MALEPRACTICES OF THE LIVERPOOL CORPORATION.
THE Liverpool Corporators die game. Last week we gave a spe- cimen of their mode of spending the large income levied, by a most iniquitous system of taxation, on their fellow townsmen. We showed from the evidence given before the Corporation Com- missioners, that they had incurred an enormous debt, borrowing money at 4 and 4i per cent, to invest in property, belonging prin- cipally to members of their own body, which yielded only 1 per cent. interest. It was also proved that upwards of 122,0001. had been laid out on the churches of the Establishment—although nearly if not quite half of the inhabitants, who were always equitably, and are now legally, joint-owners of that property, are Dissenters. All this is bad enough: but, having failed to smuggle a bill through Parliament last session for the purpose of saddling the community with an additional sum for the support of the clergy of tbe Establishment, the Liverpool Corporation has resorted to a proceeding which in impudence and unfairness sur- passes all that we have heard against them. Being aware that in a few weeks their occupation will be gone, and that the funds which they have used so profusely for the support of a sect and a party, mast henceforth be applied to the service of the locality, without religious or political distinction, the Corpora- tion of Liverpool endeavoured to steal a march on the public, and to mortgage the property still in their hands for an additional sum of very large amount ; the whole of it to be laid out in augmenta- tion of the Church livings in their patronage ; which livings have already cost the people of Liverpool 122,000/. It will be borne in mind, that most of the holders of these livings are rela- tives or near connexions of different members of the Corpora- tion, who thus plotted to make them wealthy at the public expense. But these gentlemen have met with a check in their unscrupu- lous career. It was noticed in the later impressions of last Spec- tator, that, on Saturday afternoon, the Master of the Rolls had granted an injunction to restrain the Corporation from mort- gaging their property for the purnose stated. The following ex- tract from the speech of Mr. BICKERSTETH, on moving for the injunction, will _put our readers in possession of the particulars of the case. Mr. BICKERSTETH Said—
The defendants, the Corporation of Liverpool, were the patrons of several churches; of which the clergymen received, up to June 1835, Wailes amount.. ing in the whole to 1390/. The Corporation was named in Schedule A of the Municipal Corporation Bill. By a provision of that act, it was directed, that if the borough funds were more than sufficient for the purposes of the Corpo- ration, the surplus was to he applied under the superintendence of the Town-Council for the benefit of the inhabitants generally, and for the improve- ment of the borough. The act also provided, in the event of a deficiency, that a borough-rate, in the nature of a county-rate, should be levied. Another clause enacted, that all the ecclesiastical property held by Corporations, not as charity trustees, should he sold, and that the proceeds should be paid to the Treasurer of the Corporation for the use of the body corporate, and that the annual interest accruing thereon should he carried to the credit of the borough fund. Since the passing of the Corporation Bill, the Mayor and Corporation of Liverpool had formed the design of appropriating a part of the corporate property towards making a permanent endowment and a permanent provision for the ministers of the churches in question. A meeting of the Corporation took place on the 7th of the present montb, to receive the report of the MUM. Clerk and Surveyor of the Corporation, for the purpose of ascertaining what property was most eligible for the raising of the required loan. After some deliberation, they agreed that a mortgage should be effected on two estates, called the South Dock-house and St. John's Market, of the annual value of 21001. By an order in Council, dated the 11th of September last, the functions of the present Corporation of Liverpool would cease on the 26th of December in the present year ; and the members of the new Corporation would then be elected. It was generally believed in Liverpool, that the raising and appli. cation of the proposed loan would be prejudical to the rights and interests of the burgesses of that borough. The debt of the Corporation of Liverpool now amounted to 792,000/. ; and, if the proposed application were permitted, a further rate must of necessity be levied. The present Corporators caused a a bill to be introduced into the House of Commons last session, to enable them to legally make these endowments, but which was ultimately abandoned. It was only last week tharthe person on whose affidavit he moved became aware that this loan was contemplated, and of the manner in which it was proposed to be appropriated. This gentleman, who was a respectable burgess of Liverpool, also swore that he lost no time in informing his Majesty's Attorney-General of the fact, to enable him to file this information. prom this affidavit it ap- peared that if the loan were effected in the manner proposed, it would fix heavy burdens on the corporate funds. He contended that the whole transaction evinced a determination to defeat the intentions of the Legislature in respect to the sale of the advowsons.
We rejoice to learn that the Liverpool Reformers are taking the requisite precautions to prevent the access of these jugglers into the new Town-Councils. Surely this last attempt to turn the public funds to their private gain must give a spur to the exertions of every man in Liverpool, not steeped in bigotry or baseness or factious zeal. The exposure has been made at a most fortunate time.
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