The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-06-28 00:00:00

the simpie facts

decision w

the Liverpool Election Committee ; and, as by that de-
cision you are now virtually without representatives, 1
come before you, an humble individual, and perhaps
unworthy of the position in which the friendship of.many
of your townsmen around me now have placed me.
(Cries of" No! no!" and loud cheers.) I come forward—
not because I myself had the presumption to seek so great
an honour—but because those gentlemen thought fit to
bring me here, as one to their mind, qualified to fill one of
the seats of the vacant repre:ientation. And, gentlemen,
although it is with truth and sincerity I declare that it
would be very much against my personal convenience,
and against my personal wishes to have a seat in the
House of Commons at all; yet, when I was requested in
a most gcnerons, and, I believe, truly constitutional—
(cheers)—spirit to come forward, I conceived it my duty
at once to respond to the call. Had I not done so, I con-
ceive that I should have been wanting in my duty, and I
should certainly have shrunk from the feelings of duty
which I owe to England, and which, I believe, her very
humblest son owes, to his country. (Hear, hear, and
cheers.) Now, gentlemen, having explained to you how
I am here, I must express my thanks for the kind in-
dulgence and attention with which you have heard me ;
for it is a difficult matter for one man to let his voice be
heard over so large a space, and throughout such a vast
multitude as I now see before me. Having explained, as
best I may, the cause of my appearing among you on this
occasion, I must now corns to notice one or two observa-
tions contained in a print which is circulated in this town,
in which some very false statements are made as to my
-ipinions. (Cheers). I hold in my hand a copy of the
Liverpool Albion. (Hisses). lam too well accustomed
hich a man's political opponents seek
teful to the public, not to be perfectly

to rer:

prepared to encounter this and many other attacks--
while I hope none of them may be of a more seriou3 or
grave nature than that to which I shall allude. First of
all, it is put forth as a matter of reproach that, by the
accident of birth, lam the son of a lord. Gentlemen, I
don't pretend to say that by that accident I stand before
you a better man ; but I hope I do not stand before you
a worse man. (Loud cheers.) I should very much mis-
calculate the feeling of the assembly I now see before me
—or the feelings of any assemblage of Englishmen—if I
supposed that the mere aecident of birth would influence
and rule your opinion of any individual whatever. And
allow me to say that, if there is any advantage to be ob-
tained from high birth, it is this—that it teaches a man
to be careful in all his actions that he does nothing
that may disgrace it. (Loud cheers.) That is the only
feeling I have on the subject. (Cheers.) And, therefore,
I may put aside the imputation,—if it amounts to an i
putation,—that I am the son of an English peer
applause.) "It i 3 whispered," says the editc

Albion," that Mr. Liddell is no other than a do
Puseyite." Now, gentlemen, this charge has been for-
mally and publicly made in print ; and I will not permit
the first opportunity of my addressing the constituency
and inhabitants of Liverpool to pass by, without one or
two observations. lam a downright Puseyite, says the
editor of the Albion. If by Puseyite he means a man
who professes to be a member of the Church of England,
while he is at heart a Roman Catholic, in creed and sen-
timents,—if, indeed, he make use of a disguise
of that sort, in order to inflame his hearers, his
congregation, or his fellow-countrymen, in favour of his
creed, that man is a hypocrite and a traitor—(loud
cheers)—and T view him not only with indignation, but
with positive abhorrence. But, if by a Puseyite is meant
a sincere and faithful member of the Church of England,
who, nevertheless, desires to approximate the simple
ritual and modest ceremonials belonging to the Esta-
blished Church of England, with the more imposing and
magnificent cremonials of the Church of Rome,—in doing
so that man may think he is doing right, but I have to
say that I think that man is mistaken (great cheering,)—
that he is indiscreet in his conduct—and, moreover, that
he is pursuing a course which may be extremely danger-
ous. I have no sympathy with him, and, therefore, whe-
ther in the one light or in the other light you accept the
correct description o a Puseyite, I distinctly and plainly,
and once for all, declare that I am nothing. of the kind.
(Loud cheers.) Gentlemen, Tam honestly, consistently,
and warmly attached to our Protestant Church, as esta-
blished by law. (Hear, hear.) I admire the simplicity
of her ritual—l admire the devotion of her worship, and
1 will not lend my aid or countenance to sacrifice her in
obedience either to the low or the high church party. I
wish her to continne the dignified, modest course shealways
has pursued, while I will defend her to the last drop of my
blood, (cheers,) and oppose any proposal to amalgamate
her with the religion against which she protested, and from
which she derived her very name of a Protestant Church.
Is that to your satisfaction ? (Loud cries of " Yes, Yes.")
Now, gentlemen, there is another question which has re-
ceived, I believe, a large share of the attention of the
electors of Liverpool, to which I must allude. I refer to
the endowment by the State of the College of Maynooth.
(Hear, hear.) Now, gentlemen, I am perfectly willing
and most desirous, not only upon this occasion, but on
every occasion, to give the plainest and most intelligible
explanation of my political opinions. If you wish to he
informed of my " antecedents," as the phrase is, you shall
have them. If you wish to know my personal feelings
upon the subject of the endowment of Maynooth you shall
have them. Shall I now proceed upon that subject? (Yes.)
Gentlemen, it will be in the remembrance of many of you,
that in the year 1843 or 1844 (a voice, '45), Sir Robert
Peel proposed, that instead of the annual vote of the
House of Commons, a perpetual endowment should be
given to the College of Maynooth. He fortified that
appeal by a great many very cogent arguments. I am
afraid that I should be trespassing too long upon your
time and patience if I was to go into the history of the
College of Maynooth. (Cries of no, no, and cheers.)
Well, gentlemen. it was founded in the reign of George
the third. and certain provisions were made tor it by the
then Irish parliament, and a succession of grants were
made to it from the year 1800, down to the year when
Sir Robert Peel made an addition to it, through an endow-
ment from the state. On this occasion, we were in-
formed that, the real condition of that college was
in a very discreditable state, and that there were no
means of providing either for the education or
the maintenance of the students, and that it was desirable,
on every consideration, both on account of after benefits
and present convenience, that better provision should be
made. By this reasoning, be it good or be it bad, I con-
fess I was moved. The question was to be considered on
two grounds. The one was that of religious principle,
and the other was a question of political expediency. The
question of religious principle was already involved in the
grant which had already been made. The question of i
political expediency was that proposed by Sir Robert
Peel ; and, gentlemen, it was with the greatest reluctance
that I yielded to the right hon. baronet's arguments. I
do not know that before that time I supported May-
nooth by any vote I ever gave ; but, on the contrary, I
know that, up to that period, my impressions had always
been decidedly against that grant. (Cheers.) But from
what Sir Robert Peel stated on the occasion, when his
proposal was before parliament—feeling as 1 did that it
was highly desirable that the sentiments of the people of
Ireland should be brought more into sympathy with the
home government—feeling, as I did, that it was a chance
to subdue the feelings of an excitable and fickle people, and
representing, as I did, one of the most important counties
in the kingdom, and knowing that from that large and
varied constituency I had not had forwarded to me one
single petition against the proposed grant, I yielded to
Sir Robert Peel, and supported him in his views for an
increased endowment to Maynooth. I supported the
proposal in the belief that it would have been the har-
binger of peace to Ireland—that it would have prevented
such scenes as we have lately unfortunately witnessei at
the hands of the priests. (Hear, hear). But, gentlemen,
what has been the result ? Has the measure, indeed,
answered the object which I had in view, and which
every man must have been inspired with in supporting
the proposal ? I say most emphatically it has not. For
the priests have shown themselves more determined and
more hostile to peace than before the endowment was
granted—(hear, hear,)—and in illustration of this, I need
scarcely refer to the scenes which took place in Ireland on
the occasion of the last election, and also to the at-
tempted infringement of the powers of the Queen herself,
by daringly obtruding a legate from the Pope, both in
England and in Ireland. (Hear, heer). Are these the re-
sults I looked for when I supported the grant to May noon' ?
I boldly tell you that they are altogether contrary.
and if, therefore, I see all my best wishes frustrated—if I
see the crown of England insulted by a power which,
we are all of us bound to say, has no authority in this
country, I say that I make out a case, without any retrac-
tation of opinion, which justifies me in saying that, if the
question of Maynooth shall again be brought forward,
and if waiting, as we must wait, for the report to the
crown of the committee now sitting—waiting, as we must
do for that, I say that if the question be again brought
before the House of Commons, I must say for myself that
whether I am a member of the House of Commons or
not, I will raise my voice against the contivance of that
endowment, and, in so doing, I feel that I shall be dis-
charging a bounden and a sacred duty. (Hear, hear.)
Let me, then, hear nothing more about wheeling about
on great political questions. I have told you why I gave
my vote in favour of the endowment of Maynootb, and I
have told you with the same frankness why I will not
give it in favour of that endowment again. While we
see the parties in whose favour the rote was given, insult-
ing us, I do not see that we have received any correspond-
ing benefits from the endowments we granted, which
would justify us in making any further sacrifices. (Hear,
hear.) Now, gentlemen, lam quite aware that the mo-
ment a man comes before a popular assembly in the
position in which I now appear before you, he soon
becomes subject to many public examinations. And
for myself I will consent to undergo the ordeal. I
will say, now, that having been invited to your town
by a number of honourable gentlemen, I have responded
to the call in a similar spirit, and in every declaration
of opinion which I may be called upon to offer, I shall
address you in the same unreserved manner I have already
done. (Cheers.) Ido not think that this is the occa-
sion to trespass upon you longer. Sometime may elapse
before you are called upon to exercise your right of suf-
frage, and doubtless other opportunities will be afforded
me for speaking to you, when I shall be ready and deter-
mined to give you every explanation on questions which
you may ask me. lam happy, in this my first acquaint-
ance with my honourable friends around me, and
my first acquaintance with the great commercial
town of Liverpool, and feel that it is an honour
even to receive a requisition from such a town.
Pet sonally I have no wish to belong again to the House
of Commons, and should you be able to find a candi-
date better qualified to represent your opinions, or
better qualified to give utterance to your sentiments,
in God s name select him, and let me retire again
into private life, but if it be thought by the electors of
Liverpool that on my part it is a matter of duty to enter
the House of Commons, to reflect their wishes, and repre-
sent their feelings, T can only say, that however incapable
I may be, you will not find one more truly or more honestly
devoted to your interests. (The honourable gentleman
then withdrew amidst the most enthusiastic cheering.)

THE HON. HENRY THOMAS LIDDELL iS sojourning as
a guest with Mr. Edward Alolyneux, at Chi'dwell, and
will not leave Liverpool until after the election.
- -

OBTAINING MONEY ON A FORGED ORDER.—John
Plumley was charged by Mr. Henry Priestley, a publican,
residing in Sanderson-street, with obtaining the sum of
£2 10s., on presenting to him an advance note, purport.
ing to be signed by Captain J. Johnston, of the ship
Alexander Victoria. The prisoner, who had nothing to.
Say in hi: defence, trio fully committed for trial,