The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-06-24 00:00:00

tiberporii Otani:lan.

TUESDAY MORNING, •JUIiIE 24, 1851.

THE London Times is not of late con descetilded
130 far as to argue worpekitical'qucstion. Enthroned
in an imagined supremacy over all the intellect of
the age, he has vireferred to crierwhelm with gibe
and sarcasm whatever body resumed to ginestion
bis own. or his patty's absolute wisdom. Tle suf-
fering agriculturists have been flouted by him as
dolts, obtuse as The ploughs which they drive ;
the shipowitertaie of exhaustion of capital and
decreasing Heights, was a-very excellent joke; the
colonist was, in his eyes, a being to be got rid of
as soon as possible : .the only interest worth pre-
serving being, the usurere and drones of the nation,
who were to ibe gorged with cheap bread, cheap
sugar, and other commodities, wrung from the ne-
cessities and ifl-rewarded toil of oppressed millions.
On Tharsday last, however, the Times, startled,
apparently, "by the facts 'brought forward by Lord
Stanley intpresentinglbe petition of the shipowners
of Liverpool, descended into the arena of legitimate
argument;; ;and•we propose to afford our readers
an opportunity- of examining the kind of rubbish
-which our contemporary produces when in this
vein.

The !first assumption of the Times is, that the
shipping interest of-Great Britain must have bene-
fitted brthe repeal of the Navigation Laws, because
a few wealthy men in London have increased the
amount of tonnage which they previously held.
By free-trade in shipping, he says, an "enormous
impulse has been given to the business of the ship-
builder:" .Much to our regret, we cannot perceive
any very enormous increase in this locality ; and,
whatever may be such increase elsewhere, it is very
easy to be accounted for. We have destroyed the
value of a‘large class of our mercantile marine, and
are replacing a portion of it with vessels of a dif-

ferent s.ze and construction, suited for a different
trade. It is an experiment, the success of which
has yet to be proved ; but it is no more evidence
of prosperity to the shipping interest, than it would
be of the ,prosperity of the editor of the Times, if,
on be4ng .compelled to betake himself to digging
potatoes, he were to lay aside his light boots and
invest half a guinea in highlows or clogs. Are
freights remunerative ? A satisfactory answer to
that question would be worth more than all the
figures which the Board of Trade can produce, and
to which the Times points so triumphantly. Are
ships increased in value ? Are our captains better
paid, and their crews receiving larger wages ? Find
us an affirmative answer, and we shall be happy.

The Times admits the fact of a reduction of
freights having been the result of competition with
the foreigner; therefore it is not true, as he asserts,
that " the premises of the Liverpool petitioners
have signally failed." Those petitioners stated that
" they were suffering greatly from the consequences
of the act repealing the Navigation Laws." They
are so suffering. The fact cannot be disproved.
They complained that the contest. with the foreigner
was an unequal one; that they were subjected to
undue imposts • that foreign nations, although
their ships are admitted freely into our ports, levy
discriminating duties upon goods carried in British
bottoms; that they are losing a large portion of
the long voyage trade. All this is true to the
letter. The premises have, therefore, not failed ;
and such being the case, their prayer is reasonable.
They ask of the government to procure them reci-
procity from foreign nations; but the Times says :
—" To submit our commercial policy to the test of
reciprocity, is to try it by a rule to which it never
undertook to conform. To impose restrictions
upon other nations, corresponding to those to which
we are subjected, would be to abandon the principle
upon which the Navigation Laws were repealed !"
If this be so,—if there ever was any principle in
legislation,—what was the meaning of this clause
in the act of Parliament ?
" And be it enacted, that in case it shall be made to
appear to her Majesty that British ships are either di-
rectly or indirectly subject, in any foreign country, to
any duties or charges, of any sort or kind whatsoever,
from which the national vessels of such country are
exempt, or that any duties are imposed upon articles im-
ported or exported in British ships, which are not equally
imposed upon the like articles imported or exported in
national vessels, or that any preference whatsoever is
shown, either directly or indirectly, to national vessels
over British vessels, or to articles imported or exported in
national vessels over the like articles imported or exported
in British vessels, or that British trade and navigation is
not placed by such country upon as advantageous a foot-
ing as the trade and navigation of the most favoured na-
tion, then and in any such case it shall be lauful for her
Majesty, (if she think fit,) by order in council, to impose
such duty or duties of tonnage upon the ships of such
nation, entering into, or departing from, the ports of the
nnited kingdom, or of any British possession in any part
of the world, or such duty or duties on all goods, or on
any specified classes of goods, imported or exported in
the ships of such nation, as may appear to her Majesty
justly to countervail the disadvantages to which British
trade or navigation is so subjected as aforesaid."

Either this just course was contemplated by Par-
liament, or the act itself was a swindle; and so will
every act be which gives a discretionary power to a
Government so degraded and shameless as that
which now holds power in this abused land. So
will be the clause in the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill,
which leaves it to her Majesty's Government to
prosecute those who offend against its enactments.
In the eyes of honest men, here is an express con-
tract. The British shipowner was not to be
unequally weighted in his struggle with the
foreigner. He submitted to bear his own country's
burthen of taxation, but he was to be protected
against foreign imposts. Yet this equitable com-
pact is ignored. We are so contemptible a people,
or our rulers are so dishonest that we must put up
with the snubs and the exactions of every petty
power in the world. How long will Englishmen
permit such a state of things to endure ?
One sentence in the article is so atrocious and
impudent that we cannot abstain from giving it
prominence. After admitting the reduction in
freights, which has been caused by the repeal of
the Navigation Laws, and not presuming to deny
that we have lost a large portion of the long voyage
trade, the Times adds—" Had it been otherwise, it
nlv have proved that the shipping interest
was an incubus on the trade and commerce of the
country, which ought to be removed without delay !"
This is rather indiscreet language, good sir. If
the shipping interest "is an incubus upon the
trade and commerce of the country," what else is
.the debt? If every impediment which stands in
the way of cheapness " ought to he removed with-
out delay," then the debt, the great incubus, ought
to be removed without delay. There would be
blank looks in the city, if it were to he seriously
mooted to carry out to its full extent the principle
of the Times; and that such an event must follow
a persistence in our present unprincipled policy is
as certain es it is that night follows day.

AT no distant period, probably sooner than we
contemplate, the country will be called upon to
elect a parliament in the place of that which at
present so cruelly misdirects its affairs. If Great
Britain is not to-sink into the position of a third-
rate power—if its, agriculture is not to perish, its
commerce andindustry to be prostrated, its colo-
nial empire to-fall away, and its navy to cease to
command the seas, the constituencies ought to he
prepared to ,p4-it forth their energies, and to arm
themselves for the struggle. But what practical
steps arc we taking ? We know perfectly well that
a great change has recently been working in the
opinions and the will of the .vieople. The delusions
which blinded the eyes of the masses are passing
enable us to rem benefit from
away. But to
this gratifying change we must work with the
proper constitutional means, and iiiPme. We must
have in every county
and borough, union, organiza-
tion, and funds. We have at present none of
these. Disorganised and spiritless, we are calling
upon others to help us, instead of niakinga_n.effort
to help ourselves. We have salvation within our
reach, yet we refuse to grasp it.
There was a time when this borough and this
county stood pre-eminenth forward ;as the pioneers
of sound constitutional pr,:oelpies. It was the
of South Lancashire pa X>iiverpool,

who, after the passing of the Reform Bill, struck
the first effective blow against the rampant Liberal.-
Mn of the day, and laid the foundation of that
'powerful party, which boasted of Sir Robert Peel as
its great head and champion. True that head,
and his party, fell away from their faith, and bar-
tered their principles. But that is no reason why
we may not rear up another strong party of greater
honesty. The vigorous use of the same means
which achieved a so-called conservative majority in
the House of Commons would establish a consti-
tali:mai majority ; a British and patriotic majority.
And what were those means? Union, organisa-
tion, funds. We attended efficiently to the regis-
tration ; and we were not found sleeping unpre-
pared at our posts when the day of battle came.
We fear that there is a too general impression
abroad that a successful effort in this locality is
impossible. Manchester, it is said, is still deeply
committed to tree-trade doctrines. But the manu-
facturing interest are becoming sick of their once
darling h0b137. There are hundreds of repentant
free-traders 'ready, by ranging themselves on the
side of two patriotic candidates, to get rid.of•John
Bright and Milner Gibson. The farming classes
throughout the country will be able to take care of
themselves, if properly organised ; and Liverpool
will return two constitutional and patriotic men.
But our landowners must stir in this matter.
Our leading merchants, who find their produce
unsaleable because the consuming power of the
country has decreased, must stir. They must put
their hands in their pockets, and find the means
of weeding out the bad votes, which the liberal
party have placed upon the register. We must
have a county Association formed, and a county
organisation, in addition to our borough associa-

Cons. The latter have a mass of municipal matter
on hand, which occupies time and energy required
for the advancement of national interests. We
must have, in fact, a revival of that enthusiastic
feeling which used to make the Conservative Hall at
Newton ring with hearty British cheers, elicited by
British sentiments uttered by men with honest
hearts in their breasts, and British determination in
their conduct.

We have already the materials of such an organiz-
ation as is required in the farming districts adjacent
to Liverpool. We have five Protectionist asso-
ciations, between this town and Ormskirk, com-
posed principally of farmers, who, in addition to
providing funds for the advancement of their own
particular interests, are tributary to the Consti-
tutional Association here. The members of these
associations are pledged to go to the poll, whenever
an election occurs, at their own expense, requiring
from the candidates of their choice nothing beyond
the cost of hustings and placarding. On Thurs-
day, they hold a meeting at Ormskirk, which, we
trust, will be the commencement of an energetic
movement throughout the county, and bring the
landowners and the property classes and tradesmen
in the towns to their aid. It is surely apparent by
this time that the farmers and farm labourers of
England, pressed down by unjust legislation, are
no longer the good customers to the merchant,
the tradesman, and the artizan, which they once
were. When men feel that they are paying rent
and tithe out of capital, they will seek to econo-
mize in their clothing and their expenditure for
comforts and luxuries. The labourer even will not
escape, and already has been reduced. The extra
wages in harvest time are no longer paid. That
fund which enabled him to stock his cottage, and
to pay his rent, is swept away by the periodical
irruption of squalid Irishmen. At this moment,
we have, in South Lancashire, these men working
in the fields for from sixpence to eightpence per
day, whilst the native labourer is only half
employed. 'We ask, then, of the merchants,
tradesmen, and the landowners of South Lan-
cashire to come forward and make common cause
with these men. Their interests are identical. If
one class is suffered to fall the rest will fall. We
are in the same boat, which is drifting upon the
rocks.

In conclusion we must impress upon our readers
the fact that there is no human effort which would
more powerfully contribute to save this country
than the wresting of Liverpool, Manchester, and
South Lancashire from the hands of the Whig
party. It may he done by the prompt exercise of
vigour. Attend, first, to the registration. Select
good men and true for your candidates; and the
battle is won !

ON many occasions within the past few years we
have had to defend the merchants of Liverpool
connected with the emigration trade against the
slanders which have been levelled against them by
the London Times, anal other similar organs. It
would almost seem as if there was some special
pique existing against us in the metropolis, to which
these journalists find it their interest to pander; for
no pretext is too slight, no evidence too worthless,
not to he seized upon with eagerness as the ground-
work of a furious tirade, of which application to all
engaged in the trade of the set phrases, " rotten
ships," "savage captains and mates," "oppressed
passengers," " crimps," " runners," "Jews," and
" plunderers," form the staple of the argument.
We have now before us the evidence taken before
a select committee of parliament, appointed to
inquire into the working of the present passengers'
act, and of course into the manner as well in which
the emigration business of Liverpool and other
ports is conducted, a careful perusal of which ought
to satisfy every reasonable mind that not only is
the system worked at present so as to afford the
utmost possible protection to the emigrant in every
port, but that Liverpool is pre-eminent in the faci-
lities which it affords in the class of vessels employed
over all the other ports of the kingdom. We shall
give a few of the most prominent facts elicited from
the various witnesses examined.

In the first place we must refer to a circumstance,
which a short time ago drew down upon this town
the special indignation of a large portion of the
Radical portion of the metropolitan press. Our
readers will perhaps remember that some months
ago a complaint was preferred before the public by
a Mr. `'ere Foster, of his having met with not only
insufficiency of food, but gross ill usage as well,
whilst on his passage to New York, in the A meri-
can ship " Washington." Mr. Foster, it was
represented, had, actuated by pure philanthropy,
gone out as a steerage passenger in the ship, in
order to judge for himself of the actual condition
and treatment of poor emigrants. We proved at
the time that the facts had been referred to Lieut.
Hodder the government emigration officer here ;
and that it had been found to be a very trumpery
affair. The select committee have now examined '
into it for themselves; and for that purpose have
called before them the British Vice-Consul in New
York, R. Bunch, Esq. Mr. Bunch tells us that Mr.
Foster came before him on his arrival in New York,
producing a journal he had kept during the period,
in which he " complained very much of the treat-
ment which he had received, in common with other
passengers." He was asked whether he could point
out any definite fact upon which a prosecution could
be founded ? and was referred, for that purpose,
to the consul's solicitor, by whom he was advised
that he had no case. The opinion of that gentle-
man and of the consul was that Mr. Foster, having
evidently the appearance of a respectable person,
and, from his conduct on board, had been regarded
as seeking to foster discontent in the ship. The
passengers behaved in a very disgraceful manner,
were almost in a state of mutiny, and two had to
be put in irons. In this state of things, the cap-
tain, no doubt, had recourse to severe measures of
discipline, in which Mr. Foster might be included.
This is a specimen of the kind of cases upon which
our liberal journalists found their furious tirades
against all engaged in the emigration business.
The vice-consul showed that there were many
frauds committed upon the emigrants on their ar-
rival out in the United States by unprincipled
parties; but that, on the whole, through the aid of
philanthropic societies there established for the
purpose, they received very important assistance and
advice. Of the vessels employed in the trade he
speaks very highly; they are kept in as wholesome
a state as possible during the voyage, are well ven-
tilated, and of their commanders he says, " I think
that taking the run of American captains they are
an exceedingly decent and good class of men; and
I do not think there is great risk of ill-treatment."
The evidence of Lieut. Lean, the government offi-
cer for London, and Lieut. Hodder, of this port,
bore out the same favourable state of things; and
described the pains taken throughout the trade to
insure an improved and proper classification of
emigrants during their passage. A few improve-
ments in the mode of inspecting the latter were
suggested by Lieut. Hodder.

The differences respecting the Holy Sepulchre have
btep tleeid4l in favour of the Greeks by the Sultan.