The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-01-13 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

approaching to their relative numbers amongst the
community; and the conclusion to be drawn from
the preponderance of dissent in this movement is,
that it is to be regarded as a blow levelled against
that church which dissent hates with its bitterest
hatred.

Beyond this, however, there is one deeply-rooted
feeling which—carefully enough concealed—prompts
much of the energy with which a repeal of the Corn-
laws is sought by the League. We ask of any one
who was present, what passages of the speeches,
delivered at this meeting, were most vociferously
applauded. The answer, if a true:one, must be—
those passages in which the landed aristocracy were
most vehemently denounced, and held up to public
odium. We are aware that Mr. Bright denies that
any speech has ever been made by any member of
the Anti-Corn-Law League, which tends to subvert
the aristocratic element in the constitution, although
he admits having " said harsh things, because he
felt harshly ;" but what, may we ask, is the mean-
ing of the following passage in his speech of Friday,
if it does not point to the subversion of this ele-
ment ?

" You have read, most of you, what has been said by
dukes, and lords, and squires, within the last month.
Now, I ask you, as the representatives of a great com-
mercial community, is it your opinion that those men are
qualified by intelligence, or by their sympathy with art
and with the people, to rule over and to regulate the
trade, and the vast mercantile affairs of this greatest of
all commercial empires ?"—(" No, no.") Are you
willing to sit still in Liverpool, and that other towns
should sit still, likewise, and work as you can, earn what
you can, and live as you can, and all this merely permis-
sively; that you should be here calling yourselves the
citizens of this country, having the power, if the law does
not interfere, to gather to yourselves the riches of the
whole earth, and to add for ever and ever to the everlast-
ing comfort and well-being of the population?—(Hear.)
I ask, " Are you willing that these men, who have
proved their ignorance and incompetency so that every
man can see it—are you willing that they should rule
over and legislate for the commerce of this kingdom t"--

(" No; we.;ll stand it no longer," and cheers.)

Surely to deny the right 'of the House of Peers
to legislate for the commerce of the kingdom is to
deny it that position which it has hitherto held
amongst the other branches of the constitution. If
the mercantile interest is to dictate the policy of the
country, and allow no other voice to be heard, we
might as well set up a purely democratic form of
government at once.

We have made these few observations on the
character and proceedings of the meeting certainly
without the slightest hope of arresting the headlong
career of the Anti-Corn-Law League, or of arousing
the Conservative party, in our town or in the country
at large, from the lethargy into which they have
sunk. Our object is to dissipate, if it can ever
have been seriously entertained, the notion that the
movement, or the meeting, is to be regarded as ex-
pressive of the feeling of this great mart of com-
merce. We are not yet arrived at the length of
throwing ourselves into the arms of the League,
although, from all that we can at present see, we
are not much better off in the hands of the Govern-
ment which we raised to office to work out Conser-
vative, not radical and revolutionary policy.

It is, we are aware, a difficult task for a man,
who has been accustomed to office and power, to re-
concile himself to his position and pursuits when
he has unwillingly descended into a private station.
Has his fall been from a board of direction of some
railway ? His mind will still revert mechanically to
the thought of rails and sleepers, carriages, and lo-
comotives, and he will canvas, with no very amiable
feelings, the proceedings of his late colleagues and
his successor. He cannot get rid of the impression
that he is still a part of the concern, and that, with-
out something to do in the management of its affairs,
he is out of his natural element. Even a retired
parish officer, or a churchwarden, we believe, is an
unhappy being for the first few months after the
expiry of his year's lease of office and authority.
In a predicament something like this Mr. Eyre
Evans appears to have been since, by his election to
the council, as member for Vauxhall, he has ceased
to occupy a seat upon the dock committee. He
cannot get the notion out of his head that he is still
potent as ever in that body ; and his fingers itch
to be overhauling plans, and subscribing papers.
It grieves him, apparently, that he is not sitting on
finance committees, and building committees; and
his eyes ever and anon open in amazement when he
discovers that important works can be projected and
even carried out without the aid of his great talents.
The debate in the council on Saturday, upon the
proposed docks at `Napping, exhibits an instance of
this soreness and unwillingness to resign himself to
his proper position towards the dock committee and
their proceedings. Certain steps have been taken by a
portion of that body on behalf of the whole, and sub-
ject to the confirmation of the whole, which have only
come to his knowledge at the same time and through
the same channel as other people ; and forthwith he
claims to he allowed to discuss their merits in his
place in Council. before even they are in a state of
completeness sufficient to allow of their being laid
before the Dock Committee itself. Why should
his "hands be tied ?" Why should "he be re-
strained ?" Why should he not be allowed to break
through all the rules for conducting public business
which bind other men ? Really there is somthing
a little unreasonable in the conduct of Mr. Evans
with respect to this matter—something more in
keeping with the character of a petted child than of
so sensible a person as Mr. Evans has always been
considered to be. The Sub-committee, he says, of
the Dock Estate are about to do nothing without the
knowledge and the sanction of the general body, of
whom they are a portion. in due time, we tell him,
the plans and estimates of the Wapping Docks will
he laid before the Dock Committee for their sanc-
tion or rejection. In due time they will be laid,
with the committee's report upon them, before the
Council. And in due time Mr. Evans will have an
opportunity of expressing his opinion upon them as
a member of the Council. What would he have
more ? Why is he more aggrieved than other men
by the fact that works have been projected, and
the necessary plans deposited for parliament, with-
out consulting him ?
Another piece of ill-humour, directed against the
Chairman of the Dock Committee, and prompted,
we are afraid, by jealousy of the present position of
that gentleman similar to that displayed by Mr.
Eyre Evans, was vented yesterday in the Council by
Mr. James Aikin, Mr. Evans' quondam faithful
ally in Dock Management. For the particulars we
must refer our readers to the reported proceedings.
Mr. Bramley-Moore, they will admit, can hold his
own against any number of such assailants.

THE ONENESS OF THE CHURCH.—The anxiety of the
public to possess themselves of the admirable discourse
on this subject by the Rev. Hugh M'Neile, has been
evinced by the unusually rapid sale which it has met with.
A second edition has been already called for, and is pub-
lished to-day.

BAPTISM OF Two ISRAELITES.—On Wednesday even-
ing (to-morrow) two members of the house of Israel,
who received religious instruction in the Liverpool insti-
tution, will join (D.V.) the Christian Church by public
baptism. These will make up the number of fifty converts
out of the above institution. The holy sacrament of bap-
tism will be administered in Christ Church, by the Rev.
F. :Ould.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.—On Saturday, a case
in which there was a point of law (under the new sm all
debts act) not previously proponnded, came on for hear-
ing before the Commissioner of the Court of Requests,
and, as it may be interesting to the public, we subjoin the
particulars :—The complainant, a person of the name of
Scott, had been been supoenaed on a trial at the late Court
of Passage, by the defendant, Mr. Hill, auctioneer, Ha-
nover-street, who, on hearing that Scott had also been
supcenaed by the plaintiff in the action, and the verdict
being for the defendant, demurred to pay his expenses. A
summons was granted by the court, to which Mr. H. ap-
peared, and endeavoured to show by parallel cases from
the Law Journal, that he was not liable, and that the
court had no jurisdiction. This was overruled, and an
order for payment and an execution granted ; the latter
was not put in force, but the complainant appeared to
prove the defendant's ability to pay the amount. He
stated, that with the exception of Messrs. Thomas Win-
stanley and Sons, Mr. Hill's business was more lucrative
than that of any other auctioneer in Liverpool. He
proved by advertisements the extent of his sales and his
readiness at all times to advance as much as £l,OOO.
Another witness proved that he had advanced £7O during
the past week. Mr. Hill, in reply to a question from the
commissioner, stated that the only reason why he had not
previously paid it was, that he was not liable, and that
the court had no jurisdiction; but he then tendered the
amount. The Commissioner—" I rather think it is now
too late. Do I understand you to admit that you were
able to pay this amount previously." Mr. Hill—" I ad-
mit that." The Commissioner—" Then I do not know
that I shall be doing my duty to the public, if I do not
commit you to Lancaster Castle. You have resisted an
order of the court when you were able to obey it." Af-
ter a delay of about a quarter of an hour, the Commis-
sioner asked Scott if he would be satisfied with the
amount, and on his replying its the affirmative, the money
was received from the defendant, to whom the Commis-
sioner stated that he had full power to commit him to
Lancaster. He would not wish this case to be taken as a
precedent. He wished it to be understood that when a
person had the means, and resisted an order of the court,
he was fully liable to be committed. We learn that a
prohibition is about to be toyed fcr in tho case.