The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-10-10 00:00:00

ted, what was to

Council from writing
lead to considerable inconvenience.
Mr. BRAMLEY-MOORE also objected to the letter big
NO, as calculated to lead to inconvenience.

to excuse his absi

ht they were altogether out of

order in meeting at all to nominate tho committee. The
committee ought to have been appointed at the last Coun-
cil, and he should have voted against the adjournment,
only he thought tiA matter was about to be thrown over-
board altogether. VP
The

LAYOR called upon Mr. Bennett to proceed with
his motion for the appointment of the committee, without
referring to Mr. Holme's letter,
Mr. BENNETT said the two motions had been agreed to
by the Council, and he wished to know from the Town-
clerk, whether he should consider it his duty to act upon
these resolutions, even supposing no committee were ap-
pointed to carry them out.

The TOWN-CLERK said, supposing no further steps had
been taken by the Council, he should feel it his duty, of
his own mere motion, to communicate with the parish
authorities on the subject. There stood a motion on the
books of the Council which he should feel it his duty to
carry into effect, and in doing so he should prepare the
parliamentary notices for the purpose of being submitted
to a special Council, which he should request the Mayor
to call.

Mr. BEN NETT said, under these circumstances he should
withdraw his motion until after the first meeting in No-
vember. (Cries of " no, no.")
The TOWN-CLERK said be thought he was not properly
understood. He should certainly not insert the notices
without first submitting them to a special meeting of the
Council.

Mr. BENNETT said, if he understood the. Town-clerk
right, the proper mode of proceeding was simply to move
the appointment of the committee : and, therefore, he
begged to move that the following be appointed a com-
mittee to carry out the resolutions of the Council with
reference to the rating of the Corporate and Dock estates,
namely—Messrs. Earle, H. Hornby, S. Holme, J. G.
Morris, Cooper, Parker, Danson, Turner, J. Booker,
Walthew, and himself.
Mr. TURNER begged to have his name withdrawn, be-
cause it was quite impossible he could act in unanimity
with the committee, and, therefore, it was better to place
some one else on it.

Mr. BENNETT.—Then I beg to nominate Mr. Littledale

Mr. MOLYNEUX said he considered the proceeding so
outrageous, so contrary to all the duties of trustees, and
so injudicious, that he felt he should not be doing his duty
if he did not propose an amendment. He should there-
fore propose that the Committee be not appointed, and
that no further steps be taken in the matter. He did not
mean to say more, but he could not help looking upon
the question as nothing less than a complete revolutionary
movement. It was undoing what our ancestors had been
doing from the reign of Queen Anne to the present day.
How would the bond holders feel upon the subject ?
They had lent their money on the faith of Acts of Parlia-
ment, which guaranteed that all surplus should be ex-
pended in increasing the estate, or, in other words, in the
construction of additional docks, and that only.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE said, at the last Council it had
been intimated by the Mayor that it was competent for
any member to enter into the general question if they
chose to do so, but he did not intend to avail himself of
that privilege; for, although he felt as strongly as ever on
the subject, he would not take the least step which should
be considered as undue hostility to what was then under-
stood to he the opinion of a large majority of the Council.
He felt convinced that no adverse decision the Council
could come to on the subject would be satisfactory to the
people out of doors, and, therefore, there was no help for
it but an appeal to parliament. He (Mr. Lawrence) was,
therefore, prepared to agree with the Town Clerk in taking
'the requisite steps for going to parliament. He was, there-
fore, of opinion that the time was now arrived when the
question would be considered, and that they must resort
to parliament to have their opinion upon it. He, however,
hoped he should not be misunderstood on the subject :
He still held the same opinion he had before expressed;
he still thought the question would never be carried, but
that was no reason why the Committee should not be ap-
pointed and the requisite steps taken. They must now
proceed to consider the constitution of the Committee ;
there were two or three questions on the subject deserving
attention :—The first was, they, as trustees, were asked to

. ,
apply to pstrliarnant ,1.;11 fh<:,
his own opinion was, that the proper course would be for
the parish to apply to parliament, the Council being
assenting parties to it. The next was, that for the sake
of peace and harmony, he hoped the rating of the corpo-
rate estate would not be made to depend upon the exigence
of a surplus. If this were so it would lead to endless dis-
putes. His opinion was, that if the corporate estate was
to be rated at all, it ought to be rated whether there was a
surplus or not, in the same w s railway property.
What would be said of a railway ..pany if they refused
to pay the local rates, on the ground that they had ne pro-
fit ? It was just possible, in his opinion, that parliament,
seeing the state of feeling on the subject, might be in-
duced to consent to a measure for rating the corporate
estate ; but, as to the docks, he had no fear for them.
There were plenty of people to take care of them : the
Dock Committee and the bond holders would—.

The MAYOR interfered, and said he thought the
speaker was going rather too far.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE said he should say no more on
the subject, except that it was not his intention to oppose
the formation of the Committee.

Mr...RATHBONE rose to second the amendment pro-
posed by Mr. Molyneux. He said, nothing which had
occurred should prevent him from stating his reasons why
no Committee should be formed, and he trusted the
Council would listen patiently to him, as it was not im-
probable that that might be the last time he should have
of raising his warning voice against that most fatal mea-
sure.

The MAYOR said Mr. Rathbone could not open the
general question unless with the consent of the Council.
If Mr. Rathbone wished, he would take the opinion of
the Council on the subject.
Mr. RATHBONE.—Then, will you allow me to move
that the question shall be discussed.

The MAYOR intimated that there was already an
amendment before the Council, and until that was dis-
posed of it was not competent for Mr. Rathbone to pro-
pose another; and they had heard that whatever might
be the decision of the Council, the Town Clerk would feel
himself bound to act upon the former resolutions.
Mr. AIIUN hoped they were not to be bound to the
reasons of any individual for every step and stage they
took with reference to the bill. In the House of Com-
mons every member was allowed at every stage to express
his opinions upon a measure, and surely the same would
be allowed there.

The MAYOR said it was competent for any member to
propose that no committee should be formed, or that its
formation should be postponed, but the opinion of the
Town-Clerk was, that they c ould not discuss a question
which had been decided at a former Council. The Town-
Clerk also stated that he should feel it his duty to prepare

the requisite notices.
Mr. AIRIN said such a course would be contrary to the
usual practice of deliberative assemblies with which he
was acquainted with. He, however, could not forbear
observing that the Chairman of the Finance Committee
was again temporising—was again submitting to spoliation
—was again compounding felony. (Oh, oh.) He held it
was perfect cowardice in those who kept the citadel to
open the gate at the moment the trumpet of the enemy
was sounded—he held that it was not right to do evil that
good might arise, and therefore it was their duty to resist
that measure, which was one of the most motstrous follies
ever attempted, by every means in their power.
The MAYOR said the question was not one of right, but
of expediency. The Town-Clerk said he should feel
bound to prepare the notices. If the committee was
appointed they would be submitted to it, and then the
report of the committee would be brought before the
Council. Then every member could state his feeling upon
the subject. _

Mr. AnciN.—Suppose the Council should now deter-
mine that we should proceed no further, then there will
be no necessity for giving the notices.

The TOWN-CLERK, after remarking that he thoueht he
could not have been clearly understood, read the resoluti-
ons come to by the Council on the subject, and proceeded
to observe that those resolutions could not, under the
standing orders of the Council, be altered or rescinded,
except upon notice, and no notice had been given. It was
perfectly competent to move that there should be no com-
mittee formed, or that the appointment of the committee
should be postponed, but whatever was the opinion of the
Council on the subject, he should prepare the notices, and
then request the Mayor to call a special meeting to con
Sider them.

Mr. LACE said he intended to have brought forward a
motion similar to that proposed by Mr. Molyneux, but
after what had passed he thought the better course to
pursue was to leave ill the report was brought up.
His fijection to th sure was, however, strong as
ever. • ..

Mr. EARLE said it was better at once to discuss and
settle the question, for it was sure to come before them
week after week, and therefore be was not a little sur-
prised at his friend Mr. Rathbone—Where is he ?
(Laughter.)
Mr. RATfinoNE.—Oh ! here.

Mr. EARLE.—Why I thoughtl had lost you. (Laugh-
ter.) There had been a great deal said about the Ameri-
can Chamber of Commerce. They met, and only two or
three came. Then they were summoned to another meet-
ing, and how many then attended ? Why, only one or
two. The gentlemen did not attend, and therefore the
conclusion was that all were in favour of the measure.
After a few words from Mr. Cooper and Mr. H.
Harbord, _ _

Mr. BAAMLEY MOORS said he wished to say a few
words with reference to the matter, and in doing so, he
was anxious to avoid all appearance of offering a factious