The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-10-02 00:00:00

'The electors of Liverpool should remember that
every vote given and recorded for a liberal candidate
will be deemed equivalent to a vote of confidence in
the present administration. Every vote given for a
radical will be expressive of a conviction that the pre-
sent degraded crew in office are deserving of the ap-
probation of Englishmen, and that the policy which
they have pursued has been conducive to the peace and-,
prosperity of the country. Every vote given for a
radical will be a vote given in favour of Daniel
O'Connell and the repeal of the union, or, in other
words, for the dismemberment of the empire.
Are the electors of Liverpool prepared for this ? Do
they really believe that Lord Melbourne and his asso-
ciates have done all in their power to increase the sum
of our national happiness, and to strengthen and aug-
ment our national power? Are the electors of Liver-
pool really grateful for the hordes of commissioners
who have been called into existence by the jobbing
propensities of the whigs ? Are they grateful for the
increased burden of taxation which has been imposed
upon us by a liberal administration ? Are they satis-
fied that the " tyrant majority" in our municipal par-
liament have acted so pure and disinterested a part as
to deserve the confidence and approbation of the public?
Are they prepared to go the whole hog with O'Connell
and the popish priests of Ireland in their agitation for
a repeal of the union? If they are not, let them vote
for those candidates who refuse to fraternise with the
filthy defamer of English wives and mothers. Let
them vote for those men who, seeing the danger into
which the Whigs have plunged the nation, are desirous
of placing at the helm of government men who have at
heart the real welfare and prosperity of this great
nation.

If the conservatives of Liverpool prove true to them-
selves, and to the cause which they profess to espouse,
we shall have no reason to look forward to the ap-
proaching municipal election with any other feeling
than that of confident anticipation of victory. A tri-
fling renunciation of self-indulgence is all that is neces-
sary in order to strike terror into the combined ranks
of radicalism, popery, and infidelity. We would espe-
cially entreat those conservatives whose influential
position in society gives weight to their personal re-
commendations, to divide amongst themselves the
labour of canvassing. This has been one great secret
of the strength of our opponents. Let us take a leaf
out of their book for the future.

We, trust that we may now fairly congratulate the
independent livery of London on the noble example
which they have set to the country at large by their re-
jection of Alderman Harmer as a candidate for the
Mayoralty. The short-lived triumph which that gen-
tleman and his infidel allies obtained on Tuesday has
been converted into a defeat as 'signal as it must be sa-
tisfactory to every rightly constituted mind. Alderman
Harmer's connection with that obscene and atheistical
print the Weekly Dispatch, whatever may be his pri-
vate character, entirely unfits him for the office of the
first civic magistrate in the world ; and we are glad to
find that the livery of London appear to be determined
to avoid the disgrace of such an appointment.
We trust that Mr. Harmer's rejection by the livery
of London will prove a signal and forerunner of the
rejection of that beastly print, the Weekly Dispatch,
from every house in which it is now taken. It is truly
surprising that a publication advocating such revolting
principles should ever be admitted into private fami-
lies ; and we cannot help saying that it is equally sur-
prising that any respectable journal should, for the sake
of gain, puff off the immense circulation of so vile a
paper.

The partial destruction of the naval arsenal at De-
vonport, and the entire destruction of two vessels of
war, of which an account appears in another column,
has occurred at a period which renders such a calamity
peculiarly deplorable. Such a loss as that which has
been just sustained is, at the present crisis, of the high-
est moment, in a national point of view. The origin
of the fire is, as yet, involved in obscurity; but if it
should prove to have been the work of an incendiary,
of which strong suspieions are generally entertained,
there must have been the greatest degree of negligence
manifested by those whose duty it was to attend to the
safe custody of the arsenal. " They manage these
things differently in France." There the naval depots
are inaccessible to spies and incendiaries. Instead of
leaving their ships of war exposed to the dangers of
conflagration, the French authorities arc sedulously en-
gaged in placing their naval armaments upon as effi-
cient a footing as possible, and in preparing fur the
contingencies which may arise from the present dis-
tracted state of European relations.

In another column we have given a report of the
revision of voters for the southern division of Cheshire.
From that report it will be seen that the conservatives
on the other side of the Mersey have every reason to
congratulate themselves on their present position. The
gain which they have made this year, in addition to
previous gains since the period of the general election,
justifies us in predicting that two staunch conserva-
tives will be returned for that division of the county
whenever the next contest takes place.
One incident occurred on the revision of the Birken-
head list, which excited no little merriment in court,
and which affiwds a beautiful illustration of the work-
ing of that incomparable piece of legislation, the Re-
form Act. We allude to the proof of a notice of ob-
jection, by Mr. Peacock, against " Barker Black,"
who claimed on account of a rent charge arising from
houses in Camden-street. This " Barker Black"
proved to be a black dog, belonging to Mr. W. W.
Mortimer, who appeared in court as one of the radical
agents ! Mr. Peacock very properly observed that
Mr. Mortimer was paying but an indifferent compli-
ment to the Whig-radical ministry, by thus throwing
ridicule on their " grand measure." The compliment
to the ten-pounders was no less equivocal. Mr. Mor-
timer must certainly have a very mean opinion of his
political associates when he thus places his dog on an
equality with them. We quit,t agree with Mr. Pea-
cock that if the name of " Barker Black" had been
retained, there would have been no difficulty in pro-
curing a Tom Cassidy from the ranks of the " great
unwashed" to vote in his name.
In conclusion, we refer our readers to the report for
some edifying specimens of the sort of claims set up
by the radicals. We particularly allude to the cases of
Mr. Ravenscroft, junior, and Mr. Law, neither of
whom appears to have possessed a shadow of right to
be placed upon the registry.

We furnish our readers with a full report of the pro-
ceedings at the great meeting of merchants on Lieut.
Fayrer's case, on which we would only remark that we