The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-11-07 00:00:00

RODNEY-STREET WARD

The contest in this ward was conducted, on the part of
the radicals, with more than a usual display of splenetic
feeling. Mr. Birkett, the conservative candidate, has for
some time past been the object of the slander and vitupe-
ration of the dregs of the radical faction ; and the sup-
porters of the Whig candidate Mr. Lassen, seem on this
occasion to have exerted themselves to their utmost to
pander to the malevolent feelings by which that faction
were actuated. Abusive placards were freely circulated ;
and even private circulars were issued, bearing the signa-
ture of the chairman of Mr. Lassell's committee, imput-
ing actual dishonesty and fraud to the conservative candi-
date. All these disreputable efforts failed, however.
From the commencement to the close of the poll the
result was never for a moment doubtful ; and at four
o'clock Mr. Birkett triumphed over his traducers by a
majority of 18—the numbers being :
For Mr. Birkett
For Mr. Lassell

Majority

The majority would of course have been much greater
but from the circumstance of a large number of duplicate
voters having been sent to other wards.

ABERCROMBY WARD

We are at a loss, even at the present moment, tho-
roughly to understand the nature of the contest in this
ward. When we heard of Mr. Procter's retirement from
its representation, we doubted where the committee would
obtain an equally efficient member; but when we under-
stood that Mr. Boutflower had consented to supply Mr.
Procter's place, we were in some measure compensated
for the loss of the former gentleman. In Mr. Boutflower
the Council has added to its number a retired gentleman
of the first respectability, able to devote the requisite time
to the constituency whose interests he has been elected to
watch over, and well qualified in point of intelligence and
perseverance to protect those interests. Mr. Boutflower
is, moreover, a firm and unwavering Protestant, and we
feel persuaded that, on no occasion, where the assertion of
any principle is involved will he be found to exhibit the
half-and-half policy which has lately characterised the
party who style themselves "liberal conservatives." Mr.
Boutflower is an old Church of England tory, and we care
not how many of such men are sent into the Council. But
we said that we are not able to assign a sufficient reason
for the opposition manifested to Mr. Boutflower; neither
are we ; not so much on account of the overwhelming
majorities recorded at the three last elections, but because
the gentleman who stood forward as his opponent is well-
known as a staunch conservative, and not likely to be an
accessory to any manoeuvre to dam- ge the interests of the
party to which he belongs. The gentleman to whom we
allude was Mr. Daniel Neilson, whom, unquestionably,
we have no hesitation in saying we should be glad to see a
member of the Council, and who would undoubtedly have
been placed there had a signification of his desire been
made at the proper time; for we believe that Mr. Bout-
flower only consented to be nominated after urgent and
repeated requests on the part of the conservative commit-
tee. The majority was sufficiently decisive through the
day, though the late hour at which Mr. Neilson was an-
nounced, and coming quite unexpected on the conservative
committee, naturally caused no little excitement amongst
them. We cannot believe but that Mr. Neilson's best
wishes are with the party to which he has long been at-
tached, and for that reason we are the more unable to
account for the opposition.

Immediately aiter the close of the poll, Mr. Boutflower,
accompanied by a number of his friends, proceeded to the
Phoenix Inn, where a large concourse of respectable in-
dividuals had assembled, and he was received with loud
cheers.

Mr. BUSHELL (on the party reaching the large room
above) appeared at an open window, amidst much ap-
plause, and, in a brief and neat manner, introduced. Mr.
Boutflower to the assemblage as their successful candi-
date, who, he doubted not, would exert himself in the
council for the best interests of the ward and the town.
(Cheers.)

Mr. BOUTFLOWER then appeared, and was enthusias-
tically received. He hoped they had not assembled in
the expectation of hearing him deliver a speech, for if so
they would be disappointed. To make a speech required
a degree of talent possessed by few, and which he did not
profess to be endowed with. In compliance, however,
with custom, and learning, too, that something was ex-
pected, he would offer a few observations. He congratu-
lated them on the result of the election, for it afforded a
gratifying test of the sound principles which influenced
the conservative constituency of the ward. (Cheers.)
They were aware that no opposition was there anticipated ;
their opponents too well knew the conservative strength
of the ward, and their own consequent weakness, to ven-
ture upon a fair stand-up fight. It was not until Mr.
partyw
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was going on, that the affair was regarded as otherwise
than a trick of the enemy, to embarrass their double
votes. He would endeavour to account for the opposi-
tion. In the first place, he was informed that the state-
ment he had made of his principles some weeks ago, be-
fore the assembled conservative constituency of the ward,
were too strong for one or two liberal conservatives pre-
sent: this they publicly expressed, and the radicals acted
upon the hint in the way they had seen. His second of-
fence was, that he was not sufficiently known amongst
them, and ought not therefore to represent them. But,
if he had the misfortune not to be sufficiently known, it
happened that others had the misfortune to be " better
known than trusted." (Laughter.) If his opinions had
hitherto been strong, they were not likely to be less so
from the treatment he had experienced that day. He had
now only to thank the committee, who had so zealously
exerted themselves in his behalf, and the constituency,
who by their votes had placed him in that proud position.
There was also another gentleman who had been most
active throughout, and who was not to be out-generalled,
to whom he owed much : he alluded to Mr. Muncaster,
and called upon them to give three cheers for that re-
spected individual. (Loud cheers for the candidate and
Mr. Muncaster.)

Mr. BUSHELL was then called for, and, in a humorous
address, congratulated the electors on the triumphs they
had obtained, showing, as on former occasions, that they
could achieve victory, whether directly attacked by oppo-
nents from within, or by enemies beyond the camp. He
concluded by stating that he had heard from Mr. Neilson
himself, that he would go to the council if elected ; but
he need scarcely tell them that that gentleman had de-
prived himself of all chance of success, by not coming
forward earlier, when the ward were looking for a candi-
date. (Cheers.)