The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-30 00:00:00

'ervative portion of the British people to put down
is combination of bloodsucking usurers, and to
:tout from amongst us the heartless philosophy,
;vith which they are atte.npting to drug their duped
followers.

At all events, and whatever be the course pursued
by the Conservative public, the independent BRI-
TISH PRESS must do its duty. The Manchester
Courier does not stand alone in the war with which
we are threatened. Already another journal in our
own town—the Liverpool Mail—has been picked
out for prosecution by the same lawyers employed
by Mr. John Brooks (one of whom, by the way, is
Mr. Cobden's brother-in-law 0 ; whilst we ourselves
have had significant hints that we are not likely to
be spared. The Conservative press, in self-defence,
therefore, must be organized against these move-
ments to destroy its liberties ; and, as the first step,
we would suggest an immediate meeting of proprie-
tors, to be held in some locality convenient for the
whole body throughout the kingdom, to prepare mea-
sures to meet the crisis which is approaching them.

The fact is now palpable. Th;League and the
liberty of the British press cannot co-exist. WHICH
IS TO GIVE WAY?

On Wednesday, we observe by the placards on the
walls, the public of Liverpool are to be enlightened
by a meeting of " the friends of civil and religious
liberty," to protest against the proceedings taken by
the government in Ireland upon the pending trials
of the repeal conspirators. We are to have a howl
raised, of course, upon the subject of the omission
from the jury panel of the sixty-nine names, of
which the friends of civil and religious liberty will
no doubt attribute a guilty knowledge, and perhaps
direct participation, to the authorities in Dublin ;
and the challenges of the names of repealers on the
list is to be made into a great popish grievance—a
virtual repeal of the Emancipation Act—an insult
to the frequenters of the mass-house and the con-
venticle, not to be forgiven.

It is certainly of little moment to us what may be
the charges brought, or the representations made,
or who may be the spouters at this gathering of the
men "of all denominations." Bu. this much we
suggest to them beforehand and publicly, that they
should state their complaint fairly; and we will in
addition remind them of a circumstance or two
which they must not lose sight of. In the first
place, let them remember the movement by the
repeal party, which had for its avowed object,
in which however they were defeated, the swamping
of the panel with pledged repealers. Let them re-
member that, to enable the traversers to avail them-
selves of this new list, the trials were fixed at a later
date than that at which they might have been
brought on. Let them remember that, notwith-
standing this, the counsel for the traversers agreed,
when their vexatious opposition to the existing jury
had been defeated, to go back to the original list,
which had been declaimed against as a Conservative
list; and with respect to the omitted names, let it
be distinctly stated that of these only 15 were Ro-
man Catholics. Moreover, with respect to the par
ties blameable for the omission of these names from
the juror's book, let them tell their motley audience
that a portion of the sin has been already acknow-
ledged to by a Roman Catholic official!
As to the challenges of the jury we need say
little, save this, that whilst the traversers ex-
cepted to the names of Protestants exclusively, it was
not very likely that, in a repeal prosecution, repealers
would he left on the jury, when there was a consti-
tutional form for their removal. What, pray, is the
use of the right of challenge if it may not be freely
exercised ?

Our readers trust pardon us for the total absence
of any remarks upon the proceedings of- the impor-
tant meetings which occupy our columns this day.
We can do no more than direct attention to the
reports which we have given—to the debate in the
Council upon the subject of the proposed extension
of our dock space—to the great Protestant demon-
stration at the• Commercial-hall—to the noble effort,
originated at the Music-hall, for the amelioration of
the condition of the British seamen, and the noble
speech in which that object was advocated by the
Rev. Hugh M`Neile. There is not one of these
meetings which would not, 'of itself, have carried
with it far more interest than any remarks of ours ;
and with respect to two of them, at least—the meet-
ings at the Commercial-hall and the M usic-hall—
any lengthened comment at this late hour would be
not only superfluous but almost presuming.

Connected with the latter meeting, however—the
meeting of the Seaman's Reading-room and School
Society—we may hazard a word or two. We may
exoress the• gratification with which we see the
clergy of our church entering upon the task, so
appropriate ,to their sact ed character, of rescuing
from degradation and oppression the sons of toil—
taking their stand between the poor of Great Britain
and the avarice which would doom them to the con-
dition and fatelot the beasts that perish. And more
than all, we rejoice to see that the first olikts se-
lected for the church to throw her sacred shield
over, are those long-neglected and sorely-abused
men, the merchant seamen of our land. If there is
any class to which• Britain owes gratitude—owes
her liberties, her wealth, her very existence—it is to
this class; and earnestly and fervently we do pray
that the noble movement, at length originated, may
be rewarded with all the success which it so emi-
nently and righteously deserves.

To the able advocates of justice to these poor men
we say now, go on and prosper ; and to the Briti,h
public we would say, hold not back your bands from
so good a work—spare not that wealth which Bri-
tish seamen have brought, and are daily: bringing,

to your shores, in- the noble work which is now
pointed out to:you

MERCURIAL MODESTY.—Our contemporary of Fri-
day, in one of his notices to correspondents, expresses his
hope that the selection of a person to fi.l the office of
head constable may not be made a " political job"— j
thereby meaning, of course, that it is n ,t to be. given to a
conservative candidate. This 14'ffieilest in the organ of a
party who, when in power, distributed the entire patron-
age of the council with a political bias, and even removed
from office efficient public servants to make places for
their political friends. Now, we hope that, in this ap-
pointment, the question of politics will he permitted to
have weight. It is sickly affectation and: squeamishness,
on the part of conservatives, to say thatubecause an ap-
plicant is a loyal subject and a supporter of the conser-
vative party an:i a con';(n•vative g-vrriiment, be
therefore, be disqualified for an office which he is other-
wise well able to fill. A time like the present, when we
have been openly menaced with "blazes in the manufac-
turing districts," and burning shipping in our own docks,
if we do not succumb to the dictation of traitors, is not a
time in which conservatives can afford to hoist an op o_
nent into an office involving such great responsibilities,
as those which belong to the office- of Head Consstable
of Liverpool.

SPRING ASSIZES "—The period for holding the ensuing
Spring Assizes for. the Northern Circuit. before Mr.
Justice Coltman and Mr. Baron Rolfe. have been thus
arranged :—Lancaster, Saturday, Feb- " ;
Thursday, Feb. 22; 'Curnberfir 17 Westmorland,
d, Saturday, .Ftb. 2t;
Northumberland and Newcasile, Wednesday,. Feb.. 28;
9 ; Liverp-Nolol,rnShaltTu'lirdaayre,hll4.4a;rcY‘
Durtnim, March.
SMOKY CIIIMNIES—We know of no domestic nuisance
March 23.
Saturday,
so great as that of a smoky chimney, nor any more. de-
structive to health and happiness. The progress of art
has, however, so demonstrated the cause of contra drafts,
I hat a remedy is now easily effected. - Mr. J. Thomas,
whose advertisement appears in another c.,lnmo, has at.
tained an eminence in this art, and a singliklaiice at the
numerous respectable names on his reference list must
convince all that it is thoroughly understanding his pro-
fession that has secured him the patronage of auch distin-
guished scientific men.