The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-10-29 00:00:00

PITT-STREET WARD MEETING

On Wednesday, at seven o'clock in the evening, a numer-
ous and highly respectable meeting of the Conservative
burgesses of this ward was held at the Nag's Head Hotel,
Park-lane.

The chair was taken by WATKIN WILLiAms, Esq., who,
in opening the proceedings, spoke in high eulogistic terms of
the candidate, and called upon the electors to render him
every support.
Mr. Councillor TouLMIN proposed the first resolution.
The several resolutions will be found in our advertising
columns.

Mr. BUXTON seconded the first resolution, and it was car-
ried unanimously.
Mr. Councillor BIRIZETT, in moving the second resolution
said, that although he could not, like the chairman, speak
with a thirty-four years' knowledge of Mr. Aspinall, he
could with confidence testify to his able and upright conduct
in public affairs for the last seven years. He had, indeed,
served an apprenticeship with Mr. Aspinall at the different
local boards, and, therefore, he had ample opportunities of
seeing what he had done in behalf of the town. He had had
the good fortune to be associated with that gentleman upon
several deputations to London, for the purpose of defending
the interests of the rate-payers against the attacks upon
them by the government in general lgislation, and also (he
was sorry to say,) against attacks made upon more than on
one occasion by the Town-council. (Hear, hear.) He was
not aware of any one occasion upon which the radical Town-
council had stood up against the large encroachments at-
tempted on their interests by the late council; because the
government had made some of them magistrates, and given
other offices, they would not interfere. He had never seen
Mr. Aspinall do a single act, and he had been closely associ-
ated with him, which would militate against the best inter-
ests of the town. To him we were mainly indebted for the
overthrow of that clause in the local act which would have
been most injurious and unjust to the publicans of the town.
(Cheers.) Holding the position which he (Mr. Birkett) did,
of one of the wardens, and he a churchman, he would be the

last man in the town to be, for the sake of popularity, a party
to injure the public morals. (Hear, bear.) But the worthy
candidate and future representative, and himself thought it
was neither fair nor right to make a law for the protection of
one trader to the injury of another; and it was because they
felt the clause would not put a stop to the immorality and
vice which too often prevailed upon the sabbath day, that
they took the part they did. He begged to assure any pub-
lican who might be in the room, that he was mainly indebted
to Mr. Aspinall for throwing out the clause. (Cheers.)
After some further remarks upon Mr. Aspinall's public con-
duct, Mr. Birkett concluded amidst loud cheers by moving
the resolution.

Mr. PERCEVAL seconded the resolution proposed by Mr.

lirkett.
Mr. ISAAC HUTPHINSON proposed and Mr. ARTHUR
[ENDERSON seconded the third resolution.

Mr. ASPINALL here rose, amid loud and protracted cheer-
ing, and spoke nearly as follows :—Brother electors and
gentlemen, I assure you that I never felt greater embarrass-
ment in my life than I do on the present occasion in offering
myself to your notice. In the first instance, I present my-
self before you as one of the rejected of Pitt-street Ward.
In the second place, I present myself, to meet your wishes,
against a gentlemen, a friend of my own, and I am proud to
say, and proud to confess wherever I meet that gentleman,
that I do not consider there is a more honourable or a more
respectable merchant in her majesty's dominions than my
opponent. (Hear, hear.) And it is with great embrrass-
meat that I, having been beaten by another gentleman presume
to stand against him whom I look upon as one of the most
respectable members of the town-council ; but it is not
against Mr. Hornby I stand—it is against his principles. I
am an uncompromising and an unflinching opponent to those
principles which he has professed; and therefore I hope you
will receive this as my apology for presenting myself to your
notice this evening. (Hear.) lam sorry to say it has been
the custom at meetings like the present to resort to the
practice of that abuse and scurrility which is so degrading to
the character of both the man and the gentleman. The
cause which wants scurrility for its support must be very
weak indeed ; and nothing shall ever escape my lips—what-
ever my opinion may be of the men who make use of such
language—which will warrant them in saying that I have
disgraced myself either as a man of honour or a gentleman.
(Cheers.) When a person presents himself before us as a
public man, I say his public acts are before us also, and that
they have a right to be criticised ; and as one of the repre-
sentatives of your ward has taken occasion at the meeting in
North Toxteth Ward to make a speech, I certainly wish to
offer a few comments on that speech. It is the speech of
Mr. Richard Vaughan Yates, the representative of this ward.
(Hear.) I complain of it because it is a misrepresentation,
put forth to delude the people and tciinflame their minds on
things which are not facts. (Hear, hear.) lam sorry to
say ; but I shall read a paragraph or two from the speech, as
reported in the Liverpool Journal, a paper belonging to the
opposite party, and leave you to judge for yourselves. Mr.
Yates begins by asking " what was the states of the crops ?
He might illustrate it, in some degree, by a single fact. A
gentleman had lately told him that a farmer near Speke had
declared. pointing to a particular field, ' I expected £lOO from
this field of potatoes, and I shall not get one penny.' And
although some of the potatoes which were being consumed
at the present time were sound, yet many of the same
crop, now sound, must, as the winter advanced, become
decayed." Perfectly true, gentlemen ; all farmers will
tell you the same. (Hear.) He next goes on to say :
" What, then, must be the condition of the poor in the
months of January and February, when work would proba-
bly be even more scarce than at the present time, when pro-
visions, too, would be more scarce, and their price of course
enhanced in a considerable degree ?" That, I dare say, is
very true, gentlemen; but then see to what this philosopher
attributes the rottenness of potatoes ! Not, as you would
suppose, to the bad weather we have had for the last few
months ; but observe to what he attributes the cause. He
thus speaks :—" And this, be it remembered, was not a na-
tural or necessary state of things, but had been brought
about by those who appeared to him to he the tyrannical
oppressors of the country." (Ironical laughter and cheers.)
So, then, it appears that it was the tyrannical oppressors of
the country who made all the potatoes rotten. (Continued
laughter and cheers.) I confess I cannot understand this
language, but I leave it to Mr. Richard Vaughan Yates to
solve the difficulty when next he comes before you as a can-
didate. (Hear.) I complain of this misrepresentation going
before the public, calculated as it is to inflame the minds of
the people, and to cause them to commit excesses ; but, as
Mr. Yates is reported to have thus expressed himself, I shall
ask whether, if the poor are in want, himself and the other
radicals of the town are the only people to come forward to
give them food ? (Hear, hear, and cheers.) It is preposte-
rous. I say they have no right to ground their arguments
on such premises, and that it is abominable on their parts to
cast that upon the tories which the tories have never done,
and which they are not likely to begin to do now. There is
another thing of which I have to complain. (Hear.) I did
hope that a certain gentleman had lived-1 believe he is about
seventy at present—to years of more discretion than to have
put the placard on the walls of the ward, which is signed by
Mr. Fawcett, and headed " Hornby and our Rights." I
want to know what " our rights' mean? Have not the
conservatives as good rights and as great stakes in the country
as Mr. Fawcett and the radicals? if they mean the " peo-
ple's rights " I shall submit a case to you, and I shall then
leave you to judge whether Mr. Fawcett was warranted in
putting such a placard on the walls and in calling himself a
defender of the people's rights. I have a little document in
my pocket, and I shall tell you an anecdote about it. There
was an elector in Rodney-street Ward who worked in Mr.
Fawcett's foundry. His name was James Melling. He was
canvassed by Mr. Fawcett, or his men, and he refused to
vote for Mr. Charles Holland, the radical candidate, at the
last election. I have the story from his own mouth. (Hear.)
He was sent with a note, at nine o'clock in the morning, to
Mr. Holland's office, and he remained there until two, but
was unable to see him, as Mr: Holland was absent the whole
time. At last he met him and told him that he could not
conscientiously vote for him because he (Holland) was a dis-
senter and he (Melling) was a member of the Church of
England. (Cheers.) What was the consequence? He
voted for Mr. Birkett ; and the first pay night afterwards he
received .£1 4s. 2d., and the note I hold in my hand—
" James Melling, you are discharged this night, by order
of Mr. Fawcett. " M. FOWLER."
(Hear, hear, and cries of " Oh! oh !!") Here, continued
Mr. Aspinall, is the document. It was put into my hands
by the unfortunate man himself, and I leave you to judge
what he was discharged from the foundry for. (Hear,
hear.) Has Mr. Fawcett any justification tor talking about
the people's rights after this? (Cheers.) But it appears
that Mr. Fawcett's foundry is a regular refuge for the desti-
tute ; for I hold in my hand another document which is
equally beautiful, and which fully accords with the last. It
s dated the 2lth of December, 1840 ; it is addressed to Wm.
R.athbone, Esq., and it is signed Thomas Bury. The follow-
ng is a copy

" Liverpool, Dec. 24, 1841

" Dear Sir,—The bearer, —, is a regular steady
protector, and thinks a line from me would procure him em-
ployment at Messrs. Fawcett and Co's works.
" You will see that he holds a certificate of good character
from his late employers.
" Being myself a protector, I shall feel obliged if you can
help a deserving brother.
" I am, dear sir, yours, faithfully,
" THOMAS BURY.

" William Rathbone, Esq."
This is freedom of election ! (Hear.) These are the peo-
ple's rights ! (Hear, hear.) Ah ! shame ! shame ! before
I should be guilty of such tricks I would rather lose my right
hand. (Cheers.) I stand before you now without any pro-
fessions. My character is in your hands. The victory is
yours if you choose to use your rights and to exert yourselves
on the first of November next. (Continued cheering.) I
have been defeated once, but not by my opponents. lam
sorry to say it was by my own friends. (Hear, hear) I
came to the poll then quite as certain of victory as l feel on
the present occasion. Mr. Rathbone did not poll by two
men as much as I gave him; but there were twenty-seven
conservatives who promised me their- votes, and who never
voted at all, and left me in the lurch. I reluctantly come
forward now becose I was thrown over by my own friends at
that time ; but I do come forward, nevertheless, and place
myself in your hands. (Cheers.) If you think me worthy
of your choice, I shall, to the utmost of ray ability, devote
myself to the interests of the town, and to the interests also
of this ward. And, if lam rejected, I can go into private
life, satisfied that humble ambition can still be made available
to the welfare of the town in another sphere, to the promo-
tion of the public good and to the advancement of the chari-
ties. I have had the honour of being the Mayor of Liver-
pool. 1 do not aspire to higher honours than I did on that
occasion. But lam now before you, and I tell you candidly
that Ido not like to be beaten again. (Cheers, and cries of
" You shan't.") If you come only to the poll on the morning
of Monday next, at nine o'clock, the victory will be yours,
not mine, for I shall then be the humble instrument in your
hands to promote your interests, and to carry out your good
wishes for the welfare of the "good old town." Mr. Aspi-
nall resumed his seat amid deafening cheers from all sides.
Mr. INGRAM, chairman of Great George Ward, next ad-
dressed the meeting, after which
Mr. ASPIN ALL proposed a vote of thanks to their venera-
ble and venerated chairman.

_.„
Mr. JOHN FORMBY seconded the motion, and it was car-
ried by acclamation.
The CHAIRMAN returned thanks, and the meeting
separated at nine o'clock.

The trial of Blakesley for the murder in Eastcheap wil
take place to-day (Friday).

MEETING OF FEARGUS O'CONNOR AND THE REV.
Mit. BREWSTER.—Three or four thousand people assem-
bled in Paisley on Saturday, to witness the gladiatorial exhi-
bition betwixt the Rev. Mr. Brewster and Mr. Feargus
O'Connor. Both gentlemen spoke at great length in support
of their respective creeds as chartists, and both claimed the
majority when the vote was taken. It was then proposed
that the field should be divided, and Mr. O'Connor, waving
his hat, called upon all his friends to follow him. This was
immediately done, and Mr. O'Connor climbed a tree, and
made it his rostrum. It was now evident that Mr. Brewster
had an overwhelming majority. The whole affair must have
been supremely ridiculous.—Scottish Guardian.

AIDS TO CONTENTMENT.—A great deal of discomfort
arises from over sensitiveness about what people may say of
you, or your actions. This requires to be blunted. Con-
sider whether anything that you can do will have much
connection with what they will say. And besides, it may be
doubted whether they will say anything at all about you.
Many unhappy persons seem to imagine that they are always
in an amphitheatre, with the assembled world as spectators ;
whereas, all the while they are playing to empty benches.
They fancy, too, they form the particular theme of every
passer-by. If, however, they must listen to imaginary con-
versations about themselves, they might at any rate defy the
proverb, and insist upon hearing themselves well spoken of.