The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-07-09 00:00:00

Cl2c tourbribge (Ober*

SATURDAY, JULY 9, 1887.

THE STREETS OF LONDON.

" Dr.FEAT of Government." Such was the
berdline which, on Wednesday morning, met
the eyes of newspaper readers. What was
the cause.? Some pha.se of the perennially
pLrplexing Irish question which proved fatal
to their foregoers in office? No. The
matter on which Minikters took a stand and
were beaten by a small majority of the Conl-
in r, wus one npt of -natiOnal importance.
s; e;.l.ing in a po!itical sense, but arose out
of a query pat to the Home Secretary re-
specting the action of a policeman and a
p,lice magistrate of London towards a
woman. Bat therein was involved the vast

irinipto of the liberty of the subject, and
he;-ce it was that party trammels ceased for
he moment to have paramount importance
i t the eyes of many honourable members,
the result that the supporters of Mr,
2.!:c th-;_:sys had to experience the chagrin of
themselves in a minority: The affair
tat of Miss Cass, a shopgirl of recent
migration to London from Stockton, who
wAs_arrested by a constable while walking
in one. of the principal metropolitan
th oughfaresjiegent Street, at night, on a'
ci:a ge of being iov-improper character
wefl-
known to him, and ignominiously conveyed.
to the- lock-up. She was detained, and - sub.
jelled to the indignity of being treated as
one of the poor fallen women of the streetA ;
and next morning, on being taken into
cone, was discharged with a reprimand and
H by..gr. Newton, the Marlborough
et magistrate, he basing his action on
t.e. unsupported toetimony of the policeman.
who had t: ken the girl into custody. The
r entioL. is that the officer was ,entirely
:-; ahem that: the girl never misconduct:id
but simply walked quietly along the
• alone and unattended, and. the eni-
c•l now offered to the public goes far to
t the young woman's case; for she
- • illy seems to be a respectable person in
.sy, of good characterand connexions.
...::-..erley-Jones took up the matter, and,
• ked for an investigation believing that the
• nrlnct of both constable and magistrate
ne ,od official notice. The Home Secretary
co-13 not see.his way to interfere, and was
fquingly inclined to have -nothing to do
ith the ease • but the House resented the
• ,itude of Mr. Matthews, and on Mr.
Atlle:lcy-Jones pressing his motion for the
:joaroment of the House to a division, a

GevJrnment defeat, or perhaps more pro-,
p^rly speaking, a defeat of the Home Secre,
ta.y, ensued. The right hon. gentleman, in,
ti' bad old official style, had assumed that
the aiministrators of the law are necessarily
al Nays infallible, and shut his eyes to evi-
dence adduced to the contrary. in a particular
nstance. This roused the Indignation of
lovers of fair play, and he is now s.narting
untler the rebuke of public opinion. He
urged of course, reasons of legality and pro-
priety as to why he could not well interpose,
hut the ljouse of Commons considered that
poi its might have been strained for the
public good and in the interests of right
and justice, and there can be but little doubt
that hon. members in this are backed up by
the weight of feeling in the country. It is
quite within the province of the Home Office
- to 'so move that the Chief Commissioner of
Poli e should take special steps to select
onnstablos only as can be confidently
t-nsted for the difficult duty of keeping cer-
tain notorious streets of• London free from

the nuisance which boldly importunities and
vi i4lnx women are wont;to create. This is
y necoSsarv-. The policemen appointed
)r *ork ought tci be men of aufficient
.‘ircet keep theni clear of the blander
lesting the muheent,_ ana so doing
trable wrong, and of sufficient probity
.e.pacity to place them beyond the sus-
-, : 3f corruption or deficient discrimina..
The Home Seetetary, too, is able, if
. _ _ _

- ha's the will, to 6ring Under the.
:? of the Lord Chancellor ..the conduct
, Al:, magistrate whose decision may seem
• latracstf.4 law or jistice, or whose judicial
appear to be of a character calcu-
-. :to deatroy respect for police-court pro-
"ii‘igs. It is 'a pity that Mr. Matthews
not more correctly gnage the public mind
t respect, and facilitate inquiry. In•
• i.a'ar ion does not imply-any iropropricty,
•voald 'brin7, about feornplete vind:eation
wrong action has orkon place. Refusal
etxttlui-Jirtion luc:.veti an ugly sus.
of blundering or I,omething worse,
tht.. aplAireig, aFsumptiou that polioernen
ana canolo no wrong is as im-
politic as it is übaurd. Magisterial pro-
no-lricements are from time to time, on ac-
ort ot insufficient evi lence, perjury, and
other cause.s, proved to be fill wrong; and
soilatatles are, important mortals,
-c,-asionally found to be neither free from
ha' 'Pity to error, or from committing them.
selv, s to subterfuge and untruth later to
cloak the fault.- When an allegation is made
that officer_ or stipendiary has neglected or
saccedwi his
,tluty to the detriment of one if
her Majesty's subjters, however inunbie,
then the fullest investigation should imme-
diately take place, arid ibis is what the
kionie of Commons, by its vote on Tuesday
• night, has affirmed. The streets of London
an. 1 many other large centres are &saddening
sigh; tit night because of flaunting vice; and
A iS lit that every t on the part of
:ollice to Tf.a t i.? :••• 1.0
; soi
• -.3.tm111111, when ley stunk iii cruel wrung
suprovaigi sad ti SAMNA, 41,0

evoke rn reprehension. - Tn:re are tho,:e
Caine amon2,l-, them who beli
that even hi the rank:, of th Netrop,)!itili
th,,?re are :v.,,;,1e fa 10w-4 W'io levy
V;laekmAil on tht- daughters of s;n an I al io
upon timid cv-inaen wi,hout frond i who are
not of the fallen Sisterhood. If :3EOI there
ar3 hlr ought to be rooted out, and Si
Warrel &mull not rest content, until
suspicion is cleared away ; fr• a policenyin
who so disgraf.: hires:3lf would- not hesitate
to deprive ac tc of lit-drty, or by fq'se
iFiWettrlngde reputaiin ,)71
has done 11Q \VrOl!a.Lt ul have 0:e
of London an other toxns as fr

evidences of im:norality as is plssib!e. by -. L
means, but let ercery available stip. be tul,e7
t 9 secure the suitability of - -the offi.,.;ees
whom the dnty is enteu,ted ; and let ths-).?
who preside at polic con. ts be taazht that
even a poliC.rman's w.,,rd is n t tit *I! ti
truth, and that rtPrimauds ought nn)t to he
airily administered to prisoners 'unless the
corrAoration of disinterested witnesses
shows with cer.titiutY that the accused has
outraged the law.

COMMENTS ON CURRENT NEWS.

OUR "citizen soldiers" of the metroplitau
districts whotccutel "march past" be-
fore her Majesty at Buckingham Palace, on
Saturday, are delighted to find that their
efforts to quit themselves in true military
form have won the ;TN. eiation of the Queen.
And nf, the Volun'e vs deported them-
selves admirably under the hot July sun.
Their bearing was soldierly and steady, and
as the Commander-in-Chief's General Order
expresso it, bespeaks a gratifying discipline,
and is a proof of the care and zeal of both
company and commanding officers. It is a
pity that the defile before the Sovereign
could not have taken place where the public
could have looked on at the whole of the
picture—on such a 'vantage ground, say, as
Aldershot, without the dust of that place.

TUE Imperial Institute has no 4 been in-
augurated with the fitting pomp nf Royal
foundation-stone laying. The hard work of
the Prince of Wales and his fellow-labourers
on .the organising committee is thus so far
rewarded with success. Money donations
are being received to a greater extent than
was at one time anticipated, and plans, sub-
ject to alteration, are accepted. It is to be
hoped that now that the Insfitiite has its
permanence assured every effort will Lo made
to make it worthy of its title. It should be
at once an epitome of and a gathering ground
for the inhabitants of every part of our great
Empire ; a place to which every dependency
may send practical illustrations of its wants
and capabilities, and a centre where all who
desire may find information on any Imperial
point, if this provided for, without bure-
aucracy or red-tape, and without the suspicion
of commercial log-rolling, the Imperial
Institute will-be a worthy outcome of the
Jubilee year.

THE Queen did service to a good cause
when by her presence at the prize-giving in
the Royal Albert Hall, in connection with
the essay scheme of the Society for the
Prevention • of Cruelty to Animalq. she
evidenced her close sympathy with the
oljects of the association, Which has a high
place among the most useful of our humane
and benefieient pnblie bodies. Some of the
school children who bad won the awards
were sadly disappointed that one only of their
namber received her book-gifts from the
Royal hand; and doubtless her Majesty
would have delighted many more of the
youthful writer% by personally receiving
them, but for the fatigue she was feeling from,.
moving about in the tropical weather, and
having already attended one exacting cere-
monial— exacting to a lady of her years,
vigorious and spirited though she is—the
same morning. Her Majesty has certainly
gone through the multitudinous engagements
which the Jubilee celebrations have brought
her surprisingly well.

THE result of the election for the Spad
Di vison of Lincolnshire, though it has brought
joy into one political camp and grievous dis-
appointment to another is, impartially con-
sidered, not really. due to any great change
in the part feeling-of the constituency. The
losing side had been represmtea by a pop- '
ular local family man ; their new candidate
was a stranger, and not particularly strong
in the general political sense, though he had
served his country well under the flag of
duty. The Conservative leaders relied on
their voting strength as displayed at the two
previous pollings, and rested on their oars.
The winners had a strong champion, well
known in the ,neighbourhood. Dozens of
able platform orators of note worked hard in
his behalf all over the division, and all acted
as iF the issue depended on individual effort.
Result : The loftily apathetic secure-
minded backers of the unfamiliar expontnt
of Constitutionalist principals were badly.
beaten the energetic supporters of a man -
everybody knew secured a big victory. Moral
for the electoraor every constituency and
their organisers of either political thinking:
Secure a favourite among your people as
your candidate, instoad of taking an unknown
gentleman, the nominee of your party in
London, and work hard to secure his return,
beginning your campAign in good time be—
fore the day of election. Herein is indepen-
dent and practical advice, applicath alike to
aladstonians, Conservatives, and Unionists.

MOSE who are looking with longing for
the good time when the nations shall make
war no more will hear with delight of .the-
memorial, signed by a hundred members. of '
Parliament, ciprossing satisfiction .at the •
peoposed treaty of athitr.ttion between
Britian and the United States of America. •
An international stipulation between the two
great English-speaking countries that any.
differences which cannot be adjusted by dip.
lomacy shall be submitted to arbitration
would be good . Would it not be better still
that a permanent Court of Arbitration shill
be constituted in such, a time of perfect
agreement and umierstandingas the present?
The Chances of the satisfactory final adjust-
ment of any unfortunate dispute which might
hereafter arise woti!ii be much greater than.
if any arbitral body were nomin lied et'
moment when Britisher and Yankee were on
good terms, and greater, also, than if the
quarrel were referred to a foreigner for
settlement. A leading American in England
on Independence Day expressed the hope
that the mighty nations of white men with
• a common past might have a common future.
The setting up of an International Arbitration
Court against any time of need would go
far to ensure, a 00n3ummati0n so "devoutbly
to be wishei3 for," and-to bring about a
glorious union in reality, if not in literal form,
in future, between Old and Nev EnCanders,
every nerve should be strained ozel.': 'a sides
of the Atlantic. We had one orir if oar
future be one ither John Bull Vrether
Jonathan will
,Tet the disseneien which
for a wh:le drc.-e them apart..

CONSUMPTION.-1. have a posit v,) r,maiv for a e
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