The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-10-31 00:00:00

PROSPECTS OF THE APPROACHING ELECTION

We propose, on the eve of our Municipal struggle. to
enter upon a brief and candid examination of the merits
of the various candidates, and to speculate, as correctly
as the data in our possession enables us to do, upon their
relative chances of success. In doing this we shall take
the different wards seriatim, as they stand numbered in
the Municipal Register ; and that we may not mislead any
of our readers into the indulgence of over-sanguine hopes,
or, on the other hand, unduly excite their fears, we must
in setting out distinctly state, that our judgment will be
formed not from any acquaintance with the state of the
canvas in the various wards, but from a conviction, formed
by a consideration of the result of past elections, of what
may be achieved by exertion and energy on the part of
the various committees. We commence then with
EVERTON WARD.—In this, one of the strongest con-
servative wards of the town, the candidates opposed are
Mr. David Hodgson, the retiring conservative member,
and Mr. Christopher Rawdon, on the Whig-radical intert.st.
At the last election Mr. Francis Shand walked over the
course without opposition. In the previous year, how-
ever, the ward was contested and won by Mr. Thomas
Shaw, conservative, one of the present sitting members,
beating Mr. M. Ashcroft, radical, by a majority of 127,
which we may assume to be the present conservative ma-
jority of the ward. The gentleman who now ay.ain seeks
the suffrages of the conservative electors has, during his
period of office, fully redeemed every promise made at the
time of his first election ; and without entering at all into
the merits of the rival candidate, Mr. C. Raw don, the
rejected of St. Paul's Ward at the last election, we shall
only say that he is not the man, if there be such a one,
who can shake Mr. Hodgson from the position which he
deservedly occupies in the esteem and affection of his
con,tituents.

SCOTLAND WARD has on most former vacancies been
strongly contested, and with varied success. Last year
Mr. Richard Houghton, a gentleman possessed of great
local interest, was elected without opposition. In the
year preceding, Mr. Isaac Holmes, after a hard fight, was
returned by a majority of ten votes. The present re-
tiring member, Mr. Thornhill, if we recollect right, only
won his seat within the last few minutes of polling, by a
majority of two ! In this ward, therefore, we look for-
ward to a neck and neck race, the result of which we can.
not foresee. Mr. Thornhill possesses great interest
amongst the Radicals of the ward, the result of his doings
in the Market and Watch Committees, and has also,
from his subserviency to their dictates secured the coun-
tenance of some of the leaders of his party. We may
therefore expect to see every exertion and even trickery
put in requisition to secure his return. He is opposed on
this occasion by Mr. Thomas Vernon, a sound and able
Conservative, although newly embarked upou the arena
of local politics; and if his Conservative friends work
hard, and those gentlemen who have influence in the
ward can be induced to lay aside the apathetic indifference
with which, it is said, tney have hitherto regarded the
coming contest, there is Conservative strength sufficient
in the locality to place a good Conservative at the head of
the poll, and Mr. Thornhill where he ought to be at the
bottom. The contest, however, we repeat, will be se-
vere, and to win it will require all the energy of the Con-
servative party.
VAUXHALL WARD.—In this ward Mr. Case was beaten
at the last election by Dr. Blackburn, by a majority of
34. The Radical candidate this year is Mr. Thomas
Chalmer, the defeated candidate for St. Anne's; opposed
to him is Mr. Thomas Case, who at the last hour has been
induced to come forward. Let the electors of Vauxhall
do their duty, and Mr. Chalmer will be once more de-
feated.

ST. PAUL'S WARD is contested by Mr. Blundell, ►he
retiring Conservative member, and Mr. Thomas Deakin,
who was beaten by a majority of 21, at the last election,
by Mr. J. C. Thomson. The partisans of Mr. Deakin
on the present occasion are seeking to strengthen his local
influence by an alliance with the body called " Badgers ;"
but the ruse, we are inclined to think, will not succeed
against a candidate so well known and so highly esteemed
in the ward as Mr. Blundell.

EXCHANGE WARD was yielded to a conservative last
year without a struggle; was won by the conservatives in
the previous year by a. majority of 29 ; and in 1840 was
carried by the present member, Mr. Sands, by a majority
of 44. We have referred to the prospect of the present
contest elsewhere ; and can only say here that if the
strength of the two parties is to decide the contest, Mr.
Sands will beat the radical, Mr. Holt, with scarcely an
effort. If the conservative interest is divided, however,
the radical will be elected and the Conservative character
of the ward sullied for ever. We hope such a consum-
mation will be averted ; but time alone will show.

CASTLE-STREET is in the hands apparently of Mr.
James Aikin, who will probably not be opposed, although
we know not why. Mr. Aikin is no doubt a respectable
man ; but a more bitter politician does not sit in the
Council chamber. We believe that, with exertion, this
ward might have been carried, and even yet the chances
of success are not hopeless. The Radical majority, last
year, was only 35 ; and with the double votes, which
might this year be brought without danger from many of
the other wards, and the known improvement in the regis-
ter, Mr. Aikin might very possibly be sent to superintend
his ship buiding in the Isle of Man, instead of favouring
the world with his unitarian sentiments, on education and
other matters in the Town Council.

ST. Pwren'a rcnuwnrd in story as the Gibraltar of Mr.
Bright, is contested by Mr. Tinne on the Conservative
side, and by the great gun of Radicalism, Thomas Bolton
on the part of the almost defunct faction. The strength
of this ward is now undeniably Conservative. Last year
it was won by Mr. Samuel Holme, by a majority of 115 ;
in the preceding year it was won by a majority of 25 ; and
on the retirement of Mr. S. Holme this year not a Whig
could be found bold enough to contest it. On the present
occasion, to secure the return of the sworn enemy of
Town dues (the mainstay of the wealth of our Corporate
estate) and of the Freemen, (to whose tried Conservatism
is to be attributed many and many a Radical defeat,) the
faction will move heaven and earth, no doubt, but against
a candidate whose name is so intimately connected with
the trade of the post as is that of Mr. Tinne, and who is
moreover so eminently qualified in himself to represent
the interest of the ward, we do not anticipate for Mr.
Bolton anything less than a sound thrashing. Gibraltar
is ours now and we intend to keep it so I
PITT-STREET WARD.—The candidates here are Mr.
Thomas Toulmin, the retiring conservative,. and Mr.
Beim, formerly a radical alderman and deputy-chairman
of the Dock Committee. The former, although during
his three years of office he has not prated incessantly like
some of the members of our municipal body, has stuck
manfully to his duty and his principles; and on all occa-
sions has been found supporting the good old cause. Mr.
Benn we can only describe as one of the Evans clique—a
thorough-going whig partizan. With two such candi-
dates, the ward ought to be won, we trust, will be
won for the conservative. Notwithstanding the fact that,
mainly owing to the unscrupulous efforts and misrepre-
sentations of a certain bustling vendor of slops, it returned
a radical last year (who, by the bye, has never, that we
know of, opened his mouth, and rarely been present even)
by a majority of 19, the ward, as was shown by Mr. Aspi
nail's majority of 42 the year preceding, is thoroughly
conservative; and, if due energy be used, we fully expect
a victory on this occasion for the conservative candidate.
GREAT GEORGE'S WARD was vacant, and a conserva-
tive elected, last Wednesday, without opposition. Mr.
John Sothern is the conservative candidate, and is op-
posed by Mr. Thos. Taylor, the bookseller. The electors
must be on their guard, and " ware tricks." Mr. Chal-
linor, it may be remembered, was last year nominated at
the last hour; and the serpent—whiggery—bas not lost
his cunning.
RODNEY-STREET.—In this ward—a known conserva-
tive stronghold—Mr. Birkett is opposed, from sheer ra-
dical spite, by Mr. William Lassell. The claims of the
former are sufficiently known to every true conservative ;
those of the latter we never heard of, and we much ques-
tion whether he could discover them himself. Of course
Mr. Birkett will be plentifully bespattered with whig-radi-
cal abuse, and will win triumphantly in spite of his oppo-
nents.

ABEKCROMSY WARD.-Mr. Boutflower, opposed or
not opposed, will win in a trot.

LIMB-STREET.—In this ward Mr. Kilshaw, the present
Conservative member, is opposed by Mr. Thomas More-
croft, the beaten candidate at the last two elections, and
formerly member for the ward; and we fully anticipate
that the contest will be severe, although we are quite as
certain that it ought to result in a Conservatrve victory.
Mr. Kilshaw has deserved well of his constituents. As a
worker upon committees (the Markets, the Watch, and
the Health of the Town) he has been indefatigable; and
if the constituency do their duty, as they ought, the Whig-
radical lawyer will have another X added to the already
abundant tokens of rejection which he bears about with
him. In the last contest the Conservative candidate,
against the same Mr. Morecroft, had a majority of 77.
In the contest preceding, with a constituency prepared by
" precursor" and other similar efforts of Whig-radicalism,
the same Mr. Morecroft (who has an appetite for a licking
like that of the twin sister of the horseleach) was defeated
by a majority of 8, after a life and death struggle. On
this occasion we hope to see a result more like the former
than the latter; and that the lawyer's craving cry of
" Give ! Give !" may be responded to, by the honest
electors of the ward, by a❑ unmistakeable trouncing,
sufficient even to satiate the leachlike longing of a Whig-
radical attorney.

ANNE'S
ST.
the Conservatives of the ward, St. Anne's is not without
a struggle to be handed over to the keeping of the Whig
faction, represented by Mr. Joseph Hornby—in office a
hack member of the dominant clique which a few years
ago rode roughshod over the town, and now the plausible
professor of moderate views and middle course measures.
At the last hour a good Conservative, Mr. H. G. Harbord,
has come forward to rescue the ward from impending de-
gredation ; and we trust that victory will crown his chi-
valrous efforts. At the same time we feel that the contest
will be a severe one, and the slender majority of the last
two years-8 and 10—ought to be a warning to the com-
mittee to put forth every energy in the contest. We shall
not attempt to predict the result ; but Mr. Harbord has
some tried and trusty friends in the ward, who will think
of " No Surrender !" and if beat will die in their harness.
Let them go on and prosper.
WEST DERBY will be won, opposed or unopposed, by
Mr. G. H. Lawrence.

SOUTH ToxTETI7.—Mr. Glazebrook (the gentleman
who last year fought such a gallant fight for Castle-street
Ward against the picked man of the Whig party, Mr.
Hugh Hornby) opposes the present Whig member, Mr.
Platt. If the good Protestant Conservatives of the ward
allow him to be defeated, we shall think little of their
determination and industry. They had a majority last
year of 78, and the year preceding of 44 ; and surely such
an overpowering numerical superiority has not been swal-
lowed up by earthquake of any other convulsion.