The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-11-06 00:00:00

liamentary influence, and acquaintance with Par-
liamentary tactics ? Why, we shall rail in procuring
a repeal of the present objectionable measure, as
certainly as there is a sky above us. The result of
the past elections, as the unmistakeable voice of
the constituencies of Liverpool upon this question !
Fiddle-de-dee. What regard has Parliament for
those constituents ? What does the present House
of Commons care for even the expressed voice of
the entire people of England ? Liverpool, and
every seaport in the empire, expressed their voices
unmistakeably against the Repeal of the Navigation
Laws ; yet Parliament gave no heed to them, but
pursued its own determined course. The Canadas
recently expressed their opinion upon a question of
vital interest ; but Parliament listaned only to the
prompting of two or three commercial houses in
Montreal ! The majority in the present Parliament
are acknowledged to be indifferent to the voice of
public opinion. Their whole proceedings are dic-
tated rather by the promptings of their own crea-
tures out of doors, who represent only the opinions
of a contemptible minority of the entire commu-
nity. A few gentlemen of influence and tact—say
some of those whom on Thursday last the Electors,
urgetl on by the National Confederation, converted
into irreconcileable enemies,—would probably effect
more, by earwigging the members of the Com-
mittee and of the Government, than all the petitions
that can be sent up by the majority of the public
against the Rivington scheme.
There is another consideration too, which ought
to weigh with us in determining upon the mode of
procuring a settlement of this question. The pre-
sent government is notoriously disposed to extend
the principle of centralization in every department;
and in none is their inclination more apparent than
in matters connected with sanatory reform. The
metropolitan sewers commission is a specimen not
only of the Central Board of Health's eagerness
for power, but of its bungling and inefficient
management of such power. Happy, indeed,
would be the Chadwicks, and their clique of greedy
hangers on for place and pay, if, through any un-
happy error of ours, with respect to this important
question, they could be furnished with an oppor-
tunity of saying to us—" you cannot agree amongst
yourselves as to the best mode of procuring an
ample supply of water for sanatory purposes ; you
say you cannot, or you will not, carry out the pro-
visions of the act with which the legislature has
supplied you for this purpose. The Central Board
of Health will therefore step in, and undertake the
performance of your duties."
We have entered into these explanations of the
nature and extent of the difficulties which beset us
with respect to the question of water supply, in the
first place, because there appear to be persons, who
conceive that those difficulties are terminated, now
that we have a preponderating majority in the
Council in favour of local supply ; and in the
second place, because we hoped that we might thus
induce that majority to refrain from using its
powers in a rash and headstrong manner. The
heat of the struggle for supremacy over, it should
be the study of all parties, who have the good of
the community at heart, to endeavour to arrive at
such a mode of re-examining quietly, within our-
selves, and in a dispassionate spirit, the whole of
the facts upon which some of us have been so
fiercely at issue with each other. Such an inquiry
should be entered into not at all as one in
which any party contends for a victory. It
should he entered into in the spirit in which a
merchant sits down to examine the state of his
affairs, with a view to determine his course of pro-
ceeding. 'To whatever might result from such an
enquiry, urged before Parliament as the unanimous
prayer of the people of Liverpool, deference in all
probability would be paid ; and we most cordially
second the impressive appeal addressed to the pa-
rishioners in vestry, by Mr. Rushton, on the impor-
tance of such unanimous action. We have little
doubt but that still the members of the special
committee of the Council would meet the paro-
chial committee in such a spirit. But if these
bodies cannot be got together, without so manifest
a predisposition to distrust each other as was dis-
played during their late negociations, we should
regard any good result as hopeless, and the Riving-
ton scheme as fastened upon our backs ; for the
idea of a successful parliamentary contest to over-
throw it, is perfectly preposterous, and would only,
by its great costliness, plunge us deeper into
difficulty.

AN important currency fact is communicated in
the following paragraph from the New York cor-
respondent of the London Times in his letter by
the last steamer :

" A project is on foot for establishing a national paper
money circulating medium, based on the deposit of Go-
vernment stocks. This scheme emanates from a portion
of that party which is in power who are averse to the
working of the present system. It will, however, be
strongly, and no doubt successfully, opposed by that
large majority who dread the effects of an inflated cur-
rency, against which the sub-Treasury system has afforded
so, great a protection."
This is another nut for the bullionists to crack.
To a great extent, the proposed new American sys-
tem is similar to that proposed by the Liverpool
Currency Reform Association ; and we are not at
all so certain as the Times writer that it is not
likely to he carried into operation. Our boasted
gold standard is obviously at a discount.

THE mayoralty of Mr. J. Bramley-Moore may
be said to have already practically closed ; and,
before another gentleman is chosen to occupy his
place, we take the opportunity of expressing our
unfeigned admiration of the mode in which he has
discharged the very onerous duties of the office.
His present Worship, it will be acknowledged,
ascended the civic chair under circumstances and
prospects which called for the exercise of more
than ordinary qualifications and judgment. We
had just gone through a social and commercial
crisis. Continental Europe still heaved in the
throes of convulsion; and amongst our own work-
ing classes, an uneasy feeling and severe suffering
still prevailed. The sister country, Ireland, was
pouring forth hordes of her starving peasantry
upon our quays and into our streets ; and a fatal
disease was advancing towards us with rapid strides.
In addition to these sources of difficulty, we had
agitated amongst us important local questions, the
discussion of which excited Strong feelings amongst
the members of that Council, over which his Wor-
ship was called upon to preside, and upon which
it was known that he entertained opinions opposed
to those of the majority.
To the emergency, created by these combined
circumstances, Mr. Bramley-Moore has proved
himself fully equal. The public peace has been
preserved ; and the aid and countenance of his
office have been given to every object by which
the welfare and happiness of the community were
sought to be promoted. His conduct in the civic
chair has been at once firm and forbearing, digni-
fied and impartial ; and as chairman of the various
public meetings, over which be has been called
upon to preside, he has acquitted himself to the
satisfaction of all. In no instance, we believe,
throughout the performance of these, his public
duties, and in the course of some of which adverse
opinions of the most excited nature have prevailed,
has he lost a friend, or inflicted a wound upon the
feelings of any.
But his Worship has gone beyond the exercise
of the ordinary duties of his office, and lent his
great and deserved personal influence to confer a
boon upon his fellow townsmen, and especially
upon the suffering portion of them, which will
render his name and his mayoralty memorable in
the annals of the town. The severe commercial
depression of the previous two or three years had
impeded the flow of charity. Our public hospitals
had fallen into debt; and whilst suffering and
disease amongst our working classes called for the
increased exercise of their healing aid, their effi-
ciency had seriously decreased. In this emergency,
unprompted by any public or private call upon
him, his Worship originated a movement, by the
success of which these establishments were shortly
placed in even a more efficient position than they
had ever previously occupied. And in referring
to the fancy fair, by which this was accomplished,and a sum of nine thousand pounds di▪
vided be-
tween our three public hospitals, we should be
doing injustice if we did not place upon a par with
him, in deserving, his amiable lady, who, we believe,
shared with him in the original suggesti▪
on of the
plan, as she did throughout in promoting its suc-
cess. The principle of "giving honor to whom
honor is due," compels us to include many others
of our fair fellow-townswomen, whose graceful aid
was given freely on the occasion, as well as the
gentlemen of the various committees, whose ser-
vices and exertions were indefatigable and inva-
luable. If with the memory of no other achieve-
ment to reflect upon in after years, Mr. Bramley