Chapter 331: Political Transactions

Chapter 328 Political Deal
As a police officer, Arthur knew the basic essentials of interrogating a prisoner.

The reason why Hurst had a stiff upper lip at first was simply because he felt that there was a group behind him, and as a part of the group, he would naturally be protected.

But unfortunately, in many cases, it was just an illusion.

As long as some evidence and questions can be produced to make him realize that he has actually divorced himself from the group, there are very few people who can still carry the pressure of accountability under such circumstances.

And most of those people wouldn’t be able to make a separate ‘health care’ expense in their official bills.

After all, even Mr. Bernie Harrison knows better than to spend his own money on the budget of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons on which he serves.

But Harrison doesn’t do this not necessarily because he’s clever, but because he just doesn’t rank in London.

And the harbormaster could at least be considered a head honcho in this part of Liverpool.

As for within the Port Authority, Director Hurst can even do to say nothing, and in their own territory, basically is also regarded as a common problem of the departments of a handful of people.

In the face of the question thrown out by Arthur, Hurst quickly smelled an unpleasant aura of ‘I’m not targeting everyone here, I’m targeting you alone’.

Facing Arthur, who had two court plaques of ‘Chancellery and Customs’ hanging above his head, Hurst woke up with a jolt, and finally realized that this was not the Liverpool Port Authority, which he regarded as a safe house.

And the insecurity further fueled the human nature to avoid harm, and he easily figured out the truth – the best choice for an individual is not the best choice for a group, and vice versa.

Taking the knife for the Liverpool Association could certainly win him the support of the local gentry, but if the Customs and Excise Department jerked him out of his position as Director because of the billing issue, what good would it do for him to have support?
Snobbery is an unchangeable human vice, and it is a universal rule in the world that people are not as good as they used to be.

Could he still expect these profit-seeking businessmen to remember his kindness?

The reason why Viscount Goderich, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was able to keep his mistress after his misappropriation of public funds was revealed was because the Viscount’s father was a senior Tory–Lord Graham, his uncle was the Earl of Hardwick, who had served as the Governor of Ireland, his wife was the daughter of the Earl of Buckinghamshire, and his brother-in-law was the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Castle, who had influenced the Vienna Conference. , Viscount Castlereagh who swayed the Congress of Vienna, and Viscount Goderich himself was likewise one of the leading figures of the Canning faction of the Tories.

Therefore, even though Viscount Goderich’s case was a big deal in London, the Prime Minister, the Earl of Liverpool, did not remove him from the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer, but chose to deal with it in a cold manner, and only asked him to make a public apology in the House of Commons and then closed the matter hastily.

And after everyone forgot about it, Viscount Goderich even served briefly as transitional prime minister for six months after the death of the new prime minister, Sir Canning.

Though he did a terrible job for six months, with an unsuccessful plan to form a joint cabinet with the Whigs, and was even angrily dismissed by King George IV as ‘a damned, snotty, sniveling fool’.

And look at him not good king also after enduring him for half a year, and finally ordered repeated cabinet failed Viscount Goderich to submit his resignation to him in person, instead of Tory hardline leader Duke of Wellington to come to power to form a cabinet.

After the Duke of Wellington came to power, although Viscount Goderich briefly faded out of the public’s view for a period of time, but last year, after the collapse of Wellington’s cabinet, this is better than the king is still better at dealing with the lady crybaby but like a lightning bolt returned.

In the midst of the stormy Wellington Cabinet, Viscount Goderich announced that he was disassociating himself from the Tories, and led a group of MPs from the Canning wing of the Tory party to turn against him.

The Canning faction joined the Whigs en masse, and Earl Grey was flattered and welcomed. As a sign of the importance he attached to Viscount Goderich, Earl Grey announced that the Canning leader would be appointed Secretary of State for War and Colonial Affairs in the Whig Cabinet as soon as he took office.

Although this position is not as good as the transitional Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Viscount Goderich has at least blossomed into the second spring of his political career.

But Mr. Hurst, the Port Secretary, knows that he is no match for the Canningite crybaby bigwig, either in terms of background or connections. Just because people can live a second life doesn’t mean he can replicate this path to success.

If he really had that ability, then instead of serving on the Liverpool Port Authority, he would be on the Board of Public Works in London.

For Hurst, going down is really going down, and he can’t find a chance to turn it around at all.

This reasoning is like a tick on Darwin’s head, that’s out in the open.

Hurst understood it, and Arthur certainly understood it.

Though the harbormaster of Liverpool might seem a world away from the inmates of Newgate Prison, it was much easier for Arthur to interrogate him than it was to interrogate ordinary criminals.

Hurst saw that Arthur had not been taking a stand, and Mr. Director, who had just been in a relaxed posture, soon sat down.

He took out a handkerchief and wiped his greasy head, and hinted in a low voice, “Mr. Hastings, it is common for funds to be used irregularly. It’s like holes in cheese; some are big and some are small, but it’s impossible to think of none. Besides, it’s sort of a tradition in the Port Authority; before William Pitt the Younger became Prime Minister, before the Customs Department was overhauled, they got it worse than this.”

Arthur wasn’t in a hurry to make a statement, he just smiled and asked, “What did Liverpool used to do?”

Hurst returned cryptically as he wiped the sweat off his face, “Let’s just say that back in the 18th century, it was very important to have a good wife if you wanted to climb up the ladder fast in the customs department. Of course, it was up to you to say whether your wife was good or not, it depended on whether she had gained the admiration of the higher-ups.”

“Hiss ……” Dumas, who was standing in front of the window smoking a cigarette, almost sipped his lung cancer when he heard this, “Britannia, it’s really full of surprises everywhere.”

Heinrich Heine, who had been repeatedly frustrated in his pursuit of his cousin, was also shocked: “In that case, marrying a German country girl isn’t so bad, the security they can provide is absolutely unparalleled.”

Louis just sullenly made a statement, he turned over a brand new page and asked, “Sir, what do you think is better for me to write?”

Arthur crossed his fingers on his knees as he leaned back in his chair and asked with a smile, “That depends on Mr. Hurst’s attitude.”

Hurst thought about it, and finally gritted his teeth and raised two fingers at Arthur: “Their bottom limit is this much, it’s fine for you to talk about it according to this number. If it’s more than that, they might have to be afraid of it.”

Arthur nodded his head slightly and said aloud to Louis, “Louis, just keep this in mind. The Liverpool Port Authority, during Mr. Rees Hurst’s tenure as director, swept away the stereotypes of the last century and achieved rigorous and well-organized accounts, vigorously banning the phenomenon of private dealings by employees within the authority. At the same time, it also responded perfectly to the free trade ethos advocated by the Cabinet, spending every penny where it wanted to go ……”

Louis, who was making notes without lifting his head, opened his mouth and asked, “Do I need to specify which parts the pennies went to?”

Hurst sniffed and hastened to discourage it, “That would be unnecessary!”

Hearing this, Arthur suddenly turned his words around again, “However, at the level of practical implementation, the Liverpool Port Authority also has some deficiencies, such as the dislocation in social services ……”

Hurst’s heart, which had just been put down, lifted up again when he heard this, “Mr. Hastings, where does this come from?”

Arthur spoke, “Mr. Hurst, as I have said from the moment you walked in the door, this communication and dialogue with you was conducted in an open and honest manner. I have learned all about the Port Authority’s job evaluation from your lips, and there are no fictionalized parts, at best, slightly embellished.

If I remember correctly, you mentioned earlier that the Port Authority’s ‘health care’ expenditures are dedicated to the leadership of the Authority and do not benefit the rank and file employees, let alone cover general social services. It shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for me to adopt your statement and give you such a comment now, should it?”

Hurst asked through clenched teeth, “Mr. Hastings, isn’t this over?”

Arthur returned, “Mr. Hurst, I’m here on this trip to audit, there’s no such thing as uncovering the past or not. The Port Authority’s bills for the past five years have included such an amount every month, although the exact amount is not large, but in the future, if the Customs Department asks what happened to this account, I can’t say that it was overlooked due to my personal dereliction of duty, can I?
Moreover, at this time of the cholera outbreak, the name ‘health care’ is really too eye-catching, you have to find a reasonable explanation for it. I’ll give you one night, and tomorrow I want to see a written explanation in duplicate, one for the Port Authority and one for me to take back to London. As a final reminder, you mustn’t forget to stamp it with the Port Authority’s official seal, that way it will have legal validity.” When Hurst heard this, he finally understood what Arthur really meant.

He could leave this matter alone, but the premise of letting go of this account was that if something came to light in the future, he would have to have a reason for being deceived by the Port Authority to fob off his superiors.

When Hurst saw that Arthur wanted to be cross, and thought of the possibility that he might return to London with that explanatory document, the sweat on his head suddenly came out again.

He came closer and whispered, “Mr. Hastings, there’s no need to make such a fuss, is there? It’s only a few pounds a month, or a hundred pounds or so, so just wipe it off in the ledger and it’ll be over.”

Arthur nodded slightly and said, “That’s fine, but …… as I said at the meeting of the Port Authority and Customs Department, the auditors are from the East India Company, and I don’t particularly mind as long as you can persuade them not to single out this one.”

Hurst sniffed and slapped his head.

Ask him to convince the East India Company? Wasn’t that a joke?
Although it was no longer the heyday of the East India Company, a Liverpool harbor master was not enough to put the listed directors in their eyes.

Besides, the matter of coming to Liverpool to investigate the case is still led by the Cabinet, he really can’t see the reason why the East India Company has to let him go.

Hurst is afraid of wolves and tigers, the thought that he may at any time be kicked down from the fat and oily harbor master position, and may even be put into the new gate prison, he is in the heart of the weak.

He carefully asked, “Mr. Hastings, are you free after the banquet? Or …… or tomorrow as well, whichever day you are free, delay you for half an hour to sit in my house?”

The fat Frenchman, who was holding back his bad feelings, turned around and said, “Mr. Hurst, you don’t want to play some traditional Port Authority crafts, do you?”

“No, no, no, how could that be? It’s in Mr. Hastings’ report too, that’s all stereotypes.”

Hurst’s face was covered in sweat as he smiled sarcastically and asked, “And before I ask, you are?”

Dumas lifted his tuxedo to reveal the holster at his waist, “I am a special employee of the London Police Intelligence Service responsible for Mr. Hastings’ safety. For security reasons, I feel that Mr. Hastings should not travel to you in private.”

Hurst only thought that he had met a difficult brat, he pursed his lips and returned, “Then come to the Port Authority first tomorrow when you are free, and I’ll have a private exchange with you about Mr. Hastings’ safety and security first.”

Hearing this, Heine also secretly made a bad move, “What about me? Mr. Hurst, I specialize in writing.”

Hear this, Hearst could only bite his back teeth and return, “All go, all go! I’ll be waiting for all of you at the Port Authority early tomorrow morning.”

Arthur saw that his attitude had softened like a puddle of mud, and knew he couldn’t push him too hard.

He was at least a local Liverpool gentleman, and he had to have some decency.

Moreover, he did not run to knock Hurst’s bar from the beginning.

Arthur took off his pipe and spoke: “Mr. Hurst, there is no need to be so troublesome. Since the bill says ‘health care’ expenses, you can just follow the name. But after five consecutive years of expenditures in that area, and the employees within the Port Authority know nothing about it, then you’ll have to look the other way.”

Hurst was stunned at first; he hadn’t expected Arthur to take the initiative to give him an idea.

“What do you mean?”

Arthur fished out a business card from his jacket pocket and pushed it in front of Hurst, “I ran into a gentleman today who claimed to be the president of the British Child Protection Association, he claimed that the association has been working to emigrate the nation’s street children overseas, I don’t know if you’ve heard of this.”

Hurst took the business card and scanned it, quickly remembering the matter, “You’re talking about Mr. Brenton, aren’t you? He even approached me earlier and mentioned this matter to me. Said that his immigrant ship was seized and quarantined by the port authority, so now there are several hundred children being stranded in Liverpool.”

Arthur asked, “How long has he been doing this? Did the immigration permit go the proper way?”

Hurst rubbed his temples, “It must be two years now. Immigration permits do go through the proper channels and the Colonial Office knows about it. You are a Scotland Yard policeman, so you should also be aware of Cabinet policy.

Britain can’t feed that many people, so instead of keeping those criminals in the country, it’s better to send them to shine in the overseas colonies. It’s just that when Sir Peel was Home Secretary, he didn’t always emphasize a gradual change in the usual tough law enforcement style and bloody laws.

Now that there are fewer capital offenses than before, there are fewer exiles than before. However, if these felons are not exiled, they will still commit crimes in the end if they have no money in their hands. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the Ministry of Colonial Affairs launched some subsidized policies for overseas immigrants, hoping that those who have the ability to move overseas will try to go out.

The Children’s Protective Association in Brenton had the same idea, except that the street children they took in were basically those whose parents had died and who had no money in their pockets, and even if they were given a subsidy, it was not enough to pay for the boat, so they could not move out. So they took it upon themselves to raise money and contacted factories and farms overseas with the intention of sending these children out as apprentices early while they were still young.

By the time the apprenticeships were over, with a little luck, they would have a little money saved up in their hands. Whether they continue to work as laborers, or start a small business, or go to reclaim the land, it’s always better than if they continue to stay in the country.”

Louis sniffed and couldn’t help but ask, “At such a young age, is it really not a problem to throw them out?”

Hurst took a drag on his cigarette, “That’s hard to say. But for the poor, a small part of it depends on hard work and a large part on luck. If you stay in the country and have nothing to eat, sooner or later you’ll run off and commit a crime. When caught and sentenced to exile, it would be better to find Brenton to gamble with his life.

After all, Brenton gave them contact apprenticeship at least give some money, but also can learn a little craft, and exile, do more than a penny are not given, and most of them are sold labor. The same eight-year period, the apprenticeship through is the sky, but the exile is penniless to start again.

The oldest children in Brenton are eleven or twelve years old, and the average child is expected to be a breadwinner by the age of eight, so they should be able to consider the advantages and disadvantages for themselves. And from my personal perspective, I think the attacks on Brenton in the court of public opinion are completely unjustified. That’s just a bunch of self-confessed, no-nonsense people moaning about nothing.

But any of them who came to Liverpool to look around would know that most of the colonial ships that sailed from Liverpool were families of hired farmers and artisans who had some savings. A ticket was not cheap, and even with the subsidies from the Colonial Affairs Department, it was not something the average pauper could afford. It’s not easy enough that Brenton and the others are willing to make up the difference at no cost.”

When Arthur heard this, he simply spoke, “Since you think it’s a good thing, why don’t you go along and stick your nose in?”

“Hmm?” Hurst asked, “You mean ……”

Arthur returned, “There are hundreds of children trapped in the docks of Liverpool right now and it’s during cholera. If we don’t solve their problems properly and let the disease break out among them, then once the news gets out, more than just the harbor authority and the city council will be out of luck, on my side …… you understand. From this point of view, I think it is completely justified and unquestionable for the Port Authority to set up a special expenditure for ‘health care’.”

“Ah ……” Hurst sniffed, and immediately felt that the clouds had been rattled: “This …… I hadn’t thought about it from this perspective It is indeed a skill to make a good thing out of what …… was originally a bad thing.”

Arthur smiled and shook his head, “Where can a bad thing be made into a good thing. It can be done into a good thing can only mean that it was a good thing from the very beginning, only that the group just started to have problems in understanding.”

As soon as Arthur’s words left his mouth, the door to the smoking room was pushed open and Gladstone led an elderly gentleman in.

“Father, this is Mr. Hastings.”

(End of chapter)