The Daily Times. — 1860-11-10 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

GRAVES.  The severest condemnation of the ludicrous and hopeless attempt of the Radical members of -the Council to get up a demonstration against the views of the Conservative majority, Will be found in their triVri irrelevant; incoherent, self-destructive, and self-contradietoit speeches. Acting under this persuasion, we have given a tolerably full report of the suicidal orations of these gentlemen. To attempt to pass in review the unbecoming personal insinuations,—the unwarrantable allusions to private dinner party cofiversations, —the coarse slang,—the frantic attempts at wit and jocularity,—the disorderly behaviour,—and the mis-statements of facts, lugubriously indulged in with unblushing effrontery by a small and insignificant clique, who insist upon needlessly occupying the time of the Council, and upon making themselves the butts and laughing-stocks of the public out of doors,—would be unworthy of our space—would be at once a work of supererogation and an affront to our readers.  " The Mayor "—speaking of His Worship officially—has no politics. Still, however, undoubtedly he cannot but have his individual predilection for one or other of the two great sectiens of politicians ! so also must the members of the Council who elect hint. That they should exercise their right with due reference to political sympathies is surely fair and reasonable, and not more than the electors calculate on and look for. That the majority of the Council should, under ordinary circumstances chose one of their number whose political views are in unison with their own, is, therefore, according to reason, fair play and public expectation. To rail against them for doing so is to insult common sense, and throw discredit upon the choice of the electors. That the Conservative majority of the Council have hitherto given effect to their political sympathies with moderation and generous consideration for the undoubted merits and valuable services to the town of gentlemen entertaining opposite sentiments is a fact easily demonstrable. It is therefore the less creditable to the minority that they should feebly attempt to clamour against the occasional preference of the majority for one of their own political creed. On the present occasion, nothing could have been more unhappy than the attempt made to thwart their avowed decision by bringing forward a gentleman, against his will, whose claims to the honour were, without disparagement to his actual worth, confessedly not equal to those of the successful candidate. If aye only, and mere length of service, are to be the test of merit, how many of our most valuable and useful public servants must succumb to such an ordeal ? Fortunately, the people of this country have learned to give the preference to efficiency and merit over mere numerical seniority or traditional right. Just fancy the weakness and inconsistency of those Radicals of the Council in noisily asserting the privileged rights of individuals as against proved sufficiency. The question as to the right and propriety of the majority of the Council electing the man of their choice was so worthily and satisfactorily disposed of by JAMES ASPINALL TOBIN, Esq., that we feel it unnecessary to do more than quote his words. This gentleman said,—" He would not have come forward and desired to make any remarks in that Council had it not been for the observations that had been made by Mr. EARLE, who had thought that occasion a fitting opportunity of making an attack upon a portion of that Council. He (Mr. ToBIN) meant that which was called the Conservative portion of the Council. He, however, would not enter upon any recrimination, which would be productive of no good, but would excite and stir up an angry and irritable feeling. He should not, for one, ever be a party to any such proceeding as that. He gave every person leave to exercise his own option, and to differ from him, if he liked, in his political views. He was content to believe that these people entertained their opinions conscientiously, and the like privilege he claimed at their hands. That party, if they had a majority in that Council, at all events bore in mind that they were but the representatives of the people at large—and if they did possess that power, and if they acted in opposition to public opinion, that majority would very speedily turn into a "rn,"1211 •••••