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

LIME STREET

On Friday evening a meeting of the electors of the
Lime-street Ward was held at the Swan Inn, London-
road, for the purpose of promoting the election of the
Hon. J. H. Liddell and Thos. B. Horsfall, Esq. The
large room of the Swan was densely crowded with the
electors, and throughout the proceedings the greatest
unanimity prevailed.

JOHN 131 LLOYD, Esq., who was unanimously called to
the chair amidst general and prolonged applause, said :
If it were in any other ward than Lime-street, with which
I have been connected for the last twelve years, I should
have felt some diffidence in taking the chair, after the way
in which I have been treated by those whom I will call the
opponents of true liberty and truth. I am one of those
whose names have been placarded not only through all the
papers in Liverpool, but I may add through all the news-
papers in the United Kingdom, as attached to a list by
the petitioners against the return of our respected and
worthy late representatives. In the list which was pre-
sented to the committee of the House of Commons, my
name appears as a briber in 25 cases. (Groans.) As I
before observed, I should have felt same diffidence in
taking the chair to preside over so numerous and respect-
able a meeting as this of my fellow-townsmen, if I did
not believe they felt that which I fee:—a perfect contempt
for such aspersions, believing my character with you
stands as pure—(cheers)—and unsullied as before they
published their list. (Continued applause.) Those gentle-
men from the first of March last placed me under the
speaker's warrant; and from the 30th May to the 11th
June. I was kept there to answer any questions that
might be put to me. Yet, gentlemen, I stand here now
without any'one of the twenty.five cases being inquired in-
to, or myself being called to answer the charges which they
brought against n•e. (Great applause.) I can only
say, that when it is asserted that illegal acts have been
done—and to some extent it may to stated that this
accusation which has been brought against me has not
been refuted before the committee—it is now my duty to
you and to my fellow-townsmen, thus publicly to say that
I repudiate and deny that I did, at the last election, take
one single step that was illegal, nor did I ask any man's
♦ote by offering or promising to offer anything in the
shape of a bribe. (Applause.) But I can only say to
you, gentlemen, that I took those steps which every one
of you did in seeking to return triumphantly as you did
Mr. Forbes Mackenzie and Mr. Charles Turner. (Ap-
plause.) Having said that much, let me refer to one of
the witnesses they produced on that occasion. It was the
witness, I believe, who stated himself to be the cor-
respondent of some morning paper, who did say and swear
that he saw me on the day of election in the house of Mr.
Lawton distributing favours, treating, or whatever other
words his evidence goes for, which I here declare, in the
presence of Mr. Lawton, who is here to answer if you,
think it necessary that he should do so, that I was never
at Mr. Lawton's house after half-past seven o'clock in the
morning until the election was closed. (Cheers, and a
voice : " Redmond.") That is distinctly the truth.
From a quarter to eight o'clock in the morning until the
election finally closed. I can account for myself from the
commencement of that day until the termination of it,
and bring gentlemen who will corroborate where I was,
and what I did during the whole of that day's proceed-
ings. (Applause.) So much for the veracity of this re-
porter for a morning paper. (Hear, hear.) I come here
with a clear conscience. I did nothing at the last election
by which my acts would be a stain on the constituency of
this extended and most influential ward. (Hear, hear.)
The Chairman concluded by reading Mr. Liddell's ad-
dress, which was loudly cheered. He felt satisfied the
selection of candidates would do honour to the constitu-
ency of the ward which had now the honour of meeting.
together. (Amiens!)

A VOICE.—Nire will have no Quakers
laughter.)

(Hear, and

The CHAIRMAN.—They will have quite enough of
themselves when they pay their bills atter the inquiry.
(Cheers and laughter.)
Mr. GEORGE RIDING proposed, and Mr. JONAS
GLEAVE seconded, a resolution pledging the meeting to
support Messrs. Liddell and Horsfall, which was enthu-
siastically carried.

Mr. JAMES COOPER proposed the next resolution :
" That the warmest thanks of this meeting be presented
to our late members, William Forbes Mackenzie and
Charles Turner, for their attention to the interests of the
the p,rind they have been its representa-
tives; and that this meeting begs to express the regret,
which is believed to be that of the inhabitants at large,
that their separation from the constituency should have
arisen on so paltry a case as was presented to the com-
mittee of the House of Commons."
Mr. SMITH seconded the motion, and remarked that,
since the last election, Mr. Forbes Mackenzie had been
made the object of malevolence and lying, without the
slightest cause. The resolution was carried unanimously.
Mr. THOMAS BOLD, after being repeatedly called for,
said, of what had taken place in London, that he had
attended from the first day of the meeting of the com-
mittee down to the last word that was uttered in the
committee-room. He was at the threshold of the door,
ready at any moment to produce every account. He had
paid, and given an account of every shilling expended in
the election, but the gentlemen who promoted the inquiry
never ventured to call him into the room. (Hissing.)
And for this reason ' • they got wind of it during the course
of the inquiry that there had not been a shilling spent
during the whole inquiry by the committee conducting the
election of anything approaching to an illegal character.
(Hear.) If there had been any doubt of it, they would have
called him in, and demanded the documents which he had
in his pockets. which he showed to Mr. Coppock and Sir
T. Birch in London, after the inquiry finished— (hear)—and
he was now ready to produce them to any gentleman who
had the slightest curiosity to investigate them. (Cheers.)
He (Mr. Bold) had heard it whispered that threats had
been held out, that if young Mr. Wm. Rathbone appeared
during the coming election (groans), particularly about the
docks, or should he take a public part in the contest,
his life would not be safe. He (Mr. Bold) did not believe
there was a single man in that or any other ward who
would touch Mr. Rathbone, notwithstanding it was as-
serted, but he believed with no truth, that Mr. Rathbone
once in his election madness—(he must also say it had been
contradicted by Mr. Rathbone himself, and he didn't be-
lieve he ever did it)—spat in General Gascoigne's face.
k Laughter and hissing, and a voice, " I saw him.") Mr.
Rathbone having once so conducted himself, that would
be no justification for using strong or insulting language
towards his son. (Hisses.) If his father had so far for-
gotten himself as to spit in the face of General Gascoigne,
he (Mr. Bold) felt perfectly certain that the gentlemen
now before him would never so far degrade themselves as
to insult his son in that way. (Cries of

Mr. J. GLEAVE.—Ask fhem.in Vauxhall Ward about
old Billy. (Cheers and laughter.)
Mr. LAWRENCE PEEL then energetically addressed the
meeting. . -- -

Mr. LAWTON corroborated the statement of Mr. Lloyd,
that on the day of the last election he was not in his house
after half-past seven in the morning ; and he also stated
that the same individual who had sworn that Mr. Lloyd
was there, was mistaken relative to Mr. Jonas Gleave.
After a vote of thanks had been passed to the chairman,
three cheers were given for Liddell and Horsfall, and for
Mackenzie and Turner, and the proceedings terminated.