The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-07-02 00:00:00

claim the auffrages of the electors of this town, to make the
attempt to address those who are assembled outside the
hustings. I shall follow that -good custom, although I be-
lieve, from the spirit I have seen, 1 have little hope of suc-
ces ; and, Mr. Mayor, that after having made the attempt
for some time unsuccessfully, as I expect to be, you will allow
me to address those inside upon some of those charges which
have there been made. Addressing those outside, his lord-
ship continued—Gentlemen, I have explained the claims
upon which I solicit your support in the various speeches
which I have made in different parts of the town. It is not
my intention to inflict upon you a long discussion to satisfy
upon that head, or to repeat those explanations of my senti-
ments which you have so often heard and received with so
many marks of your approbation. (Hear.) You have now
before you the various issues to be tried at this election. Are
you prepared to continue your confidence in her Majesty's
administration, or are you prepared to send to parliament
such men as will give to her majesty advisers of a different
stamp ? (Hear, hear.) Are you prepared to give your sanc-
tion to those ministers who have so mismanaged our Foreign
affairs, our finances, and our colonies, as to have compelled
that large expenditure which has produced those serious dif-
ficulties in our revenue which we lament? It is not from
any decline in the prosperity of the country, or from any
decrease in our revenues that those difficulties have arisen ,•
but they have arisen from an increased expenditure, and
a deficiency in the annual receipts. (Cheers.) The revenue
has been increasing—and as I have just said, it is the great
expenditure arising from mal-administration in our colonial,
foreign, and financial affairs which has caused the deficien-
cies we have now complained of. (Hear, hear.) Are these
deficiences, then, any ground for confidence in those who
have caused them ? Would you entrust the curing of the
evil to those who have caused it? Would you notl
give your confidence to those who have resisted the mea.astied
ele
of her Majesty's ministers by whom that expenditurel
been caused, who opposed the policy by whom Canada
was
thrown into a flame, and encouragement given to an in-
vasion upon the northern side by the United States, by
which ourlteat interests in China have been so endangered
that we have been obliged to incur an enormous expenditure
in that country. and engage in a war of which no' man can
see the conclusion? (Hear, hear.) Can yOn find grounds of
confidence in those who so mismanaged the negotiations
with France, that they produced last year an expectation of a
a
general war, and compelled us to increase our
navy,
cause it was not wanted, but because the reason n-ewte
not
wanted
i - t
was the neglect of the settlement of those questions which
alone produced those apprehensions of war with France.
administration
as to whosecause em-
barrassment ma-
nagement
(Hear.) This, gentlemen, is th
of foreign affairs, has suchbeen
where they found prosperity, and whose admi-
nistration of financial affairs, isms left a deficiency where they
found a surplus—(cheers)—this is the administration which
claims at your hands your continued support, (Hear.) But
in the last hour of their existence, when they find that
their misdeeds have forfeited them successively the con-
fidence of every class in the country, ' when they find by
election after election, that the feelings of the city is against
them. Then they turned round for a new floating bait, with
which they think they can call back the affections and
attachment of the county, which they hoped would be received
largely, and that thus they might be enabled to agitate the
communities of the large towns, and by awakening the feel-
ings of the town against the country they might be enabled
to purchase a short existence. (Cheers.) But if by their •
mismanagement of our commercial affairs, by their neglect
of the protection of the interests of British commerce,
of which we have complained from time to time—(loud
cheers) ;—if by their neglect of the commercial interests of
the country, if by their neglect to protect the flag of Eng-
land in foreign countries, if by their neglecting to make com-
mercial treaties with countries where British commerce
needed extension, if by their neglect in the protection of
individual British merchants when insulted by the wanton-
ness of foreign powers—if I say by these neglects they have
hitherto secured the approbation of this great community,
I do not think that these three last devices which they
have ingeniously invented will be found to secure them that
support which they have hitherto wanted. (Cheers.) If
these three questions really had the merit in them which
they pretend to, if they are the panacea which is to cure all
the evils and all the distresses, of effecting which they pre-
tend they are, why have they been so long delayed—why
were they delayed when ministers had the power and some
expectation of being able to carry them. (Hear, hear.) If an
alteration in the corn laws is to be the remedy for every evil
that we are afflicted with, why is it that they have been hi of-
fice for ten years, and never until this moment thought of
proposing it? (Hear.) If they did really think that it was
necessary for the interests of the poorer population of this
country, and an extension of trade, that we should admire
foreign slave grown sugar into our markets, why refuse it
last year when sugar was dear, and there might have been
sound argument in favour of it? Why did they delay it ? why
bring it forward now? (Hear.) But in the case of the corn
laws, they resorted to a clap-trap in the very last moment of
their existence, hoping to purchase by it that support which,
on all their other measures, they have forfeited. (Hear.)
I have been abused here for having alluded to your Protes-
tant church and to your Protestant altar. (Hear, hear, and
cheers.) I am not surprised, gentlemen, that they should
abuse me for it : they had rather that 1 had said something
about them. (Hear, hear.) They would, if possible, for-
get, and make you forget, the disapprobation with which their •
attacks upon our Protestant church, our Protestant religion,
and our Protestant education, were received, and they blame
me, therefore, for still holding them up to the feelings of
dislike and disapprobation which they excite. (Hear.) But,
gentlemen, you must recollect that parliament is not chosen
for the consideration and decision of a single question.
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) It may be very well to give a man
a power of attorney to vote upon a single question, but here
you are giving your representatives a power of attorney to
vote on every question that can be brought before the legis-
lature. (Hear, hear.) You are giving them power over
the church, the throne, and the aristocracy ; you are giving
them power to legislate for every interest in the country ;
but you will not be blinded by any single cry into forgetting
how many questions there are upon which you differ
from the administration, even if you should agree with
them upon this one. (Cheers.) I will not now go into
the question of free trade, which you must have heard dis-
cussed from ward to ward, from public meeting to public
meeting, even to your own weariness. This is not the occa-
sion to go over them ; but I may fairly appeal to you,
whether you have not even reason to doubt that the
large promises which have attached to the question of
free trade in corn, are likely to be fulfilled or not. (Hear.)
You have seen reason. to doubt whether you would a.; ;••
the exchange ; Whether tift, ..conce or rirmsu industry is
not a more than adequate exchange for the large amount of
foreign trade which is held out to us. (Hear, hear.)
I believe you have already made up your minds that
you will not continue your confidence in her Ma-
jesty's administration —that you will not send up
to parliament men who will give that administration
their support which, indeed, they have deservedly for-
feited, but that you will send up those who will give you
a better assurance of steadiness and firmness—who shall
have principles of their own and adhere to them'
and who will not, year after year, cut and carve them to the
present fashion for the purpose of gaining support either
upon one side or the other. (Loud cheers.) I beg to thank
you for the patient hearing with which you have, under all
the circumstances, been kind enough to grant me. (Loud
applause, during which the noble lord retired.)
Lord SANnoN then addressed the parties within the booth
pt very great length, in reply to the remarks and insinuations
of Colonel Williams.
At the conclusion of Lord Sandon's speech,
Colonel WILLIAMS essayed to address the mayor with
reference to Lord Grey's administration, and the defections-
of Lord Stanley and Sir James Graham from the Melbourne
administration, but was assailed by loud cries of " Spoke,
spoke," and calls for Mr. Cresswell, which continued for a
considerable length of time.
The MAYOR at length rose, and with vehemence declared
that he would send a poss 6 of constables into the corner
where the conservatives stood if silence was not observed.
This was the signal for renewed uproar, during which
several cried out that " the mayor was partial."
Colonel WieLiarsts attempted to persevere, but was as-
sailed with a storm of hisses, and renewed calls for Mr.
Cresswell. The Colonel at length held his peace, and
Mr. CRESSWELL presented himself to the multitude, and
was received with the most indescribable enthusiasm. When
the cheering had ceased, lie proceeded in nearly the following
terms .—Gentlemen,—After rambling for three hours about •
a variety of questions which ought scarcely to have occupied
your attention for half the time, I shall be brief in addressing
Yon on this, the last occasion that 1 shall have the honour of
doing so before the poll begins, because yon are suffering un-
doubtedly from great pressere, and also because your attend-
ance is so overwhelming that much personal inconvenience
must be the natural consequence. (Hear, hear.) And, gen-
tlemen, as I have now, on some fourteen or fifteen different
occasions, stated to large assemblies of my old, I trust I may
say my future constituents, the opinions which I entertain
not merely on the general policy which ought to be pursued
in this country, but on those particular measures which have
been brought forward during my canvass, it can be little ne-
cessary I should repeat them here. (Hear.) But there are
one or two topics to which it may be necessary to draw your
attention, in consequence of one or two placards, calculated
to mislead you, having appeared on the walls. (Hear.) It
has become the fashion of those who are desirous of keeping
her majesty's ministers in power, and of forcing on them that
policy they always advocated—the ultra-radical policy—
(hear)—to assume to themselves alone the character of
loyalty. Now, I say they haYe no right to it. (Cheers.)
They never had a right to it. (Great and continued cheering.)
ll mean not to charge them with disloyalty, but I think I may
point to one or two instances in which they showed their
loyalty in a stranv sort of manner, slifficient tq prove that
they have not a right to vindicate to themselves the whole
character of loyalty, or to impute to us that we are deficient
in respect for our beloved queen—(great cheering)—or that
we entertain any disloyalty towards her. (lienewed cheers.)
Gentlemen, how do they seek to use this boasted loyalty
now? (Loud tries of "hear.") Her majesty has been pleased
to inform us that she has dissolved the parliament which voted
that they had no confidence in her ministers, in order to take
the opinions of her people at large on certain measures.
Well, then, does she not want their unbiassed and unpreju-
diced opinions? (Hear, hear.) And yet those mock-loyalty
men not merely tell you that her majesty is not sincere by
making use of her name, but they pretend to tell you what
her majesty's opinions are, and they ask you to echo them
back again. (Hear, hear, hear, and continued cheers.)
Now, suppose that you agree with me in thinking that her
majesty has had evil coqncillors about her; suppose you
agt'ee with me that those to whom she entrusted -the admi-
Mstratien of affairs in this country are not qualified to pro-
mote hor welfare, when an appeal is made to you, are you
not bound by your feelings of attachment to the throne to
tell her so? (Hear, hear, anti cheers.) And yet these men '
have the presumption of rallying her round their own cause,
and of telling you what her majesty's opinions are. (Hear,
oeatr,
hear.) I say, it is an abuse of the privileges of speech
say so. (Cheers.) I say that the constitution does not
recognise any opinion on the part of the reigning sovereign in
the election of members to parliament, and that when she
appeals to the country, her people are bound to give her
their opinions in the persons of time representatives they send
to the House of .Commons. (Hear, hear, and cheers.)
Therefore, I say that those placards calling on you to_ rally
round the queen are delusive, and that they imply_ acharge
against the sovereign which the party dare not make directly.
(Great applause.) I would not have said a word respecting
either of the rival candidates who are put forward on this
occasion, had not their merits been introduced, though, I
Must say, somewhat raggedly and meagrely, by their respec-
tive proposers and seconders. (Hear, hear, and laughter.)
Of Lord Palmerston it was said' that the present, or rather
the late members for the borough could nor be compared to
him, that he had well administered the affairs of the country,
and that his name would be handed down to posterity as the
most able foreign minister this country ever had. (Ironical
laughter.) Now, with respect to the humble individual be-
fore you, not being entitled to have any comparison drawn
between me and Lord Palmerston, there is one particular in
which lam free to confess he surpasses me. He has been a
member of one, two, three, four, five, nine successive ad-
ministrations. (Hear, hear, and great laughter.) I hear a
voice near me which says, " they can't do without him."
Well, then, he must either have retained his original opinions,
or the nine administrations with which he was connected
must have been such weathercocks as to chop and change at
pleasure, or if the administration did not so change, then,
instead of saying that the place couldn't do without him,
I would be more disposed to say that he couldn't do with-
out the place. (Roars of laughter and tremendous cheer-
ing.) But what have been Lord Palmerston's merits as
a foreign minister ? Let China, the Levant, Buenos Ayres,
and Mexico bear witness. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) Let
our mar approach to a war with France be the answer ; and
here, I believe, I may state unhesitatingly that the conser-
vative tone of Sir Robert Peel, and those who supported him
in the House of Commons, had much more to do in preserv-