Penarth Chronicle and District Advertiser

NONCONFORMIST MINISTERS AND THE PENARTH, COGAN AND LLANDOUGH LIB- ERAL ASSOCIATION, _i To the Editor of the Penarth Chronicle. Sir,-f Lis a source of real satisfaction to all true Liberals that at last a Liberal Association has been established for this district, which is likely to be of a permanent character. The idea, underlying its initiation and formation, is no doubt, that it should be a centre of Liberal operations, and a force to attract I and draw together those holding Liberal views in politics, and bind them for strong and united action in future contests. bof,h local and parliamentary. Lack of this organization, was no doubt one, and perhaps the chief cause on our side of our late defeat. And in order to be strong and ready for the next opportunity when it occurs, the newly formed Asso- ciation ought to be supported and backed up by all the Liberals of the district. Unity and co-operation is required to establish the Association firmly and to bring its labours to a successful and victorious issue. 9 At the same time, in order to obtain these desireable ends, the Association will have to haste slowly. In order to get all Liberals to join in hearty and united action, we shall have to take care at every step we take, and exercise discretion and wisdom. Our opponents work and co-operate like machines. The touching of the party laver is enoagh for them' But e aa a party work on a higher and worthier prin- ciple. It is a matter of judgement and conviction with us, and so we say we ought to be very care- ful not to do anything to give any offence or sow the seeds of discord. I have penned the foregoing observations in good ftllth; in consequence of bearing from a reliable source, that one of the Wards; the Central I believe, in its meeting to elect its quota to form the Liberal Two Hundred has made in my opinion a grand blunder. I am given to understand that at that Ward's meeting a resolution was passed, or an understanding come to —<4 wbich has the effect of disfranchising and excluding- the Nonconformist ministers in that Ward from being members of the TwoHundred. If that is so, I pro- nounce the reslution unwise andillegal, and likely to be a cause of friction and disorder, and is surely to prove an unpleasant offence. Isay that the resolution is an unwise one, and not in accord and unison with the objects of the forma- tion of the Association. That object obviously is to bring ALL the Liberals of the district into thorough working order and sympathy with the objects of our party, without any distinction, and without anyrefer- ence, or mention, of class, creed, or profession. And the Liberals of that particular Ward, must admit that in our present disorganised state we want the help of every Liberal to retrieve the fortunes of our party. It is out of all reason to offend any class at this political juncture, and we cannot afford to exclude or ignore any person, be he what he may, if he hold our polit- ical views. But in face of all this, the resolution referred to is in direct antagonism to the letter and spirit of that object. And I am bound to say that I consider the proceedings of the Ward in this matter as most unwise. The meeting has also committed an illegal act as those who composed it were not empowered or instructed to pass such a resolution. What the meeting of Liberals at which lit was decided to form an Association, instructed the several Wards to do was to nominate a certain number to be members of the Two Hundred. They were not instructed to consider the propriety of excluding any class, creed, or profession. The simple work of the Wards was to elect their number irrespective of any reference to I any class and therefore this resolution of exclusion is not a legitimate act. I Further, this resolution will cause friction and disorder. If there are reasons for excluding the ministers residing in that particular Ward from being on the Two Hundred, then the same reason holds good as to ministers in general through the district and all ought to be excluded. But it is not to be so, tor another Ward, disagreeing with this resolution of the Central Ward, has passed a resolution unani- mously that ministers are eligible to be nominated on the Two Hundred. Now there are two Wards clashing on this matter. That is not a happy begin- ning, and will not help to bring about the unity and co-operation contemplated when the Association was established. Besides this resolution is sure to cause offence, and create illfeeling. It is a thousand pities that the matter was ever broached. And those who voted for this resolution, cannot call themselves consistant Liberals, as their work proves itself most illiberal. The meeting ought to have considered the nature of the work it had to perform, and the scop and extent of its authority, and what would be the natural con- sequences of its proceedings. It stands to reason that the excluded ministers, cannot tako this resolution in a kindly spirit or look upon it in a favourable light. They most likely will doubt the purity of the motives of those who moved and acquiesced in the matter. Perhaps it will be looked upon as an attempt to revenge; springing from certain jealous quarters. What have the ministers done that they should have been singled out at all ? Is it what they did prior to the District Council Election ? They only did then what the two political parties, ought to thank them for doing. And whatever were the effects of that election for some Liberals, nobody in truth and honour can hold the ministers responsible for those effects. You may rest assured there are others in the Liberal community in Penarth more worthy of censure than the Nonconformist ministers, and this unwise action, it is feared will make the ministers politically lukewarm, and estrange them from action on behalf of the objects of the Association, and this will be a sad loss to our party. I say therefore that this offensive resolution, ought not to be allowed to remain on the records of the Association to disgrace its annals at the commence- ment of its history. The Nonconformist ministers, should it come to that, can righteously claim and demand, from their profession and position, and as citizens and ratepayers, to have their proper place, and that a conspicious place in the party. Ministers have been the foremost politicians in Wales. It is to their teaching and guidance that the Welsh are a nation of Nonconformists and Liberals. And they at the present time ought to be in the fore front of the battle for religious equality. And every illadvised effort to thrust them aside ought to be repudiated and condemned. Look at the Parsons, how they work for their party. Would any Conservative Association be unwise enough to dr the Parsons from being members ? Never Then let the Liberals of the Central Ward learn wisdom from their opponents. Yours, SIGMA.

AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OF RAILWAY SERVANTS, PENARTH BRANCH. To the Editor of the Penarth, Chronicle. Sir,—I am requested by the railway men of Penarth, through the columns of your paper, to express their sincerest thanks to the public of Penarth who in any way, contributed to tkeir Orphan Fund on Sunday last; also, they would especially thank the officers1 "llim J and members of the Cogan Military Band, wo on this and previous occasions have rendered signal ser- vice to the Railway Men's Orphan Fund in coming to their assistance whenever called upon free of charge, also they would like to especially thank the young lady soloist, Miss Emma Webb, who gave her ser- vices at the chapel, and who have kindly assisted US on a previous occasion; also the trustees of the YVesIeyan Chapel, Arcot-street, who kindly gave us the use of their place of worship; also the leader,Mr Jones, and his choir, and the organist, Mr Baft Hallett, all of whom did their best to make the ser- vice success. The minister, the Rev. W. FaW- throp, pastor of Loudoun-square Wesleyan Chapelj Cardiff, we would also specially thank for the ready and courteous manner he came to our assistance, he having to go to some inconvenience in coming from Cardiff, and also in having to find another minister to fill his place. May lilUeieSS attend oar noble orphafc fund. I remain, On behalf of Penarth Railway Men, JOSEPH WILLIAMS, Branch Secretary. 31, Dock-street, Cogan Pill, August 13th, 1895,

Ponarth Railwaymen's Church Parade. I This annual church parade and Orphan Fund service in connection with the Penartli Branch of the I Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, took place on Sunday last, August 11th. The members met outside their lodge-room, Pill-street, Cogan, and formed in procession, headed by the Cogan Military Band, under Bandmaster John Bryant, and six little children wearing the orphans' sashes. The procession left Cogan at 2.30 p.m., marching up vVindsor-roadj through Glebe-street, to the We3leyan Chapel, Arcot- I street, the trustees of which had kindly granted the use of the building. The service was a very euttille siastic one. The chapel choir, who kindly consented to assist the railway men, led the singing an a spirited manner. The railway men were also favoured by a young lady soloist in the person of Miss Emma Webb, who sang, by special request, of the railway men, a solo entitled The Holy City," of which she gave a good and masterly rendering. The sermott was preached by the Rev. W. Fawthrop, pastor of Loudoun-sduare Wesleyan Chapel, Cardiff, who de- livered an excellent discourse, taking his text front Luke x., 36, (l iVhich, now, of these three thinkest thou was neighbour unto hi:n that fell among the tliieve.s? The preacher went on quoting the pre- ceding verses of the chapter, and put in front of his congregation soire beautiful pictures of the Good Samaritan, and saying who we ought always to con. sider was our neighbour. Some people, he said, thought that their neighbour only extended to the house next to their own but, said the preacher, that was not the neighbour that Jesus Christ put in front of the lawyer that came and tempted Him; and, went on the preacher, if the neighbour of Jesutf Christ was only put into practice more than it is, what an uplifting of mankind would take place. ThS preacher went on to m -ke a special appeal on behalf of the Railway Men's Orphan Fund, and said that the railway men had a great claim on the generosity of the public of this country. Men, he said, who were in constant risk of their lives, and who the travelling public owed their safety and comfort to when travel- ling over the different railways of the country. He said that those railway men were prompted by the love that sprang from Jesus Christ Himself in trying their best to support their orphan children, and he hoped the Christian spirit would animate their hearts that afternoon, and that they would give liberally to that deserving fund. The collection was then made, which realised £4 3s Id. Th3 amoant collected en route in the procession was 16s lid, making in all £ 3. After the service the members again formed in pro- cession, and marched back to Cogan, where they dis- persed, Thus ended a third series of what appears to be for the railway men future successful annual gat he ri ng 3. Uo rnmunicatedJ

I Maltreating a 11 Ifoke." At the Penarth Police Court on Wednesday morn- ing—before Mr Phillip Morel (chairman), and MrW.' L. Morris—Inspector George Edward Allen, of the R.S.P.C.A., summoned John Shier for ill-treating a donkey at Penarth on the last Bank Holiday. According to the Inspector, Shier was not the owner of Neddy, but was whacking him most pitilessly with a stick two and a half feet long and three-quarters of an inch in diameter. For a distance of 100 yards the animal was struck 30 or 40 titnesl and the lad furthermore constantly prodded the "moke" anderthe tail. Numerous complaints had been received from Penarth relative to brutal asinine treatment. The boy was fined 2a 6d inclusive, and the Bench, warned him that if he appeared again on a similar charge he would be severely dealt with.; Mrs Shier, the lad's mother, said that his father bad also chastised him-