11 July 1829: A Leeds Mercury subscriber asks why Christians do not seek to refute the claims of the Rev. Robert Taylor and Richard Carlile’s “infidel home missionary tour”
E.T. 1829/07/11. [Lack of response to Taylor and Carlile]. Leeds Mercury. Leeds. Get it:
.Unedited excerpt
The excerpt in the book is shorter, edited and, where applicable, translated.
Gentlemen, Allow me through the medium of your publication to ask what can be the reason of the general indifference, which exists among the advocates of Christianity to the attempts now making, publicly to prove the non-existence of Christ as the Saviour of man; and the consequent fallacy of the whole of the New Testament Scriptures? Does the silence which is preserved on this subject arise out of the defencelessness of the Christian cause or the negligence of its Guardian? If the former, what a cheerless prospect, what a pitiful hope is the Christian’s! If the latter, is it not time for the watchmen of Israel at once and for ever to wipe away the infamous reflections which these modern sceptics have publicly and impudently cast upon Christianity? Is there never a champion of the cross of Christ, whose zeal for the faith and hope of Christians will inspire and engage his efforts to interpose an effectual check to the promulgation of sentiments so blasphemous and dangerous? – By inserting the foregoing letter in your very valuable paper next Saturday, you will greatly oblige,
Your’s very respectfully,
E.T., A Subscriber
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- Atheism (5) W/G ·
- Christianity (9) W/G ·
- Church of England (94) W/G ·
- Leeds Mercury (18), leading Whig newspaper founded by John Hirst in 1718, bought by Nonconformist-Liberal Edward Baines in 1801 and used to advocate some types of social and political reform, remained in the family for two more generations W/G ·
- 📌Leeds (249) W/G ·
- Newspaper (28) W/G ·
- Richard Carlile (1) W/G ·
- Robert Taylor (Radical) (1) W/G ·
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25 September 1880: Thomas Harper reveals to the Leeds Mercury’s young readers a mnemonic song of monarchs (except Oliver) used in the village school at Weldrake (York) in the 1770s
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What of checks and balances? An amusing detail in the commissioners’ report on Leeds (via Frédéric Moret (Moret 2015)):
The close constitution of the corporation is obvious; all vacancies in each branch of it being filled by the Select Body, gives to that body absolute and uncontrolled self-election.
Family influence is predominant. Fathers and sons and sons-in-law, brothers and brothers-in-law, succeed to the offices of the corporation, like matters of family settlement.
The great respectability of the present members of the corporation and their impartial conduct as justices, were universally acknowledged; but the restricted system and want of a more popular method of election were loudly complained of; and it was said that it would be satisfactory to a great majority of the town, that there should be such more open course, as the Legislature in its wisdom, should think best.
The ill effects of the present exclusive system are rendered strikingly apparent from one circumstance in this borough. In cases where the election is popular, as in the choice of Commissioners under the Local Acts, the persons selected are all of one political party, professing the opposite opinions to those entertained by the majority of the corporation; which is accounted for by the necessity of balancing the influence of the corporation, at the same time that it is said to show the inclination of the majority of the town. This choice of commissioners exclusively from one party is admitted to be undesirable, but is justified as being resorted to in self-defence.
The mayor didn’t get paid out of the corporation’s annual income of £220 (£23K in July 2024; Liverpool’s income was £90K – £9,600K in 2024 (Moret 2015)), so there may not be any good corruption stories out there.
The main conclusions of the first report (more):
- The corporations were exclusive bodies with no community of interest with the town after which they were named.
- The electorate of some corporations was kept as small as possible.
- Some corporations merely existed as “political engines” for maintaining the ascendancy of a particular party.
- Members of corporations usually served for life and the corporate body was a self-perpetuating entity. Roman Catholics and Dissenters, although no longer disabled from being members, were systematically excluded.
- Vacancies rarely occurred and were not filled by well-qualified persons.
- Some close corporations operated in almost complete secrecy, sometimes secured by oath. Local residents could not obtain information on the operation of the corporation without initiating expensive legal actions.
- The duties of the mayor were, in some places, completely neglected.
- Magistrates were appointed by the corporations on party lines. They were often incompetent and did not have the respect of the inhabitants.
- Juries in many boroughs were exclusively composed of freemen. As the gift of freedom lay with the corporation, they were political appointees and often dispensed justice on a partisan basis.
- Policing in the boroughs was often not the responsibility of the corporation but of one or more bodies of commissioners. An extreme example was the City of Bath, which had four districts under different authorities, while part of the city had no police whatever.
- Borough funds were “frequently expended in feasting, and in paying the salaries of unimportant officers” rather than on the good government of the borough. In some places funds had been expended on public works without adequate supervision, and large avoidable debts had accrued. This often arose from contracts being given to members of the corporation or their friends or relations. Municipal property was also treated as if it were only for the use of the corporation and not the general population.
The commission concluded its report by stating that:
…the existing Municipal Corporations of England and Wales neither possess nor deserve the confidence or respect of Your Majesty’s subjects, and that a thorough reform must be elected, before they can become, what we humbly submit to Your Majesty they ought to be, useful and efficient instruments of local government.
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