The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-07-18 00:00:00

gerous consequences of returning to Parliament
men whose character and sound principles are not

thoroughly known to them

The electors of West-

minster, we dare say, thought that, in Captain Rous,

they elected a representative upon whose vote and
voice they could depend for the maintenance of the
Throne, the Constitution, and the Established
Church of the Empire. That they are fatally be-
trayed with respect to the latter portion of the com-

pact is plain ; and the only question that can remain
in any of their minds, is whether the same " liberal"
construction of the meaning of Conservatism may
not at a fitting time be extended to the former. A

sincere in his desire now to maintain inviolate the
Protestant Church of Ireland. Nay, by the tone of
disappointment and evident soreness in which, upon
the present occasion, he referred to the result of past
yielding upon this subject, we can almost hope that
the warning conveyed by that result has not been
lost. But why will he throw from him the revived
confidence and the love of those loyal subjects of his
sovereign in Ireland—almost alone in their loyalty !
—which would so powerfully aid and strengthen
him in a position of resistance to aggression ? Why
tell them of the intention of his government to "ful-
fil the principle of the Relief Bill ?" Why hint to The comparative high rate of mortality existing in
them his intention to maintain the present inopera• this town has always appeared to us to demand the
most serious attention of the entire community; and tive and unjust education scheme? Why talk of
especially the attention of our municipal government.
maintaining "justice and perfect equality between
Protestant and Catholic," in the administration of We have repeatedly urged, in the columns of the
the affairs of Ireland, when the fact is palpably be- LIVERPOOL STANDARD, the pressing importance
fore him that mere equality will not satisfy the latter, of some extensive remedial measure being devised,
and that the fatal attempt to conciliate by submission by which the rapid progress of disease and death in
to dictation—the fatal and absurd attempt to con-
this once-salubrious and healthy town could be
ciliate by treating with equal favour the disaffected checked ; and it is gratifying to us to know that
and the loyal—has already brought the empire to the our efforts have not been altogether unsuccessful.
verge of dismemberment? Something, approaching at least to the seat of the

Conservative, who can contemplate with satisfac-
tion the purchase of a few years peace by the sacri-
fice of his Church ; a Conservative who can regard
the proposed appropriation of her revenues by the
late government, with satisfaction, because "it paci-
fied the great Agitator for a time, and the great
Agitator managed to pacify the country, and, thank
God (.9 they had some years of tranquillity," is a
character of whom no constituency has great reason
to be proud, or to trust.

To the debate in the House of Lords on Friday evil, has been achieved. By the act passed last
session, "for the promotion of the health of the in-
night we can turn, however, with somewhat more of
habitants of Liverpool," the further extension of that
satisfaction. Not that anything which fell from
ministers in that house can warrant the confi-
injutheious system of building, to which Is attri-
dent expectation that a better policy—more just to butable much of the disease engendered in the
populous districts of the town, will be prevented;
the loyal portion of the people of Ireland—is in
immediate contemplation ; but because we conceive,
and, at the same time, a portion of the evils atten-
dant upon the state of existing property will be gra-
from the expressions of more than one of the mem-
daally removed. Many valuable sanitory regulations
bers of government in that house, that in the even
have emanated from the "Health Committee" of the
of being driven, by circumstances, beyond their
present policy, they are prepared to take their further Town Council ; and we may hope that at least we
steps in the right direction. The following tribute are progressing towards a period, at which we can no
longer be reproached with the disgraceful to the loyal Protestant body in Ireland, which fell
graceful to us as a Christian community—that, with
fact—dis-
from Lord Wharncliffe, will, we are certain, be re-
ceived by them with cordial satisfaction ; and may all the means ordinarily conducive to health within
serve to prove the existence of a growing, though our reach, we have permitted our town to become
rather tardy, conviction in the mind of government,
the most pestilential and unwholesome locality in the
that the true strength of that distracted land is ITS United Kingdom, and some thousands of our work-
PROTESTANT STRENGTH !
ing population to be swept off yearly by disease,
which might with a little sacrifice and care have
" The country owed much to the Protestants of Ire-
land, who had conducted themselves with so much good been averted.
sense under circumstances of great excitement, in the state With the valuable statistical details contained in
of the law especially, by which they were not allowed to
state their grievances ; while the other parties were al- the pamphlet of Doctor Duncan before us, that fact,
lowed to have processions, though they were not of pre- however unpalatable may be its acknowledgment,
ciaely the same character, because the person who was at can no longer be denied. Whilst in country dis-
the head of the repeal movement managed to keep within
the law. He was sorry to tell the noble earl that the Go- tricts the annual mortality is but lin 54'91, in the
vernment would not be driven from their principle of for- the parish of Liverpool it is lin 28'75, and in some
bearance, though they were prepared to take every mea-
sure which might be necessary to maintain the peace of the portions of the town, inhabited principally by our
country."
poor, the rate is infinitely lower. Whilst in the
metropolis itself, the average duration of life is 261
years, in Liverpool it is only 17, and, in some parts
of the town does not probably exceed 10 years !
Nor is the contraction of the period of human life
the whole of the evil. We have to lament, as well,
the loss of a great portion of its usefulness and a
great portion of its enjoyment. Sickness renders
valueless a greater amount of the time of the labour..
ing population of this, than of any other town in the
empire. Fever is ever prevailing; and it is remarked
as a striking fact in one of a series of valuable letters
which appeared in our columns in January last,
under the signature of " Medicus Achates," that the
class principally subject to its ravages are robust
working men, whose families are dependent for
existence and comfort upon the profitable and con-
tinuous employment of their labour. Doctor Duncan
mentions one locality—a court in Crosbie-street—
in which " fifty cases of fever (nearly half of the
entire number of inhabitants) were attended by the
dispensary in a single year, besides a considerable
number of patients with other diseases ;" and when
we reflect upon the amount of deprivation and
wretchedness which must have resulted from, pro-
bably, weeks of compulsory idleness in each case,
the sum is almost appalling to contemplate.
It is needless, however, to multiply proofs of an
evil which is now admitted, or to picture misery
which, by stepping aside into any of the dens of
filth and disease which surround us, may be seen in
the reality. A far stronger incentive to exertion
than would be any appeal which we could address
to our fellow-townsmen, is contained in the last two
lines of Doctor Duncan's pamphlet. " Could the
rate of mortality now be !educed to that of Birming-
ham, 1,250 lives would be annually saved !" ONE
THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY LIVES
preserved annually, by the reduction of the rate of
mortality to that of Birmingham only—a manufac-
turing town, with numberless unhealthy employ-
ments for its working classes, and not a tithe of the
local advantages for the preservation of health which
Liverpool possesses over every other large town in
the empire ! Would it not be a noble effort—
would it not be an achievement greater than any to
which the energies of our fellow-townsmen could
be directed—if we could, by any sacrifice, rescue
from the attacks of disease, and from
our wretched
prematureand
suf-
fering
death, so large a portion of 0
community ? We are all
—FFrAoImi,
—when the object is to prevent t
anhaseic
entitled
Board c
our warehouses and our property, drstraulletenioenr9oyf
not to 1
by fire or any

Nor perhaps will the following, coming as it does
from a " Liberal"—Lord Brougham—be much less

gratifying :

" When he mentioned the word " orange," he felt called
on, in justice to that, the Protestant, party of Ireland, to
express his heartfelt gratitude to them for the manner in
which they conducted themselves on the present occasion.
If there were a party with which he most differed, and
with which he had been most constantly in conflict, it wee
that high Protestant party ; but this did not blind him to
their great, their transcendent merits on this occasion.
They were placed in a situation which it was truly lamenta-
ble to think of. Whilst they were prevented by a penal
statute from giving vent to their honest, though mistaken,
opinions in a particular way (he meant by their old accus-
tomed processions), they saw their adversaries allowed to
hold meetings, suffered to have processions to any extent,
accompanied by banners and martial music, in military
array, and to boast that the discipline was so perfect that
they were as well trained and drilled under repeal wardens
as the Queen's troops tinder serjeants and corporals.
(Hear, hear.) Whilst the law did not prevent all this,
the orangemen were not allowed to hoist a single colour
or have the semblance of a procession." (Cheers.)

We ask of Sir Robert Peel—we ask of the go-
vernment—is it justice to treat with only equal
favour and confidence loyal men, and men who are
acting in daring and open defiance of the law ? Is
it " vindicating the 'powers of the law" to permit
the monster gatherings of O'Connell and his priestly
confederates to intimidate the peaceful and encourage
the violent, whilst loyal and orderly subjects, who
submit to the law, are met by the cold shoulder of
the governing authorities ? Is it " maintaining in-
violate" the church in Ireland when a state of society
is permitted to exist, the result of which, as affecting
loyal churchmen, is thus described by the Lord
Chancellor of England from the woolsack ? •

" We find, however," remarked Lord Lyndhurst, "that
in some places where the Protestants are few they dare
not show themselves ; and this we know, that in Mallow,
where a great meeting was held on a Sunday, THE PRO-
TESTANTS DARED NOT ATTEND DIVINE SERVICE! !"

It is with pain that we put these questions. It is
with pain that we see the illegality and danger of
the repeal gatherings in Ireland admitted by the
Duke of 'Wellington, and denounced as even trea-
sonable by the highest authority of the empire—
Lord Lyndhurst; and yet are told that government
will maintain towards them "their principle of for-
bearance" ! and wait to put them down until they
have precipitated the empire into convulsion and
open rebellion. Sir Robert Peel doubtless esteems
this a prudent and a humane policy ; with the past
before us—with the exposed and defenceless position
of our Protestant brethren in Ireland before us—we
fear it is the contrary; that it displays timidity ra-

her than prudence—that it is humane only to the dis-
oval and

bellious, if even it have that meagre vir-

other calamity; and surely lo,man life

purposes of commerce.
An instance of the advantages (so far as the pro-
motion of health is concerned), which is derivable
from the formation of wide thoroughfares leading
through densely populated and crowded parts of the
town, is mentioned by Dr. Duncan. Saint Andrew-
street, some years ago, a most unhealthy neighbour-
hood, was so ventilated by the formation of a tole-
rably wide street intersecting it; and the result was,
a considerable diminution of the number of fever
cases occurring there, and, of course, of deaths as
well. The generally improved appearance and con-
dition of the locality may be known to many of our
readers.

It may be objected, against the adoption of any
comprehensive measure for constructing such addi-
tional thoroughfares through the crowded parts of
the town, that it:would require a great outlay, which,
in the present state of the corporate revenue, could
not be afforded. We maintain, however, that it
would not require that very large outlay which may
be generally supposed. A great portion of the pro-
perty which would have to be removed is of a very
worthless description ; and the increased value of
that which would be erected in its place, and the
increased value of the entire property of the neigh-
bourhood, would, in our opinion, go far to meet the
outlay. Such has been the case with regard to most
of the improvements in the metropolis. Wherever
a thoroughfare has been driven through any portion
of the town, the large prices received for front build-
ing plots have paid the greatest part of the expense;
whilst, at the same time, the neighbouring property
has at once assumed a totally changed aspect, and
been doubled and even quadrupled in value.
Whatever maybe the difficulties however, and by
whomsoever they have to be met—whether by the
Council or by the town by means of an Improve-
ment Act—some such measure as that which we
have pointed to must be undertaken. The awful sa-
crifice of human life and health and morality, re-
sulting from the present defective sanitory condition
of the town, must be arrested; and its toleration even
thus far is disgraceful to us as a Christian commu-
nity. We can erect new prisons, new workhouses,
new courts of law; we can lavish hundreds of thou-
sands in promoting the security of our merchandise;
and surely we can also be induced to step forward,
and at least make an effort to snatch from premature
graves those thousands of our working classes, who
are yearly wasting in consumption or fever, pent up
in filthy cellars or garrets, in streets whose pestilen.
tial atmosphere is never visited by the sun, or the
fresh breath of heaven !
We shall return to the further consideration of
this important subject. At present we have ex-
ceeded our usual limits.

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