of this town is in a very
great measure in the hands of Papists, and not content with
earning their livings out of you, the conservative merchants,
they now wish to swamp your legitimate influence. One
great evil is, in your leaving all to the discretion of ware-
housemen, without being first assured as to the soundness of
such warehousemen. Let the merchants of Liverpool lay
these hints to heart, and act upon them, ere it be too late.
I beg to remain, Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
FAIR PLAY.

STRANGE DOINGS AT THE TOWN-HALL

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

Stn,--Having occasion to go to the Town-hall this day,
to identify an apprentice who, by appointment, had to attend
for the purpose of being enrolled a freeman of the borough,
judge of my surprise at having to wait until a quarter before
three o'clock before a single name was called over, and then
so slowly, that at least one-half of the number assembled
(chiefly working-men, some of whom with their friends had
been waiting from ten a.m.) were not examined as to their
eligibility before four o'clock, at which hour the remainder
were ordered to " call again to-morrow." Is not this " too
bad?" " Can such things be without our special wonder ?"
Had they been a band of " precursors" or " protectors," led
on by Langan's fugleman Atkinson, would they have been
so treated? Of course his worship " Sir Joshua" knows
nothing of these doings and delays. Yet, as the term is
approaching which will preclude another opportunity this
year, I hope the young freemen will persevere in their at-
tendance to claim their rights and privileges.
Waiting your attention, I am, sir, yours truly,
A BURGESS, ALSO AN EYE-WITNESS.
Thursday, July 23, 1840, 5 p.m.