The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-05 00:00:00

THE NEW BIRMINGHAM POLICE

BILL.

the cause of true liberty might as soon be expected
from the dominions of the Grand Turk, as from the
body of population in the districts under the surveil-
lance of the London police 2—(Loud cheers.) Upon
the whole it was his deliberate opinion that a more dan-
gerous, unconstitutional, or uncalled for measure never
emanated from the most corrupt Parliament that
ever disgraced this country, and that it was the duty
of every friend of the country and of the people, not
not only to take no part in its administration, but
peaceably and temperately to oppose its execution by
every legitimate and constitutional means. Mr. Sturge
concluded, amidst loud cheering, by proposing the
adoption of his resolution.
Mr. CUTLER most cordially seconded the resolution,
of the justice and propriety of which he felt deeply
convinced.
Mr. SALT also supported the resolution. It was
his determination not to pay any levy in which the police
rate was included. He would offer no resistance to the
law, but to pay it voluntarily he would not.
Alderman LAWRENCE, one of the Borough Magis-
trates, said be should not feel satisfied with giving a silent
vote upon the resolution, lest in doing so he might be
considered as acquiescing in the sentiments which had
been expressed. Although be regretted exceedingly
that the control over the police had not been placed
in the hands of the Council, yet knowing the great
necessity which existed for their establishment now that
the Bill had become law, he was bound to say that he
approved of it, and he was extremely sorry to hear any
member of the Council express his intention of resisting
the measure.

4 (... ODE OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
I BIRMINGHAM, TUESDAY.
This morning a meeting of the Town Council of this
borough was held in the Committee Room of the
Town Hall, to take into consideration the Act recently
passed " for the improvement of the police of Birming-
ham." The meeting was numerously attended, and
the proceedings excited considerable interest. At
eleven o'clock Wm. Scholefield, Esq., the Mayor, took
the chair, and after some routine business had been
gone through, the Town Clerk proceeded to read the
Act referred to at length, after which
Mr. Alderman STURGE rose to move the following
resolution :
"That the Act which has just passed through Parliament
entituled ' An Act for improving the Police of Birming-
ham,' is in effect a measure of confiscation of almost the
whole, and certainly of by far the most important of the
municipal rights of this newly created Corporation. That
the measure in question was introduced unsolicited and
unsought by this Council, an assertion to which it will not
be enough to say in answer that the Mayor had previously
addressed a letter to the Secretary of State for the Home
Department, suggesting the expediency of assisting the
borough with a loan for the purpose of establishing a more
efficient Police, since that letter was not, nor did It profess
)
to be, written by the authority or with the privity of the
Town Council, but was on the face of it merely a private
inquiry as to the probable course of the Government in the
matter to which it related, while the intimation which it
contained, that if the answer were favourable the Town
Council should be convened to consider the subject,
told as plainly as words could speak, that as yet
the Council had not expressed, any opinion with respect to
the proceedings ; that moreover, so far was the letter in
question from suggesting, or even in the most distant man-
ner hinting at the appointment of a Government Commis-
sioner, or the establishment of so odious and unconstitu-
tional a force as a Government Police, that it distinctly
pointed out the Town Council as the recipients of the loan
and the only proper authority for applying it to its intended
purpose. That, however tine Government may now choose
to put a different construction on this communication from
the Mayor, it is plain that it was at first distinctly under-
stcod in this sense, and in this sense alone, by the Home
Secretary, who accordingly brought a Bill into Parliament
authorising a loan of 10,0001. to the Town Council ; nor
was it until Sir Robert Peel, and a deputation from the
Birmingham Tories, in perfect consistency with their known
hostility to popular institutions and the representative
principle, bad signified to him their wishes on the
subject, wishes apparently too much like commands,
that he abandoned his original measure and substituted in
its place another, which if it were not contrived on set
purpose, was at all events obviously calculated to afford a
triumph to the opposite party by taking away the authority,
and disparaging the character of the new municipal system.
That the measure thus introduced by the Government, on
i the suggestion of its political opponents, is obviously founded
on false pretences. for though the reason for passing the Act,
(
as alleged in the preamble, is, that doubts are entertained as
to the authority of the Corporation to levy rates—doubts,
be it observed, which never ought to have existed, and
never would have existed had only proper caution been
exercised in framing the Charter ; yet, instead of adopting
Lord Brougham's suggestion of limiting the duration of
the Act to the continuance of those doubts, it fixes for this
purpose an arbitrary and unnecessarily long period of two
years, and from hence to the end of the next Session of
Parliament—words of an alarming import, end showing an
already half formed intention to renew the measure on
the expiratisei of the appointed time. That as a further
proof of the disengcnuousness which has characterised the
whole of thi,, proceeding, it is worthy of observance that
svhen Lord Brougham proposed to vest the appointment of
the Commissioner in the Town Council. rather than in
the Government, the suggestion wan resisted by Lord Dun-
cannon, on the strange ground that the Town Council had
petitioned for a police—a ground, as has already been
shown false in fact, and, even if true, absurdly inconclu-
sive as an argument, since it is surely one thing to have a
police, and another to base a Government Conunissrioner
. at the head of it. That no sooner did the Council be-
come acquainted with the real nature of this measure than
they indignantly repudiated it as a marked insult to the
inteilie,ent burgesses of this town, than whom nowhere
c< a men be found better fitted for the duty of self.govern-
TTI, mt—as an outrage to the representative principle, and
as it violatien of that system of municipal police which has
cv( r been deemed, and by none professedly more than by
the present Ministry, to lie at the foundation of,
and to be the best security of national iibeety.
That unless this usurpation be firmly resisted at
the th eshold. this Council truly believes and warns
the people of England to that effect, that the pre-
eedlent just created will not prove barren, hut that upon
one, pretence or another all the municipal bodies through-
est the country will before long be stripped of their
righttful privileges and authorities, and reduced to a state
of slavish submission to thegereral Government. That for
the above reasons this Council does now strongly and
emphatically protest against the attempt thus made to en-
graft one of the most pernicious institutions of continental
tyranny on the true English s3-stem of popular representa-
tion; and hereby declares its conviction that it is in duty
bound to avail itself of all just and lawful means to relieve
this town, :And to guard the country at large from a mea-
sure so despotic and unconstitutional."
Ifff The reading of the resolution was received with loud
p applause, after which Mr. Sturge observed—He need
i scarcely say that the document they had heard read
(was drawn up by an individual more competent than
himself, but he so fully concurred in the g-encrEil senti-
iments it contained, that he moved it with Brea t plea-
sure. Many of his fellow-townsmen were not an -arc of
. the importance of' placing the whole of the fact •; con-
) nected with this Bill before the public.—(Hear, :hear.)
( When the Deputation from the Town Council we re in
ILondon. nothing struck them mere forcibly than the ig-
norance manifested by those who had legislate(' alpon
i the measure, as well as the public at large.—(l-leor.)
It had been artfully urged by those who passed the mea-
sure, that the people of Birmingham had asked for a
loan, and that therefore Parliament had a right ,tti dic-
tate the terms upon which it was granted ; and th,%3 this
measure, while it took out of the control of the rate-
payers the application of their money and placed' it in
the hands of a despotic and unconstitutional power.. was
1 justified, because they proposed to advance 10,0004% at
.5 pe r cent., the principal and interest of which was , to
be repaid in two years.—(Hear, hear.) He did, he
• confessed, so fully participate in the feeling of in-
dignation at the wanton injury and insult inflict ad
upon the representatives of the rate-payers in ti ,e
town that he was a little doubtful at first whetbs r
) his :feelings might not have influenced his judgmen t
upon the sulsject. But after looking at the ques%ion
calmly and dispassionately, he confessed that all his
1 The Glasgow Chronicle says that the banks in
views of its unjust, unconstitutional, and danger ous Glasgow can at present well afford to make a few bad
character were rather strengthened than weakened .
etebts, as they are yet only giving 34-per cent. on deposits.
(Cheers.) This had been confirmed by the opinions CAMBRDGE, SEPT. 3.—Sir John Milley
of those who were well known as the uncompromis in r Doyle left Cambridge last evening, after publishing a
friends of constitutional freedom, and with the
1) farewell As a 3,4-per
address. great many rumours, and some of
mission of the Council he would read two or threer
these not the kindest or most charitable, were spread about
e
by the Tories, and h evee
n somel ill-natured and injudicious
the short extracts from letters which he had received upon
the subject. (Mr. Sturge here read, in the first in- panerasoangs
theamong
coadtuct of thaes Gallant
concerning
General i retirementh as be en;
stance, a passage from a letter addressed by the Town and
g all the circumstances into consideration, the reverse
Clerk of the borough of Arundel to the Town Clerk taking
mbein selfish, factious, or uncourteous owards the
of the borough of Birmingham, before the passing of t Liberal gparty, it is but fair that his sentiments should be
the Bill, in which he said, " Should any attempt be made• t known to the country, and his reasons for retiring. Hay-
'unconstitutionally to interfere in the local government of ' ''.: ing, in the first place, he states, obtained from Mr. Gib.
boroughs, the expenses of which were borne by local , son's principal committee an acknowledgment of the right
funds, whicir, it was to be hoped, no Administration in , of his (Sir John Doyle's) supporters to a voice in the se-
England would ever venture upon, the Town-Council
1
of Arundel, as he was sure every other municipal
body in the kingdom, would, exercise all theirs,influence
to prevent such a destruction of the liberties of English- , . lection of a representative, he
fealls on thtem,nnowlstihthattret
brothertics hasben done
and to
vote for
s6ibosoun.ite„
:says
Union,"
the Gallant Reformers,eneral, "is your duty. Your country,
;and your brother Reformers in ail parts of the United
men."—(Cheers.) The next letter he would refer to ,Kingdom, expect it from you, and lam certain that
was one from Joshua Walmaley, an active and influential yt to will not disappoint them. Let me, therefore, entreat
Alderman of the Town-Council of Liverpool, and' who Ith, -me electors who are pledged to me, to enrol themselves
had devoted much attention to the subject of police. at , once amongst the supporters of Mr. Gibson, the Liberal
After stating some circumstances which showed the want can, lidate, and to rally round the banners of liberty,
of information upon the subject, as well as counteract- civil and religious, in support of our gracious and beloved
ing influences which prevented the Council from to king Qnee. o's prerogatives, andll the. rights,r antdoindependte.nce,thof
up the subject, he observed, " I fear greatly, at id have the pe nple."
ofTBhearnfo
eollwhinagveotbeoedevda
veryins
mreospeehctom
cause
system round-) k long done so, that this is only the commencement of a
system of centralization, which will place the coon- the adhesion of his littlew party to the main body of Re-
try in the hands of a standing army. A letter
~ formers :. I should have been base and ungrateful if I
from au influential member of the Munches 1C te r or- 'had abandoned the rights of any one elector, whatever
his station; recollecting that my position as member
potation, concluded as follows : for the county of Carlow, which enabled me to give my ;
"We do toot approve of the principle any me we than vote in favour of the Reform Bill, arose out of the in-
yourselves.
In fact, the Whig Ministry, instead o f being vincible and incomptible independence of the frieze
in the disgraceful plight not to be able to justify th•
rir own coats of my native county. The round-jacket electors
act
under the sign manual, ought to have insisted u pon an ,of the borough of Cambridge are entitled to the same
Act of Parliament to interpret your rate-pving clause and praise, and equal respect. I felt bound, therefore, not
oar's also, or else to have resigned. Butt hey will cling to to desert them while they thought I could be useful." 1
office, no matter what indignities accompany it." WATERFORD ELECTION.—Mr. Wyse, whose
Tla next extract which he would lay before' them was apps ,1.• ntment as a Lord of the Treasury has caused a new
from a gentleman residing in a country district, but of elect on, arrived in Waterford on Tuesday. The Sheriffs
Vary sound judgment, and an uncompromising fris .nd of have 1 ppointed Friday next for the election. The Water-
civil and rer ' '
Bill: igloos freedom. He said, speaking a f the ford L'itronick says that Mr. Wyse was appointed without
any solicitation on his part. " Mr. Wyse," says that jour.
"The measure w
ciety in districtselikeill produce such a fearful state o,f so.. nal, "was '
about to leave London, when fhe Premier sent
for purposes of resistance,
and we are so entirel'y belulese; for him, and in the most complimentary terms possible,
your's alone that we c
that it is to commul shies like awarded him the office to
.which, as the great champion of
the despotism which
here by
t US
UV:Le, by
aawnl.oolt with hope for any. check to national education, he is eminently entitled."
PARIS, NOV. 2.—The most absurd statements
police constables' placed over * Just imagine a host of .
Magistrates. If you can cniti
oppression, a course of lawful
collection of funds for defra •
unconstitutional force thetheTss ry Parson about Van Amburgh are making the round of the French
aid of this new press. In a sort of biography of that gentleman
. we are
Passive resistanc eto the told that his favourite amusement in America was to walk
png the expenses • intowoodsand tame bears, which be left at liberty,
ni en and the country. "
, you will hay d of such " the
' the moral culture of your townsmen
1
It would be observed, continued
''''
e one much
Mr
the last paragraph of the resolution whic.bhis travelling
bear, which he called Job, was, however,
iwards and visited from time to time as old acquaintances. One
Sturge, that , lompanion. 'Being
overboard with an iron bar
at sea with this bear, Van Am
went to protest against the measure, althoughhhad read I urgh, saw a shark,tc
and jhumpednsotevr.
The shark, however,
not pledge the Council to say specific plan of 1.
t did it, his hand to
He was fearful of public bodies making
distinct
tpoisi tion, fgo,': holdb of th.
,btatrwa,
s ann'eal of theg man who had volunteered
e the
ehamv(in let it drop to the bottom,
of this nature, as he thought it much betterPteol Iges
act
Am-
firmly when the time for exertion arrived.-:-(ch )11 nrgh .called to Job, who was quietly looking on, confident
*twhase t: sk otftocimvializeine- him ; when, in despair, Van Am-
He had no hesitation to say the more he co nsiedeeYeds
the measure, whether the rate were thrown in to tite o n board as a docile pupil. Job obeyed the
He
imme.
o f his master's ower, and expecting to see the shacrakllcoamhde
poor levy, which he considered the most 01 in oxious ;ter round the
ji 'Wiped overboard to assist the shark-tamoenr.
ti lately, says the biograp:ser, caught the m
means of carrying it out, or whether it was n .ode a
o ff his
ah'
hook
breath oast
.andTjbeb,esbarkwas
w -slat and with or fraternal hug squeezed the
distinct rate, he felt with his present views t hat itdrawninto the ship by mean
would be right for him to refuse to pay the ' rate.— g of his valour, was permitted
theo , as a reward. his firs.
s Cheers.) He would not, however, take the s course ti ' partake of soup which the crew madefrom
without vino. it the ' _ n.ost mature reflection, I, Ind if he THE LATE SUICIDE IN GREENWICH PARK.
Pdopced it, be should publish his reasons for so doing. _ The young man who poisoned biinsts .1f and was found
There Was one ground why he did not regret that the ci.,,, tdin the Park on Thursday last, was owned last night,
. police had been -
' Loudon into ti le town. ~,t turns out to be John Jclieson, aged 23, a compositor,
-
,in circles ma ie them
i Nr-ln.t.
t ehrsa, dbe".n in the employ of Messrs. Clowes, the
'
in Duke-street, Stamford-street. His habits are
f despotism,— (Hear 0
1 1::,7,:tr, have been very eccentric, arid be seldom or never
.
.here circles ? I a ;ociat.‘ td with his fellow-,,,orkmen, but he was remark-
Bedar ise
had at any boo rof the I ably steady". Policeman Harding, 78 R, searched his box
lodgings in Royal-street, Westminster-road,
tehtheirsantrn: found therein a box of percussion caps and a
expense, to pr Act; the i at deceased's
ionooti a asstooftsh e tip so - cdczen bullets, walich corresponded with the one taken from
Ilea res. eesterday. arm.
pistol found io the deceased's possession.
.. say aid to !the
•

Alderman BEALS, another Borotigh Magistrate, ex-
pressed himself in similar terms, although he never
wished to see the principle of local Government abolished
he must say that, the Act having been passed, he felt
bound to obey it.
Councillors Rodway, Weston, and other members of
the Council, expressed themselves in strong terms
against the Bill, after which the resolution was put to
the meeting and carried, with only one dissentient,
amidst repeated cheers.
On the motion of Mr. WESTON, a resolution ex-
pressive of the opinion of the Council, that it would con-
duce to the peace and tranquillity of the town if the
London police were removed, was put and carried una-
nimously.
After which a Committee was appointed on the mo-
tion of Mr. Alderman STURGE, to investigate the cause
and circumstances of the late riot.
The meeting then adjourned.

MANCHESTER DOUBLE

ELECTION.

We mentioned in ne Sutton Monday that the She-
riff of Lancashire had first sent a precept to the Bo-
roughreeve and constables of Manchester, who had
accordingly made a proclamation, and fixed the day of
nomination for Wednesday (yesterday). Subsequently
the Sheriff discovered that he had made a mistake, and
that the charter constitutes the Mayor of Manchester
the returning officer. Accordingly the Sheriff issued a
precept to the Mayor, who appointed Thursday for the
nominatieand Friday for the election. On this dou-
ble precept the Manchester Guardian of yesterday
gives the following further information :
As we stated last week, a notice of countermand,
accompanied by an explanation, to the effect that the
precept had been addressed to him in mistake, was
served on the Boroughreeve, so long ago as Friday ;
to which, however, he has paid no attention. Since
then, we have reason to believe that a letter has been
addressed by the Under-Sheriff, to Messrs. Oswald
Milne, and Sons, as the legal advisers of the Borough.
reeve and constables, in which the writer states that
he is much astonished to find that the counter-
mand of the precept, an] the explanation of the mis-
take, under which its address to the Boroughreeve and
constables had originated, had been entirely disregarded
by those officers, and that they were proceeding to
hold an election under that precept. He, therefore,
thought it necessary to inform Messrs. Milne and Sons
that he should not recognise any return to which
the Boroughreeve and constables were parties. He
added that he considered the Mayor to be ths proper
returning officer for the borough of Manchester ; and
that, after the decisions of both the Learned Judges,
at the late Assizes at Liverpool, in favour of the validity
of the Charter of Incorporation, he considered that it
would be highly improper in the Sieriff, or any officer
acting
_under him, to do otherwise than recognise its

authority.
With a view to obviate the inconvenience, not to say
the dangerous consequerce, that might result from such
a state of things, we understand that a proposal was
made by the Mayor to the Boroughreeve and constables,
to hold with them a joint election, which arrangement
would have involved the necessity of postponing the day
originally fixed by the Boroughreeve and constables :
but those gentlemen have chosen to reject that propo-
sal, and have resolved, in despite equally of it, and of the
notice of countermand, and the intimation from the Un-
der-Sheriff that he would not receive their return, to per-
sist holding the election, and in holding it, too, on the
day which they had originally fixed—this day. The
electors of Manchester, therefore, by the adherence of
' the BorouOircere and constables to this course, will
he exposed to all the inconvenience and loss of time, of
having two separate elections ; one which we may term
that of the Boroughreve and constables, in which the
nomination is to-day, and the poll to-morrow (Thurs-
day); and the other, under the precept addressed
to the Mayor, under which the nomination will
take place on Thursday, and the poll on Friday.
In this state of things, we understand that Mr.
Greg's friends, after mature consideration, have deter-
mined not to incur the slightest possibility of risk, and
therefore to vote at the election under the precept
addressed to the Boroughreeve and constables. They
have accordingly issued placards, in which they recom-
mend those of the electors who are in favour of Mr.
Greg, to go to the poll un Thursday. To this we may
add the earnest recommendation, that all true Reformers
will hasten to the poll at its opening, at eight o'clock in
the morning. Let every one this day take care to
ascertain at which of the polling booths he is to record
his vote ; let him repair thither, at eight o'clock on
Thursday morning, and much will be done at the outset
to place the victory beyond the reach of the Tories.

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