The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-06-09 00:00:00

CONTELTIPORARY PRESS.

REPRESENTATION OF THE SCOTTISH UNIVERSITIES.—
It appears by no means improbable, that a bill will be
.carried during the prc;-ent session. of -parliathent to `dis-
- franchise the borough of Stafford—the electors of, which,
' ft,has been said, were almost to kmaiiregUlarty bribed
for thlir votes. The whig candidates-7for, theplace il-
,wayis,retnrned liberals . previously to.. the. last elction,
'when i conservatiye anci whip were successful—used to
. pay at the rate of tenor twenty guineas a vote ; indeed,
the matter was.a regular affair of commerce. nekat
' least is the allegation of many, parties whO lia.velias . .access
to' the 'Nets of the 440' ' Of course it ishighly proper.a
put an end 'to such shameild corruption; and so ready
are Thomas
conser vativesto uphsild this view of the'caSe, that
Sir Thomas Freetnantre introdueed in, last:parliament a
bill to distranchisethe boroughoyhicli rgeiv dthopptin-
tenance Of Sir Ibib:Oi'reAlr,.„lcw,4,4ll4tlii.th.their sanc-
tion thal,,ilie:ii.Yri ;Pr la _ _new glection in, that.•place..was
.r kends -prevented from being issued, on' the rpignation
of SirlF. Goodricke.. Under theleeirccurisfinteN it can
hardly,be-doubted that Stafford will..be pl4o'd,
sin a ,;cl4-
'dule A, by iiself.r. , , :', ~'.lv , „ -
. , The questickp next arises, what is to be. done. with 'the
sets
.Whicli will tken,be in the hands of the house ? We
•sep It **tea, that a.proposal will be ino.e. fO,gi ye thern 1;o
the county of Mayo', in Ireland,' ",-.lYliattaa,ip.4o.l,apd.has
to' any addltiotykt i'ePt*eßtatives,,wvicanngt gqaceige :
ifis already' oyee-representek io.proportion to its united
I:vealtb4l)l pOpulation, as compared with either England
,lii,Septland, ...Is. it. desirable .that two mote joints shquld
.be: added to the tall'?—or thast'tke;.poifish priests should
be provided with still greptyr ipttupe,e,in the,House of
Corainoni?, ..These arejObjects !which ought to be 'tali-
'versalli snouted;; And .:we cannbtsuppose that. parliament
-Would sanction such a proceeding: The claini of England'.
stands upon stronger and fairer grounds ;.,bUt we think
we can set up a :better, claim than either on behalf of
ScOtland. ' -
It may be remembered that when the reform bill was
WiViAnder,.discnssion, it was suggested by various parties
;hat the Universities of Scotland should receive the means
of making -themselves be heard 'in 'parliament. - The
colleges ,of. England and 'lreland have their members—
why shoUld those: ,of Sgptland be left without a voice in
the cbiineils of the nation ? ..The intelligence and. respect-
ability of the gentlemen connected-With the universities
of Scotland are 'not 'ioferior to those connected' with the
sister kingdoms.
~hey are, therefore.. equally, worthy
to be ret4eseiited T
in parliament. , These arguments were,
Of;c9urse, duly urged. upon the reforming' ministers At
the.period to: which,we have adverted ; but the :Lord
Advocate of the day replied by tuerelyasserting,'Without
offering a'shadoW of proof,:that the Scottish 'Universities
could not furnish, Proper materials for an electoral body l
W,e,are confident. that, .at' the present moment, we shall
opt be required to controvert so indict:944y erroneous .a.
statement. It' is founded. upon: an, eutire ignorance •of
the character bbth 'of the teachers and the taught in our
i nniversites--4rom amongst whom, we venture to asserf,
• • • . :
a IHQSt
,respectable parliamentary constituency could he
Obtained in,the college of Edinburgh?, for el4niple,
'num-
bering not fewer than 1000 voters. •,
, . . .
In these circumstances, we thiuk'That we are entitled
toclaitn, at the ,handS of the legislature; some sort of re- '
presentationfor the learning and .literature of 'Scotland.
Even oriemember would be received with .satisfaCtion,
though such a boon would he a mere • act of justice.
There 'are' tinny arguments ',Which we, could use to
strengthen the, claini,p4Clirwe have made ; but we are
well entitled to.ltope that the. patriotism of some pf the •
Scottish members will be able to.suggest to, the House of '
Commons such reasons as shall indUce„them to liiien to
this proposal:- The S object, we think, deserveitheir most :
serious consideration.—Ediribit4ll,Evening Pod.

• L
Cd SERVATiVE ASSOCIATIONS;--GLOUCESTERS EII RE.
In, another column of our paper will be found a requisi-
tion, signed' by several of the rupst.influential freeholders
in the western diVision.Ofthis cOunty,calling upon the
electorsin"ineet On`MOnday, the 15th instant, at Sodbury,
for the,Rqr.,l3:o4qpf estahlitilting," A West Gloucester Shire
conservative Association:' We are, glad ..tn see thts,.
and we hope that the example, will be follovi-94nOt only
in the eastern division, tint, al§.n in. the .§cparate ,shstricts
I • of each dilviSion. At a time'silien the several setsof men
—each lioktile to some one or more of the institutions of
their .country,.(and.every government under the sgr‘must
• have many such enemies) are banding together;
,under
every possible form:7are, collecting' in 'associationa.of
various denominations atidnnalik*, readyto.act in. union
at any moment—when the professing protestant 'is will-
ing to sacrifice, leis church to gain the assistance of the
catholic—when the clergyman of the', established church
shrinks not from aiding the views of the.sturdYadvocate
fot, Ilkibolition of all church establishments--when the
ge'pitifina;l descends to become the associate of the mean
poltroon, ,Whq, .hrouds his baseness under a vow—when
too many men,•of . whom better things might haVe been.
expected, stand ready, to sacrifiCe.theireonscience, their
honour, and 'even .. their interest to the gratificationnf,
snine,Vile prejudice, pr,Aordid.desire, or to a preposterous;
and:Most false sense of consistency, which-makes them;
cling to a name after all that that formerlyname
base been reversed and abandoned--, When such associations •
for evil'are spread nyerihe face of the earth,, it is fulltime
that' thos'e who are attacled to the institutions and the r"-
ligion.pf their country, .who,,can draw a' line between.,
reform and destruction, should.' also band ,toke.tbni, and
strengthen their hands by union. Welippe alsn, that.
these conservative associations . fbiingd on. a..suf-
ficipritly broad basis, to admit; those men.who have called
tkeinselves,.and, perhaps, still do.eall themselves,..whigs,;'
but who, if Lord John. Russell is to be considered as.the,
leader, or-as the type of that party; we hepe-and,belieVe ,
will ere long prefer the solstanCe. their ;political faith
to-its.mere
,name.7-G10.i4cf.4-tAr .o.hronicLe.