The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-09-05 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS.

CHELTENHAM.—The nomination took place on Satur-
day, when Mr. Grenville Berkeley and Mr. B. Escott
were proposed as candidates. On a show of hands, it was
declared to be in favour of Mr. Berkeley, when a poll was
demanded, which would take place yesterday.
DERBY.—The polling took place on Saturday, when
Mr. Bass, the celebrated ale and porter dealer, and Mr.
Lawrence Heyworth, of this town, were returned after
rather a severe contest. The numbers were, Bass, 956 ;
Heyworth, 912 ; Freshfield, 775 ; Lord, 758. Mr. Fresh-
field was a candidate for the city of London at the late
election, and Mr. Lord is the talented secretary of the
Protestant Association.

LEICESTER.—On Friday, Mr. H. Paget withdrew from
the contest, and Mr. Harris and Mr. Ellis have been de-
clared duly elected, in the place of Sir Joshua Walmsley
and Mr. Gardner.

FREE TRADE PRODUCTIVE OF PAUPERISM

One of the last Parliamentary returns distributed is
entitled " Poor Laws : Return of the number of families
and persons relieved with in-door and out-door relief, for
the weeks ending 20th Feb., 1846, and 20th Feb., 1847."
We could not take up this paper without the reflection
passing through the mind,—" It was in Feb., 1846, that
Sir Robert Peel conferred upon us all the blessings of
Free Trade. Here, then, in his comparison of Feb.,
1846, when Free Trade was only proposed, with Feb.,
1847, when Free Trade was actually enjoyed, we shall
find some of the practical benefits of cheap bread, cheap
clothes,' and cheapness in general and in particular!:
We opened the return, but strange to say, here are
the results.

" Number of families relieved with out-door relief.
Week ending Feb. 20, 1846 (Protection) .... 321,017
Week ending Feb. 20, 1847 (Free Trade) .... 365,247

Increase of pauper families
" Number of persons so relieved.
Week ending Feb. 20, 1846 (Protection) ..
Week ending Feb. 20, 1847 (Free Trade) ..

44,230

648,748
792,486

Increase of paupers out-door 143,738
" Number of persons relieved with in-door relief.
Week ending Feb. 20, 1846 (Protection) .. 106,390
Week ending Feb. 20, 1847 (Free Trade)
Increase of paupers in workhouses.... 15,185

Total increase of paupers in the first
year of Free Trade
Such was the view presented by a single return,—the
last, as we have said, that has been circulated. But, on
looking a little further, we find that even this is too
favourable a view of the case; for a previous return, and
a more complete and elaborate one, dated " July 4, 1848,"
had been printed by the House of Commons more than
six weeks since, and in that return we find the account of
the quarters ending at Lady-day, 1846, and Lady-day,
8147 ; and the general results are these :
Number of paupers relieved.
Quarter ending Lady-day, 1846 (Protection) .. 1,145,697
Quarter ending Lady-day, 1847 (Free Trade).. 1,471,133

Increase of paupers in the first year of
Free Trade
There can be little doubt that 1848, the second year—
would present a still more lamentable picture. But then
we should be told of the commercial crisis of last autumn,
the French Revolution, and what not, as among the
causes. We think it, therefore, happy that we are able,
without these perturbations, to compare merely 1846 with
1847,—the last year of the old system, with the first of
the new. And we leave it to the admirers of Mr. Cobden
and the League, to explain, if they can, how it came to
pass, that the first and most immediate result of the
adoption of their theories happened to be the increase of
the pauperism of the country, to the extent of nearly
30 per cent. !