The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-04-04 00:00:00

MORNING, APRIL 4, 1848

the Mercury, has at length

)ond to the questions which
aspect to the absolute silence
luency of Sir Thos. Birch, the
er for Liverpool, in voting for

x, was met by his party,
;onitnitted by the Conser-
s held as sufficient to jus-
resignation. A brief no-

lame explanation offered.
After stating the offence committed by Mr. Card-
well, in dividing against Mr. Horsman's motion,
ourse adopted towards him by our local
ss and, the National Confederation, the
iliercuru says :

and the c

ch, on the contrary, was
es of the Liverpool consti-
J modification proposed, and,
ecrpetration of the injustice pro-
_.....scers—although, had it been given in the
direction, less surprise would have been felt in
the town than was caused by Mr. Cardwell's vote, on ac-
count of what we stated at the time—namely, his long-
established Whig principles, and his personal friendship
with ministers.' His spirited independence of such con-
in this instance, gained for the hon. baronet
artiest approbation, which was expressed in a glow-
. • 1
Inotimer men of all

omas I

of coursi
posed b

siderations

A few days

however, on the vote upon
i was designed to limit the
characteristics of the Income
force an equitable adjustment
Sir Thomas Birch voted with
,nifying his consent to the perpetua-

Mr. Hume's motion, wh
duration of the iniquitous
Tax to one year, and to et
of taxation for the future,

wrong for three years, seeing that, by the
DfMr. Horsman's motion, it had been
that wrong at once."

tion of glari..s
previous rejectic
derided nnt. In ri

We shall have, bye and bye, to direct attention
to the concluding lines of the above extract, which
we have given in italics. Our contemporary con-

tinues :
" Great dissatisfaction was caused by this vote but
neither the press nor the National Confederation adopted
such a tone of remonstrance in this case as in the other.
" Our Orange contemporary of Tuesday has expressed
his surprise at the circumstance, though we were by no
means silent at the time ; but the fact is, that the cen-
surable vote of Sir Thomas in this instance was in a great
measure covered by the iiiry extensive delinquency of
some of the best men we have in the House of Commons,
who were panic-stricken by the threat of Lord John Rus-
sell to relinquish the government unless the fraud were
sanctioned for three years."

Now what does all this amount to ? Sir Thos.
Birch voted in accordance with the wishes of his
constituents, notwithstanding " his long established
Whig principles, and his personal friendship with
Ministers," on the first division, those Ministers
and particular friends being very well able, on. that
occasion, to spare his vote. But what became of
the Hon. Baronet's " spirited independence of such
considerations" as " Whig principles" and " per-

mdship with Ministers," when the occa-
m came that his vote might have been efficacious
in advancing the wishes of the people of Liverpool,
and getting rid of a "glaring wrong" and a
"fraud ?" Lord John threatened to resign if Mr.
Hume's motion for a limitation of the duration of
the Income Tax was carried ; and poor Sir Thomas's
spirited independence fled. Flesh and blood couldn't
stand the thought of parting with his personal
friends. " Long, established Whig principles" at
least couldn't stand such a parting. So Sir Thomas,
to use the words of his apologist, " voted with

Ministers, thereby silty

ing. his —consent to the per-

petuation of a glaring wrong for three years,

stead of one.

nporary says that the offence of the
Hon. Member " was covered by the very extensive
delinquency of some of the very best men we,have
in the House of Commons, who were panic stricken
by the threat of Lord John Russell ?" We can just
imagine the scene of such a panic—the horror—the
xzement which must have been painted
faces of these "very best men" at the
ad the Treasury.

Our cont

blank at
upon th,

patronage—, commissionerships, and cabinet dinners
receding from their grasp. Our's is not a pictorial
newspaper, or we would cut it in wood for the gra-
tification of our readers. We cannot, however, but
admire the Mercury's notion that delinquency is

covered,—that crime is less crime,—when it is com-
mitted in company. Sir Thomas didn't rob an
orchard by himself. He only went with the other
big lads to commit the robbery !
Our contemporary says that although " great
dissatisfaction was created by the vote (of Sir Thos.
Birch) neither the press nor the National Confede-
ration adopted such a tone of remonstrance in this
case as in the other," (the case of Mr. Cardivell.)
When he says the press, he means, of course, the

Whig-
to knc

Radical pre
rar that a vi

and we are quite old enough
light excuse
_will serve that

the conduct of

at any expense, a W