The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-05-28 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS

After much deliberation we feel compelled to decline the
temperate and well-written letter of " A Wesleyan Con-
servative." Ilis intentions are excellent, and his sugges-
tions worthy of serious consideration, but we cannot agree
with him precisely in all his remarks. The conservatives
• are acting on the defensive, to protect the poor and de-
- serving from the machinations of crafty and designing
men. Whilst we are ready to concede that a just and in.
dignant protest has been issued against such characters
and conduct, we cannot, for the life of us, perceive any
connection between such a proceeding and a " tied up-
: holding" of the laws which our correspondent, in common
with many conservatives, is wishful to amend. It is unne-
cessary to allude to the other observations of our corres-
pondent, as, for anything we know to the contrary, the
allusion which has caused his animadversions may be the
product of a radical—at all events it has been repudiated
publicly by the conservatives.

ebt Etbrrpoot &tanbarb.

FRIDAY MORNING, MAY

28, 1841

We are much. mistaken or the people of Liverp

• _
will deem the lectu) icy of the Factory Irruptionists as
perfectly deserving of contempt, as the selfish pur-
poses which it is not denied they have in view. Be
these thy gods, 0 Millocracy ? Be these the "school-
masters abroad " by whom Liverpool is to be whipped
into a knowledge of all the various benefits that are to
from altering our laws in favour of negro slavery
and alien husbandmen ? But the answer of the peo-
ple of Liverpool, like that of the barons of old, will

be, nolumus leges Anylice mutari.
Why, if we had been given their several theses to
examine, and did not know the authors, we would
have said they were the productions of some of the
lOwest-form pupils of some mechanics' institute—some
juvenile tyros in Adam Smith—that they had but very
imperfectly learned their lessons—and that it would be

quite time enough for them to undertake the task of
instructing others, when they had acquired a little ele-
mentary knowledge—some slight smattering of a sound
political economy—themselves. It is just from such
men. as these we should expect such a blunder as that
of which Sir R. Peel gave so pleasant an account in

his overwhelming speech on the sugar question.
Ashworth, the Quaker, presented the Baronet with
a pamphlet, which he was so sure would make him a
convert, that he said, " Friend Robert, read that ; and
if it do not make thee change thy mind, I will give up
the cause." Well, the good-natured Sir Robert read
the pamphlet ; and what was the consequence? Why,
that he was more confirmed than ever in his own views
by the arguments set forth in it ! Now does Mr.
Ashworth keep his word ? He has got his answer;
he has lost his wager; is he not bound, as a man of
honour, to pay the forfeit ? He certainly ought to
keep his engagement ; but so far from thinking of
anything of the sort, this jocular, sporting Quaker

non, rni ricordo, and was the very first to open

the Anti-Corn-Law hop at the Amphitheatre on Mon-
day night ! What signifies the enlightened, sound,
and impartial judgment of the FIRST MAN IN THE
'LAND to decide upon a question of this kind, in the
estimation of persons with minds so incrusted with
prejudice that nothing can reach the seat of perception
hut what accords with their own prepossessions. They
are incapable of appreciating it ; they have neither ears
to hear, nor eyes to see, anything but that which falls
of immediate gain, and seems to

ith their vie

favour their intense acquisitiveness.
Hence their, theses, commonly called " speeches
re the most absurd and incongruous productions
th
zood in tact only, like the pamphi
estly by Mr. Ashworth, to cc

inn any man of moderate discernment against the
y are meant to support. So
they by prejudice, that they are incapable
of perceiving the drift of their own argumentation.
They can mouth and prate indeed, and " split the ears
groundlings," but only make the " judicious
by a painful exhibition of imperceptiveness as
to the true bearing and consequence of their own
statements.

propositions which the
blinded at

of the

Amongst the travelling lecturers, there is, we believe,
no man greater in their estimation than Mr. Cobden,
of Manchester. He is their Coryphwus, and cock o:
the walk ; and he " does chanticleer," in their opinion

pains to
been mo

J
thing" ; but there is nothing more obvious than that
he is, in reality, a most shallow, uneducated, and igno,
rant man. It is his ignorance which makes him con,
fident and conceited; did he know better, he woulc

be mor

to admiration. But it would be easy to shew that this
man is more profoundly steeped in prejudice and ab-
all the rest. He has only taken greater
lex himself and delude others ; he has

elaborate at stultification--that's all. He
t that " little learning which is a dangerous

This " cock of the mill," it seems, has challenged
all Liverpool to
.match him at discussion ; but if the
speech he gave on Monday night be a specimen of his
powers; we can perceive nothing in it that would in-

duce Liverpool to send out a cock sparrow to engage
Does he imagihe that anybody would be at the
trouble of replying to such ranting and nonsense as

" They came there to protest, in the name
against the most iniquitous law that ever was mac
world's history—a law purposely designed to starve
thousands and tens of thousands of the poor people o
tountry,—a law which was intended to inflict the pert
scarcity on the land—(" Shame !")--a law whieh could
no other result than the production of a general scareit
was a law so gigantic iu its iniquity that it had the des
imps ironing a nation, on a spot of earth not capable of
lug 'them, and which was designed to keep the co
wretched —(applause)—a law which violated the mos
vious principle of nature. They had provided on the fi
the earth a thousand-fold more than they required, at
this law denied to the inhabitants of that spot the ril
supplying, themselves with the food necessary to their hea
tnd subsistence from other parts of God's earth. He said
t merely a law which violated the law of nature, ha
aw which violated the express injunctions of God hi
nd as he was speaking in a place where occasions
is meetings were held—(Oh, oh !)—meetings cal:
as, at all events—(laughter and applause, cries
o," followed by hisses.) He would most reveren
an authority which should have weight. at all even
hose who sometimes assailed them, although th
not be many of them then present."
!la hombastical, hyperbolical trash, and doWnrigh

food, is not worthy of an answer anywhere; a
seem
' Sc
r:
say that it is a fair sample ofn ‘ cock
But as the " devil can quote
" these millocrats, it e
29, that the whole w
them for a patrimony ! No difference, in the
j, between ineunt and tuum—all was giveii to tl
loryinen that were hereafter to arise in Manchester
fliere was nothing said in Scripture about the Duke
- Buckingham's estate." Mark that ! Thii is Mr.
bfleit's doctrine, and this is some of the wholesome
itruction he wishes to impart to the poor, unin-
'acted, ignorant people of Liverpool ! The people
Liverpool are patient and forbearing, or we know
54,1/&_18 itinerant league-man would be treated. Ihe