The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-07-05 00:00:00

MEETING AT THE SHIPWRIGHTS' HALL,

On Saturday evening a meeting of Conservative shipwrights,
coopers, sail and ropemakers, and old freemen, was held at
the Shipwrights' Hall, Bond-street. The spacious room was
crowded by a most enthusiastic audience, who accorded a
warm welcome to the Hon. Mr. Liddell and :%Ir. G. H. Hors-
fall, when those gentlemen made their appearance upon the
balcony at eight o'clock. Along with Messrs. Liddell and
Horsfall we observed Mr. J. A. Tobin, Mr. Bremner, Mr.
Thomas Bold, Mr. Alexander Shand, &c.
On the motion of Mr. HUGH BOYD, Mr. Edward Grattan
was called to the chair.

In opening the proceedings, the CHAIRMAN expressed his
thanks for the honour which had been conferred upon him.
He was sure it afforded him no small amount of pleasure to
see such a mass of intelligence gathered together in that room.
He believed that an election was at all times an interesting
event ; but the present one was doubly so, inasmuch as it was
not twelve months since they had had an election at which the
conservatives of Liverpool returned two members to parlia-
ment by majorities unprecedented in the annals of the town.
(Cheers.) He verily believed it was the amount of the majority
that led the petitioners to take the unmanly and undignified
proceedings which they had thought proper to adopt.—(Hear,
hear.) But he would not stop to allude to the inquiry which
had taken place into their conduct. The petitioners had cer-
tainly gained a kind of victory; but it had been at a serious
cost to themselves. What had they gained by their petition?
They had unseated two Tory gentlemen whose places would
most assuredly. be filled up again with other two Tory gentle-
men—(immense applause)—while they had merited and re-
ceived the contempt of all honest-hearted Englishmen.—
(Cheers.) He concluded by calling upon
Mr. HARRISON, who moved the first resolution That
this meeting cannot permit this occasion to pass without offer-
ing their heartfelt thanks to Charles Turner, Esq., and \V. F.
Mackenzie, Esq., for their attention to the shipping and mer-
cantile interests of this port whilst they represented it in
parliament ; and they only regret their connexion should have
been separated by the late unworthy proceedings of the Radi-
cals, which had for their object the disfranchisement of the
freemen, who had so triumphantly supported the Conservative
candidates at the late election." About this time last year the
freemen of the port of Liverpool were rather in a peculiar posi-
tion. At the election at which Mr. Cardwell and Sir T. Birch
were returned, it was said that the apathy of the Conservative
freemen had lost their party the election. He had stated from
that balcony last year, that through disunion among the Con-
servatives that election had been lost. (Hear, hear.) And he
ventured to predict that the freemen only waited to show the
Conservative gentlemen that they could wipe off the stigma
that had been unjustly cast upon them. (Cheers.) Those
present knew whether the result of the last election did not
justify that prediction. (Immense cheering.) They all knew
that a great deal had been said about the payment of the day's
wages. Now, he happened to know a great many of the free-
men ; and he could say for them, that they were not even
aware that such a thing was being done as giving a day's pay.
(Cheers.) He knew many who voted without expecting, and
without wishing anything of the kind. (Loud cheers.) And it
was a fact worthy of note, that on the polling day there was
not a shipwright in Liverpool who had not recorded his vote
before twelve o'clock. But he thought the Radicals cast this
in their teeth chiefly for this reason—that they were afraid to
put their hands in their pockets and pay for a pint of beer.
(Laughter.) The freemen of Liverpool, he contended, had
fully redeemed their character at the last election ; and what
was more, if there was to be any opposition on this occasion,
they would show that their character was still the same, and
that Liverpool was still a Tory town. (Great applause.)
Mr. ADAMS, ropemaker, seconded the resolution, which was
unanimously agreed to. Mr. Adams observed that it was use-
less for him to recapitulate the terms of the resolution ; but,
before proceeding any further, he thought it would be necessary
for him to state what he had mentioned previous to the last
election. He stated, at the meeting of ropemakers, that no
man was so fit to represent the town as Mr. Turner, and that
gentleman had proved that the statement was true; and his
opinion was, that the two candidates who had been brought
forward were equally fit. (Great cheering.) There had been a
good deal of alispnting with reference to the ss. qoestion. tie
could assure them that the ropemakers knew nothing whatever
of the five shillings, and had received nothing whatever at the
election. (Hear, hear.) It had been a mystery to the Radical
party, how so many freemen came to vote for Mackenzie and
Turner. He could tell them the reason why. Mr. Cardwell
and his clique were the very party who, if they could, would
disfranchise the freemen (hear, hear); and that, he thought,
was a very good and substantial reason why the freemen should
not support their own enemies. (Hear, hear.) It had been
stated by the counsel for the petitioners, before the parliamen-
tary committee, that a great many of the freemen had been
engaged as standard bearers, as a colour for giving them a day's
wage. But such was not. the case. (Cheers.) He himself had
the selection of the men in his ward ; and the principle he
went on was the same on which they had always acted, namely,
to select the men who were out of work. (Cheers.) And of
the standard-bearers in West Derby Ward, there were not more
than four freemen. (Hear, hear.) But he was afraid he was
spinning too long a yarn (laughter), and he would therefore
content himself with seconding the resolution.
The Hon. Mr. LIDnELL then came forward, and was warmly
received. He said, that proud as he had been at the reception
which he met in other assemblages of the electors and freemen
of Liverpool, on no occasion had he felt more pleased than he
did that evening. First, because lie always liked to meet an
assemblage of the working classes; and, secondly, because
opposition was at length threatened. (" Bravo I") And as his
own spirit would rise against opposition, so he doubted not the
spirit of the Conservative electors of Liverpool would respond
to the same feeling. (Cheers.) But, before he went further, he
must express—which he did with sincerity and satisfaction—
the satisfaction with which he had listened to the speeches
which had been delivered by the Chairman of the Shipwrights',
and the Chairman of the Ropemakers' Association. These
gentlemen had said so much to the point, and had said so much
good sense, and with so much brevity, that he really thought
a man about to enter the House of Commons might take
a leaf from their book. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) He
only wished many honourable members would speak like
them; and if he drew attention to any one in particular, it
would be the noble lord the member for Marylebone.
(Laughter and cheers.) On the event of the present election
depended a great deal, then, of what was connected with their
best rights and interests. It was not difficult to perceive that
in the new reform bill a crusade was to be entered against their
rights. (Hear, hear.) He was not one of those who would
run down the reputation of freemen. (Hear, hear.) He was
a fellow-freeman; he had the honour of being a freeman
of the town of Newcastle. where an ancestor of his,
emigrating from those vales which still bore the name
of his family, established himself as a merchant adven-
turer, and, by his success in trade and in the spirit of
adventure, achieved that fortune which his family had since
enjoyed. (Hear, hear.) He was glad to be reminded of his
descent from that adventurer in the days of Queen Elizabeth
—(cheers)—and he should be an unworthy descendant of
his were he not to stand up for the rights and liberties of
his fellow-freemen. (Cheers.) He (Mr. Liddell) had been
accused of being a stranger, but his opponents had gone to the
shores of the East Indies to get a candidate; and lie had yet to
learn that that gentleman's pretensions exceeded those of air.
Horsfall and his own (air. Liddell's). (Hear, hear.) air.
Horsfall bad, during the last year, expended a stun of no less
than .e 6,000 in the repairs of ships in Liverpool. (Cheers.)
He trusted that Free-trade would bring to them all the bless-
ings he expected from it ; but he also said, let them have fair
' trade; and if it brought great activity in tonnage, let them
hope it would preserve a large majority to British shipping.
(Cheers.) If foreign ships got their carrying trade, they would
have nothing done in English ports except what was necessary
to keep the vessel at sea. They built and victualled their
ships cheaper than at home; and it was from their own mer-
chants and shipowners they received that employment which
kept their honest hands at work. (Hear, hear, and applause.)
Those measures had led to an increased employment of ton-
nage, and he rejoiced that they had done so ; for what other
interest could he (Mr. Liddell) have than that the shipowner,
merchant, carpenter, and every person connected with ship-
ping, should have that reward for their industry which they
deserved. The question with them (the Protectionists) was,
whether, in giving to commerce increased facilities, it was
worth while to run the risk and expose British shipping to a
competition which it would not be able to withstand ? (Hear,
hear.) That was the ground of opposition to the repeal of the
Navigation Laws ; and lie contended that such was the policy
which Mr. Huskisson pursued in the great changes which he
had introduced ; for Mr. Huskisson had stated, in his hearing,
" that it was the duty of a great commercial country like this
to give every facility to commerce ; yet, if the interests of
commerce and of navigation were brought into direct competi-
tion, that, for the national glory and safety, and for the pur-
poses of the national defences, so highly did he consider the
claims of British shioping, that, on all such occasions, he de-
clared it to be his opinion that commerce should give way. and
navigation be supported." In conclusion, he hoped he would
receive the suffrages of those by whom he was surrounded ; he
hoped they would remember what interests were at stake in the
ensuing session, and how necessary it was that they should
speak their sentiments in favour or freedom. (Applause.) On
those grounds he would venture to claim their indulgence, and
sit down. (Great cheering.)
Mr. G. HottsFam. next came forward, and was received with
tremendous cheering. He knew too well the value of a Satur-
day night to a working man to delay them long. Mr. Liddell
had preferred to that meeting* a claim which those present were
ready and willing to.recognise; and he thought they would be
equally ready and willing to recognise the claim of Mr. Hors-
fall. (Cheers.) Mr. Liddell had told them that he had a sym-
pathy with them, because he was a freeman of Newcastle, but
Mr. Horsfall had a sympathy with them because he was a free-
man of Liverpool. (Hear, hear.) He thought that the in-
terests of the freemen could not be better entrusted than to
men who possess, and therefore can truly value, the threatened
privileges. (Cheers.) He thought that, as far as the rights of
the freemen were concerned, they were safe in the hands of Mr.
Liddell. a freeman of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. (Hear.) He sup-
posed there was hardly one present who was not either directly
or indirectly interested in the prosperity of British shipping;
and he believed his audience had heard, at a previous election,
from the balcony on which he stood, sentiments promulgated
with reference to shipping and navigation which they could
barely understand (hear, hear) but he thought that Mr. Lid-
dell could not be charged with pursuing a similar line of
policy. (Cheers.) He believed they had some difficulty in
comprehending Mr. Cardwell (hisses); he was certain that they
would easily understand Mr. Liddell. (Cheers.) He reminded
them, that in the coming year the ship of the state would be
surveyed, for Lord John Russell was about to bring forward a
sweeping measure of reform ; and it behoved them to know to
whom they entrusted their interests.
A Voice : Is Lord John A 1 at Lloyd's ? (Laughter, and an-
other Voice, "No ! he is not No. 6.")
Mr. Horsfall resumed. He should think any gentleman
itmhda t
iqieueens t
tiohnr
0.
w(nLaaiti gl‘httre.r.
dldieeu
,r et:
ifieartr el
ide
,lto
eashoaes almost
ta7aunnitgtsie asrsi*:hsibCu'leitr
at all events, they had to go no farther for
him than the metropolis. (Hear, hear.) Mr.. Horsfall then
alluded to the gratifying fact, that the great railway engineer,
ttotrtghei
eSiit erspth el
oncsoolnn,ol ai,de
he theada
ma taadep?,:balsi cfodrin thee
nug,r,koaritnh,
colliery, and the first money given to him to construct a loco-

5, 1853.

motive was given him by Lord Ravensworth, father of the
honourable candidate which had that evening addressed them.
(Cheers.) Now, he (Mr. Horsfall) thought that would establish
an intimate connexion between the electors of Liverpool and
Mr. Liddell. He thought they would not taunt him with being
a stranger ! But that was a taunt which, as Mr. Liddell had
observed, they had now the opportunity of throwing back in
the teeth of their opponents, for they had been obliged to go to
Bombay for a candidate. (Laughter.) Since he came into that
room a gentleman had been kind enough to favour him with a
copy of the Liverpool Journal—(hisses)—in which, for the first
time, he found the address of Sir Erskine Perry. And what
was the special recommendation that he urged in his address?
Why, that it was "the party of progress"—(laughter)—should
be represented. Why, who was best fitted to represent
the party of progress ? This Coolie judge, or the son of
that nobleman who gave Stephenson his first commission
to execute a locomotive? (Cheers, and a voice, "Why the
Tory, of course! " ) He would not allow the Radical party
to arrogate to themselves the name of the party of progress ;
they were all interested in the shipping of the country, and
they knew that no science or art had made such progress as
ship-building. (Cheers.) He ridiculed the idea of Sir Erskine
Perry being qualified for the representation of Liverpool in
consequence of the addresses which had been presented to
him by the native population, on his leaving Bombay ; and he
certainly recommended the electors to take the Hon Mr. Lid-
dell in very great preference to Sir Erskine Perry. (Cheers.)
Mr. Horsfall drew attention to the fact that there would be a
procession on the day of nomination, and he called on the free-
men to attend in large numbers, and conduct themselves with
peace, order, and propriety. (Applause.) He had had a letter
from his brother that day, and Mr. Horsfall stated in it
that he will travel home with all possible rapidity,
taking extra posts, and travelling all night, that he
might prove himself not insensible to the great honor paid
him by the constituency of Liverpool. (Cheers.) Travelling
on the Continent, unfortunately, was a very different thing
from travelling in England; and, as a friend at his side sug-
gested, if they had had a George Stephenson and a Lord
Ravensworth there, he might have been able to tell precisely
when his brother would be in Liverpool. (Loud Cheers.)
Mr. HesoN, sailmaker, proposed the following resolution :
—" That from the reputation which the Hon. T. Liddell gained
by his devotion to the cause of ships, colonies, and commerce,
and the support he always gave, whilst in Parliament, to every
motion affecting the native industry of the country, and from
the high character of our respected townsman, Thomas B.
Horsfall, Esq., and from his knowledge of all matters affecting
the trade and interests of this great commercial town, this
meeting consider those gentlemen to be fit and proper can-
didates for the representation of this borough in Parliament,
and pledges itself to use the most active and energetic mea-
sures to ensure their return." (Great applause.)
Mr. HENRY DAuroN seconded the motion, which was also
unanimously agreed to. _

„ -
Mr. J. A. TOBIN and Mr. BOLD subsequently addressed a
few words to the meeting, and a vote of thanks was then passed
to the chairman, and the proceedings terminated with three
cheers for the Queen, for Liddell, and Horsfall, and for the
ex-members, and also for Mr. John Buck Lloyd.