The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-07-17 00:00:00

war."

But how are the three millions of repealers, who are
to carry into execution this treasonable scheme, to be
got together ? How are these simultaneous meetings
to be summoned throughout Ireland ? To solve this
question let us proceed to Longford, where, on the
10th instant, Baron Pennefather sat upon the trial of
eight men indicted for the crime of ribbonism, and
upon whom were found documents containing the
following mysterious pass-words :

" Will we have a repeal? On what cause? The corn
laws. It is the cry of the people ; it must prevail ; no man
can object. May justice still prevail ? No man can object
it. Sir, lam much surprised ? You are offensive ?"

The significant query in this ribbon document,
" Are we to have a repeal ?" is, at all events, some
evidence that the conspiracy of which it was selected
as a pass-word is not altogether of that " harmless"
nature which its apologists in Liverpool and elsewhere
would have us to believe. We have here, at any rate,
one link in the mysterious chain which hinds together
the midnight assassin, the ruthless " slater," and the
political demagogue. 'We• have here one finger-post
to guide us to the seat of that inexplicable power by
which the turbulent waves of discord and outrage in
Ireland are lashed up to the fury of the tempest, or
soothed into a deceitful calm, as it best suits the hid-
den purposes of a jesuitical faction to bluster at or
fawn upon its victims. And when we look at the
giant organisation of that conspiracy,—when we find
it described in the emphatic words of a learned judge
—by Baron Pennefather—no later than one week ago,
whilst passing sentence upon one of the felons of
whom it is composed, as " a society that compelled the
people to pay obedience to unknown dictators, and to
submit to all commands imposed—A SOCIETY THAT

MAY HAVE AUTHORISED BURNINGS, MURDERS,

AND ALL THE EVILS INFLICTED ON THE COUNTRY

-A SOCIETY- THAT POSSESSED ITSELF OF ARMS,
;—we may well exclaim with that

AMMUNITION, &C."

learned judge, " WHO CAN TELL FOR WHAT PUR-
POSE THOSE ARMS WERE OBTAINED ? THIS IS

WELL WORTH THE INQUIRY OP ALL."

Yes, it is " worth the inquiry of all"; and it will
in good time become the inquiry of all to what extent
the ribbon conspiracy and the repeal conspiracy are
synonymous ; and it may become the inquiry of some
to what extent these dark and dangerous engines are
at present employed to sustain in office, at any and at
all risks, the most reckless and unprincipled administra-
tion that ever cursed the worst days of this mighty
empire !

We have placed these few remarks and dates before
our countrymen. Further comment of ours they need
not. Let them be weighed and examined. Let the
Protestant people of England pronounce judgment ;
and, come what may come, our hands at least are

We are told that the conversion of plain Joshua
Walmsley into " Sir Joshua" has wonderfully altered
that worthy gentleman's prospects as a candidate of
the borough. The aristocratic Whigs of Liverpool
(save the mark !) are prepared to worship the full-blown
honours of the knight, although previously averse to
rub elbows with the corn-merchant ; and Sir Joshua,
on the event of a dissolution, is to start for the race
and to win, if the united efforts of Whig, radical and
precursor, can effect that desirable object.
We are not afraid of the loyal electors of Liverpool
doing their duty on the day of battle. We should be
ungrateful were we not to acknowledge that they have
ever fought the good cause earnestly and manfully.
But let us not rush into the opposite extreme and cry
" victory" before the fight is won, for, depend upon it
the enemy is putting forth all his strength and all his
stratagem for the coming struggle. Let our conserva-
tive friends be up and ready; let their committees be
organized ; let all sound and loyal Protestants be
brought up to register, and the claims of their oppo-
nents rigourously and strictly watched. Not a sinew
in the ministerial camp will be left unstrained to secure
a ministerial triumph in Liverpool, and not one con-
servative, however high or however low his station,
should hesitate on this occasion to put forth his strength,
to give his time, his talents, and his influence, to the
cause of the constitution.

We repeat that we are not cravens in politics.
We are seldom found crying "wolf" when danger is
not at hand. But we must now entreat the conserva-
tive electors of Liverpool not to throw any chance away
by over-confidence. The ministerial faction have "set
their all upon the cast ;" and they must be met with
corresponding energy. A ministerial victory in Liver-
pool would be hailed with rapture by the enemies of
constitutional liberty, not only throughout England
but throughout the globe ; and it must not be said of
us that by slothfulness and inactivity we have allowed
so " heavy a blow" to be levelled at the time-honoured
institutions of our country.

Remember, too, that even victory is valuable accord-
ing to its extent. Let it ring then throughout England
and throughout the world, that the loyal men of
Liverpool have not only won the fight and remained
masters of the field, but that the enemy is routed and
scattered beyond the possibility of a rally !

Surely the conservative party in Liverpool cannot
be aware of the treacherous efforts now being made by
the popish and radical party in this town to swamp the
constituency, by the introduction of hundreds of Irish-
men of the lowest grade, whose taxes are most myste-
riously paid under the auspices of the Reform Asso-
ciation, the machinery being prepared and directed by
the Protector Society—the fuel being provided from
other sources. The scene at the parish office has, we
understand, for some days past been of such a charac-
ter, that it is high time for every respectable inhabitant
to look into it. Taxes have been paid by, or for, indi-
viduals who are unable to pay for a decent coat or
even a pair of shoes, and this, no doubt, for the pur-
pose of keeping in power as unprincipled and degraded
a ministry as ever this country was afflicted with; and
for the purpose, too, of keeping our local power in the
hands of the motley crew who have now a majority in
the Town Council.

But the taxes being paid, no matter from what
source, the registry will be swelled with swarms of
protectors, repealers, and ribbon-men, and also by
numbers of labourers who never paid and never will
pay a shilling of taxes in their lives from their own re-
sources ; and unless very prompt steps are taken to-