The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-03-11 00:00:00

HOURS ON LICEYSED VICTUALLERS

Mr. ASPINALL said he had been requested to present a
memorial on the part of the licensed victuallers of this
borough, praying the council to rescind the resolution which
was agreed to at the last meeting for the introduction of a
clause in the Improvement Bill for closing their houses on
certain hours between Saturday night and Sunday. Ile was
not desirous of re-opening a discussion on this subject, hut
he was apprehensive that if the clause were continued, it
would lead to a very powerful opposition to the bill now be-
fore parliament. Several members of parliament were de-
cidedly of opinion that it was a hardship upon the publicans
to insert a clause of this kind in any bill purely local, and that
if there were to be tiny legislation at all upon the subject it
should be of general operation. The licensed victuallers of
Liverpool had no objection to the Improvement Bill itself,
but they had a most decided repugnance to being placed in 'a
situation different to that of any other licensed victuallers in
the kingdom. He begged to move that the memorial be
read and adopted. .

Mr. TonLmiN seconded the motion.
The TOWN-CLERK then read the memorial, which was
signed an behalf of the association of licensed victuallers by
Thomas Jackson.

Me. Altlartnan EVANS said it had certainly surprised him
to hear a proposition of this sort come from the quarter it
had, from the brother of the rector of Liverpool, from one
of the church from one of the Sabbath-day observers, from
a late mayor of the town and a magistrate—from one. who
must be well acquainted with the destructive evils of allow-
ing the Sabbath-day to be desecrated in public-houses. It
was said that the publicans were not unwilling to have a ge-
neral measure. By that it seemed there was an admission of
the evils arising out of the want of it, but was it the duty of
this council to compromise with vice, or for one moment to
refuse to contemplate an enactment that would suppress
that vice ? When he found a measure like this originating
in a quarter where it was least expected, he was led to reflect
upon what could be the motive. He did not mean to say
what those motives were, but he could not help saying, that
the only motive which suggested itself to his mind, upon
this question, was this—that morality was to give way to
private interest among the publicans, and all, as it seemed
to him, to get political influence. He could discover no
other good motive whatever.
Mr. BIRKETT supported the motion, and contended that
Mr. Alderman Evans had no right whatever to inquire into
Mr. Aspinall's motives. He (Mr. Birkett) would support
the motion on the like grounds that Mr. Aspinall had urged,
but at the same time he should have no objection to a mea-
sure extending for seven miles round the borough. He
should move a resolution to that effect.
Mr. AIKIN and Mr. EARLE, and Mr. A. SMITE, jun.
opposed the motion, and it was supported by Mr. PROCTER
and Mr. PARKER.

Mr. ASPINALL rose to reply, and spoke with much anima-
tion. He was very sorry, he said, that he was compelled to
rise in order to answer some observations that had fallen
from Mr. Alderman Evans and Mr. Aikin, because, when
he presented the memorial he had no intention of entering
into the subject. He stood there not as a spirit merchant,
not as a brewer; he was not connected, directly or indirectly,
with any public-house in the town; and he begged leave to
tell those gentlemen (Messrs. Evans and Aikin) that he
stood in his place in that council in order to give as indepen-
dent an opinion upon this subject as either of them. (Hear,
hear.) He was very sorry that Mr. Evans should have
thought proper to allude to him as the brother of the Rector
of Liverpool, and that, because he happened to stand in that
relation to the reverend gentleman, he should have affected
surprise at his bringing forward this motion. (Hear, hear.)
He (Mr. Aspinall) had brought forward what he conceived
to be a just cause, a cause which he should have expected
that those gentlemen who were such great advocates for the
liberty of the subject, and for the equal rights of Englishmen,
would have supported, for he would venture to ask them on
what ground could it be contended that one Englishman was
entitled to a greater privilege than another? (Hear, hear.)
He was really surprised at those gentlemen having talked in
the way they had, for they, too, were magistrates and belonged
to the bench which had generated the curse of this town by
granting licences to so many beer-shops without discretion.
(Applause.) He could put his hand on his heart and say, that
the fifteen months he had the honour of being the mayor of
this borough lie had not granted one single licence ;
on the contrary, he had felt it his duty to take three
or four away. (Cries of " hear, bear.") He took that step
conscientiously, because he thought it would tend to suppress
vice and immorality ; but what had been done since that by
the adverse party? flear, hear.) Why hundreds of beer
houses, of the lowest description, had been licensed by them
as public houses ; they therefore iad themselves created what
was the curse of the town, and now they were actually seek-
ing for a bill to put it-down. (Hear, hear.) He was sorry
to be compelled by What had been said to make these obser-
vations. He stood in his place in that council to give a con-
scientious and independent opinion, and he would yield to
no man in-Wing so ; therefore, as an honest man, he would
say he conscientiously believed that the clause was an unjust
one if it formed part of a local bill, and was to extend to this
town only. (Hear, hear.) But if there was a public bill for
that purpose, no man would be more anxious than himself to
do all in his power to carry its provisions into effect, for no
man was more desirous for the suppression of vice and drunk-
enness. (Hear, hear.) In making these observations he did
not think it was a just thing to put one man upon a different
footing than another ; and upon that account he felt it was
his duty to object to such a principle. But what would be
the consequence if it were acted upon ? The eating houses
would be full of drunkards ; they would go across the river
into Cheshire; and one man upon one side of the street might
be selling beer and brandy with impunity, whilst another man
upon the other side had not the power. (Hear.) Now that
was not just ; it was not honest; for one Englishman ought
not to have a greater right to do so than another. That,
then, was his principal reason for having brought this matter
forward ; in the first instance he thought the principle unjust,
and in the second he did not think the clause would answer
the purpose which was intended.
The council divided, when there appeared—
For the motion
Against it
The motion was consequently lost. The following mem-
bers voted in the division :
For it—Messrs. Preston, Copeland, Barton, Aspinall,
Toulmin, Wood, Birkett, Procter, Kilshaw, Parker, Jones,
jun., J. Smith, and Crook.
Against it—Messrs._Shand, Thornhill, Mellor, Bolton,

Aikin, Bright, Yates, Robinson, Gladstoi;e, Lloyd, Jordan,
A. Smith, jun., Mather, Harbord, Bulley, Freme, Evans,
Barclay, Earle, Molyneux, Moon, Nicol, Turner, and the
M ayor.
Mr. BIRKETT wished to move an amendment, to the effect
that any enactment of the kind should include eight miles
round the borough ; but
The TOWN-CLERK intimated that such a motion could
only be received at the next adjourned meeting. It was there-
fore dropped for the present.
VACANCY IN ST. ANNE'S WARD.
The Tow N-CLERK said that a special meeting of the coun-
cil should be held on an early day, for the purpose of declar-
ing a vacancy in St. Anne's ward, and that Mr. Dixon and
Mr. Hardman, the newly-elected assessors, were not duly
qualified.
Twelve o'clock on Monday next was fixed for the purpose,
and the council adjourned at a quarter past four o'clock.

The Rev. 13. W. Noel has written a letter to a Loulon
paper, disclaiming any intention " of applying those passages
of the word of God placed in the title-page of his pamphlet,
to those who advocate the maintenance of the cord-lawa."