The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-09 00:00:00

SIGNAL DEFEATS OF THE LEAGUE FACTION
IN TOXTETH•PARK.

It has long been a cherished object with the radical
faction in this town to break down the conservative
strength of Toxteth- park. Bullying has been tried—
slander has been tried—falsehood has not been spared—
and cajolery has been plentifully administered. But IT
WOULDN'T DO. The bludgeons of precursors, the
speeches of William Rathhone, and the money of the
pretended anti-monopolist, were equally scorned by the
good lads" of that loyal part of our town. The wise
people of the Anti-monopoly Association of Liverpool—
which said association is a kind of small fiddle played in
concert with he double bass of the league— appear,
however, recently to h ive imbibed—whilst sucking their
thumbs at meeting or sipping their Bohea—the notion
that it was within the sphere of their small abilities to
withdraw from their loyalty the conservatives of Toxteth ;
and out of an attempt to carry out their designs arose the
two meetings, whose proceedings and results we have here
briefly to chronicle.
The first of these, which took place on Wednesday, the
27th ult., was convened by circulars, addressed to the
parliamentary electors, inviting them to hear a lecture on
free trade, to be delivered by a Mr. Murray. of Man-
chester, one of those operative spouters whom the Anti-
Corn-Law League (who have all sorts of tools for all
sorts of work) pay, for the purpose of innoculating, with
their anti-English notions, the minds of the working
classes. At the appointed hour for the lecture, the
room (Toxteth-hall) was tolerably well packed with mem-
bers of the radical party, from all parts of the town, who
were permitted to enter freely, with or without circulars,
whilst conservatives Were obliged to shew them at the
door on entering. A tolerably strong muster, however,
of the latter were present—chiefly operatives; and the
proceedings commenced by Mr. J. B. Cooke announcing
himself a deputation from the Anti-monopoly Associa-
tion, and introducing "Mister' Murray, the lecturer.
The latter personage forthwith turned up his cuffs, and
commenced. After having delivered himself of a more
than ordinary quantity of the lying fallacies which consti-
tute a league oration, garnished by sundry horrid grins
and contortions, and conveyed in villainous grammar, the
worthy speaker lost his temper, upon hearing the significant
word " gammon repeatedly applied to his fibs—grew
ferocious against the aristocracy and all mankind, and
was at length compelled to retire amidst the storm of
disapprobation which his mendacity and insolence had
excited. One by one the defeated leaguers slunk away,
leaving the loyal conservatives of the Park masters of the
field. Thus ended attempt the first to bamboozle our
fellow-townsmen.

Friday evening last, another meeting for the same,
purpose, and called by the same parties, (by notes ad-
dressed to the electors of North Toxteth Ward,) was held
in Toxteth-hall, at which the leaguers again suffeieJ an
inglorious, and, we may add, a ludicrous defeat. The
" lion" announced for the evening was no less a personage
than the same Mr. Murray ; and the league have,
amongst their other delinquencies, to answer for having
in his person deprived the country or, perhaps, a useful
workman, without compensating it by metamorphosing
him even into a passable orator; for the woful exhibition
which he made confirmed to the letter the adage that
"Ex nihilo nihil fit." There was a full attendance of
parties entertaining opinions pro and con on the im-
portant question to be discussed,—the body of the room
being chiefly occupied by operatives, and the seats at the
top (round the chair) by a number of gentlemen, the con-
servative portion of which arranged themselves principally
on the cote droit (the right side), and the enthusiasts in
in the cause of free trade on the cote gauche. Amongst
the latter we observed, in unenviable eminence, Mr.
Lawrence Heyworth.
_ _

Mr. J. B. COOKE announced the object of the meeting,
viz., to obtain a full and free discussion of the question
of free trade, and called upon them to elect their own
chairman, of whatever politics the man of their choice
might be, but, of course, an elector of the ward. Mr.
Hennessy, a conservative operative, was first proposed,
but declined, on the ground that he was but a working
man, and unaccustomed to such an office. After a brief
conversation, during which Mr. Harbord, surgeon, (who
had just entered the room,) repelled an accusation that had
gone abroad that he had been the principal leader of the
opposition to Mr. Murray at the former rnerti ig, Mr.
Harbord was nominated, and appointed to the chair by
a show of hands. . _ _

The CHAIRMAN, after taking his place, said that he
had been unexpectedly called to that position, and that he
had been requested to put it to the meeting whether they
should have a lecture or a discussion, and to suggest that
the first speaker should be allowed half an hour, and
those who followed him a quarter of an hour each. It
was finally agreed that an advocate of anti-monopoly so
called, should begin, and that the time stated should be
complied with.
Mr. MURRAY then came forward, and entered upon
the question of free trade, recapitulating many of the
oft-refuted falacies so industriously put forth by the
league, and dealing in point-blank assertions and declara-
tions, without condescending to adduce a single proof on
which to rest them. He contended that no country ever
became rich by the magnitude of its exports, but by that
of its imports; that the corn-law, kept food at a high
price in this island than in any other state; and that even
taking ten agricultural counties, (which he named) the
increase of pauperism was going on to an alarn i. ag ex-
tent. Neither were the farmers benefltted ; and crime
was, from the same cause increasing. The towns also
suffered, and the country had to keep a large number
either as paupers or as criminals. He entered into various
statistical statements, derived, he said, from government
returns, but of very questionable fidelity. His half hour
having expired, calls were made upon him to conclude in
terms of the arrangement agreed upon ; but the Chair-
man said, that as his own party would, no doubt, be
pleased to hear him further, and as his opponents bad
nothing to apprehend from his unfounded asseverations,
the meeting had better give another quarter of an hour.
This was agreed to, and we must remark, that he was
listened to without interruption, and tag 'may cheered
by his partisans. He then entered into some statements
relative to the comprative amount of wages in this and
other countries on the continent, where food was cheaper,
which, if they proved any thing, merely proved by his
own admission that when food was very cheap, wages
were very low. He endeavoured to reconcile the bearers
to this obvious fact, by praising the superior industry and
skill of British workmen, w ho, he said, earned more
wages in foreign countries than native labourers ; but it
turned out that if they did so it was at the expense of
double or tripple the toil, by doing, in fact three times as
much, Ind that too in better manner—forgetting, too, all
the while, that if so much of the product of labour were
exacted from one man for his merely comfortable wages,
two others were necessarily out of employment altoge-
ther, and must live on " short commons," or no com-
mons at all 1 He must state that 27 millions of our people
had not enough of wheaten bread ; that each individual
required two ounces per day more, and that to import this
would constantly require 1,250 ships. (A cry of "If it
came it would come in foreign vessels, and our money only
would go in return.") He concluded by saying, that if
we had free trade we should be better able to pay our
taxes; for the Dutch had a national debt of £9 per head
more than we, yet prospered under free trade ; and he
should be elad to hear some party who believed that free
trade would be an evil, and not a good, to the country.
The CHAIRMAN said he should offer a few remarks if
he were not deemed out of order; and the meeting being
agreeable, he remarked that the lecturer was surrounded
by respectable and undoubted champions of free trade,!
and had stated his views in a moderate and proper man-
ner, ! ! but had failed to convince him that the corn-laws
were an evil. Mr. Chadwick, in his report to the poor-
law commission, had ascribed crime not to the corn laws,
but to so many human beings being cooped up together in
factories and towns, where they were exposed to all kinds
of vice and immorality. The system of giving work to
children—who thus became a prize—while their fathers
were left unemployed was another cause. Cheap bread
would inevitably be accompanied by, and in fact meant,
low wages ; and much as had been said against the present
corn-laws, he challenged any one to prove the converse of
the fact that food of all sorts was seldom cheaper than
now. (Some dissent expressed by the leaguers.) It had
been said that corn was cheap in Denmark—so was labour.
(Cries of " Aye. and they have only rye bread and rusks.")
He then noticed an attack made upon him in the Mercury,
and said that conservative was a fool indeed who eent a
single advertisement to it, or increased its circulation by
a single copy. (Cheers.)
Mr. Mc KtLLOP, an operative, said the lecturer in a
harangue of three quarters of an hour had dealt largely
in assertions, but had not attempted to produce any proof
whatever. He had detailed pitiful tales of distress, and
endeavoured to father the evil upon the corn laws but had
utterly failed. Mr. Heywortli (who was present, and an
advocate for free trade) had elsewhere—and he challenged
him to deny it—attributed the distress and destitution
that prevailed to intoxication. (Cheers and laughter.)
There certainly was distress, and the lecturer proposed to
remedy it by removing the corn laws, but he would leave
untouched those monopolists—the manufacturers and
others. (Cheers.) [Here there was some slight move-
ment at the door, and one or two policemen entered.
The Chairman said he did not know what business they
had there, and should certainly report them if they inter-
fered, their presence would produce a disturbance. A
gentleman on the col 6 gauche said that he had called on
the Mayor who had sent them to preserve order. The
Chairman said he saw Mr. Hayworth give the signal.
Mr. Heyworih said his object was to maintain order in
support of the chair.] The speaker resumed, and con-
tended that it would be madness to remove our commer-
cial laws in the face of hostile tariffs in America and else-
where. If the manufacturer went out there with his
goods, the corn merchant would also go with his money
and compete with him and undersell him, and he would
be unable to dispose of his goods.
Mr. Robert Me CLAY, an operative, read a variety of
statistics from the Illustrated London News (of 1841)
with a view to show the statistical errors of the lecturer.
From the documents he held in his hand, it appeared that
in 1841, 64 millions of quarters of grain were produced in
Great Britain, and the consumption for man and the
lower animals was 55 quarters, leaving 9 million
quarters, besides the 14 million quarters paid duty upon
that year. The same document proceeded to estimate
the yearly increase deriveable from Agriculture at ll 2
millions sterling, and that of cotton manufactures at 35
millions-9-10ths of which last were consumed by Great
Britain and her colonies, and only 1-10th by all foreign
powers. The annual agricultural produce of this coun-
try was thus of former times the value of our whole cotton
manufactures. Full three-fourths of our population were
employed in agriculture, and was it right or just that the
agricultural trade of England and her colonies should be
sacrificed to the sordid interests of a few cotton manu-
facturers, looking only to aggrandize themselves at the ex-
pense of all other classes. This object was not to benefit
the working man or al tizan, whose wages they would
reduce. Was, he contiou d, 112 millions of annual agri-
cultural income, and 35 of COMM manufactory revenue,

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

besides other mighty branches of business to be sacrifised
for the trifling toreign commerce in cotton manufactures
of 1-10th of the whole, or say 31 millions; when by pro-
tection to home agriculture and our colonies, they would
soon be found capable not only of increasing their con-
sumptive powers, but to four times that extent, upon
no visionary ground, but upon a lasting basis and a
secure business between mother and children. He
considered agriculture to be the very heart's blood of
the country, and to destroy it woulJ bring ruin and deso-
lation upon all classes. The country produced more food
now than it did a hundred years ago in proportion to the
population; and were they to sacrifice this all-important
interest for a monopoly of free trade in cotton? (Cheers.)
How would they, with the change proposed, be enabled
to pay the interest of the national debt? What would
they of necessity tax ? (A cry of " Starch," and much
laughter.) If other countries would not open their ports
to our commerce, why should we open ours to them?
Besides, the agriculturists were the largest consumers;
and if so interfered with, they would be compelled to
reduce their establishments, and be unable to purchase
our manufactures. We had thriven as a nation before
the League had an existence, and we would yet prosper
without them. (Loud cheers.)
A working man, whose name we could not obtain, re-
marked that many foreign ships came to our port fully
laden, and took back nothing but salt.
Mr. MURKAY endeavoured to reply to a few of the ob-
jections urged against free trade, but was as unsuccessful
as betore in proving his case.
Several of the electors present said they had not received
notes inviting them to the meeting, intimating that they
were missed out because they were known to be inimical
to the doctrines of the League.
Mr. Cool( (we believe) said that the notes were ad-
dressed to all from the burgess list, and that inquiry
should be made into the circumstance, as the association
had employed men to deliver them to all in the ward.
The following resolution was handed to and read by the
chairman :—" That in the opinion of this meeting all mo-
nopolies, whether agricultural, manufacturing, or colonial,
are unjust in principle and injurious in practice, and
ought to be totally and immediately abolished."
Mr. Hughes, formerly landlord of the Beehive public-
house, wished to move the motion, but was stopped by
cries of" You're no voter," " Who upset the Beehive, and
let out the drones," &c., with much laughter.
Mr. JONKS then seconded the motion.
Mr. THOMAS INMAN moved the following amend-
ment :—" That this meeting strongly deprecate the con-
duct of a body of men, calling themselves the Anti-Mono-
poly Association, in avitating the minds of the people,
and endeavouring to set them against the ministry of the
day, under the specious pretence of bettering their condi-
tion, whilst their only objects are to recover their lost po-
litical influence, and to further their own selfish views, to
the great detriment and ruin of the best interests of the
country."
This was seconded by Mr. ROBERT M'CLAY.
The CHAIRMAN then put the amendment, and after-
wards the original motion, when the former was carried by
a considera hle majority, a result which was bailed by tre-
mend us cheers from the conservatives, followed by the
Kentish fire.

The meeting, which was good-humoured and peaceable
throughout, separated. after giving three groans for the
League, and three cheers for the Queen and her present
Ministers.

A vote of thanks to the chairman, was then moved by
Mr. Rawlins, and seconded by Mr. Cooke, (two of the
Leaguers), which was unanimously carried.

A NOVEL SIGN.—For the last week Messrs. Hollis,
Walford, and Co., Tea merchants, have had the words
'• Try our 4s. Tea" very handsomely executed in gas over
their shop-door and windows, at the corner of Bold and
Hanover-streets. The novelty of the sight has, of courie,
attracted general attention, and except when the wind hap-
pens to be high, the jets are extremely brilliant.
THE STEAM-SHIP BRITANNIA.—The British and
North American royal mail steam-ship Britannia, Cap-
tain Hewitt, sailed on Thursday evening last for Halifax
and Boston. She carried out her full complement of
passengers and an exceedingly large mail; one hundred
and twenty-eight hags of letters and papers. The Canada
portion of the mail alone weighed one ton twelve hundred
weight.
THE BODE LIGHT AT GEORGE'S DOCK.—The bode
light, which was placed, about two months since, at the
northern entrance to the George's Dock, has been found
fully to satisfy the expectations of those who tried it there
as an experiment. By its vivid glare it has been of essen-
tial service to the numbers of atnall craft which leave and
enter the Prince's Dock Basin in the night time. It has,
moreover, been highly prized by the large numbers of
persons whol cross and re-cross the bridge from the ferry
packets after dusk. We understand that it is in contem-
plation to erect another bode light at the Prince's Duck
bridge.

ALLEGED MURDER OF A POLICEMAN IN WALES.—A
letter was received in Liverpool, on Friday last, stating
that Parks, formerly a constable in the Liverpool police
force, and well known on the London-road, where his
walk was for four or five years, was murdered in Car-
marthen by the Rebeccaitos, who threw his body into the
river. He was a very resolute, daring man ; was dis-
missed some time ago by the Watch Committee here, but
subsequently was admitted into the county constabulary
in the Welsh disturbed districts. His head, it is said,
was literally smashed in pieces.—[We copy this para-
graph from a contemporary of Saturday, though we are
without any proof of its correctness. We perceive, how-
ever, from the Carmarthen Journal, of Saturday, that
one of the London police was, a few days ago, found
drowned in the Llanelly Dock, and that strong suspicions
are entertained that he came to his death from violence.]

SATURDAY HALF HOLIDAY.—The solicitors have come
go the determination of closing at one o'clock ; the Branch
Bank of England and Mersrs. Heywood and Co., have
also given notice to that effect ; all the other bankers, with
the exception of one or two exceptions, have for some
time past adopted the system. How many of the mer-
chants, brokers, &c., will follow the example, remains to
be seen. There is every expectation that the holiday will
be pretty generally adopted if, as in Manchester, the trial
of it should show that the inconvenience is as nothing
compared to the benefits. If we might be allowed to draw
an inference from the very general closing of offices early
on New Year's day, we should say it is highly favourable
to the half holiday, tending to show that there is a gene-
ral disposition to make some curtailment of the present
business hours, when it can be done without any serioas
inconvenience.

FIRE ON BOARD SHlP.—About twelve o'clock on
Sunday, large volumes of smoke were observed to issue
from the cabin doors and windows of the schooner Nymph,
of Limerick, lying at the north end of the King's Dock.
The cabin-boy immediately proceeded to the cabin, and
there found the place enveloped in smoke, and the mate
lying fast asleep in his hammock. After a good deal of
exertio❑ he succeeded in rousing him from his slumbers
and conveying him on deck ; but a considerable length of
time elapsed before the unfortunate man could be brought
to a state of perfect consciousness, the smoke having very
nearly suffocated him. The alarm was then conveyed to
the Fire-station, and immediately Mr. Hewitt had nine
engines on the spot, and in a couple of hours the fire was
completely extinguished, the damage being inconsidera-
ble. The Nymph arrived from Limerick about four days
since, and whilst making her passage across the channel
it was observed that the heat from the cabin stove had
partially set fire to the bulkhead ; and at that time the
sailors set to work, and, as they thought, completely ex-
tinguished it ; but it would seem, from the breaking out
of the flames in the same place on Sunday, that some of
the sparks could not have been quenched upon the former
occasion. Mr. Whitty, Mr. Maxwell, Mr. Hewitt, the
whole of the fire brigade, and a large body of the consta-
bulary were at the spot almost immediately, and rendered
essential service. About three dozen large rats were suf-
focated by the smoke in the cabin, and were found lying
dead upon the floor.

HIGHLY HONOURABLE CONDUCT OE A CAPTAIN OF A
SHIP AND HER OWNERS.—At the Police-court on Sat-
urday, two seamen, Joseph Barber and Timothy Crichton
appeared before Mr. Rushton, claiming wages alleged to
be due to them for the performance of a voyage from this
port to China. Mr. Davenport appeared for the applicants,
and first called Barker who said that he had embarked by
the ship Bencoolen, belonging to Messrs. Ripley. early in
1834, and completed the passage out with her to Macao—
at the mouth of the Canton river. On the 24th of June
he was there taken ill of fever and ague and was sent to
the hospital, where he remained ill, and the ship necessa-
rily sailed without him. The wages he claimed up to the
time stated amounted to £lO. Mr. Rushton said that he
had no juaisdiction in the case, as the Mechant Seamens'
Act was not in existence at the time stated. He enquired
of the witness why he had so long deferred his application,
to which he replied that he had not until very recently
been in the town or had an opportunity of meeting with
the owners or the captain. Mr. Rushton repeated that
be could not interfere. Captain Brown, of the Bencoolen,
here stepped forward and said be should like to say a few
words on behalf of the applicants. Mr. Rushton con-
sented to hear him, adding, however, that he could not
adjudicate. The captain stated that Barker had called
upon him and represented his case. He recollected the
face of one them—Barker—though he was not so certain
as to the other, though he was strongly inclined to beleive
that he, too, was in the ship during the voyage in question.
He (the captain) told Barker to call on the owners, as he
considered his wages due if they had not been previously
paid,—which he did. The result was that from the long-
standing of the account nothing relating to the matter
could be found in the books now accessible. He had
himself, however, looked over his own musty documents,
and had last night found the account (which he produced)
and which showed that the claim was correct. He added
that be be had handed over the sum of £22 for the pay-
ment of these men, and had no doubt but that the owners
would immediately on the explanation being made fully
satisfy the parties. Mr. Rushton on bearing this said, he
had no doubt of it either, and suggested that the captain
would be so good as accompany the men to the office ;
which he said he would gladly do, and took his leave.
"To LOOK THROUGH NATURE :UP TO NATURE'S
Goo," is the design of that favourite Annual Pamphlet,
"THE PROPHETIC MESSENGER, 1844," to which Mr.
17, Greenwich, every
Atlas; in it is a
Steel Plate drawn
yearcßoilcohuararedddds
ia,
enor
of
gtl hyephi Royalfo Ephemerisr 010b8rs4e4cr, veaalnteoas rt
iaa
by Westall, called" The Fated Charioteer," and 108 pages
of original matter of great interest, including the Nativity
theof QUEEN, WELLINGTON, PEEL, O'CONNELL, &C.
&c. For twenty-four years the Prophetic Messenger has
won " Golden opinions, and the greatest care is taken to
increase its attraction by giving more original and amusing
Articles. For travellers and captains, the three years,
viz., for 1842, 1843, and 1844, with six Plates, can be had
bound tocether ; that whilst it forms a daily pleasant re-
ference, the merits of the whole can be better seen.—Ask
for "THE PROPHETIC MESSENGER, for 1844," with two
Plates, price Half-a-Crown.—See advt.