The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-07 00:00:00

Mr, Lawson's Permissive Bill,

A public meeting was held last evening at Exeter Hall,
at the instance of the United Kingdom Alliance for the
Suppression of the Liquor Traffic, in favour of Mr. Law-
son's bill, which stands for second reading to-morrow.
Lord Calthorpe presided, and the attendance was very nu-
merous, the large hall being filled.
Letters were read from Lord Brougham and the Rev. W.
Arthur sympathising with the object of the meeting, but
apologising for not being able to be present.
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, drew atten-
tion to the enormous amount of misery, suffering, and even
death which ensued from indulgence in intoxicating drinks,
and remarked that, as the Government and Parliament did
not seem disposed to do any thing for the suppression of the
liquor traffic, it became the working classes, who ouffeied
most from it, to act for themselves, and to agitate for such
legislative measures as should put an end to the temptations
to which from this cause those classes were exposed.
The Rev. Mr MosELY (of Rochdale) moved the first
resolution, declaring that the common sale of intoxicating
beverages was the occasion of innumerable social, moral,
and political evils, subversive of public order, and an-
tagonistic to national progress; and that it was, there •
fore, the duty of the citizen, magistrate, and the legislator
to put forth every effort to abolish a system productive
of burdens and calamities so inevitable and intolerable.
He observed that publichouses would always be necessary,
and when property conducted supplied a want and tended
to the comfort and benefit of the public, and while the sanc-
tioning of them rested in the hands of a body of persons
who were for the moot part ignorant of the wants of the
neighbourhood, or might be susceptible of a job, they were
public injuries. There was no security that they were con-
ducted in consonance with public morality, or with the pre-
sent state of civilisation. Public-houses, as at present con-
ducted, were directly opposed to the spirit of the age in
which we lived. The Permissive Bill would to a certain ex-
tent remedy this evil; though it was not all that was re-
quired. The working classes were, he believed, almost to a
man not only in favour of the bill but of a Maine liquor law.
This was proved by the resolutions passed at. and the peti-
tions emanating from, the various town meetings held all
over the country, and the total absence of petitions against it.
Tho resolution was seconded by Mr T. CLEGG, of Man-
chester.
Some remarks from Sir W. a Beckett, who was not able
to attend, were read by the Rev. D. Burns, in advocacy of
Mr Lawson's bill.

The resolution having passed,
Mr Larwaorr, M.P., addressed the meeting, observing
that the resolution just carried described the character and
principle of the bill, which simply placed it in the hands of
the citizen to put down that which was often an intolerable
nuisance and an offence against morality and order. (Hear,
hear.) He regretted to say, however, that the House of
Commons looked coldly upon it; and the reason was that
the House of Commons, not being elected by the masses,
did not sympathise with the wishes and feelings of the
great body of the people. (Hear, hear.) He admitted that
the House of Commons in the present day had exhibited
more practical regard for the wants of the poorer classes
than at any previous period, but the mischief Was that the
members of that house not being elected by the working
classes, did not know their sentiments on questions which
so intimately affected their well-being as the one under dis-
cussion. The present meeting would to a considerable ex-
tent enlighten them on that point ; and if those classes per-
severed, he had no doubt that ere long they would succeed.
Mr Hope, secretary to the Alliance, the Rev. R.
Maguire, and others, spoke to resolutions in favour of a per-
missive law, to enable the ratepayers of any parish or to wn-
ship to veto the common sale of intoxicating liquors within
their district by a vote of a two-third majority, which would
be perfectly compatible with all the claims of justice and
legitimate commerce, and promising on the part of the
meeting to use every constitutional method to procure the
adoption by the Legislature of the measure introduced by
Mr. Lawson and Mr. Bagley, and adopting a petition in
favour of the bill.

-----
A vote of thanks to Lord Calthorpe concluded the pro-
ceedings.

DEATH OF MR. NASSAU W. SENIOR.—We have
to record the death of Mr. Nassau William Senior,
late master in Chancery and Professor of Political Economy
at the University of Oxford. Mr. Senior having gone
through the usual curriculum at Eton, entered at Magdalen
College, where he graduated in 1811, taking a distinguished
first class in classics. Amongst his college contemporaries
were Sir John T. Coleridge, the Earl of Delawarr, the
Bishop of St. Asaph, the Pro volt of Oriel, the Dean of St.
Paul's, and other gentlemen who have raised themselves to
prominent positions in the learned professions andin litera-
ture. In 1818 he was called to the bar, and in 1836 was
appointed a Master in Chancery, during the Chancellorship
of Lord Cottenham. In 1525 be was elected Professor of
Political Economy at Oxford, being the first incumbent of
the professorship which was founded in that year by the
late Mr. Drummond, M.P. lie resigned it in 1830, and
was succeeded by the late Dr. Whateley, Archbishop of
Dublin. In 1847 he was re-elected to the same office in
succession to Dr. Travers Twiss. For some years he held
the office of Examiner in Political Economy in the Uni-
versity of London. He has written many works on the
science to the pursuit of whiehhiendble,vryoitzdanhdis
oltihfeer reviews.
Mr. contributed to the Quarterly, ld
Mr. Senior was 73 years of age,