The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-16 00:00:00

THE CHARTISTS.

Mr. WYNNE could not help expressing his sur-
prise that so long an adjournment of the House should
be proposed while the internal state of the country was
so agitated. Six months had now elapsed since certain
parties had recommended the people generally to procure
arms ; theyknew that in different parts of the country those
recommendations had been carried into effect, and that
fire-arms had been provided, and that pikes had been
made to a very great extent, and that, up to the present
moment, they were publicly sold, and that no
steps had been taken to put an end to it.—(Hear.)
He had hoped that before that time the Noble Lord
who was charged with the care of internal affairs
would have brought forward some measure on the
subject, or, at all events, that ho would have stated
.chat the feelings of Government were upon the
matter. Deadly weapons had been provided by a large
number of people in the country, and it was no wonder
that special constables should show some reluctance to
the discharge of their duties, they being armed only
with the weapon provided by law for a con-
stable. He was not afraid of the ultimate
success of the parties who were misleading the people.
What he was afraid of was that if this arming conti-
nued unchecked, it would lead to a lamentable degree
of bloodshed. In his opinion the House was not doing
its duty by having such a long adjournment without
taking some measures for strengthening the hands of
the Magistrates in the circumstances in which the coun-
try was now placed.
'Lord JOHN RUSSELL had to state that through-
out the period alluded to, which had been a most
anxious one, the Government had not been unmindful
of what was going on, but he had thought that it was
better to rely on the existing law than to come down to
that House for other measures without a very positive
and great necessity for doing so, because the objects of
the persons influencing the minds of the people and in-
citing them to arm, were so clearly mischievous—so
many of their acts so clearly exposed them
to the penalties of the law, that it was impossible they
could meet with any general sympathy. He had
always found, however, that when extraordinary mea-
sures were taken in Parliament in such a case,
a sympathy was created and did more to aid
the cause of those who, without it, would be
entirely without sympathy.—(Cheers.) Still he was
not prepared to say that it might not be neces-
sary to propose some measure to Parliament
with regard to arms in the hands of e•'il-disposed
persons. He was of opinion, however, that when
the necessity arose it would be a far better course to in-
troduce ilatrcateassar As

with its consideration, than to introduce it and put
off its consideration for a lengthened period.
With regard to measures already taken, he must say that
on two occasions, when her Majesty's Ministers had ad-
vised her Majesty to issue Proclamations regarding meet-
i9gs of an illegal character, meetings held by night with
torches under circumstances of danger and terror, and
meetings which wereattended bypersons having pikes and
bludgeons, each time those proclamations were issued
the most salutary effects had been produced. He felt
most undoubtedly that the responsibility was very
great in taking measures to arrest parties, in order
to put down that disposition to disturbance that had
taken place ; the subject had been a frequent matter of
consultation between himself and the Attorney-General,
and he had likewise frequently brought the question
before the Cabinet—( Hear)—and it appeared to him that
the course adopted, and the views taken with respect to
the general state of the country were more likely ulti-
mately to produce a return to peace, than if the Go-
vernment had at once proposed measures of an extraor-
dinary description.--(Cheers.)
Sir H. VERNEY wished, in reference to the subject
which the Noble Lord had Low brought forward, to ask
whether it was his intention in the course of the pre-
sent Session, to introduce any measure for the establish-
ment of a more effective Rural Police? He thought
such a measure would be calculated to give great satis-
faction to the country.—( Hear.)
Mr. ATTWOOD wished to know whether he un-
derstood the Noble Lord rightly when he supposed him
to say that it was the intention of the Government to
introduce further penal enactments ?—(Cries of " No.")
He thought the Government had done quite enough in
putting in force the present law of the country. With
regard to arms, he knew something about them, and he
did not believe there had been fifty muskets or fifty
pikes bought in England. He did not believe that
the people of England had gone mad enough for
that, or that they had ever thought-of arming them-
selves.—(Cheers.) He was convinced they knew bet-
ter where their strength lay than to take up
arms,—(Cheers.) He was sure there had been
a great deal of exaggeration on the subject, and he most
earnestly urged upon her Majesty .Ministers and the
House not to adopt any measure that would be calcu-
lated to excite the people to oppose the laws. If
the people were outraged the time miglt come
when they might assume a far different appearance.
Lord J. RUSSELL thought it might be necessary
to take some measures for the restriction of that which
was an abuse of the rights secured by the Bill of Rights.
It was undoubtedly true that every person had a right
to have arms in his own defence ; but the arming of a
portion of the population, exhibiting and brand-
ishing- those arms to the terror and alarm of her
Majesty's subjects, was an abuse of the right, and
one which it might be necessary to meet by le-
2isl-tive enactment. The Honourable Member said
he did not believe there was arming to any consideralde
extent. Certainly the information which he ( Lord J.
Russell) had from the town which the Hon. Member
represented, and other towns, would lead him to sup-
pose there had b-een no very con•iderable quantity of
arms made by the regular manufacturers, and the chief
pare of the sale which had taken place had been for ex-
portatinn. But there had been weapons of a dangerous
nature, made by persons who were neither regular gun-
makers nor manufacturers of arms. Whilst he wished
to guard the House against any exaggerated notion of
here being large bodies of men regularly armed, on the
other hand, lie believed there were a considerable num-
ber of persons in possession of very dangerous and of-
fensive weapons.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. HUME believed that the agitation which now
existed had been caused by a few individuals, and that the
bulk of those who had assembled together had been misled.
He trusted that it would be found that a great deal of
the alarm which existed had been exa,gerated. But it
was the duty of the Noble Lord and his colleagues, to
consider whether the masses and the millions of the
country had not just ground of complaint, and to
endeavour to remove them. That would be a more
likely way to prevent these evils than having recourse
to any modification of the laws now in existence.
The motion for adjournment until Monday, the 27th
inst., was then put and agreed to.
On the motion of Sir EDWARD KNATCH-
BULL it was agreed that the Committees on Private
Bills should sit during the recess.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL gave notice that on Thurs-
day, May 30, he should bring forward a motion relative
to the course to be pursued with regard to Jamaica.
Mr. PAKINGTON postponed the further consi-
deration of the Sale of Beer Bill to Tuesday, the 4th
of June.