The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-12-13 00:00:00

r'rHE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

MEETING OF THE TRADESMEN'S CONSER-
VATIVE ASSOCIATION.

Last evening a special meeting of this association was held
at the Large loom, at the King's Arms, for the purpose of tak-
ing into consideration the extraordinary and tyrannical pro-
ceedings which transpired in the council on Wednesday last,
and also for the purpose of testifying their approbation of the
manly, straightforward conduct of Mr. James Hey worth, who
was made the object of an unprecedented attack. The Large
Room was nearly filled, and there could not be less than 500
people present.
Shortly after seven o'clock, the time appointed for the meet-
ing, Mr. Wilkinson was proposed to the chair.
The CHAIRMAN then said, the business on which we are met
this evening is oue of the greatest importance. We are assem-
bled for the purpose of recording our disapprobation of the re-
cent proceedings in our Town Council, to express our strong
repugnance to the system of exclusion which they have thought
fit to adopt, and to strengthen the hands of the conservative
members of the Council, in their opposition to the tyrannical
and unjustifiable policy of the majority against which they have
to contend. I shall not anticipate, by any remarks of my own,
what will be urged on your attention by the gentlemen who are
about to address you. I have no doubt that you will be unani-.
mous in the expression of your opinions respecting our liberal
Town Councillors; and I have a firm conviction that that ex-
pression of your sentiments will lead to beneficial results. It
will lead to the humiliation of the self-styled reformers who now
want to have their own way in all things relative to the govern-
ment of our good old town, and it will tend to hasten the tri-
umph of sound conservative principles in the administration of
our municipal affairs. He was sorry Mr. Holme had been un-
expectedly prevented from attending the meeting. He had re-
ceived from hint a letter which he would read to them.
" Renshaw-street, Monday Morning, Five o'clock.
" My dear Sir,—Being under the necessity of setting off this
morning for London, to fulfil an appointment made before our
meeting was fixed upon, and one which I could not evade without
causing much inconvenience to other parties, I have to beg that
you will supply my place this evening, and state to the meeting
why I am absent.
'°lt being our duty to oppose tyranny and mischief in ever
shape, however respectably those evils may be personified,
think that, as a body united for loyal purposes, we ought not,
and cannot, pass over the conduct of the Council on Wednesday
last without remark and reprehension. Mr. Hayworth must be
supported, and well too, in his virtuous attempt to lay open to
the public gaze the secret rottenness and the base selfishness
which characterise our popularly-elected Councillors. Honesty
of purpose requires no concealment—it fears not the face of day
—it can walk abroad in the light, and bid defiance to suspicion.
But mischief delights in secrecy—it broods in darkness—and
. fears the light because its deeds are evil.
" If the Council were honest in its intentions it would need
no previous meetings with closed doors. For years the party
now in local power, (for a short time only,) bawled out most
lustily against the old Corporation because no reporters were
admitted. Now, however, they try to blind the public by 'evad-
ing free diScUssion. If, after the,resolutions of our society, they
still continue to meet at the Angel, I hope, for decency's sake,
they will alter the sign. It requires no great stretch of imagi-
nation to point out one more suitable for such deeds of darkness.
" I do hope that no one will in any degree soften down any of
the resolutions—they have been well considered—and, as trades-
men, we want no circumlocution, but plainness of speech.
" We will not allow these men to triumph over principle, but
will keep a watchful eye over their proceedings, and boldly
challenge them with their egregious folly and perverse and in-
consistent conduct, as often as they shall act the part of tyrants
and hypocrites.
" As public men who have made large professions, and who
have always invited scrutiny, it is our duty to freely canvass
their actions as a proof of their motives, and to hold them up to
censure when we are convinced they deserve it.
"Ifwe do not this, what is the use of our association.—l am,
my dear sit, yours very faithfully and toryisticallv,
" SA M L.. HOLME."

Mr. ODELL rose to propose the first resolution. He said he
felt a degree of diffidence in addressing so large an assembly,
especially as he knew there were many others present more
fitting for the task. Let men be of what principles they might
—of any party in the town, whether conservative, whig, or
radical, he must look with pity and concern on the recent con-
duct which had distinguished the town council. (Hear, hear.)
In the annals of Liverpool there never had been consummated
so great a disgrace as had been inflicted on the town on Wed-
nesday last. The most inveterate enemy of the old system
could not bring to their charge anything so disgraceful in its
nature as the proceedings in the council of last Wednesday.
(Hear.) 'lt appeared that Mr. Alderman Brown was thunder-
struck that any gentleman could make such a charge against
the Town Council as had been made. Poor foolish man ! He
would now tell him, and, if there would, tell him to his face, that
there were hundreds in the town that would reiterate the charge ;
and they were prepared to prove that the charge was true.
It appeared from the reports of both the tory and radical press,
that not one in the council, however they might deny the charge,
could disprove it. It appeared that Mr. Evans was very sore
about certain terms being applied to the council—that they
weretermed " a servile majority" and " a political cabal," and
that they had brought "deep dishonour" upon themselves and
the town. They did not like the word " cabal." That word
took its origin in the reign of Charles 11. Perhaps the country
was never so likely to be brought to a fatal termination in all its
institutions as when the affairs of the state were under the guid-
ance of what was then termed " a cabal." The name took its
origin from a number of men (Buckingham and others) who
took upon themselves to direct the affairs of state. It was a term
that applied to a part only of the executive. He thought that
the history of the unfortunate reign of Charles 11. must have
flashed across the memory of Mr. Heyworth when he applied
that term. There was so great a similarity in principles and reli-
gion with that unfortunate cabal for this country with those men
in the present council, that he really thought a more happy
allusion could not have been made in reference to the cabal-
istic meeting at the Angel Inn. (Loud and long-continued
cheering.) He would ask was it ever meant to be kown to the
constituency what was carried on at that meeting? It was com-
pletely a fortifitous circumstance that brought it -to light. That
hole and corner meeting was never meant to come to their
knowledge. He thought so far they were justified in calling ita
cabal. It was met on a particitlar question, on which, perhaps,
the town of Liverpool felt more warmly than any ottibT, if there
was any one question more than another which affected the in-
terests of a Liverpool man. It was the proper choice of persons
to fill the duties of the office-of the dock trust. Those men who
had been the loudest to brawl about liberty and the' admission of
reporters into the council-room, had managed to convene
a majority of the council at a meeting at an hotel,
to decide on one of the most important questions relating to the
welfare of the town. They concentrated all their force, they
fixed on the men who on their character are afterwards chosen,
and who, in the plenitude of their wisdom, they think the Most
fit, and all discussion in the council as to the qualifications of
the members chosen was thereby avoided. The public never
could have become acquainted with their capabilities if the,
were unknown to them, because all discussion with regard tir,
them was avoided by a preliminary hole and corner meeting
Now, as to the cowardice of the thing ; it was the most cow-
ardly and un-English like action that ever was committed.
There would have been some extenuation for it if there had
been any equalization of parties, six of Tory and six of Whig,
and if they had had very talented opponents to beat; but such
was net the case. They knew that they had a majority—they
had no fear that the men whom they would propose would be
carried, and it was the lowest cowardice to cheat the public of
the discussion of the merits and demerits of the men they in-
tended to propose. He had never been more struck with the
conduct of any gentleman than be had been with that of Air.
James Heywortn. How he could have withstood the systematic
attack that had been made upon him he could hardly imagine.
He must have the heart of a Hercules. It was evident that there
must have been "a preliminary meeting to arrange the uniform
attack that was made upon him. Mr. Hey worth had nobly set
himself against the establishment of a dangerous precedent.
He asked the Mayor to show him the power of the Council to
investigate his conduct, and he would be then prepared to sub-
mit it—(cheers)—but be was unable to do so, and sneaked'out
of the question by saying "he would put it to the sense of the
Council." Here they had a gentleman, in as high a station as
a burgess could attain to, succumbing himself to the purposes of
faction. To do justice to the late Mayor, W. Wallace Currie,
he did think that had he presided that discussion would
never have been allowed to proceed. (Hear.) He was always
willing to award praise where it was due. (Cheers.) He
re-
gretted to find that that gentleman had sat still and quiet
throughout the whole of the meeting, and then came out as a
peacemaker. He had listened to the whole tirade of abuse that
had been heaped upon one of their body, and then drew a com-
parison between Mr. Heyworth and the other members of the
Council. He said, "It is scarcely worth while to notice
the speech, considering the quarter Irom which it came." He
thought there was scarcely any one member who could be
placed in competition with Mr. James Heyworth, and such an
expression did Mr. Currie very little credit. (Hear.) But
there was one person named Coglan in the council (loud
laughter;) they were the most ungrateful men in the world not
to discover that he was the greatest man that the age had ever
produced—their history recorded nothing like him ; Scipio
Africanus was nothing to him; they must go to Roman history
to find his equal—they were a most ungrateful set of men
not to admit him to be the greatest patriot that ever existed in
Liverpool. Mr. Coglan felt very acutely fur the situation in
which Mr. Heyworth was placed, and gave him every chance of
creeping out of it. But he was not the :tan they imagined.
He stuck to the point, and they could not put biin down. Ho
reminded him of a verse which he had read, and which
-,was
strongly biought to his mind :
The man whose mind, on virtue bent;
Pursues some greatly good intent,
. With undiverted aka,
,Serene beholds the angry crowd,
Nor can their clamours fierce and loud
His stubborn honour tame."
Mr. Odell concluded by proposing the first resolution :
"That the secret meetings of a majority of the Town Coun-
cil at the Angel Inn, are unsatisfactory and disreputable, calcu-
lated to defraud the public out of that knowledge of Cdrporate
affairs which the majority of the members for many previous
years so loudly demanded; that public discussion is thereby
evaded, and a secret system adopted inconsistent with honesty
of purpose, and repugnant tot he feelings of Englishmen."
Mr. HAu.ntsTY briefly seconded the resolution,which had his
most hearty concurrence...,
The CHAIRMAN put the resolution to the meeting, and it was
carried unanimously.
Mr. SMITH then rose, he said he was not accustomed to come
prepared with a speech in his pocket, like Mr. Joshua Walms-
' ley, and he might_ therefore be supposed to be rather in a
quandary, in addressing such a meeting. He had no doubt,
however, but that Mr. Evans, would be as much surprised, on
this occasion, as he had been on the occasion of Mr. James
Heyworth's speech. To think that any person should rise in
so numerous an assembly as that, to propose a vote of censure
on the Solon. of the Town-hall. Such, however, was the
case, and he had had a resolution put into his hand which
went to find'. fault with those " potent, grave, and reve-
rend senigiors." .He wished he could go the whole hog, and say,
"My very approved good masters," but he could not. Even
'though their deliberations were enlightened by the "light of
reason" of Mr. William Earle, jun., who sat amongst them,
and shed around him the bright radiance of his light. (Loud
cheers and laughter.) He should confine himself as closely as
he could to the subject of the resolution, which was the appoint-
ment of their political partizans to all places of importance.
When they came into office they opened a crusade against every
tory officer. In the first place, they turned out Mr. Foster, the
Town-clerk, and why? They found that they could not make
a tool of Mr. Foster. .He was a man who would not be dis-
graced by such proceedings as have emanated from the Coun-
cil; with regard to hint, however, they had behaved with
some degree of fairness. They hid said that they had•
turned him out, becauSe he was a tory. They accordingly did
so, and because theY wanted a snug birth for Radcliffe, the pre-
:
',sent town-clerk. '[`hey then wanted a depirty:town-Clerk, and a
suitable person was soon fthind in Mr. Crook, who had. worked
hard for thenvby signiiig hundreds, of objections against tory
voters; therefore thy had ap'pointed hint to that situation.
A coroner was wanted, and they soon found a whig peculiarly
qualified for the oflike, in the person of Mr. Curry. Mr. leritler,
the surveyor, was a tory, and very' unable, therefore, to' sVifvey
.buildings,. and for that reason' tliey bed faint gen S-7.4,,,
whig or something, more,erit the Ef4ssten' 11.-ss,i;iie;/ 'tod 44,11