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by Government flooded the dockyards witU new employes , evidently nominated through political influence , many of them being incompetent . The number of new appointments was immense , beyond precedent or subsequent parallel . For the three months and nineteen days of 1852 , ending 19 th April , the appointments in the Devonport dockyard had been but nine ; for the remainder of the year , ( eight months and eleven days , ) under the operation of the new Tory regulation , they numbered 112 ; ( while , this year , under Sir James Graham , the appointments have been as yet but two . ) Also , in 1852 , competent men were removed for no
fault , and Conservative voters were appointed . In May , Sir Baldwin Walker wrote to the -Duke of Northumberland , protesting against these practices . He complained that the withdrawal of patronage from the Surveyor , prevented all proper check on expenditure , that promotion for merit had been virtually set aside , for promotion on political grounds , and that , " in one instance , " an incompetent person had been appointed . This letter was not noticed by the Admiralty , although Sir Baldwin Walker was an honourable man , of high official standing . Sir Baldwin Walker ' s former letter , tendering his resignation , had also remained
officially unnoticed ; and , in November , Mr . Stafford stated , in the House , that " no tender of resignation had been made . " The discrepancy between Sir Baldwin Walker and Mr . Stafford , respecting this letter , should be cleared up . A particular case of promotion for political purposes was that of Cotsell . It had been ruled that the master-sinith of Portsmouth-dockyard should be selected from private trade , and in November , 1852 , the Surveyor of the Navy was informed that a Mr . Wells was appointed , and Wells accordingly filled the post for twenty-one days , althongh the warrant for his appointment had not arrived . Meanwhile , Cotsell ,
( an employe at Chatham-dockyard , but more distinguished as an election orator for Sir F . Smith , the Conservative candidate , ) hearing of the appointment of Wells , hurried up to the Admiralty , saw there ** a friend , " who on hearing of his business , said , " You are just in time ; " showed him Wells's appointment made out and lying on the table . This is stated from Cotsell himself by an intimate private acquaintance . Wells was superseded ; Cotsell was appointed ; and when Wells complained , he was told by the Admiralty that he had never received any " appointment from them . ' * But CotselPs promotion from , Chatham to Portsmouth gave more than one opportunity of patronage , for political motives , to the Government . Four promotions took
place . Cotsell went from Chatham to Portsmouth ; Smale , who jjave a plumper at Woolwich , was sent to Chatham ; Forhes ' s friends at Sheerness voted for the Conservative candidate , and Forbes was sent to Woolwich ; Bayley , who , with his brother , voted the same way , was sent from Woolwich to Sheerness . Mr . Stafford had in addition personally displayed himself as a partisan of Conservative candidates . At Chatham , while on a professedly official tour of inspection , he walked round-the dockyard with Sir Frederick Smith . At Deptford , while the men were being mustered , he took his stand in the yard , in company with Mr . Peter Rolt , the Conservative candidate , whom } ie introduced to some of the officers having votes . A letter from a working man says : — -
" They ( Mr . Stafford and Mr . Rolt ) attended at the niuster-oflico when all the men returned from dinnor , so that wo should not bo ignorant that Afr . Rolt was tho secretary ' s special friend . A wink being as good as a nod to a blind horse , the most stupid of us could not misunderstand tho motive nor tlio consequence of our stupidity . IS von our wives wore shrewd enough to advise us to be on tho Baib tddo . " At Devonport , Mr . Stafford walked round tho dockyards nrm in arm with tlio two Conservative candidate * . They then stood together at tho muster-office where tho men deposit their tickets on leaving tho
yard , so that each man singly must pass before them . In tho evening of tho wino day , tho secretary gave a dinner at Moorshcnd Hotel , at which were present tho two Conservative candidates , tlio chairman of their committee at Devonport , tho chairman of their cominittco ut Htonehouae , the two attorneys acting an electioneering' agents for tho Tory candidates , and tho chairman of tho committee of tlio Tory candidate at Plymouth , and a Mr . Tri . scott , storekeeper of tho victualling-yard , who was a nmst active partisan , and
canvassed the votes in tho yard in favour of tho Tory candidates . Was not this nn electioneering dinner ? But at Portsmouth , Mr . Stafford had not supervised tho mustering of tho men , Why ? Because ' there , thoro wan wo contested election , and no Conservative candidate . Sir IJ . Hall then moved for u oeleet committee to iiiquiro into tlio matters ho had stated , and generally into the manner in which the Admiralty patronage li » d been exorcised sinco 19 th April , 18 G 2 , in the dockyards connected with boroughs . Mr , Staiwouj ) , replying to f < ho charges , firat
oxplained the discrepancy between Sir Baldwin Walker s letter tendering resignation and his own statement in tho House , that no resignation had been tendered . " To the best of his belief , * Mr . Stafford never even saw that letter . But one morning , ( 26 th April , 1852 , ) the Duke of Northumberland told him that Sir Baldwin Walker was annoyed at the circular of the 19 th ( reclaiming the Admiralty power of appointment ) , and that the Surveyor would probably resign unless the
supposed stigma were removed . Mr . Stafford then drew up a rough draft of the circular of the 26 th April , disclaiming any imputation on the Surveyor of the Navy . In presence of Admiral Hyde Parker , Mr . Stafford showed the draft to Sir Baldwin Walker , who appeared satisfied , and then Admiral Parker considering the matter settled , destroyed Sir Baldwin Walker ' s letter tendering resignation , which had been handed to the Admiral for transmission to
Mr . Stafford . When asked in the House , was any resignation offered , Mr . Stafford , finding no record of such an offer , and remembering no such offer , replied there was none . With respect to the letter from Sir Baldwin Walker to the Duke of Northumberland , dated 10 th of May , complaining of the new way of appointing men , the Duke had made no record of it ; the record of letters addressed to the First Lord- was discretionary with him , his correspondence being often confidential . Mr . Stafford then stated why the circular resuming the Admiralty consideration of vacancies and appointments , had been issued . In 1847 , when the
Whigs found their power declining ; , they invented a system which would enable them to retain their control over the dockyards , even when out of office . Their influence had penetrated into every hole and corner ; Conservatives were frequently passed over , or sometimes overworked , [ a laugh , ] and the corrupt sale of offices was introduced , especially into the Channel dockyards . The candidate used to bet , with a person of influence , that he would not get the vacant appointment . If the bet were appropriately large , he generally got the appointment , and cheerfully paid over the amount . Seebig this system , Mr . Stafford established direct
communication between the Admiralty and the dockyard superintendent . Mr . Sidney Herbert and Sir C . Wood when at the Admiralty , did the same ; and Lord Auckland and Sir H . Ward had formerly sanctioned the practice . The result of the change he had made , was the transfer of responsibility from an over-worked office , ( that of Surveyor of the Navy , ) to the shoulders of the Secretary of the Admiralty . As to the alleged increased expense , the dockyard expenditure for the financial year of the late Government , was in the same ratio as that for the previous year . As to there having been too many new appointments made under his
Secretaryship , he was no judge as to the proper number ; as to the qualifications of the men , the commodores always concurred in them : and they were honourable men , who would not consent to political jobbing , or tho appointment of unfit men . Mr . Stafford then referred to minor individual cases , showing that the commodores , in many cases , had flatl y rejected Admiralty recommendations . Respecting the case of Wells and Cotsell , the Admiralty informed Sir Baldwin Walker , that Wells , recommended by him , would be appointed master smith , at Portsmouth ; but they did not think that information would bo communicated to Wells .
The Admiralty , shortly afterwards , " changed its mind , " and appointed Cotsell . Wells first stated that ho had received his appointment in an interview with Sir Baldwin Walker ; he afterwards said be had got it in a letter ; but it was extraordinary in Sir Baldwin Walker to make nn informal communication of the kind , without informing tho I } oard . Then , Cotsell was a tried man of ability , Wells was untried : his patron , however , was Mr . Forbes Mackenzie , whom Wells had warmly supported at Liverpool ; and Mr . Forbes Mackenzie had complained to Mr . Stafford , of the treatment of his supporter .
" Ho had had a long interview at tho Treasury with his honourable friond ; and to do his friend justice ho should say that lie had never in his lifetime soon a man evince lose care for tho dockyards . Ho had protty plainly intimated , that as tho Treasury was tho senior department , tlio Admiralty ought to knock under to it . " ( A laugh . ) I Jut tho Admiralty did not knock under ; they had cared for tho efficiency of the dockyards , nijd had
respected tho feelings of tho dockyard officers , who were proud and loyul men . As to tho general churgoH of f Jovorninont interference in dockyard borough elections , Chatham alone liad petitioned against the election rejturn . He admitted that it wonld hnv « boon better for him not to have walked through tho dockyards with tho candidate ** , l > nt ho never had had political conversations with any of tho officers , save to > tell them that they might act m they liked .
A warm dobato eiiHued . Admiral Bkrkiclicy earnestl y demanded a committee , Jliut Sir Baldwin Walkor * s character lnigljfc bo cleared , Mr . Coftmv
denied that the Tory Board of Admiralty had a political motive in their circular ; they but reverted to the former direct control of the Admiralty . Sir F . Babing said , common decency and justice to Sir B . Walker dictated a committee of inquiry . When the circular of April was issued , the general feeling in the dockyards was , that the time forjobb ? ng had come again . Let the superintendents be examined . He himself had been included among the political jobbers : he asked searching inquiry . Sir F . ThesiGEb thought an inquiry superfluous ; but if there was an inquiry , it should not be limited to the Government patronage since April ,
1852 . " As to Government patronage generally , it was known very well by every member of that House , that over and over again , applications were made expressly upon the ground of services rendered at the time of elections , for a share in the patronage at the disposal of G-overnment . A very ready answer was always open to the gentlemen who did not happen to sit upon the sunny side of the House when they received sucli applications , that they were unable to comply with them , as it would riot be consistent
with their position ? The answer had often proved exceedingly convenient—perhaps it was the only advantage arising from being in opposition . ( Great laughter . ) But really , with regard to the Government patronage , there should not be this affectation of such extraordinary purity . ( Loud laughter . ) It was perfectly well known that the Government of the day was in the habit of conferring upon honourable members all the offices connected with tho Excise and the Post Office within the county or the borough which they happened to represent . An . inquiry into the matter would be hypocritical . "
Sir James Geaham thought it was unbusinesslike of Mr . Stafford to write , of his own authority , the circular of the 19 th of April , revoking the command of a former board . As to appointments generally , it was in the usual course that the political friends of the Government might fairly obtain the nominations in general ; but promotions should be made only on merit . Mr . Diseaem thought it necessary to defend the Duke of Nortlmmberland , who had never made appointments for political motives . As the ground of the inquiry had been enlarged , he would consent to the appointment of a committee . Lord John Rttssexl said it was needless to defend the Duke of Northumberland , whom no one attacked .
After some further discussion , throughout which all speakers disclaimed any imputation on Mr . Stafford ' s personal honour , the motion for a committee was agreed to , the inquiry into the patronage of the dockyards not being limited by the words " since the 19 th of April , 1852 . " CliEBGT BESEB . VES . In the House of Lords last night , the Duke of Newcastle moved the second reading of the Canadian Clergy Reserves Bill , and gave a sketch of the origin of those reserves , and of their history down to tho arrangement of the year 1840 . The alteration iii that arrangement now proposed by the Government was neither secularization nor spoliation of Church property , as had been affirmed by some , but an act of justice to the Canadian colonists , its object being simply to hand over the decision on this question to those to whom it rightfully belonged .
The Bishop of Exeteh warmly opposed the measuro , and stigmatized the opinion expressed by Sir W Molesworth in the Lower House as a monstrous doctrine , which ought to have been repudiated on tho spot by his colleagues . It was the duty of every Sfcato to sustain religion by endowments , without which it could not bo effectually maintained . If their lordehips passed this bill , they would bo guilty of an act of sacrilege , and thereby provoke the judgment of Goil . Tlio right reverend prelate concluded by moving that the bill be read a second time that day six months . Lord Lyttei / l'ON supported tho bill on tho ground that it rented with the Canadian Legislature to provide for the religious endowments of the colony .
Lord St . Leonards , in a speech of considerable length , opposed tho measure as a monstrous spoliation of tho rights of tho Established Church in Canada , which ho believed to bo an object of envy to tho sectarians and Itoman Catholics in that colony , who bad combined for the purpose of spoliation . After speeches from Lord Dkkjiy ami Lord GttEY , the Bishop of Kxeler ' s amendment wan negatived without a division , and the bill was read a second time .
MAYNOOTII . While tlio Commons wero liHtoning to Mr . Gladstone , a varied diHCUHflion on thin worn-out themo occup Lt ^ tho I ' eoiu Lord Winoiiilsjka moved for a committed of inquiry into " tho system of education in Maynooth College , und its reunite . " Tho mover suid nothing unexpected . Mnynooth w « h subversive of tho constitution ; the doctrines taught there wore opposed to civil and religious liberty ; tho canon law framed to oxten «[ tho temporal , not tlio spiritual , power of the Fopo , waa chiefly taught iu Maynooth ; and tlxo canon law must
Untitled Article
April ? 3 , 1853 . ] THE LEADER . 38 ft
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Leader (1850-1860), April 23, 1853, page 389, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1983/page/5/
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