The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-12-25 00:00:00

MUNICIPAL ELECTION-WARD MEETINGS.

NoRTa AND SOUTH TOtirgrli WARDS.
Oti WedneSchti evening the candid4tei for thee wards vtcre
invized to meet the electors at seven e'cl,ick. at Miss Maxwell's.
the King's Arius, Toxteth-[lark. Mr. Itnlpli Clay, the chair-
:inan of one of the conaniitlees, took the chair, and introduced

the candidates to the meeting.

Mr NICHOLAS ROBINSON first presented himself. He must,
itathe first place, return the electors his sincere thanks for the
lionositethey had done him in expressing their wish that he
should be put in nomination as a candidate fur South Toxteth,
to eepresenethemein the new town council. lie would assure
theta that, if. he slieuld. have the honour of being sent there by
thesis, he would, to the utmost of his power, zealously and fear-
lessly support the hest• interests of this great commercial and
rising town, (Cheers.) At his time of life he had no parti-
cular wish or ambition to be elected on the council, but if it was
their wish to send him there he would do his 'duty. (Hear.)
He had been 21 e•ears a member of the corporation of Liver-.
pool, and he challenged any man. to say that for favour or
affection, or for party purposes, he ever gave a vote. (Cheers.)
He bad ever conscientiously discharged his duty. He was iu
expectation, in the early part of the election, that it would not
have been made a party question—that geutlemen who were
thought the most fit would have been chosen. But their oppo-
nents said "No, it shall he a political question; the tories are
down, and they must he kept down." (Cries of " No, no.")
It was for them to say whether this should be the ease. (Cheers.)
lie had been brought up in the doctrines of the established
church, and he venerated those doctrines (loud cheers)_; at the
Same time he allowed to every man that liberty of expressing
and exercising his conscientious feelings which he hoped to
hate allowed for himself. lie was a conservative. and he be-
lieved the conservatives would be found the best pillars of sup-
port to the church and the state. (Cheers.) If they looked.
retina they would perceive that • the conservatives were those
who supported those religious and civil institutions which had
raised this great nation to its present state and prosperity—who
preserved the constitution with its limited monarchy, and ho-
noured the king, respected the peers, and protected the. people.
(Loud cheering.) The time was arrived when the conserva-
tives ought Warouse themselves to counteract the republican
efforts of the Irish agitator; and if they did not wia•-one voice
and with alacrity come forwardi to support the con itution and
their cause, their opponewts would say as they had said before,
" the tories are down, and they shall be kept down."
Mr. ALEXANDER SMITH then came forward. He felt happy
that this opportunity had been afforded him of returning them
his most grateful acknowledgments for the very handsome
manner iu which they had tendered him their support, and par-
ticularly to return his thauks to those gentlemen who had acted
on the committee with such zeal and determination to do their
duty as must ensure to them the good •wishes and-thanks of the
conservatives at large. He could assure theta that it had been
far from his wish ,c 0 come forteard on that occasion as a can-
didate.. They were probably aware that his father had been noini '
neted in the first instance in conjunction with Mr. Robinson and
Mr. Flatcheeto represent the South Toxteth ward. It .would
have been mach auore gratifying to himself had circumstances
permitted his father' to reniain et candidate. Buteie so. happened
that, owing to thewording of the municipal hill, be was debarred
froai beeothing one. That teeing. the case, the partiality of his
{ Mr, Alex. Smith's) friends had induced them to call him for-
wards in his father's stead; and. he must ackno..vledge, himself a
very unworthy representative. (Cries of " No, no.") But, though
.he had not his experience, he had throughout life held no senti-
ments dissitnilar to.his father's; he had brought him up to tear
God, honour the king, and respect his superiors. (Cheers.)
'Chose, he trusted, would always be his sentiments. He pro-
fessed himself a conservative; and, in saving that, he did net
adroit that the wort conservative would bear the interpretation
which their opponents wished to put upon it. In canvassing
the district he heard one man say; " I am fur the reformers,"
another " I am for the liberals;" he would say that, though he
was a conservative, he was also a reformer and a liberal, to a
certain extent. (Cheers.) But there must be a stop put to
the liberality, or rather the false liberality, of their opponents.
He would mantain that the liberality which they boasted of was
no liberality at all. (Cheats.) He would teke,- for instance,
the two pledges which they demanded from the candidates they
brought forward. What were they ? They bound those can-
didates, in the first place, to •turn out every servant in the cur-
peration who is at present engaged in conducting its affairs:
Was that liberality ? Was an old servant of the corporation 4
who had faithfully discharged his duties, to be turned out mere-
ly because he was a servant of that corporation? The second
pledge extorted from the liberal candidates was of an equally
Illiberal character, namely, the selection of aldermen, for whicFt
office none were to be selected whose principles were not of
the most radical, unconstitutional, and levelling character.
(Loud cheers, "It is so.") They inquire not what the duties
Of the old corporation have been, or how they have been per-
formed ; 'but they'say.at once, " because they have been em-
ployed by the old corporation they are unfit to serve the new!"
He would ask if that were liberality ? Was that the conduct
they would wish to see pursued towards their private or confi-
dential servants? The very first act of their opponents in this
election proved they were anything but liberals. If the public
or private conduct of those supposed tyrants, the conservatives,
were compared with that of the self-styled liberals, the former
would have nothing to fear from the comparison:- (Cheers.)
They might rest assured, notwithstanding the professions of
their opponents, that su far from having the interest of the
lower orders of the people at heart, there was nothing they
so much cared for as their own interests. All they aimed at
was to get into power and to grind all they durst under them.
:(Cheers, and cries of Hear, hear.") He would ask them to
compare the list of candidates put forward by either party,
-'They would find those on the conservative side for the most part
men of moderate principles. Those which the other side had
brought forward were the must ultra of their party: there was
scarcely one of them who was nut of that character, and some
among them, it was said, actually avowed infidel principles.
Would infidelity be of any benefit to the country? Men hold-
ing those opinions were, as a matter of course, republicans, who
sought to subvert everything that was dear to Englishmen, and
every thing which they held in honour—to do away with the
House of Peer's, which he trusted in God would itever be de-
, relived Of its' ptivileges and of its righti. To them we owed
much: He spoke not of the present day alone, but he referred
to history to bear out his assertion. They were now sought to
be got rid of because they stood forward to stem the torrent of
revolution which was pouring over this country, he might say
principally from Ireland. Let them look at_ the exertions
.which- were iueking. to subvert the church and every thing
which they held dear etteyearritieteth ern steepsfeerweekt
and manfully do their duty its upholding those institutions.—
(Loud cheers.) It was not the simple vote they gave; but
every matt has some influence in his oe'n sphere, and it should
•be their duty, as it was their interest, to urge on ail to stand
forward manfully to support the glorious constitution which
- had been handed down to their by their forefathers. Mr.
' Smith then alluded to the state of Ireland, and the effect that
catholic emancipation had produced there. lie had signed the
petition for that measure, and, so far as England was concerted,
be was perfectly satisfied. In order to obviate the mental dark-
ness and wretchedness of the sister isle, let religious education
he diffused amongst the lower orders. lie had to apologize for
having trespassed so long on their time. - If elected as a coun-
cilman, he should do all in his power to promote the good of the
town. They had seen the rapid strides in improvement the
town of Liverpool had made under the old corporation Within
the last twenty years. They had done their duty; anti he trust-
ed that the improvements of the next twenty years under the
new corporation would keep pace with the last, and that the
town would advance in prosperity until it equalled (and who
can say that it will not surpass ?) that great emporium of com-
merce—London itself. Mr. Smith sat down amidst loud and
continued cheers.
Mr. Joste FLETCHER then stepped forward. He expressed
his gratitude to the electors for the honour they had done him
in thinking him worthy to represent their interests in the new-
town council. I'o a man like himself, in the middle station of
life, risen as he had done by his own exertions, it was s greet
honour, and he felt it as such. He was then fairly before theft,
and it should be their pleasure to elect him to reps ascot them
in the new town council, he was ewe those who knew him
would do him the credit to believe that he would do his duty
there firmly, conscientiously, and honestly. He asked no favoeir
of any man, he did riot want any. Let his past actions he the
pledge of his future conduct; on that ground he would assert
his' claim to their confidence. They were all in sump degree
actuated by political feelings, a circumstance. which be re-
gretted; for he would contend that the town council ought to
tie composed of all parties. But the ()dime of making this elecs
lion a party question did not rest with them, their opponents
alone had 'the credit of it. There were gentlemen. opposed to
him in politics whom he should be glad to meet in the council;
Matt let the council be fairly divided, and hot all their way.
Their opponents said, "if you are nut with us ytiu are against
us," and they (the conservatives) were, in consequence of the
conduct of their opponents, obliged to snake it a party question.
if elected, he should to the utmost of his power do his duty to
his constituents. If the reverse should be the case, he should
even in defeat still carry with him the pleasing remembrance
of their support and good opinion. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. JOHN TROUG HTON said he was not a speaker, but he
thanked the electors sincerely for the honour they had done him
in nominating him as alit and proper person to represent them in
the new town council, and also the canvassers for the zeal and
industry with which they had exerted themselves fur hie]. Ile
had been canvassing personally that day, and he had, not found
a house at which they had not called. Like the gentlemen who
had just addressed them, he would assure thene if elected, he
would Ileitis duty honourably and fearlessly. (Cheers.)
. Mr. Joseph Gibbons being unable to attend,
Mr. NICHOLAS ROBINSON addressed the ereetors on his be-
half. -He would say that a more conscientious and zealous
suppotter of the conservative interest did no exist... If they
-should return him fur the north ward, he was sure he would do
his duty as well as any man who should be sent to represent it.
Mr. Gibbons had been a long time before the public as a polish
etlicer, and he could say the public were under great obliga-
tions to him. A 'more zealous, active man in promoting the
welfare of the public did not exist, and no man would snore
zealously support the welfare of the borough than Mr. Gibbons,
if they should think proper to elect him.
Mr. PETER W is I GHT deprecated the conduct of the reformers.
so called, in making the election a party question. As a test of
the literality of the two parties, he appealed to them to examine
the list of candidates put forth by either party. Many put for-
Wards by the conservatives professed liberal opinions, or were
moderate in their political bias; but where'Could they find such
men amongst those put forwards by the reformers. lie strongly
urged the electors to exert themselves manfully till the victory
.should be won. They had the cards in their hands, let them
play them well, and they would win the odd trick. (Cheers.)
The town had been
.placated with very large placards, headed
"Intimidation," and underneath was publ ishedehe clause against
bribery; another placard was published headed " Municipal
Election," calling on the reformers to come forwards and pub-
lish all cases of iistimidation, undue influence, and all tlicse
clap-trap terms of which they are in the habit of snaking use.
He would ask them if ever they knew the members of the cor-
poration of Liverpool use their influence to turn a patty ques-
tion? 'Why then was this placard posted? It could be for pis
other reason than—having been so much in the habit of intimi-
dating themselves—to warn their own. party lest they should
commit those acts which they wanted the tories to commit, and
thereby incur the penalty.
M NIES DEM PSEY, who had been before absent, now en-
tered the room. After apologizing for being so late, he said he
felt honourediry the complitnent paid him in nominating him as
is 'fit person to represent them in the new town council. The,
might rest assured that it should be his pride as well as his duty,
if he should he so fortunate as to be elected, to render a due
return for their support. (Cheers.) He had always been a
supporter of the conservative interest, and he should- feel great
'pleasure in uniting with his colleagues, if elected, in upholding
the institutious of the country. He begged to thank the com-
mittee .for the very great exertions they had used in hie behalf.
He trusted, nay, be felt confident, that the conservative cause
would be triumithant. (Cheers.)
Mr. Ingram, Mr. Knapper, Mr. T. M. Gladstone, and Mr.
Duncan Gibb, on , being called for, severally addressed the
theeting.
Mt. SllA PPA RD,. on being loudly called for, addressed the
Meeting. No individual its that room could be snore unxiotts
than he twos forthe cause. Some short time ego, in going round
the wards, he had seen, what 'was not quite satisfactory to him,
thet their opponents were geining the flay by, be roust observe,
supineness on the part or the conservatives. But. that, by in-
creased exertion, had since been obviattel. It wee a good way