The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-04-23 00:00:00

VESTRY AFFAIRS.

It has long been apparent that the principal animus in
the radical faction in our Select Vestry was a feeling of
violent hostility to the principles and religion of the
Established Church. Wherever an opportunity has of-
fered itself of levelling insult against the clergy of that
church, such opportunity has been eagerly seized upon ;
and, in particular, it has delighted certain gentlemen, who
are in the habit of selecting the question of education for
their stalking horse, to worry and misrepresent the rev.
chaplain of the Workhouse—Mr. Cragg. Against this
gentleman the radical guardians—the superlatively en-
lightened of the Vestry—have again and again imputed
neglect of the spiritual and moral training of the children
under his care, which, as a minister of the Gospel, anxious
to fulfil his highly responsible office, must have injured
him seriously in the estimation of the world, had that
world not valued at their proper worth the motives and
spitefulness of his accusers. Such charges, however,
Mr. Cragg found no difficulty in rebutting to the
satisfaction of the board, his vituperators being
alone impervious to conviction ; and at length a more
direct and specific accusation—one, too, of a grave cha-
racter—was raked up by the very erudite ex-member for
Gibraltar Ward—Mr. Bright. This wise and most
modest individual, at a recent meeting of the Vestry,
charged the chaplain with having improperly omitted
to carry out a resolution of the Workhouse Committee,
directing him to supply certain books to the Low-hill
School. Such a charge, involving as it did an amount of
delinquency which would have rendered him unworthy of
the responsible office which he filled, Mr. Cragg thought
it his duty to rebut by immediately calling upon Mr.
Bright, at the Workhouse Committee, to withdraw it, as
founded upon a complete misrepresentation of facts, or to
afford him an opportunity of being heard in self-vindica-
tion. In reply to this demand the worthy vestryman only
shuffled (in which course we are sorry to learn that he was
justified by the dictum of the conservative chairman of
the committee—Mr. Riding—to the effect that the chap-
lain " had no right to come into the room as he had done,
nor to call upon any member to account for his conduct")
—no right to repudiate a false imputation !—and, as the
only resource left him, Mr. Cragg was driven to make a
statement in his own defence in the Liverpool Standard. 1
It must here strike any unprejudiced mind as a most

preposterous principle to 6e upheld by any body of men,
that a minister of the Church of England—holding, too, a
situation which for its efficient discharge calls eminently
for the confidence and support of those having the manage-
ment of the parish affairs, and of his flock as well—should
he compelled to submit, without even the attempt to re-
pudiate it, to whatever unjust or unfounded imputation
radical malignity may choose to forge against him. Yet
such is the principle attempted to be set up by Mr. Bright
at the last Vestry meeting, the proceedings of which ap-
pear to be reported in the Mercury by himself, the mantle
of Mr. Urquhart—we should perhaps say the post of pimp
for the Popish press—having fallen upon his shoulders.
We contend that a gentleman in Mr. Cragg's position
has every right to take care that his actions are not mis-
represented to the world, and his character as a minister
of the Gospel injured by false statements of facts. He
was accused of having designedly—or at all events repre-
sented in the one-sided reports of the Vestry proceedings
furbished up by the radical papers as having designedly—
acted in direct contravention of an express instruction
conveyed to him ; and however much we may on allocca-
sions be disposed to pay deference to the opinions of Mr.
Rector Campbell, we cannot think that a man is to be
termed " over sensitive " because he is not disposed to
rest quietly under a charge so grievous and damaging.
Even so tar as he has been permitted to go in his effort at
vindication, some portion of the truth has oozed out—
quite sufficient to show theincorrectnessof NI r.Bright's ori-
ginal statement. In the report referred to, the admission has
been made that the resolution said to have been wilfully
evaded "was not so specific as it might have been ;" that
" it was drawn up so as to appear to justify Mr. Cragg in
what he had done—namely, in ordering a few more Testa-
ments and Catechisms into the school" (it is not said too
few); and the public know sufficiently the danger, where
radicals have the power to carp and cavil at the actions of
their officials, of exceeding the requirements of unspecific
resolutions, to enable them to justify that gentleman in
confining himself to their strict letter.
We refrain from entering into any lengthy comment
upon the remarks of Mr. Rector Campbell upon this
matter,—to the effect that " it was not proper either in
him or any other person holding office under the Vestry to
call upon any member of the board for any such explana-
tions as Mr. Cragg had done, when, as in this case, Mr.
Bright had not exceeded the just and proper bounds of
free discussion it was better to let such things pass as
matters of course, than to embroil himself in any such
controversy,"—because we much suspect that no such
language can have been uttered by that reverend gentle-
man. Mr. Campbell must be aware of the hostile animus
existing; on the part of certain officials within the Work-
house, towards the chaplain, as the representative there
of the clergy of the Establishment ; and the proceedings
at the recent Easter Vestry sufficiently show to what
length the indulgence of that animus would be protected
by the radical portion of the Vestry ; and we are confident,
therefore, that he would not have every insolent and lying
story which can be trumped up by such men, for the pur-
pose of damaging the objects of their bitter hate, to go
forth to the public, through the medium ra
reports of the radical press, and at the same time deny tattle
injured parties such redress as the eliciting of the truth !
would afford them.

Before leaving the subject of these Vestry proceedings,
we must submit that the time has arrived which entirely
justifies, if, indeed, it does not insist upon, the animism..o
of reporters for the press to their meetings. It is plain
that, notwithstanding the retirement of Mr. Urquhart, we
sic &ill to have those proceedings conveyed in a partizan
form to the public ; and it appears that there is no alter-
native left for those who wish the truth only to be reported
than the resort to authorised and responsible reporters.
We should gladly have escaped the adoption of this course.
We have already, as journalists, sufficient employment of
the kind, and plenty of talkative bodies ; but we do begin
to think that it would be conducive to the public good
now to yield to the necessity of our position. Such a
course would not, as is imagined, lead to any great in-
crease of speechifying. The sensible business men of the
Vestry would certainly not talk more than at present, and
the little which they do say.would go forth to the world
and produce its proper impression : whilst the chattering
jays of the radical faction would perhaps talk less if they
knew that the world would have the opportunity of
canvassing their inflated nothings, genuine as uttered.
Another point,
.too, we would seriously and strongly
urge, and werhave a right to elo so as having first mooted
its propriety and justice. Admit the respectable news-
papers of the town—all the newspapers—to the Work-
house. Allow the unfortunate victims of poverty to learn
what prospects there are for them in the world outside
their prison-house. Let them feel that they are still our
fellow-men—still citi::ens—still human beings with human
feelings and interests. Let the Vestry obey that
sacred ordinance that they should do to others as
they would that others should do unto them. It may be
that such indulgence should not be indiscriminatingly
granted; that it should not be permitted to interfere with
the proper industrial regulations of such an establishment
as is a workhouse under the new poor law system. The
privilege may, however, be made a reward of industry
and orderly conduct; and, so far from being calculated to
produce disorder or disaffection, the reflection that they
are still recognised as belonging to humanity may infuse
right feelings and virtuous energy into the minds of many
who are now hopeless and despairing. We urge this re-
spectfully, in the full conviction of its propriety and
justice; and though we know the source from which op-
position will be suggested, the Vestry may depend upon
it that there are motives for such suggestions other than
those so plausibly put forth. It is an evil and a cruelly
administered prison-house into which the light of day is
not sometimes permitted to enter

STREET ROBBERY.—A young man, named William
Ratcliffe, was yesterday, at the Police-court, committed
for trial for robbing a lad of a ss. paper of copper. The
boy (Brebner) is in the employ of Mr. Morris, butcher,
in Byrom-street. On Saturday night he was sent with a
loin of veal to a customer, and received the money. On
returning he was held by one fellow while the prisoner
took the money from him. It was found on the prisoner's
person when he was apprehended.
ROBBERYIN A HOUSE.—A young man of the name of
Edward Wright, was yesterday charged before Mr. Rush-
ton, with having entered a dwelling-house inhabited by a
boot-closer and his wife, on Sunday night, and made
" preparations" for a theft. The wife had locked up the
front door and another, but was not sure that the back
door was bolted ; she went out at seven o'clock in the
evening, and returning about nine, Phe heard a noise; and
called some neighbours, one of whom saw the prisoner
lower himself from a window above, and secured him.
He (prisoner) had removed some clothing in the upper
room, and threw down six skeleton keys. A small crow-
bar or " jemmy," which he had brought, 'was also picked
up, and it corresponded with marks on a chest which he
had attempted to forte. A knife was also found. The
prisoner was committed for trial at the sessions.
PRESTON AND WYRE RAILWAY, HARBOUR AND
DOCK COMPANY.—The half-yearly meeting of the pro-
prietors was held at the company's office, Fleetwood, on
Thursday last, Clement Royds, Esq., in the chair. The
report showed an increase in the receipts for 1844 over
1843 of £3,847 ; and a decrease in the expenditure of 1844
compared with the previous year of £1,738. A satisfac-
tory arrangement was anticipated with the contiguous
lines leading south, by which irregularities in the trans-
mission of goods would be avoided ; and the directors have
therefore determined on providing, on an economical sys-
tem, increased harbour accommodation. Much advan-
tage to the company was' also anticipated from the forma-
tion of the railway between Preston and Blackburn—for
which the required capital has been subscribed. The bill
for the Furness railway had also pissed the House of
, Commons; immediately on its receiving the royal assent
the pile pier will be commenced, and then open the traffic
of the district of Furness to Fleetwood. The report ob-
serves with satisfaction the commencement of additional
buildings in the town—noticing particularly the large
works of Messrs. Payne and Co., for payanizing timber.
From the encouragement that concern had received, both
from government and the public, itwas hoped that a large
quantity of timber would be brought to Fleetwood to be
subjected to the process.—Sir P. H. Fleetwood moved the
adoption of the report, which was unanimously agreed to.
The six retiring directors were re"-appointed. In the
evening a large party of the proprietors and their friends
sat down to a sumptuous dinner, at the North Euston
Hotel, Sir P. H. Fleetwood in the chair. The company
enjoyed themselves exceedingly, and separated, hoping
the next half-year's report would be still more favorable.