The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-13 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION.

NEW MAYOR OF BIRMINGHAM.

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
MUNICIPAL ELECTION—THE LONDON
POLICE.
BIRMINGHAM, MONDAY, No v. 11.
Saturday- last being the day appointed for the election
of Mayor for this borough, no small degree of interest
was excited amongst all classes of the Burgesses, a sharp
contest being anticipated between the supporters of the
two candidates nominated to fill the civic chair, vacated
by William Scholefield, Esq., our late highly-esteemed
Mayor. The candidates put forward were Constantine
Richard Moorsom, Captain in the Royal Navy, and
Philip Henry Muntz, an Alderman of the Council, and
one of the Magistrates of the borough. Both of the
gentlemen were of well-known liberal opinions, but cir-

cumstances connected with the recent disturbances in

Birmingham, ir, which Mr. Muntz, as Magistrate, took

an active part, bad rendered that gentleman as ob-
noxious to the majority of the people as he bad formerly
been popular ; and Captain Moorsom was induced to
allow .ftimself to be put in nomination by those members of
tb.e Council who disapproved of the line of conduct re-

. .
cently pursued by Mr. Muntz. It should be mentioned that
Captain Moorsom, although an Episcopalian, is a fierce

. .
and uncompromising opponent of Church-rates, and a
fearless and independent advocate of the Voluntary
Principle, holding and avowing the opinion that he
best consults the interests of religion and promotes the
spiritual welfare of the Church, of which he is a mem-
ber, by endeavouring to put an end to those unjust ex-
actions on his Dissenting brethren, which they feel not
only to be despotic and oppressive, but a violation of
their principles to sanction.
The Council Room at the Town-hall was densely
crowded on the occasion, and, after the preliminary bu-
siness of the meeting had been disposed of,
JOSEPH SPURGE, Esq., rose to propose Captain
Nloorsom as a gentleman eminently qualified to fill the
office of Mayor for the ensuing year. In doing so, he
thought it right most distinctly and explicitly to state
that the office was altogether unsolicited on the part of
Captain Moorsom, and that it was only on strong re-
presentations being made to him that the circumstances
in which they were placed rendered it incumbent
that the Council should have an opportunity
of electing him if they though fit, that he was at
length induced to allow himself to be put in nomination.
--(Hear.) It would be recollected by the members of
the Council, that Captain Moorsom, though himself an
Episcopalian, or a member of what was called the Church
of England, had, frora conscientious reasons, which he
then expressed, refused when elected to a place in the
Council, to take the following declaration :—" I do
solemnly and seriously, in the presence of God, profess,

testify, and declare upon the true faith of a Christian,

that I will never exercise any power, authority, or in-
fluence, which I may possess by virtue of the office of
Councillor, to injure or weaken the Protestant Church
as it is by law established in England ; or to disturb

the said Church, or the Bishops and Clergy of the said
Church, in the possession of any rights or privileges to

which such Church, or the said Bishops and Clergy,
are or may be, by law entitled."—( Hear, hear.) How
much soever (continued Mr. Sturge) some members
of the Council might differ with Captain Moorsom in
opinion, he was satisfied they would give him credit for
the purity of the motives by which he was actuated.—
(Cheers.) Now, one of the early duties of the Council
was to nominate the borough Magistrates for the appro-
bation of the Secretary of State for the Home Depart-

ment, and a Committee of the Council was appointed
to select names for its future consideration. He (Mr.
Sturge) was not on that Committee, but he would
venture to say without any disparagement to others,
that there was no name selected by them, which gave
more general satisfaction both in and out of the Council,
than that of Captain Moorsom ; and when this list was
finally presented to the Council it might be recollected
that it was stated to contain not exactly all those whom
the Committee might have chosen, had they exercised
their unshackled judgment ; hut that it comprised the
names of those who were likely to be sanctioned at the
Home-Office. He (Mr. Sturge) had occasion to go to
London on other business shortly after this took place,
where he received private information to the effect that
the list of names recommended by the Council for the
office of Borough Justices was not satisfactory, and that
Lord John Russell was likely to strike off Captain
Moorsom's name for one, because he refused to take the
declaration not to interfere with the Church as a Member
of the Town Council ; but that if he would engage to
subscribe to it, however privately, in a short period the
objection would be weived ; and that if he (Mr. Sturge)
would convey this intimation to Captain Moorsom, the
result could be communicated to Lord John Russell.—
( Hear, hear.) He, however, considered such a propo-
sition nothing short of an insult to his friend Captain
Moorsom, but he felt hound to mention the circumstance
to him, and he immediately wrote to Lord John Russell
upon the subject. Captain Moorsom objected to his
taking a conv.sal: the correspondence, but be would state
-to the meeting the substance of it. oqptain Lyt-,:urz-uzu
informed Lord John Russell that he had heard from an
indtrect source that: be had scruples about appointing
him a Magistrate, on the ground of his refusal in the
' Town Council to subscribe the declaration required by
the 9th George IV., chap, 17 ; but that his refusal to
do so was on specific grounds as a Councillor ; and that
Lord Joh►l Russell might clearly understand them he
enclosed him a letter which he had addressed to the

13,_Irtresses of Ed;baston Ward upon th occasion, from

which he would Nrceive that he would not object to I
take it in any capacity in which he should have to act
only ministeriallv. He said that he would be the last
to dispute Lord John Russcli's right to scrutinize his
character, or that of any other man pu`, forward as a
thspenser of justice, and an admi7.istrator of the lows ;
hut as his (Captain Moorsom's) name had been before
the public as a nominee of the Town Council, its re-
jection might carry with it an imputation which he
should not like, unless all the circumstances of the case
were made known, and on these grounds he could not
doubt that Lord John Russell's sense of justice would
induce him to grant a public avowal of the grounds of
his rejection. Captain Mootsom then disclaimed being
any partisan, and stated that he believed that it was a
reproach against him in certain quarters that he was
wanting in this respect. Tha, except as a testimony
of the respect of his fellow-citizens, the office of borough
Magistrate could not be one of which he was ambitious.
The latter (continued Mr. Sturge), contained some
other matter. but what he had stated to the meeting
embraced all the material points. Lord John Russell
replied that he could not he accountable for any reports
which might havc reached Captain Moorsom's ears, as
he had not decided upon the names he should recom-
mend to the Lord Chancellor for the commission of the
peace for the borough ; that no personal motives would
influence him in retaining or rejecting any name in the
list submitted to him, but that he must claim the right
of exercising his own discretion without being account-
able for his reasons to individuals, further than bearing his
testimony that no reflection was intended upon the cha-
racter of those gentlemen whose names he rejected. He
added, that if any difficulty arose from the list being pub-
lished, it must be attributed to the injudicious proceed-
ings of others, and that no inconvenience resulting from
this could be attributed to him (Lord J. Russell). Mr
Sturge then continued that he had good reason to know
Captain Moorsom's writing to his Lordship gave great
offence, although it was difficult to say why it should
have done so, unless it might have been taken as an evi-
..

dente of his determination- on all occasions to act from

principle.—(Cheers.) In the final appointment by the
Home Office, it was well known that the names struck
off the list were those of Captain Moorsom, their worthy
Mayor, and Francis Room. Captain Moorsom was
struck off on account of his refusal to take the declara•
tion respecting the Church, as a member of the Council ;
the Mayor's name was, he Hieved, struck off at his own

particular request, as several of his relations were al-
ready on the commission ; and as for Francis Room, he
knew of no other reason than that he was the only
Baptist on the list, a religious denomination who were