The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-03-26 00:00:00

omnipotenefunctionaries—the poor-law commissioners
evidence of Mr. Phelan—himself an act

lye Whig partisan, and

yet an assistant-commissioner—let out, last night, the ad-
mission that partizanship in behalf of Lord Melbourne's
government is no bar at any rate, if it be not a recommenda-
tion to a candidate for the favours of the Irish board ; and if
the gentleman in question had not proved himself to be gifted
with a very convenient memory, perhaps he might have alto-

gether settled the question as to the worthiness of the ma-
chinery by whieh Lord Morpeth's Irish reform bill is to be

worked. As matters stand, however, it will be somewh
difficult for the House of Commons, after Easter, to decla

that the machinery in question is the

best which could be

found to regulate the bestowal of the franchise
In the House of Commons on Monday niel

damaging debate, the first clause of Lord John Russell's

which prolongs the existence of the poor-law commission for
five years, was carried by a majority of 39 only, in a house of
313 members—the numbers being, for the clause 176, and
against it 137. We are frequently told that this measure is
as much that of the conservative as of the whig party. It is
therefore worthy of remark that, of the 313 members present
only 56 conservative members voted in favour of this—the
vital clause; and of that number nearly the whole are pre-
pared to support a relaxation of the general stringency of the
measure. It is also worthy of notice that, in accordance
with " compact" no doubt, the whole tribe of popery absented
themselves from the house, unable, from their havingopposed
the Irish bill last session, to vote for this, and yet unwilling
to give the benefit of their votes to the victims of poverty in
England.

The smallness of the majority in this division affords deci-
sive proof of the favourable change which has taken place in
the opinions of members of the House of Commons with
respect to the measure. One word from Sir Robert Peel in
favour of its entire rejection would, I firmly believe, have
caused that wished for consummation ; and even yet it is
tolerably certain that, without a material lessening of the
arbitrary powers of the commissioners, it will not be allowed
to pass. The fact which was brought before the house by
Mr. Wakley, and confirmed by Colonel Rolleston, that the

medical officer of a workhouse is not allowed, even in c

of the most urgent necessity, to prescribe to his patients a
morsel of food beyond that provided in the dieter

—to order

any stimulant stronger than tea or water gruel even to p,

pers dying of inanition—without the previous sanction of a
board of guardians, is sufficient of itself to convince any body

of men, open to conviction, that the framers of such an un-
feeling and murderous regulation ought not, without some
effectual check, to be entrusted with the lives and comforts

of so large a number of their fellow-creatures as those who,
unfortunately, are compelled to come under their keeping.
On Tuesday evening a motion was introduced by Lord

Mahon, in deprecation of the practice of employing prisoners
under sentence of transportation for short terms, at the
Hulks, in place of forwarding them, in pursuance of their
sentences, to our penal colonies. His lordship, in a long
able speech, satisfactorily proved that this practice, which
has chiefly grown up under the administration of the Home-
office by Lord John Russell, is attended with increased ex-

pense to the country, and does not operate at all to check
crime; whilst to the cririlinal himself it is unjust, as afford-
ing him no opportunity, when the period of his sentence has
expired, of re-establishing his character. The convicts in

our colonies possess such opportunities ; and it is an admitted
fact that they make frequent use of them. But the convict
from the Hulks, turned loose amongst a community abound-
ing with labour of every description, which, though un-
tarnished by the stigma of crime, cannot always command
employment, has too often no other resource than to rush
into the commission of fresh offences to procure even the
bare necessities of life.

An attempt was made by Lord John Russell—who had
previously failed in producing any thing like a reply to Lord
the noble lord to withdraw his motion,

NIEETING OF_ THE TRA

OPER

TIVE CONSERVATIVE ASSOCIATIONS.
Last evening a general meeting of the members of the
Tradesmen's and Operative Conservative Associations was
held in the Assembly Room of the York Hotel, for the pur:
pose of receiving some communications respecting the election
of guardians which, it will be seen by another article. took

place yesterday. The room was completely crowded. -Before
the commencement of the proceedings three hearty cheer,
were given for Mr. James Aspinall, Mr. Robertson Glad-
stone, and Mr. Daniel Ledson, chairman of the Operative
Conservative Association.
ASPINALL, on taking the chair according to announce-
-- • . •

ment, was again greeted with many distinct-roundsof-ap
plause. He commenced by saying that it was usual in thi
present day to make apologies for obtruding. one's self upol

public notice, but he hoped that v
present occasion. (Cries of " No,

requisite upon the
Alt hough they had