The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LO

MgtTING 0,-P THE tOlirN
COUNCIL OF BIRMINGHAM.

On Tuesday a numerous meeting of the Town Council
was held in the Town-hall, for the purpose of considering
the Bill now before Parliattient !lir the establihltig of aft
efficient polite in the borough.
Alderman GAMMON having been called to the
and the minutes of the laittneeting haVing been confirmed.
a copy of the Bill before Parliament was then read, upon
Which the Town Clerk delivered an opinion relative to the
Charter of Incorporation, after which he read the following
letters, which ha had addressed to Lord John Russell :
" My Lord,—Perceiving that your Lordship, on the
suggestion of, Sir Robert Peel, proposils to appoint a
Ooverrirnen't Commissioner to organize ana superintend the
police for this borough, I earnestly entreat that the clauses
relating to this matter may not be introduced to-morrow,
but that a reasonable opportunity may be afforded for sum-
moning the Town Council to consider a subject which so
materially affects their character and the interest of the town.
" I am, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's humble and obliged servant,
" July 31, 1839. " W. REDFERN, Town Clerk.
" To the Right liononrable Lord John Russell."
"My Lord,-1 beg leave to acquaint your Lordship that
a meeting of the Council of this borough will take place on
Tuesday next, when the Birmingham Police Bill will
form one of the subjects for their consideration, with
many of the members. I find amongst them one strong
feeling of indignation at the measure, as insulting and
despotic—insulting to themselves personally as members of
the Town Council, and despotic, as bending to that system
of centralization which every good Englishman must bit-
terly abhor and abjure.--I am, my Lord, your Lordship's
humble and obedient servant,

" W. REDFERN, Town-clerk."

Councillor WATSON then rose and fead a resolution,
expressive of his feelings in reference to the insulting, un-
just, and obnoxious Bill they had just heard read. The
Bill before the House of Commons in reference to that
borough was without exception the most extraordinary
proceeding on the part of Government, aided by Sir Ro-
bert Peel, he had ever known. It was the result of a
most infamous compact, and founded upon the most slender
case ever submitted to Parliament. After adverting to
the Charter, and defending the several appointments made
in the Magistracy, as also that of Mr. Edmonds to the
Town Clerkship, Mr. Watson asked—lf it were not a
fact that the institutions of this country were based rather
upon republican than absolute principles ? Was not the
office of constable, and nearly all the other offices, based
upon popular principles; and did the present Government
think that the people of England would submit to have
their liberties thus frittered away—or rather, he would
say, did they think the people would tamely submit
to have their rights at once annihilated ?—( Loud
' cheers.) Whoever thought so would find them-
selves mistaken. What ! had they arrived at the point of
degradation when they were tamely to submit to have an
absolute local despot placed over them, with unlimited con-
trol over their liberties and their money ?—(" No, no.") He
hoped, indeed he well knew, the town of Birmingham was
not yet sufficiently degraded to submit to any such indig-
nity. There could be but one feeling rest ecting this Bill,
and that was of abhorrence and disgust. The borough of
Birmingham had been for years the most orderly in the
country. They bad been proverbial for their love of order
and moderation, and they would continue so if they had a
government in ;power who would give any hope of relief.
If their rulers had only held out any promise that they
would do something for the people, or try to relieve
their distress, nothing would have induced them to out-
rage the laws ; but they saw the Government despise all
their remonstrances they saw them openly declare
against all further improvement—and having lost all
confidence in them, they became the prey of bad men.
He hoped that Council would tell the Government tliat
they considered the Police Bill before Parliament a gross
insult to the town, and that they would resist it by all
means in their power. He hoped they would take prompt
and efficacious steps to prevent the town from ;.being de-
graded ; and, if after having done their best to prevent the
indignity, they could not succeed, he hoped they would at
once like men, who felt and knew their position in society,
give orders to the Town-clerk at once to pack up the
charter and send it back to Lord John Russell.—( Loud
cheering.) Never were men more mistaken than her
Majesty's Ministers, if they thought that the Council would
become the mere puppets of any new despotism they might
think of establishing in the kingdom.
Mr. Alderman HARROLD, a Whig of the old school, and
one of the most respectable merchants in Birmingham,
seconded the resolution in a forcible speech.
Mr. CULLER supported the petition, and laid bare the
sophistry of Sir Robert Peel, with respect to the appoint.
ments that had been made by that Council. The two fac-
tions were leagued together to destroy the liberties of the
country. They wanted to establish an infamous system of
police throughout the kingdom, to which the people would
not submit.
Councillor BLARLAND, in strong terms, denounced the
Bill as a most arbitrary and tyrannical measure, and which
he should resist to the last. It never should come into
operation in Birmingham. It appeared to him that the
Government were determined on withdrawing from thein

selves every support in the country.
Councillor MasoN viewed the question, not merely in a
local point, but as a national question involving great na-
tional considerations. The Government seemed deter-

mined to sacrifice the liberties of England ; but it was his

opinion they would perish in the attempt.
Alderman Sturge, Councillors Page, Jennings, Smith,
Geacb, Hadley, Philips, and others, severally spoke against
the Bill, as alike inconsistent with the liberties of Birming-
ham and of British freedom.

The meeting broke up at half-past two o'clock. The
council meet from day to day until the Police Bill is
decided upon.
The churchwardens and overseers of the poor of the
parish of Birmingham having refused to pay their share of
the borough rates, on the alleged ground of the invalidity
of the Charter.

BIRMINGHAM, THURSDAY.

The Town Council again met this morning, pursuant to
adjournment, when the Mayor announced that the second
reading of the Birmingham Police Bill had been carried
by a majority of 54. This announcement excited more
indignation than surprise, the Council having fully expected
such a result, and made up their minds to resist this dis-
graceful and most unconstitutional measure to the utmost of
their power. In this determination there is no doubt they
will be seconded by nine-tenths of the inhabitants of the
town, amongst whom but one feeling of indignation and
unmitigated hostility to the measure exists.
After some preliminary business had been disposed of,
Mr. Muntz, one of the borough Magistrates, resumed the
discussion of the subject from the previous meetings, and
in doing so, observed that they were certainly placed in a
very awkward dilemma, and unfortunately by the very men
who ought to have been the first to support them. The
reason why they had applied for the Charter of Incorpora-
tion was, to relieve themselves from the taxation of irre-
sponsible bodies ; in this they were successful ; but
now they were about to be subjected to a far more
despotic power than that from which they had been
relieved, for while the body of Street. Commis-
sioners was composed of men having an interest in
the borough, they were now to be placed under
the control of an individual who not only might be a perfect
stranger to the town, but personally objectionable—an
officer who would have the levying of rates to pay himself
from 600/. to 1,000/. a year, besides 10,0001. or 12,000/.
for the support of the police under his control. Mr.
Muntz then proceeded to say that he should most certainly
object to the measure, and bad as it was, it was not impro-
bable that some good might result from it. The Council
would now feel what it was to have taxation without rerre-
sentation, and it would induce them to sympathise with
those who were annually taxed to the greatest possible
amount, without having any participation whatever in the
representation of the country. It would cause a re-union
between the middle and working classes, which would, he
trusted prove in the end beneficial to the country. Indeed
it was altogether incredible to him that any Government
calling themselves Liberal should adopt a measure which a
Tory Administration would never dare to have attempted.
He had no doubt the Bill would pass. All the petitions
they could send against it would not stop it; but acting
upon the principl of a certain great man, he would put
their enemies in the wrong, by moving the adoption of the
petition which he held in his hand, and which was as
follows:
To the Honourable the House of Commons of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament

assembled.
The humble Petition of the Town Council of the Borough
of Birmingham,
SHOWET}I,

That a Bill is now pending before your Honourable
House, entitled, " A Bill for improving the Police in Bir-
mingi►am."
That the effect of this Bill, should it be passed into a
law, will be to despoil your petitioners of their entire
authority within the Borough fur the term of two years,
and from thence until the end of the next Session of Par-
liament.

That the ground alleged in the Preamble of the said
Bill, for its introduction, is, that questions have been raised
as to the powers of the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses
of the said Borough to levy a Rate, by their Council.
That your petit.oners have reason to believe that these
questions wdl be brought to an issue early in Michaelmas
Term next, on an application to the Queen's Bench for a
Mandamus against the Overseers of the Poor, requiring
them to levy and pay over a Rate to your petitioners;
a mode of proceeding suggested by the said Overseers, and
assented to by your petitioners.
Your petitioners, therefore, whilst protesting as strongly
as ever against the principle of the said Bill, humbly pray
that, should your Honourable House persist in passing the
same into a law, provision may be made therein, that, if
the Charter under which your petitioners act, shall, at any
time before the expiration of the term prescribed by the
said Bill, be declared valid and effectual, your petitioners
shall immediately resume, entire and nnimpaired, all the
authority appertaining to them under her Majesty's gracious
Charter of Incorporation ; and that the said Bill may
thenceforth become utterly null and void.
The petition having been seconded,
Mr. STURGE said he was sorry to have to disagree with
his friends, but he was convinced most thoroughly that the
Council could not adopt a worse course.—( Hear, hear.)
He believed that if they acted steadily, coolly, and firmly
the present measure might do more for the cause of Re-
form than anything that had occurred for many years. If,
however, they adopted the petition they would be consi-
dered as acquiescing in the principle of the Bill, however
strongly they might protest against it, which, once passed
into a law with their sanction, they would never see re-
pealed.
This view of the question met the general approval of
the Council who determined not to adopt a course which
might bear even the appearance of compromise, on a mea •
sure so insulting to themselves, and repugnant to every
principle of constitutional liberty.
The petition was then rejected.
Mr. Alderman. STURGE then rose to bring forward the
following, resolutions of which he had given notice :-Ist.
That in the opinion of this Council the new police should
be formed of men of known good character, who have for