The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-22 00:00:00

which was unimpeachably correct when he brought
forward his charge against the magistrates ? This
" untoward" admission of the Journal furnishes the
most ample corroboration that could be desired of
what Mr. Ledson has so boldly asserted.
But we must proceed to our other contemporaries.
Nothing can be more amusing then the laboured efforts
of the Chronicle to show that there was no parallel be-
tween the charge brought forward by Mr. Bushell, and
that which was alleged to have been made by Mr. Alex-
ander Smith. 21/orally speaking, Mr. Bushell's charge
was equally grave with the imaginary charge which
recently formed the subject of magisterial deliberation:
legally speaking, it was of much more serious charac-
ter. The imputation from which the magisterial con-
clave so solemnly absolved themselves, was merely to
the effect that they had abused their power by granting
licenses to serve political purposes. Mr. Bushell's
charge implied that some of the magistrates had been
guilty of aiding and abetting the violators of the law.
It is useless to attempt to draw such a fine distinction
between the private and the public acts of the magis-
trates as would exonerate them from all culpability in
this matter. The magistrates are sworn rightly and
duly to administer the law, and any act which they may
perform, which tends to its violation, is inconsistent
with their oath of office. What, we ask, would be
thought of a general, who in his public capacity fought
against the enemies of his sovereign and his country,
but who, in his private capacity, furnished them with
arms and ammunition, or with information, which
might enable them to carry on their operations against
those interests which he was bound to defend ? What
would such a general deserve ?
The Albion has also joined its feeble yelp to the
growl of the Chronicle and the snapping bark of the
Journal against Mr. Ledson. To expect reason or ar-
gument from the Albion would be very much akin to
looking for honesty in a Radical, or to searching for
brains behind the os frontis of the editors of a certain
twaddling journal which affords so much amusement
to the good folks of Liverpool every Monday in the
year. To attempt any thing like a serious reply to the
,fanfaronade of the Albion would only be to render
ourselves as ridiculous as our Harlequin contemporary.
We have no ambition for any such " doubtful" dis-
tinction. We have no wish to emulate our contem-
porary in his excursive flights to the regions of nur-
sery literature. We confess that we cannot compete
with him in the facility and, we may add, the felicity
with which he quotes Tom Thumb, Jack and the
Bean-stalk, Cinderella, Goody Two-shoes, and other
equally learned and edifying productions. From these
classic tomes, redolent of gingerbread and Everton
toffee, our contemporary is perfectly at liberty to con-
tinue his quotations, for the weekly delectation of his
admiring readers. We would, however, just drop a
hint or two which may be of some value to the
Lilliputian worthy who " does the amusing" in the
Albion. Let him not " lay the flattering unction to
his soul" that his array of squibs and popguns are
likely to be mistaken for more solid specimens of
artillery. His paltry and pitiable paper pellets (our
contemporary, like all other writers of the small beer
genus, is fond of alliteration) will do no injury either
to Mr. Ledsyn or to any other gentleman against
whom they may be aimed.
But to be serious. The radical press, with its cus-
tomary disregard for truth, has imputed to Mr. Led-
son what he never said or intended to say. Thus, for
instance, the Journal says that he soused Mr. Alex-
ander Smith. There is nothing in Mr. Ledson's
•
speech to justify such a remark. The Albion, again,
alleges that Mr. Ledson stated that, "at the next gene-
ral election, the contest will be between Lord Sandon
and Walmsley, for Cresswell cannot be turned out."
This is a gross perversion. Mr. Ledson asserted the
contrary, that the contest would be between Mr.
Cresswell and Sir Joshua Walmsley.

But as the radical journals have ventured to attack
one of Mr. Ledson's speeches, we take the liberty of
quoting an extract from another address, which he de-
livered before the Tradesmen's Conservative Associa-
tion, and to which we should like to see something in
the shape of a serious answer. What have the radical
triumvirate by whom Mr. Ledson has been attacked
to say to the following ?

" He trusted it would not be displeasing to them if he
turned from the trilling peccadilloes of the whigs in the coun
cil to the amiable qualities of the whigs in the cabinet.—(A
laugh.)—The contrast, he was sure, would be very pleasing
and satisfactory to them all. (Loud laughter.) What vigour
and what vigilance pervaded every department of the state ?
(A laugh.) How admirably our foreign possessions and our
foreign tactics were conducted ! (A laugh.) What singular
felicity had attended our strict and intimate alliance with
France ! (Hear.) How successfully our trade with China
had been carried on ! (Hear, and laughter.) How speedily
the blockade of Buenos Ayres had been terminated! (Hear.)
How satisfactory the settlement of the American boundary
question ! (Renewed laughter.) What very profound and
statesman-like legislation had stopped that upraorious con-
duct in Canada! (Hear.) How totally the cry ,of " repeal"
had been put down, and how completely the power of Daniel
O'Connell had been annihilated ! (Laughter and cheers.)
And, oh, above all, how the Chancellor of the Exchequer
must chuckle over that financial statement which he exhibits
quarterly to the applause of an admiring nation (Cheers.)
These were only a few of the blessings that had resulted from
ten years of whig-radical misrule."

Here are " nuts to crack" for our contemporaries,
which.they will find difficult to dispose of, even if their
jaw-bones were as strong as that which was wielded by
Sampson of old.

With regard to the impertinent observations of the
radical press on Mr. Ledson's appointment to the office
of Chairman of the Operative Conservative Association,
we would merely remark that he was invited to accept
thd post on account of his acknowledged ability as a
public speaker, and his firm and uncompromising adhe-
rence to conservative principles. This invitation, we
understand, he did not accept until after repeated
solicitations.