The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-08-13 00:00:00

which she may hereafter have an opportunity of
directing to objects more feasible and more dan-
gerous to the liberties of mankind.

At the last Select Vestry meeting we had some
further developements of " more beauties of the New
Poor Law." Our Vestry meetings are generally
presided over by one or other of our two Rectors ;
the attendance is as numerous as the circumstances
in a commercial town will admit, and the members
comprise many of the most respectable of our citi-
zens, who are well acquainted with the poor's affairs
in our peculiar locality ; and, however some of them
may occasionally differ in opinion, they appear as a
body to be actuated by a desire to do justice, humanely
and considerately, between the rate-payers and the
recipients of parochial relief. So constituted, and
calle'd upon by law periodically to meet, and legis-
late in behalf of the parish, it might naturally be
supposed (especially as their powers are limited,
and they are chosen by the rate-payers), that their
proceedings would be allowed to pass, without any
interference on the part of individuals, who, residing
at a distance, are totally unacquainted, except by
rumour or mere assumption, with the condition and
the wants of our destitute poor.
But, no ! there is a power above them, as useless
as it appears to be unconstitutional, in the hands of
three commissioners in the metropolis and their
active assistants, who know just as much about
us and our affairs as if they were perched on the
top of the Monument, and endeavoured to spy us
out through one of Doland's telescopes. We had
thought that the board, which at each meeting con-
firms its previous proceedings, had that undivided
privilege ; but in this we were mistaken. At the
meeting on Tuesday last, Mr. Clements, assistant
poor-law commissioner, made his appearance, and
threw several new lights upon the subject, for which
we thank him, inasmuch as he has opened out
new ground for our future attacks on the unhappy
modern Poor-Law. The vulnerable heel of Achilles
is disclosed, and a chance arrow may perhaps take
effect. The proceedings of the previous four meet-
ings were either not confirmed at all ; or a second
confirmation was required, in the presence, and with
the approval, of the assistant commissioner. The
minutes of the four last meetings were read and
confirmed, but (mark the sequel)—

" Mr. Clements remarked upon the resolution, con-
fining the contracts for supplying the articles required for
the Industrial School, at Kirkdale, to the tradesmen of
the parish ; which, though he would not then say it was
illegal, was not, he was sure, in accordance with the views
of the poor-law commissioners, who had the power to
annul such contracts."

The Vestry acted only as in common honesty and
fairness they were bound to act in confining the
contracts to the borough, in which the tradesmen
are sufficiently numerous to involve an amply pro-
tective competition. Besides, who are better en-
titled to a moderate profit—and moderate it will
assuredly be—than the parties who themselves con-
tribute as rate-payers to the cost? But it seems
" they manage these things better in London ;" and
we must have, we suppose, iron bedsteads direct
from the mining districts, flock beds from the
Illinois or Bengal, and deal tables, forms and stools
from the back woods of Canada, or perchance from
Timbuctoo. As we are "to bring coals into New-
castle," Mr. Clements is in fairness bound to give
the Potteries a chance, by advertising in the Stafford-
shire papers for the requisite assortment of
crockery ! Having said his say, however, in objec-
tion to the contracts (which had already been adver-
tised) being limited to our small town of only
300,000 inhabitants, with its numerous manufacto-
ries and workshops, Mr. Bright—always luminous—
moved " that the contracts be in future open, and
not confined to the parish," thus doing his best to
stultify the Vestry in their previous resolution. But
this was met by a proper and spirited amendment,
" That the board proceed to the business of the day,"
which was carried by 13 to 6—conveying to the
assistant commissioner a sense of the indignant
feeling with which his intermeddling was viewed.
This was not all. Great pains had been taken,
and much anxiety evinced, by the senior Rector and
board generally, to devise and procure an efficient
staff for the management of the new institution in
Kirkdale. But Mr. Clements considers their care
and efforts as most futile. They are not, it
seems, to be allowed to judge of the mode of ma-
nagement or of the competency of the candidates.
When it was stated that the applications for the
situations of master and matron were 70, and that
the number of candidates deemed most eligible, after
laborious investigation, had been reduced to 7, he
told them in effect—" Now, you little boys, behave
yourselves. You are totally ignorant of what is re-
quired; and you must be led by Mr. Tuffnell, ano-
ther assistant poor-law commissioner, who has
given the subject considerable attention, and will set
you all right as to the organisation of the school.
He will condescend to call on you in a few days."
Thus, it appears, the Select Vestry, though ho-
nourable and intelligent men, are a mere non-entity,
or at best but pioneers of the well-paid officials of
London, who " rail" it down post-haste from Lon-
don, to neutralise or annul all the Vestry has done,
after much sacrifice of time and labour. For our-
selves, we'd " sooner be a dog and bay the moon"
than submit to such assumption of superiority in,
after all, a knowledge of our own affairs; and if it
be persisted in, or carried further, it will surprise us
if respectable individuals can be found to undertake
the formal office of vestryman.

Let the present administration, and their succes-
sors, whoever they may be, beware of tempting the
patience of the community too far. The poor were
more cared for under the old than they are under
the present law, which has increased in place of
diminishing the burdens of parishes, whilst it has
fanned the heartburnings of the destitute, who have
a right to legislative protection; and, we doubt not—
together with inadequate wages—has stimulated the
recklest to incendiarism and crimes which are now
unhappily so rife. If the ministry will persist in
trying the hazardous experiment of carrying out that
law "to the letter," let them come on at once, and
not stealthily and unmanfully, through the ambush
of select vestries, or boards of guardians, whose hu-
mane proceedings they so constantly overlay. Then
may we exclaim, with Hotspur, " They come like
sacrifices in their trim ;" for neither they, nor their
new law fully administered, would be tolerated for
a month.

We would call the attention of our readers to the
advertisement in our columns stating the operations
of the Church Pastoral Aid Society. They will
perceive that this truly patriotic institution, pledged
to the principles of the Reformation, as clearly stated
in the Articles of our Church, is continuing with
unabated zeal its "work of faith and labour of love"
among the masses of our fellow-countrymen, who
but for its exertions must become the divided prey
of Infidelity and Popery. It is with pain that we
learn that neither by the country at large, nor by
the people of Liverpool, is this society appreciated
as it deserves, and consequently there is a consider-
able falling-off in its income compared with the
corresponding period of last year; and this at a time
when, for many reasons, the continuance and exten-
sioon
When we hear of its operations are more needed than ever.
large proportion oftzf :I this deficiency, and look at the
the Society's funds applied to