The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-11-30 00:00:00

RIOTOUS ASSEMBLAGES.

It is abundantly evident that next session the
Legislature will have to deal with the whole
question of riotonsAemoustrations in our public
parks and open spaces. Pending the decision of
the Coast of Queen's Bench on the magisterial
dictum with regard to the legality of Mr. Ayr.
ton's celebrated rules, we will not discuss the
mutter from this point of view, but would rather
uirLct atiti.tion to the character of last Sunday's
demuustradou in h 1 de Park. The object of the
demonstration was to protest against the con-
duct of the Commissioners of Police under dlr.
cunistaucea which are well known. We shall
al-o refrain from any remarks on the grievances
of the pie. lu fact, toe alleged ()eject of a
111.de Park dcwousuratiou has little or nothing
to du with the general question, that question
being whether a certain section of the people
shall be allowed Sunday after Sunday to have a
riotous demonstration to the disturbance of pub-
lic order, the destruction of property, and to the
injury of peacabie and well disposed
Vie find that at this particular demonstration, as
it is called, while a speaker was addressing the
assembly the roughs and pickpockets, who were
in tremendous force, turned on the respectable
and well to-do people among the crowd, and
commenced a system of wholesale plunder. Nu-
merous watches and shirt-pins were suddenly
snatched; a scene of tereible scuttling ensued ;
men and roughs were fighting, and women were
shrieking for help. This continued for a con-
siderable time, und when some semblance of
order was obtained it did nut last long, but tbe
roughs soon crested further disorder to enable
them to carry out their system of plunder. Be.
sided this there was considerable destruction
among the trees, and not the least noticeable
feature of the mob was the blatant and scurri-

ions reading of what are called mock litanies,"
to which we would rather not further allude.
Now we would asit whether all this riot and
disorder has anything to do with the right of
public meeting. This sort of thing does not
deserve the name of a public meeting; the utter-
maces of the demagogues att these assembiies
have no influence on public opinion, while the
disorder and ruffianism tend to disgust all res-
pectable members of society. It is time that
this sort of thing was put down by the strong
have of the law. The respectable portions of
the working classes do not desire the continu-
ance of such riotous assemblages; they are not
only not necessary to the progress of popular
opiniops, but tawy actually retard all useful re-
forms; and they are a scandal and disgrace, as
occurring always on the Sunday, to a Christian
community. We believe that the welfare of the
country at largo would be best promoted by the
Legislature prohibiting such riotous out-door as-
semblages throughout the kinudoru. The right
of public meeting, in the ordinary sense of the
phrase, is saerPa, •Ind must remain ; but these
riy ,ietnoustratioat, got up by interested
uuollt to

aved in the into

PAIIMMIIIM110100,10:11111100.M1
gages. and Deaths, who

M Ithlhot, "NI
aticaWd,

25th inst., anctl 60, Etlwarti
Inn, lid t ,owon.