The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-11-03 00:00:00

TRIUMPH OF CONSERVATISM

Yesterday the annual election of sixteen members of
the the town council took place, according to the pro-
visions of the municipal reform act. We have once
more to congratulate the conservatives of Liverpool on
the noble stand which they have made in defence of
the glorious institutions of our highly favoured land.
In spite of all the cunning artifices, the base trickery,
the indirect bribery, and the open intimidation resorted
to by the radical faction, the conservatives of Liverpool
have once more come forward boldly and manfully to
assert their superior influence. Nobly have they done
their duty on this last occasion, and richly have they
earned the thanks, not only of their fellow townsmen,
but also of their fellow countrymen. They have
proved, in a manner which admits of no cavil, that
conservatism is in the ascendant in Liverpool. Long
may it continue so !

Our readers are, we presume, generally aware that,
in consequence of the lists this year having been only
partially revised, the election, in pursuance of the
advice of council, took place on the burgess list for
last year. Before we proceed to show the result of
the contest yesterday, in the respective wards, it may
be useful to submit a brief statement of the final state
of the poll last year. It was as follows :

WARDS. MAJORITY.
Everton Mr. George Quayle (R) 304
Mr. Francis Shand (C) 303 1
Scotland Mr. R. Houghton (C) 232
Mr. H. T. Atkinson (R) 191 41
Vauxhall Mr. H. Sandbach (C) 110
Mr. T. Chalmer (R) 91 19
St. Paul's Mr. John Barton (C) 178
Mr. J. Deakin (R) 177 1
Exchange Mr. J. Mellor (R) 193
Mr. Ambrose Lace (C) 192 1
Castle-street Mr. Thos. Bolton (R) 245

Mr. Peter Hope (C) 222 23
St. Peter's Mr. T. P. Roskell (C) 0
Mr. Richard Bright (R) 0
(Mr. Bright returned)

Pitt-street ..
Mr. John Bibby (C) 189 3
Great George Mr. T. Robinson (C) 188
Mr. L. Heyworth (R) 167 21
Rodney-street
Mr. George Loch (R) 225 49
Abercromby
Mr. Henry Ripley (R) 310 8
Lime-street
Mr. Vincent Higgins (R) 371 34
St. Anne's Mr. Robert Jones (C) 192
Mr. J. Mason (R) 173 19
West Derby
Mr. E. James (R) 102 62
South Toxteth
Mr. T. M. Gladstone (C) 142 6
Ditto Mr. W. M`Kee (R.) 144
Mr. J. Sheppard (C) 143 1
North Toxteth
Mr. R. Harbord (C) 233 24

The following is a general summary of the result of
last year's election, as deduced from the preceding
statement :

Conservatives returned
Radicals returned..

Total number of conservatives polled 3312
Total number of radicals polled

Total number of electors polled
•
Total conservative majority

The conservatives polled a larger number of votes
last year than upon any previous occasion since the
municipal reform act was passed. The lists on which
the last election took place having been appointed for
the recent election, a close struggle was necessarily an-
ticipated. Both parties appeared to commence the
contest yesterday with the most confident expectations
of success. The conservatives were justified in enter-
taining these expectations on account of their previous
success. The radicals calculated upon a victory on
other grounds. They hoped that the underhand
practices which they had set on foot would have, in
great measure, secured an easy triumph in several of
the wards. It is perfectly notorious that the various
agents of the Market Committee, and other commit-
tees having patronage at their disposal, were scattering
abroad, among those electors, whom they thought
likely to be influenced by such baits, all sorts of pro-
mises. Situations of every description, according to
the representations of these officials, were as plentiful
as blackberries, and hundreds of " snug berths" were
accordingly promised to as many individuals. The
system of " bottling" voters was also extensively car-
ried into practice. In addition to this, falsehood in
its most hideous and revolting shapes, was employed,
in numberless cases, in order to induce the conservative
voters to absent themselves from home. Many of the
electors were invited to Dublin, to Chester, to Bir-
mingham, to Manchester, to Leeds, to London, as well
to places nearer home, in the case of the humbler
classes, in order to execute large orders for goods, or
to secure an excellent job. In other cases, letters
were received announcing that the near relatives of
electors were in a dying state. We are, however,
happy to add that the conservatives, having been
forewarned of these base tricks, paid no attention to
the lying messages thus conveyed to them.
But to proceed. Yesterday morning the town, at
an early hour, began to assume an air of bustle and
animation, such as is usually the case whenever a con-
tested election takes place. Long before the hour of
nine o'clock, when the booths were opened, the com-
mittee-rooms of the respective candidates, in each
ward, were crowded with anxious voters, all bent upon
getting the start of their opponents. In the earlier
part of the day the weather was exceedingly unpro-
pitious, there having been a considerable fall of rain,
which rendered the streets nearly as dirty as we have
seen them in Manchester. Towards the afternoon,
however, it began to clear up, and it remained toler-
ably fine until the close of the polling. The voting
proceeded but slowly in most of the wards until twelve
o'clock, when a great number of the working classes
possessing votes were released from their daily avoca-
tions, and eagerly resorted to the various committee-
rooms. From that hour till four o'clock the polling
was continued with great activity on both sides. We
may here mention that the walls were covered yester-
day morning with a great variety of placards and
" squibs." Among the latter there were a few re-
markably for their witty points, particularly the
" Entry for the Corporation Stakes," and the " Sale
of a Stud of Horses." The latter was put forth by
the radicals, and in each " lot " the radical " horse
was uniformly det;cribed as the favourite among the
purchasers—so co:nfident was the author of success.
Our tabular stat ement, as well as the several notices
of the progress of the election in each ward, will show
the result of the contest yesterday, as nearly as it can
be ascertained- The returns were very irregularly
made to the central office of the conservatives, and it
was with the utmost difficulty, and no little personal
exertion that we have been enabled to complete our
tables. A considerable difference will be observed in
the majorities in several of the wards on comparing
the result of the election yesterday with that of the
preceding year- Thus, in Everton Ward, the conser-
vatives, last year, were in an apparent minority of one ;
this year, they have obtained a majority of 21. In
Scotland Ward, the conservatives had a majority of
41 ; this year, they are in apparent minority of 1. In
Vauxhall Ward, last year, the conservative majority
was 19 ; this year, it is 22. In St. Paul's Ward, last
year, the conservatives won by a majority of 1 ; this
year, they had a majority of 10. In Exchange Ward,
last year, the radicals had a majority of 1 ; this year,
the conservatives have a majority of 30. The radical
majority in Castle-street Ward, last year, was 23; this
year, it is 22. St. Peter's Ward was not contested last
year; this year, the radicals have gained it by a ma-
jority of 20. In Pitt-street Ward, last year, the radi-
cals had a majority of 3 ; this year, the conservatives
have obtained a majority of 1. In Great George's
Ward, last year, the conservatives had a majority of
21 ; this year, they have a majority of 2. In Rodney-
street Ward, last year, the conservatives had a majority
of 49 ; this year, the conservative majority is 58. In
Abercro mby Ward, last year, the conservatives won by
a inajorty of 8 ; this year, they have won by a majo-
rity of :s7. In Lime-street Ward, last year, the con-
servativ es had a majority of 34 ; this year, we claim a
majority of 4. In St. Anne's Ward, last year, the
consery atives had a majority of 19 ; this year, they are
in a in inority of 4. In West Derby, last year, the
consery atives had a majority of 62 ; this year, they

have a majority of 60. In South Toxteth, last year,
the conservatives were in a minority of 6 ; this year,
the minority is also 6. In North Toxteth, last year,
the radicals had a majority of 24 ; this year, the con-
servatives have a majority of 7.
Many causes may be asigned for these discrepancies.
Aniong the most prominent of these we would men-
tion the warehouse question, on which there exists a con-
siderable difference of opinion, among the mercantile
classes. This difference of opinion has, in many cases,
proved a detriment to the conservative cause. We do
not, however, infer from this that the dock warehouse
project is held in favourable estimation among the
great bulk of the electors. That this is not the case
is evident from the majorities obtained by Mr. Birkett
and Mr. Harbord.
We now proceed to lay before our readers, accord-
ing to the most accurate returns that we can procure,
THE FINAL CLOSE OF THE POLL.
NO. 1.-EVERTON WARD. _ . .

Majorities.
Conservatives. Liberals. C. L.
Mr. David Hodgson,3oB.. Mr. William Brown, 287.. 21 0

NO. 2.-SCOTLAND WARD.

Mr. T. M.Gladstone, 214.. Mr. W. Thornhill, 215 ... 0 1

NO. 3.-VAUXHALL WARD.

Mr. 11. Copeland, 108.

Mr. W. Preston, 86 .... 22 0

NO. 4.-ST. PAUL'S WARD.

Mr.R.l3.Hollinshead,l77.. Mr.J. R. M`Guffie, 167.. 10 0

5.-EXCHANGE WARD.

Mr. T. Sands, 199 Mr. W. Wood, 169..

30 0

No. 6.—CASTLE-STRLLT WARD.

Mr. P. Hope, 206 Mr. J. Aikin, 228 .. .. .. 0 22