The Press. — London, England, 1853-12-24 00:00:00

DECEMBER 24, 1853. native the men will have will be submission to the masters or the workhouse. As the law stands every one is entitled to relief, but the guardians cm insist on the performance of labour in return. For some time after the in troduction of the present Poor Law this labour. which operat.'d as a test of the necessities of the applicant. was rigorously enforced, but when that wholesome rigour had broken the de grading habit, which was once almost universal amongst the labouring classes, of applying to the parish on all occasions, the labour test fell into practical desuetude. Mr. FAnsvm., the inspector, in the face of existing and impend ing events, strenuously recommends a revival of this test, and at Wigan, Preston, and Burnley his advice was taken ; whilst at Rochdale the zeal of the guardians seems to have antici pated and exceeded his wishes. There `• committee had been appointed to negotiate ` for the purehame of lands upon which to cm • ploy all able-bodied paupers, no matter from • .shat eawie they were efonpelltd to apply file • relief." We think we have heard of one Joux Banner in connection with Rochdale ; we be lieve he is a very considerable ratepayer of that town ; did his gentle and dove-like spirit animate the words we have put in italics ? Mr. FARNALL recommends vigorous but not ineonsiderate measures. To those able-bodied men who apply for relief, either because they are idle or dissolute, or in consequence of the strikes, he would apply a test ; whilst in favour of others who are suffering because ,the mills are working short time he recommends, " without pretending in the slightest degree " to pledge the Poor Law Board," a recon sideration, with a view to their relaxation, of those orders which relate to " giving relief to " persons while employed for wages." This advice seems reasonable ; but the great diffi culty is, what kind of labour shall the test con sist of? It may be compiled that though no wan can be allowed to starve, yet that, before he receives relief, labour can be demanded from him for it in return ; but. it is not so clear that ,justice will warrant the application of a uniform test to all kinds of men. Digging is the simplest and the most remunerative, therefore it is generally adopted. To an able-bodied agricultural Jubourer this would be rather an amusement than a toil, and would in leis ease be consluene 1., health , but what would it lee to the rile welt% yr, accustomed to the sitmosphere of the lost facto y, enfeebled and attenuated hy the sufferings of the long strike, by the gnaw ings of hunger borne under the bitter cold of the early winter? It would be torture to all, disease to many, death to sonic. Therefore, though we think it absolutely just and neces sary to have seine test, and that, too, so severe that no man would prefer it to labour for wages, yet we think a uniform test would operate unequally and therefore unjustly. To one man it would be play, to another torture. But the guardians of Haslingden, differing from their brethren of Wigan, Preston, Burnley, and Rochdale, without troubling themselves with distinctions, rejected the advice of the Poor Law Inspector in auto. They refused to apply any test. We should like to know to what grade of society these guardians Meng. They are certainly not manufacturers, otherwise their own interests would have induced them to adopt some test. Neither should we suppose, from the choice and chaste diction of their final resolution, that they belong to those " unproductive" classes who have time to think of other things than money. These are the words:—" That we carry on as we are, and `• relieve them as we have relieved them.' Perhaps they are some of Lord Jon N 111.78/4ELL's new ten-pounders, who, being neither menu hie turers nor landowners, would not per -onally be materially affected by any increase in the poor rates. while they reflect that popu larity is always pleasant and sometimes pro fitable. But. whatever they are. Mr. FAIINALL warned them that they were law in refusing to adopt a test. and that the remedy was in the hands of the auditor It is three weeks since We vaned attention to this subject, and warned the men that if they re sorted to the workhouse a test would be ap plied to them. We did not then, nor do we now, express any opinion on the merits of THE PRESS. their strike ; all we sad• is, that never was there a worse time to attempt to dictate to the masters. The earl• and rigorous winter. the dearness of provisions, the state of ft►- reign markets, the war in the East. which threatens to spread and rage more fiercely I►eftae long, all these are against the men. Sul►ulission to the masters. or workhouse diet and severe labour, the ehoiee of the men lies between these. In a few weeks they must make their election, and we should not think the result can be doubtful. AMERICAN ECCENTRWITIES. Parsin Plimer, in his message to Congreas, fully approves of the conduct of Captain INGRAHAM, the commander of the American ship, who, at Smyrna, virtually resorted to force to rescue MAttnx lioszrA. the Hungarian, from the Austrian authorities. The Austrians possess by treaty judicial power over all their subjects within the dominions of the Sultan. Therefore the question to be considered is, whether koszTA had done anything to divest himself of the status of an Austrian subject_ The American Presi dent says that in Isso KOSZTA first came to the United States, and then "declared his intention, in " due form of law," to become an American citizen. In less than two years after this he was seized at Smyrna by the Austrian:4, and the President justifies the conduct of Captain INtilt MASI, because kooszTA " was clothed with the nationality of the United " States." There is no internat . 1 law of citizenship ; each State has its own. In England a subject can never by any act divest himself of his allegiance. Yet there are at this moment several subjects of England in the United States who, according to the doctrine of President PlEncE, are clothed with Ame ricen nationality, and therefore entitled to the pmtee lion of America, whom England would perhaps seize if ever they came within her jurisdiction. We allude to Messrs. Alf:mama and Co., who, being lett at liberty on their word of honour, were enabled to es cape from Van Diemen 's Land by the simple proeess of breaking it. Suppose one of these worthies was seen eating oysters in a tavern in Liverpol, whilst Ireland was preparing for a second heroic but Metal less battle of Itallingarry, and suppose the patri o t was imprisoned until he could Mal bail for his good beltio• according to President PlEfice the A lfie ri. cans, of whom) them are many in Liverpool, would be justified in attempting to rescue him by for c e. Th e truth is, the Americans have re0.,014c.1 to strike out it mots loath list 1110111 , 4Chl"i in CA 4'l) iis osttlacill. in international las, in the case of Ito-A ; rot Ile iris now , of (Honor mid r r e difoor: in rriouoliatioet Stode debts; in gi MAI ;41H-14 nronu as affair that happened lately sit Madrid. .1. gold cak• broidery does not attract attention at European Comas, the American diplomatists, their families, and at ta(olti.s dress with a quaker-like simplicity, on account of which they are stared at. Accordingly, at the capital of Spain the wife of Mr. Sonix, the new America,' Minister, appeared at a court ball in a dress up to her throat. The Duke of AT.III (observed that she looked like MARY of Burgundy. From this simple and most likely accurate remark two duels late sprung. M. de Tt•a(((rt, the French Minister, fuel the Duke of ALBA fought the Sorms, father and sou. Young Sout.c, more familiar with a bowie-knife Blau a sword, was compelled to apologise with the Duke's toledo at his breast. (1141 Som., skilled in the use of a revolver, shot the French Ambassador in the knee. The duels and the dispute with Austria spring from the same spirit developed in different spheres. In dividually in society, violating conventional l aws , it results in personal rencontres ; di*.played on a larger scale, it breaks through the law of nations and leads to international embroilmeuts. GAbIBLEItS. Fitom time to time the police reports inform us that much sensation has been created at Marlborough street by the appearance in the dock of some score or two of gentlemen, bearing the names of Johnson, Thompson, Smith, Jones, Williams. and Brown. Vliy does (lie appearance of these gentlemen create a sen,aiion at Marlborough street, where even mur derer. have been fully coin mined with immelodramatie apathy ? Because it is pretended that they are all xlsatias mariptiotes, earls, viscounts, barons, baronet:, konouralles, ur lieutenant colonels at the least. who, having been raptured the previous night in a rambling house, have spent the intervening time in the cells of the ',olive-station, and are now brought up for examination before the magistrate. This was the fate of no less than forty gentlemen this week, and of about a hundred within the last two months. The 795 course the cases take is always the RAW'. The active inspector deposes that from information he had re cei‘ed lie obtained a warrant to search the suspected house—that he went there it one kielock in the morning— that he knocked 1111411 was reeonnoitred through a hole to a man who at first refitsed to admit him, lan on preparations being made to form un Cittninee the 41. sir was slowly opened—that it was bOtlttli with iron, and strongly bolted—that at each landing there was a similar door, where a similar scene occurred—that finally, after half at hour's . _ detention at these barriers Oa the staircase, he readied a room of the top or the h o use, where some twenty gentlemen were found innocently employed in knocking billiard bons a b ou t _ ea ti ng , oth a tt t e h e ,..._. drinking wine and smoking cigars. The room is seareheil—no implements of gambling are discovered ; the gentlemen are taken to the station-house, where they also are searched. with the same result. No. thing of st nature to show what they have been doing is to Ist found. Mr. el.kinisoN twho attends fiir the prisoners' dwelnws to address the magistrate, as there is no evidence hefore him—the magistrate agrees with Alr. tl.tnksos, and the accused am discharged. Now, there are two lights in which these eases may he looked at—either these gentlemen are gamblers, or they are Mat. they are n o t, a mon strous injustice is done by dragging them week after week front their innocent sandwiches, cigars, asset wine, at one. two, a n d three o'elock in the morning, taking them to tic station hawse, n o k ee pi ng th em in cells when there is no evidence against them ; or if they are gamblers, and if gambling sl hl be repressed by law, then the present law is detective, and should be amended and made efficient. Inn. contemporary the Morning Chronicle, indeed, wen's to think otherwise. In commenting ou the case which occurred this week it congratulates the police on having diseovered the names of some of the prisoners. "Seriously speaking," it Nal.P4, "we "11111 st congratulate the of pollee 111p011 "the hi111)111. but, w., strongly suspect, effectual "lowans which they have devised for suppressing the " nefarious dens to u Welt, d e." Seriously speaking, we 111111s1 it'll our eoliteinporary that the police are the 4.m...tithe of the law, and vve are tag aware that there is any statute %Illicit emuls that they shall play the Paid liry awl then gossip Kith the reporters for the 'malting paper 4. If these are to be their ditties, why confine the sphere of their observation to gamitig !liaises here are other ionises to which people ought not to go, and to which they would not go if the fact were published. Why does not our eon temporary suggest that the pollee should watch the s e plirces, tattsli , 4l4 the none :1 of Choy() who f n ,, 1444 . 4 g, Ill' ul on ••144 ct In thr /lire and 'rig, the I ilk of uc should Ise the hod Pry 'I le• •!• ritet of the throvick i• N. like It ('llatUN " II II I ic;1111." I . ollllllti our 1111444'10%N Mt tills to 1.11111 it ,ripph silent with El of )1 itiglity people. It is not by ri medics like these, Lot by relaxing the law of cvillence in these eases, that the evil ran he met. A slave ship is condemned oil proof of its iu ternsl arrangements, even if no slaves sue On Wank Why cannot a similar rule be applied to gmoing• house, Every one knows bow the Jive are mule away with. A spat' front the top Ot . the house 44ainnuni rate'. wills the drain in the treet ; down this they go, and, long before the active inspector has reached the room, " the implements of gauging" are fur on their jia‘rne i the Thames. It is all von well to boa‘t that an Englishman's house is his castle, but a hoarse is a CaNtle ill el 1110 Dry ; there is Ilse oreavpal 111 Make it Ma' 1411 . the Sakti of immoral practice. Surely gentlemen Can eat sandwiches in sufficient conduit without the seeurity of bolts, bare, and iron bound doors ; nor can these precautions has necessary to keep out the draught tunl serve as a protection against cold. Every one knows what they are there for. Either let the gamblers gamble on in 'WIRY, anti ruin themselves ir they will, or make the law elfectual a n d euttvict and punish them ; but in the name of elainnon sense do not let the present ••ottiprosoise continue. 1.41 us not by the practical bull and national Niotwrisy justify the statement that " England is au moral that she will hut permit gambling, and punishes it by a law which cannot be role weed." Set)Tell GIZILVANcES .1N1) SCoTell Aviitinvit meeting of the .‘ssoeimion for the t'iniliea• tiou of Scottish !tights was held at Glasgow last week. The speakers addressed themselves radii.... to practical than to heraldic grie‘aiires. The ano• inalons position of the Lord Aihocate, shut over tasked lawyer who rules th e deaiuies of the um t h em ponion of the island, was forcibly dwelt upon. And we nre inclined to agree with our 54446411 friends, that, if they had a responsible Minister to attend to their interest..., their other grievance); would dis appear. We lately received a letter from a corre