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

servative portion of the British people to put clown
'ts combination of bloodsucking usurers, and to
scout from amongst us the heartless philosophy,
with which they• are attempting to drug their duped
followers.

At all events, and whatever be the course pursued
by the Conservative public, the independent BRI-
,
TISII 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 !) ; 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. The 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." But 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 objects
in which however they were defeated, the swamping
,1 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 must 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 Music-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
express the gratification with which we see the
clergy of our church entering upon the task, so
appropriate to their sacred 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 fate of the beasts that perish. And more
than all, we rejoice to see that the first objects 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 British
public we would say, hold not back your hands 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 fill the office of
head constable may not be made a "political job"—
thereby meaning, of course, that it is not to be given to a
conservative candidate. This is modest 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 that, because an ap-
plicant is a loyal subject and a supporter of the conser-
vative party and a conservative government, he shall,
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 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 oppo-
nent into an office involving such great responsibilities,
as those which belong to the office of Head Consstable
of Liverpool.

SPRING ASSIZES —Theopretrhioedfocr
Circuit, before Mr.
ngtheensuing
Spring Assizes for. the srn
Justice Coltman and Mr. Baron Rolfe, have been thus
,arrir=tly:,--peabn.c 7,17 Saturday, Feb. 17; WestFFmeeobbr..la22n4Bd
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Northumberland
We dSaturday,nesd,
Durham, Monday, March, 4; Yorkshire, Saturday, March
9; Liverpool, Saturday, March 23.
SMOKY CHIMNIES.--We know of no domestic nuisance
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,
that a remedy is now easily effected. Mr. J. Thomas,
whose advertisement appears in another column, has at-
tained an eminence in this art, and a single glance at the
numerous respectable nameson his reference list must
convince all that it is thoroughly understanding his. pro-
fession that has secured him the patronage of such distin-
guished scientific men.