The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-11-20 00:00:00

cruple, in another part of the letter, to stigmatise as " a Lay
Society." With what consistency Mr. Browne or yourself
could apply for aid to such a society, I leave you to deter-
mine; and only reqUesting that you will publish this letter
with the rest of the correspondence, I remain, reverend sir,
yours faithfully,
ELLIS B. WERE, Sec. Ch. P. A. S.
No orthodox member of the Church of England can
do otherwise than commend the Pastoral Aid Society
for the course which it has taken in the matter. When
we use the term "orthodox" we, of course exclude
the Puseyite heresiarchs, whose doctrines are diame-
trically opposed to the sound, evangelical articles and
homilies, and other formularies of the Church of Eng-
land. Mr. Browne's letter is an eminent proof of the
extreme caution necessary before the Pastoral Aid
Society can extend its grants.

As to the sneers of Mr. Clark respecting the Pas-
toral Aid Society, we feel assured they will do no harm.
The charge of " obtaining support under false pre-
tences" we have proved to be absurd. The society
only acted in strict accordance with its own regula-

tions, and as long as it continues to do so it will meet
with that support from every true lover of the Churcl
of England, which its character deserves and its use•
fulness demands. Long may it continue to be the in•

,rument of carrying the glad tidings of the gospel intc

the " dark places" which, even in these days of
christian effort, still too frequently abound in this

country.

The contest in North Toxteth Ward has resulted in
the return of Alexander Smith, Esq., the conservative
candidate, and in the contumelious rejection of William
Rathbone, Esq., the unitarian enemy of the church,
and the bitter adversary of scriptural education ! Twice
have the electors of Liverpool evinced their marked
disapprobation of this irascible gentleman's politics
and principles. Will he ever again have the hardihood
to show his face on the hustings, to claim the suffrages
of his fellow-townsmen ? ANTe trove not. We question
whether he can ever again summon a sufficient degree
of moral courage to pass through another such ordeal
as those which have proved. like gall and wormwood
to him during the present month. Will the " tyrant
majority" in the Town Council (which, by the bye, is
becoming " less by degrees and beautifully small"),
have the temerity, or, rather; we should say, the auda-
city, to pitchfork him into one of the aldermanic chairs?
We guess not. Little as the faction care about " pub-
lic opinion" and " the voice of the constituency,"
we do not think that they will have the presumption to
offer such a deliberate insult to the electors of Liver-
pool. Such a daring outrage would only tend to con-
summate still more speedily the rapidly approaching
downfal of the self.styled liberals. Already they have
rendered themselves obnoxious enough, in all con-
science, to the constituency. Already have they sick-
ened the town by their nauseating twaddle. The
disgust which is felt at their selfish and tyrannical pro-
ceedings has already become all but universal. Let
them not, therefore, venture upon a step which will
cause them to stink still more in the nostrils of the

public.
The contest yesterday was one of the severest that
Liverpool has witnessed for some time. The Conser-
vatives were strong in the consciousness of having a
good and noble cause to struggle for, and doubly
powerful in the affections and sympathy of a large
majority of the inhabitants of North Toxteth. The
Radicals were also strong in the appliances of bribery,
intimidation, and disgraceful trickery. They were
strong also in the influence which was brought to bear
upon the election. The struggle was, therefore, severe;
but honesty and principle have achieved a noble tri-
umph over hypocrisy and delusion. Another knell has
been rung over the departing spirit of Radicalism as it
wings its flight to the shades of oblivion.
During the earlier part of the day Mr. Rathbone
maintained his lead over Mr. Smith ; but as the hour
for closing the poll approached, it became evident that
the Radical recruits were nearly exhausted, and at four
o'clock Mr. Smith was in a majority of three, the

259

numbers being—
For Alexander Smith, Esq...
For W. Rathbone, Esq.
The Angel-clique did not calculate upon such an
untoward result. This is evident from the pertinacity
with which the Radical committee clung to the fond
hope that there was a majority for Mr. Rathbone. On
the strength of this persuasion, that officious personage
Mr. Paintpot Atkinson announced to the gaping strag-
glers in front of the committee-room that IN Ir. Rath-
bone was returned by the glorious majority of one !
Great was the joy of the "unwashed" at this result,
and loud were the Io "'mans with which the com-
mittee-room rung. Mr. Rathbone and his friends
were in extacies. But, alas ! the cup of bliss was soon
destined to be dashed from his lips. On proceeding to
the Town-hall, Mr. Rathbone's exultation knew no
bounds. But when, after arriving there, the voting
papers were deliberately counted up, and it was ascer-
tained that there was a majority of three for Mr.
Smith, oh ! what a change came over the dreams of
the twice rejected ! Confounded, disconcerted, and
humbled, he walked away like a sulky cur with his tail
between his legs.
We congratulate the electors of North Toxteth upon
the spirited manner in which they have manifested their
determination to emancipate the ward from radical
thraldom. May their neighbours of South Toxteth
benefit by the noble example which they have shown.
We congratulate the town of Liverpool on the acces-
sion of strength which the conservative phalanx in the
Town Council have obtained. There are now 28 con-
servative councillors opposed to 20 radical councillors,
and 16 pitchforked aldermen. Next year we must
;lave a conservative mayor.

If that obstinate and tyrannical local faction, which
styles itself, par excellence, the liberal party of Liver-
pool, had been actuated, in urging forward their pet
scheme of dock warehouses, by motives purely and
disinterestedly honest ; if its members had really had
in view what they professed—the permanent interest
of this great trading community—they must have per-
ceived, in the opposition which that scheme met with
during the last session of parliament, the manifestation
of great approaching danger to the future prosperity
of the port. Already the concession of the privilege
of bonding to the large inland towns had been threat-
ened by government. The town of Liverpool, we were
told, was to be no longer the great depot for the foreign
produce consumed in Manchester and the manufactur-
ing districts a►ound. But it was reserved for the com-
mittee upon the dock bills, in the last session of par-
liament, to menace us with the recognition of a prin-
ciple, the carrying of which into practice would at

once strike at the root of our commercial supremacy
in Western England, and eventually drive back this
now flourishing port towards that obscurity from which
the privileges which it has hitherto enjoyed have so
mainly contributed to raise it

We need scarcely inform our. Liverpool readers, tha,
what we have ever regarded as the great source of the
prosperity which we now enjoy, is the power which
our dock trustees possess of levying tolls upon all ves•
sels trading within the estuary of the river Mersey
That power—that monopoly, call it if you
hot-headed pursuit of a favourite object, our enlightene,
and liberal local rulers allowed to be infringed upon,
by the concessions which they yielded up last session
to the Harrington and Herculaneum Dock Companies.
The principle was thus established that the Dock Trus-
tees of Liverpool were no longer to be the sovereign
masters of the waters of the Mersey; and prudent
men, one would imalgine, would have paused before
venturing to tempt fi irther encroachments, by persist-
ing in the pursuit of an object, the mere attempt to
attain which had already been attended with so weighty
a sacrifice.

But prudence, wisdom, or a regard for the real in-
terests of their fellow -townsmen are not the attributes
which distinguish the tyrant majority of our liberal
council. A political object was sought by the pro-
moters of the Dock Warehouse bill ; and when a poli-
tical object is to be attained—when a dirty and dis-
reputable jobis to be perpetrated—your thorough-going
liberal is seldom particular in his choice of weapons,
and, kss seldom still, looks beyond immediate results.
Again, therefore, the same bill is to be struggled for.

In defiance of the adverse opinion of the public—w
a bare majority in its favour, within the council-
teeth of all danger to the existing privileges of the po
the note of preparation fora new parliamentary strug
gle has been sounded ; and we now ask our readers ti
examine, calmly and coolly—apart from all considera
tions of mere party intere st-what must be the inevi
table result.