The National Register. — London, England, 1817-07-07 00:00:00

r~~ A J, a No. 401.—VoL. N. rouTicAL DISQUISITION. SUSPENSION OF THE HABEAS CORPUS ACT. NOW that the Bill for the farther suspension of the Hebeas Corpui Act Las passed both Houses of Parliament, it may be worth while dispassionately to consider how far so strong a proceeding was called for by the unsettled state of the country. Those who arc uniformly opposed to the measures of Ministers hare argued that, as the popu lar discontent was occasioned wholly by the pressure of absolute want, it could nut have been necessary to adopt the same measures of severity as were resorted to at a time when the delusion of a political millenium led men to the formation of scaled plans for the subversion of the established . ender of things, and to the adopti= of theories more wild and undefinable than the day-dreams of a raving bedlamitc. To those, however, whose modes of thinking are not warped by the strong influence of political prejudice, the case will appear very different. It is true, that in the early part of the French war, when the passions of men bad nearly extinguished their reason, much danger was to be apprehended from that apiilt of universal philanthropy (as it was impudently called) which pervaded almost every class of society amongst us. But when men of sense saw that the re velutionists of France, who were the great objects of mutation, instead of improving the condition of huma nity, commenced a war fur its extermination ; when, instead of inculcating, and by example enforcing, the precepts of morality, and the healing doctrines of reve lation, they laboured with a fiend-like industry to loosen those bonds of society, which alone render the present life sapportable, and to destroy every hope which cheers our prospect of the future, they shrunk back al it est afraid to think on what they had done; and, by r:lying round the constituted authorities, they strove tc. make reparation for the offence which they had cons n.itted. Not such, however, was the conduct of all; snme were too short-sighted to discover the termination of that thorny path in which they were entangled; others were too proud to confess they had been in error ; and a third, and by ihr the most dangerous class, was composed of those who, from an incurable viciousness of heart, longed for the destruction of all established forms—for the defiling of every thing sacred—fur the spoliation of every one richer than themselves. The influence of there men was considerable amongst the lower orders, but as the poorest of the poor, at that time, were in affluence, compared with their condition at present, it required but the punishment of a few to brill , the many to their senses, and . during the remaiu .. der of a long and exhausting war, the ruby disturbers of the public peace were those who still smarted ender the correction they had received, or who were too blind or too obstinate to see and amend their former errors. To these might be added in latter days, a few persons, who having, dining the last twenty years, veered to every point of the political compass, rusted at last at Lvel:ii:g democracy, and stedfastlY pointed to that as C.c only course to national salvation. Of these the greater number had imbibed what are called Spcnceau principles ; that is to say, they hail grafted the idiot on the mailman, and, being what Mr. Bennett chooses to call literary characters! they laboured, without cea sing, to convince their countrymen, that no reform in the State' could do them good but that which the old lunatic S pcute had pr; jecte When the termination of the war pro.luced that stag nation in trade which, with our unavoidably heavy tatation, has driven thousands to the extremes: distress, rneae men bailed the period as that which presented a fair opportunity for carrying into effect their levelling s 7• ttem; they redoubled their efforts; there wete enough tiftrary characters among them to know that un Eng lishman is most irascible when his stomach is wiry; tionali Urtitif.tr+ Our tting, Com MONDAY, JULY 7, 1817. ~ tutiott attb itatud. and they laboured withAe men mischievous industry to to convert that sourness of temper which positive want had created, into a polaxalluror which should be fatal to all whom they had registered in the black list of their proscription. As in 179 t, the stalking-horse of sedition, Parliamentary Reform, was again ?tit in mo tion; Petitions to Parliament for reform, couched in the most offensive language, were fabricated by thii junto in London, and dispatehrat h rdoatures into the manu fiteturing districts, wbit:l had been previously prepared fur their reception by the - mission of the grand apostle of reformation. Next MUM William Cobbett with his weekly supply of political poison, which from the cheapness of the dose, and the industry with which it was disseminated, infected a large mass of the commu nity : in his train followed a host of scribblers like —" Locusts warping on the Cfs.S , trll v.ina ;" and who, like locusts, stay be said to have " darkened all the land." Unceating were they in their endeavours to give full effect to the lessons which they taught; not a book-stall but presented their labours to the pub lic eye—not a hawker but was furnished with their lucubrations. They bandied compliments from hand to hand—their disciples at public meetings held them up as men devoting thetnac . lves for the good of their coun try—twopenny transcripts of their idiot-looking faces were thrust up in every petty pamphlet•shop in the kingdom, and every attempt on the part of the govern ment to check their proceedings was decried as a tyran nical stretch of power calculated to stifle the voice of complaint, and to crush the champions of the people's rights. It is no wonder that all this should succeed ; when the spirits of men are broken down by the absolute pri vation of food, or by the humiliation of having to depend for a scanty subsistence on the bounty of others, it is not difficult t. persuader them that their superiors arc in fault, and it readily follows, that if those supe riars were removed the evil would have an end. Such was Cc state of the public mind when the tumults began L:st ::ar, and although the disturbances which originated in the Spa Fields meetings, had been productive of personal danger to sonic of the individuals concerned, yet the miscarriage was not sufficient to deter their colleague.; E.An pursuing the grand object for which they sighed. Meetings still took place both in town and country, and in the country they assumed a holder and more deciAse (diameter. Rules were drawn up for the repulsion of their conduct ; delegates were appointed to confer together on the best means of attaining their cud, and every thing bore the appear ance of a settled and organized plan of iusubordinallon Under these circumstances, s Lat other measure than the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act could g iv e se curity to the country ? The distress of the times had been the main cause that the labouring pour listened to the insidious doctrines of those ii:eu, whose only object was to mislead theta—but could the Government mate rially relieve that distress?—Certainly not. To secure the people, then, from exposure to farther mischief was all they could do, and this could only be done effectually by the measure which they adopted : fur without it, arrests of the most active among the disaKeted must have been tidlowvd by trials, and with such dexterity had they mana;p_xl their allitirs, that to prove their offence was a task of no small difficulty ; acquittal, in most cases, would have followed; and in proportion as those ac quittals were numerous, the triumph of the discontented would have inereased."Fo keep the agitators front mixing in society, therefore, until returning plenty should restore coment, was the only measure of sound policy, and we may humanity ton ; for their machinations would; in all proLeLility, have oxposed many deleded persons to tile dangers which tumultuous meetings never fail to. , bring Along with them. 1 PiticE 9 IMPERIAL P.ARLIAMEVT. HOUSE Or 1..01t1.. nioNi).‘v, Jc pot 30; Earl IrinorrEttort prearnted u petition Ii ost the n'r of llie I,4rnenn V11 , 11r4 it to lee hrpreesed i s rs,wl the petilimicrs, that I'Arßan en: was rtati,ficri of thy •.f machinery, and that it, dtscontirstrsuce w mold l s 'yin es to the petitioner , I hem , elve s. Read, anti utilett ., l to lie on illy tithe. tl %SF .\5 cfl:ll , C% 111:11111/.11 The amendment or the Comimais to the ltah e .s o , e: or: ~4 Enriher Siometision Bill, limiting its duration to the Ist ef Mart h, ISB, Laving been taken into their EureLltip's coo s ,- The Earl of Liveß root said, that considering this amend ment as immaterial alleiation in the object or opt r; lion e' the Bill, hewing lit reset rills of limiting its dnmatiaa., sc .( to a period ve iihin iv Inch there was the highest vo l i d eit i ,,, that Parliament would be mein el together, lit should nia ; se objection tie it a• it stood, but blooild peeve thill it be agrerii to by the Huse. 'the Marquis of T,P.S.stsntstiE said, he did not then tine enter into any dist e•smn of the general merits of this T. 1:;, and to the amend:omit he was favourable as far as it a 4 ; Litt it neat only to save the Appeal once •if a prinei r k. tar should Omelet(' propose an amendment in stn 0,,,. the Bill should expire on the 31st of Fleceiteber." The p , late by that time would enjoy the benefit clan abundant hems vest—their wants and disitesses would be mitigated, if not wholly relieved. and public tranquillity would be restyle .1, so that this Bill would be no longer necessary. The Earl of Dosin ntimetnr. said, it was then too late to argue the principle of the Bill, but it was not too late to guard against its being haisttly or mini yes-1161y applied. Ile had a ~,e ati o l, to po t 10 the Noble :...veretaty, aho,n he saw in his place, respecting two pci 10115 is lie were confined on. der this Aft. ti d e was informed litat A father awl son, named Evans, bail been separately eolitined in two solitary d,Ol - debarred the advantage. of be i•ig visited by the sisit. ins: Mugistrates, and impeded by the pessoits intrusted :tit the care of the prison in the attempt to have their petiti on laid before Partiament. Their petition had, bourses, at length found its way to the public, and to the other House, but with difficulty. lie thought it a case of extreme hards ship, that a father anti son, taken lip, put in iredes, and visit ed with 'ochre wecks *solitnry confinement, should he de prived of the facility of being visited by a Magistrate, err freely petitioning Parliament liar redress. He trusted this Noble Viscount wutilil now, having had time to proven e information on the 141111 . jvrt, contradict the Slalemetits made in another place* and that the cruelty complained of had, would nut, in totter, lse inflicted upon tito,e, or any °the r persons. lie had only to add, that he ciiticiiied in the to ver taken by his Noble Friend }the 3larquis of Lansdowoe), apish ogre ed with the amendment he had proposed Lord SinMotiTti said, he could declare with the 0r r0 .5. 4 Meth that no rigour hail b• en ellylo,eil towards theser. sons ;beyond a hat was necessary to their sate citetoily. Tm e r the Noble Lill lied Leen grossly mist. et—that access hail it, -t been re:lnset! to any visiting Magistrate : and that no ii, s .r olistaele whatever lind been opposed to their petiiionitie r. Bement. (Hear, hear!) The petition of these prisoners had been delivered to Mr. Harmer, their b1.11(.1191., aho ack tie ws lodged its receipt in writing, and convey. d it to sir. Rennet, his ahem it bad been pit-sewed in the House of Commons. was tiot the slightest founilation fur the minipiattit of 'distinction or delay. The a hole of the statrinent toads to the N 01.147 Earl was a gross mist epieseniation from snore quite ti•r, intended to impose on that Niible !Earl roll the The place of confinement was complained of; bat it seas en apartment U1'2.1 teet by 18. and every thing nic e '- salty for the prisoner awl cot etiiily pi (+veiled. TM re %tits lioi„ he repeat' d, the Icti•l agglatutivia, anti the Noble Earl Lail lie en grossly abused spun the subject. Earl Games NOR 30111, the multi point of his Noble rrieu.i's 110111101 d had been passed over in silence hy the Noble count—no answer was given iespecting the pn:t;ng the poi. sealers hi irons. He admitted that the law was bettialie ly administered, as fat as flit. Noble Viscount was emit-elm ti 4 but this was only an ailihnimal proof, if any were wannest, of the dauber of the 111:1, ahem int powers were so li..ble to abuse animist the kin a ledge of Mini. less, and a lite iuou cent persons were so liable to be calemintated, or es et , io% sled hobo crime, be a race of spies that intested the I'olllllli, first deltudine and . tleincralisisig a like the father of best then destroying 16osc w oo Lad toy misfortune to cone in their t s cootie ..AONTFOItD, as a magi.trate of the enmity, bore tea. tinienv 10 1111.111101.111 C Chisfaelf.r COndoet of th e; k reps r , Lard nunt - eri said, that taus fund beau par upon soners t nib r the impression t hat it was the ditty of the , keeper so to do, whoa !Person s were given into his custody under a rhalsge of titoliNtiii• li nt a s soon as it a ds ma d,. t wo , a to !Mu a Loki Sidinoutli) the irons were immediate iy taken, The Earl of liossi.2N condemned the use of spies and formers, and Cefeirivti partienlatly to the evils that from th . use of them in Ir e land. Lord lir otos nets: said, that it if K Uwe den hod ed to the comsototications of Soon ahli,llo. lir Might been liv tiet to this day, He t Lou el Bede ) had t ftlitri as 11 111181 ,re into the hand- e r a eand of tem, uegleetieg the. 'arm sort tit int . ..neat len. he VlMu d n. ut, •• 31 ,t Dorenibrr, • te as H w y tived wltliout a Ito ~,,, aed that of the Cionotom. 4. SINECt LE AIIOLITION ANL) COMPANsATIOM 1111, Thy Earl of I.lvßopeot movril toe °tart. of IN. cis, Cil Off et Cuinpri,Nati..ii 1;111. 4.1 1 , 34briv.:• to LION , whole of this lIICASUre of ..bolition had not bet n palmated La -71- reau.;..,l ..„ .1,!) • i Atter 4-. ,AI A II • tlil 11,4 ve ' '''; . A wt;t., ..y4,1,... .^t • , t r ,.... I•te neva .I . i ' A ran kb tit II 4 1' L. . i....y...... Ai 4 . . I, On 1 . ) 4 *,‘,tN.D.A . verb' the e-