On this page
-
Text (2)
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
various forms of political opinion , together with several members of Parliament , co-operated with the utmost harmony . The large room—estimated to contain 1500 persona—was so crowded by twelve o ' clock , that a large body who were unable to obtain admission betook themselves to the Guildhall , the use of which was granted by the Lord Mayor , and there formed a separate meeting . At the London Tavern , Mr . Samuel Morley was voted to the chair , and opened the proceedings by observing that it was nothing but a high sense of public duty that made the merchants and traders of London leave their more legitimate sphere , the counting-house , to engage in the public discussion of
public affairs . He adverted to an opinion expressed in the last number of the Economist , to the effect that this movement is a mere trading affair—an opinion which it was strange to find in a paper conducted by a gentleman who has raised himself to his present position by those very qualifications which they desired to see more largely introduced into the Government . That journal had said that legislative and governmental duties require different talents from those which command success in the countinghouse ; but , in answer to this , Mr . Morley observed that it is mainly to the intelligence and industry of her commercial and trading classes that England is indebted for her greatness . Again , they had been
accused of attacking the aristocracy ; but that was not precisely the fact . The English people were attached to their aristocracy ; but he warned that favoured class not to force the people to scrutinize too closely how they have been plundered and bamboozled . The aristocracy have as much right to share in the government of the country as any other clas 3 ; but they do not possess , as some people seem to think , a divine right to govern . Under the present state of things , the heads of departments , whenever they chance not to have their intelligent underlings at hand , exhibit an amount of crass ignorance , incompetence , and superciliousness , about any given
subject , which are actually eating into the heart of the country . Mr . . Morley then alluded to the fact of government appointments being almost invariably given to persons having political influence ; and asked if it would not be gratifying to the public to see now and then a Rowland Hill made Postmaster-General . It had been calculated that 220 members of the House of Commons , or about one-third , arc related to the nobility ; the constituencies should look to this . Mr . Morley concluded his speech by severely commenting on the levity exhibited by Lord Palmerston under circumstances that had broken the hearts of thousands .
Air . J . J . Travers proposed the following resolution : — " That the disasters to which the country has been subjected iu the conduct of the present war are attributable to the inefficient and practically irresponsible management of the various departments of the State , and urgently demand a thorough change in the administrative Bystem . " He observed that Lord John Russell had stated that he thought it a defect in our administrative system that the Minister has no time to attend to any great general measure -, and the late Sir Robert Peel more than once said he had declined to add to the responsibility of the Government , because the Government did everything badly ; and oftentimes that great man referred to the torpid action of the Government . Sir James Graham had expressed
similar sentiments , and Sir Charles Trevelyan had also testified to the impossibility of carrying on the pnblic business in an honest and proper manner as long as the House of Commons remains as it is . The real fault of the present system attaches to the people themselves , who tolerate its continuance . Facts convince the advocates of that movement that in every constituency of the country there is a , body of voters on the register who always remain unpclled , and who have it in their power , if they choose to exert themselves at the elections , to make even tho present representation of the people available for immediate purposes ; and it is therefore tho duty of t ! ie City of London , as the centre and metropolis of the country ' s activity and intelligence , to endeavour to rouse the middle classes to a due sense of their responsibilities and their danger at the present
. Mr . J . P . Gasaiot seconded the resolution , and , as an instance / of the mismanagement of Government , mentioned that , to his own knowledge , an olFer of 10 , 000 Spanish guerillas had been made to tho late War Minister , though the Duke of Newcastle , in his evidence before tho Sebastopol Committee , said that he had never heard of any such offer . A Mr . Mnnby , an English gentleman living in Paris , had addressed Mr . Roberts , tho Under Secretary for tho War Department , on this subject , as long ago as tho close of'lnBt December ; but ho was kept in . suspense until tho commencement of March , when Mr . Roberta said in a letter to Mr . Manby that , the otter having been made in a private communication , tho
document could not be found , and had even passed from Mr . Roberts ' s memory . Mr . Gassiot contrasted the tardiness of Government with the euergy exhibited by Messrs . Peto and Co ., who completed their contract for making a railroad in the Crimea within a month of the given time ; and observed that our Ministers always contrive to put men into the wrono- places—Sir William Molesworth , for instance , who has devoted his whole life to the consideration of colonial affairs , being put into the Woods and Forests , which he has signally mismanaged , and Mr . Bernal Osborne being made Secretary to the Admiralty , an office of which he knows nothing . _ . ... and
Mr . J . D . Powles supported the resolution , , remarking that governments are sometimes limited in their choice of colleagues by the - necessity of always choosing a man who has got , or who can obtain , a place in Parliament , suggested that Ministers should have seats in the legislature ex officio . The resolution was about to be put , when a Mr . Walker , speaking from the gallery , asked permission to move an amendment , as he thought the terms of the resolution were not sufficiently strong . To this , the Chairman objected ; and Mr . Walker tore up his amendment . He then obtained leave to speak , and proceeded to argue in favour of rousing the oppressed nationalities of Poland , Hungary , &c . ; but , the feeling of the meeting being loudly expressed against him , and a show of hands being equally opposed to his proceeding , he resumed his
seat . Mr . W . S . Lindsay , M . P ., moved the following resolution : — " That the true remedy for the system of maladministration , -which has caused so lamentable a sacrifice of labour , money , and human life , is to be sought in the introduction of enlarged experience and practical ability into the sen-ice of the State ; that the exclusion from office of those who possess in a high degree the practical qualities necessary for the direction of affairs in a great commercial country is a reflexion upon its intelligence and a betrayal of its interests ; that while we disclaim every desire of excluding the aristocratic classes from participating in the councils of the Crown , we feel it our duty to protest against the pretensions of any section of the community to monopolise the functions of administration . "
Mr . Lindsay mentioned in his speech that he hail proposed to Sir James Graham , while the latter was at the Admiralty , to put the books in order , but that Sir James had taken no further notice of his oiler than to thank him for it . He thus mapped out the scheme which the present association proposes to carry out . " Each member of the Committee has some correspondent or other in every borough ; and these persons , if they approve the resolutions , will be invited to call public meetings in their respective towns to discuss them , and then , at those meetings , sub-committees , acting in concert with the central body , can be formed , so that the originators of this movement will speedily have their representatives in every Parliamentary borough in the kingdom . ( Cheers . ') Then , whenever they see any such
job as the appointment of the Hon . Mr . Howard to the Woods and Forests , in defiance of the recommendation of what was termed ' Drumraond ' s Committee , ' and notwithstanding that Lord I % linerston had had offered to him the services of the ablest agriculturist of the ago for the office—a motion condemning the proceeding will be made in the House of Commons , and the sub-committees throughout the country will be applied to , to send up petitions from their different boroughs protesting against the perpetration of such a scandal ; and also will be requested to write to their own members urgently calling on them to vote according to their consciences , and in opposition to the Ministerial design . When such a machinery as that is completely organised and ready for action throughout the country , it will be seen whether my Lord Palmerston will try his hand again at . any more of these jobs . " ( Cheers ?)
Mr . S . Baker , in seconding the resolution , observed that , according to the evidence of that honest old sailor , Sir Thomas Hastings , two of the government officials—one in the discharge of his duty , but the other entirely stepping out of it-v-had gone into the market and Bid against each other . { Laughter . ) Now , if a mercantile man found that his shipping clerk had been bidding in the market against his buying clerk , would he not eject him without ceremony—in fact , summarily kick him down-stairs , as it were ? If he did not , ho would run a very good chance of soon getting into the wrong side of the Gazette . Mr . linker having in the course of his speech alluded to Mr . Laynrd , three cheers were given for that gentleman with great enthusiasm . Mr . F . Bennoeh dwelt upon tho want of fitness evinced in tho distribution of offleea among political men , and denounced tho system of purchase in tho army . Mr . Johnatono Ncalo , in supporting the resolution , observed that , in fuirnesa to both Bides ; it should bo
known that Lord Palmerston bad tendered office to merchants of the City , but that those merchants had told him it would be impossible for them to give up emoluments of 5000 / 1 , or 7000 / ., a year to join a Government which might not last . He added I " They had already been told the number of members connected with the peerage now in the House of Commons ; and he would add the information which he obtained from Bod , ' that there are twenty-three places which return members under the influence of great families . They are Chester , Chichester , Cirencester , Dudley , Dungarvan , Enniskillen , Helstone , Launceston , Malmesbury , Malton , Marlborough , Peterborough ,
Reigate , Richmond , Ripon , Rye , Shaftesbury , Sandwich , Tavistock , Thetford , Warwick , Wilton , and Youghal . There are three or four other places under similar influence . He found also that the House of Commons contains four marquises , eight earls , seventeen viscounts , thirty-one lords , fifty honourabies , and thirty baronets . He asked Mr . Lindsay whether , if he were made Prime Minister to-morrow , he could do otherwise than lis ten to the demands of men by whose votes alone he would be able to retain office ? This was the whole question , and it must now be made plain to the aristocracy that the present system has gone to its fullest extent and must be altered . "
In the course of this speech , also , three cheers were given for Mr . Layard . Mr . W . Tite enlarged upon the general mismanagement of the Government , and echoed the opinions of Messrs . Gassiot and Bennoeh with respect to the want of the right men in the right places . After a few words from Mr . Oliveira , M . P ., who had just returned from the meeting at the GuildhalL over which he presided , the resolution was put , and carried ne- * t . con .
The Chairman then announced , as a proof of the earnest and sincere character of tiie movement , that twenty-five gentlemen in the room had already put down their names for a subscription of 100 / . each . The announcement was received with loud cheering ; and the meeting separated , after three cheers for the Queen , three for the Emperor of the French , and three for the independent members of Parliament . The proceedings at the Guildhall were similar to the foregoing ; but the following rider was added to the first resolution : —" That this meeting considers a large extension of the franchise necessary to effect the improvements required . " —The meeting broke up after three cheers for Mr . Layard .
DERBY . The meeting at Derby to which we alluded last week , took place on Thursday evening fit the Town Hall . Resolutions demanding a speedy reform of the administrative departments were unanimously carried ; and a petition to the House of Commons , embodying their spirit , was ailopted . The Rev . Mr . Griffiths , one of the speakers , denounced the heartless frivolity of Lord Palmerston , and spoke enthusiastically in favour of Mr . Layard . Tho meeting concluded by passing with acclamation a resolution in favour of restoring the nationalities of Poland and Hungary .
MAKYLEHONE . A meeting of tho inhabitants of Marylebone has been convened for Monday week , the 2 lst inst . UIHM 1 NGUAM . A requisition to the Mayor of Birmingham is in course of signature , requesting his worship to call a town ' s meeting , for the purpose of considering the propriety of co-operating with the metropolitan movement in furtherance of Adminstrative Reform . Already tho requisition is numerously and respectably signed . MANCHESTUn . An early public meeting is to be called at Manchester on this subject .
Untitled Article
TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF PIAN 0 RI . Giovanni Pianohi was on Monday condemned to the death of a parricide for his attempt upon tlio life of the French Emperor . The indictment thus sets forth his antecedents : — m " Giovanni Piunori , who has procured a passport in tho name of Livorani , was bom in one of the Koman provinces , but which in particular he refuaes to disclose . Ho is a bachelor , and « ahoemnkcr by trade , in . 18-11 ) , according to his own mliuJHaion , ho ( as a v " " tcor soldier , as ho atyles himself ) formed part oi the Roman insurrectional army under the onlora <>» . ono Ol tho revolutionary chief * who tlicn commanded u , uui who , he alleges , wan unknown to him . About Una time , ho waa obliged to leave tho Roman States , and »»« , w «« several others , took refuge in Piedmont , where bo remained aeveral yeara , and up to the end <> 1 1 « 6 J or uw beginning of 1854 . Ho afterwards wont to MaraciHca , whore he atayed aomo months , under tho name <>» Liverani , working at hla trade for sailors - at loast so ho naya . Subsequently , ho is found running thro fan varioua towna in France , Lyons , Olialoii * , and won 1 ' aria , where ho took out a ' permit of reaidonco in " »«
Untitled Article
4 M THE LEADER , [ Saturday ,
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), May 12, 1855, page 440, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2090/page/8/
-