The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-14 00:00:00

large majority, and took- care to prevent any alteration in
the law which would make corn cheap. By doing so they
thinned the blood of the peodle, and kept down plethora
among them. He trusted, therefore, that gentlemen in that
House would be more chary for the future in making such
charges against the working classes. His Ilonourable and
Learned Friend the Memb,.!r for Dublin condemned the work-

men of that city because they did not allow each tradesman to
have more than a certain number of apprentices. He did not,
however, condense a similar practice which existed in his own
profession, for no attorney was allowed to have more than two
-spprentices ; and they not only had an arrangement amongst
themselves, but they got a statute passed for the purpose That
rule, therefore, which was highly approved of with regard to
lawyers, was most strongly condemned in other trades. Again,
had they not a trade union in the Temple ?—( Hear, hear.)
Had they not in that place a recent and remarkable instance of
conspiracy against the genius and abilities of the extraordinary
man. near him _(hear, hear)—which had prevented bins se-
quirng that station and wealth in the profession which his
talents would have insured to him ? Whon there was such a re-
markable instance of the preventing the acquisition of rank and
wealth in a liberal profession, by a combination of detestable
clique In the heart of the metropolis, they should not make
such loud complaints of combinations of working men at dis-
tant places, who had such difficulties to contend with.—( Hear,
hear,) T,
a
They ought
punishough t not
with tot b
o ut
ul sanctionost
rigour su c h a
poorstat e
and of f
uthnifnogr:
in the law,
tunate men who attempted to :airs an addition to their scanty
earnings, and to obtain bread for themaolves and families. This
' was the system that was pursued with regard to the working
classes ; and he 7e.vsld /IA any Honourable Member whether
he vtonla nt:4 blush if he thought that those men were his
countrymen who could patiently submit to the infliction of such
hardships on them as tho working classes have been subjected
to 7 \Viten the same class of persons fought the battles of
the country, na praise that could be bestowed on them was
Lo greet, there was no limit to the praises bestowed on their
brave soldiers awl, gallant tats t and the class whose cause
he , p ,a 3, Iyi
de c
weret e d were possessedfathers
and bor
fotthheers same
ehosfeeculiprogn
whom praise was so lavishly bestowed. He knew not hows
1 and habits
to tetra Ow question berore the House in any other manner
I than that which he had stated. He knew that there was the

greatest repugnance to discuss questions in that House, which
involved anything lilte an appeal from the decision of a
cotqt of tat'et. 'lt woe the common custom to state that
it was inexpedient to make that House a court of appeal
from courts of law; but he would ask to what other
tribunal could they eppeel Where could matters of
this :ion he ao properly discussed as in that House ?
( Hear, hear, hear.) It should bo remembered that the
judges were not the masters of the public, but the servants,
He did not wish to make any remarks on the conduct of the
Judges in any Court of Law all that he was anxious for was
securing the conAdence and respect of the people. He would
ask the Learned Lord Advocate under what English Statute
these men could be transported. He teas aware that under
the 9th of Gce. IV, it liad been maintained that if they
conspired to coutuait assaults they could be capitally indicted.
They were not, however, indicted under this Statute, indeed
no mention was made of it ; he therefore thought the indict-
ment
was framed under the common law, All the papers of
the Association were seised by the Sheriff when the docu-
ments of the Committee were taken by surprise; and he
would ask what internal evidence these documents exhibit
0f the existence of an illegal Association? But suppose
that these persons were present when the assault was com-
mitted, did it justify them in passing on the prisoners
a sentence of transportation for seven years? After the
enactment in the Act of Parliament, which he had read
to the House, he was of opinion that the highest punish-
ment that should be inflicted on the prisoners was imprison-
ment for three months. By taking an analogous case
he thought that a great light might be thrown on the sub-
ject. He intended to direct the attention of the House to
the analogous ease of the Orange Association. He knew
that some lion. Members might object to any allusion to the
Orange Association, but he did so because it would show in
what a different manner the law was administered to this
exalted body, and to the humble association of workmen. It
was well known that the Orange Association was an illegal
bedr, and it was rendered so by the oath taken by its mem-
bers. With respect to the Glasgow Association, it was as-
',lied that an oath was administered : three of the witnesses
fir the Crown denied that there was such an oath in that
body ; again, four of the witnesses for the Crown denied that
there was any Secret Committee in connection with the as-
sociation. Such, indeed, was the contradiction on the part
of the witnesses for the Crown, that it was surprising that the
Counsel for the prisoners thought it expedient to call any wit-
nesses for the defence. I f this had taken place, he "thought
that the Lord Advocate would have felt that he had been
placed in rather an awkward situation. He would proceed to
make a few remarks .as to what had taken place before the
trial.. Ha had already said that 6001. had been offered for
information which would lead to conviction. But :how were
the witnesses treated before the trial ? The four chief wit-
nesses for the Crown were confined together in one room.
These men were members of the Association, were con-
fined
together in one room, and they were in expecta-
tion of receiving the 6001. if their evidence should con.
vict the prisoners. Need he add that, by pursuing this
coiarso, the witnesses had every opportunity of agreeing
to the evidence they should give, and of framing it in a way
which vvas most likely to lead to conviction? On the trial no
objection was allowed against the testimony of these wit-
nesses, although they had lived together; but the judges re-
fused to receive the evidence of two witnesses for the defence,
because they had previously to the trial signed a declaration
that Macneil was not on the spot when the murder was com-
mitted on the night it took place. He did not understand
how the impartial administi anon of justice could be promoted
by receiving the evidence on one si.le, wed refusing to receive
the evidence of witnesses for the defence, for the simple reason
he had stated. But he might be told that the witnesses were
put into gaol for protection ; there was no necessity, however,
feooroppiuntzti nthg iem n iinn
oonnee
nraorol
omw.
spThot,
pTohte, rew h we
where
4o"ceoceusldsityhafvuer th"
an opportunity of conversing together on the evidence they
wool Ibe called upon to give on the trial. He should now
return to the Orange Association, and what he wanted to es-
tablish was, that if the law was to be administered to the
people, it should be administered with strict and undeviating
impartiality.—( Hear.) It had been elicited by the Com-
mittee of that House which inquired into the nature of the
Orange Association, that oaths were taken by its members ;
yet had any of the Nobles and Right Honourables of the land
who sere the leaders of that Association, been prosecuted
or punished ? Not one--and why, then, inflict this
severe punishment on poor men daily struggling for their bread,
and who, if they had sinned in this matter at all, Lad not
sinned because they were vicious ? If justice were to be ad-
ministered, let it be with an even hand. And what was the
oath taken by this Orange Association, which boasted that it
could raise 150,000 men at a minute's notice, through tise
influence and interest of tlny,e who were its heads, and than
which a more dangerous Association, more rife with peril to
the Crown, and to all the institutions of the country, never
existed in any State ? its o ganixetion was most complete,
and the oath which it imposed on its members the most so-
lemn and binding that could be framed What was that oath ?
ability, defend the present King and Royal Family"—( Hear,
`° I, A B, do solemnly swear that I will, to the best of my
hear.) yes—. defend the present King and Royal Family, so
long as he and they support the P.otestant ascendancy." So,
that here were 150,000 men taking a qualified oath of alle-
giance.—(hear, hear, hear.) And who were to be the
judges as to whether the King supported the Prote,tent ascen-
dancy I Why, the heads of the Association. Well, just so
long as the King, in the opinion of these parties, supported
the Protestant ascendancy, and no longer, did the Associa-
tion pledge itself to defend the King. Then came a para-
graph having reference to the secrets of the Association :
And I do further swear that I will always conceal and
never reveal any part or parts of what is now about to be
privately communicated to me, till empowered to do so by
the authorised heads of the Association," &c.—( Hear, hear.)
Awl who were among the heeds of this Association? The
Noble Member for Bucks, opposite, the Duke of York, the
Duke of Cumberland, the Bishop of Salisbury, " the Lord
Prelate of the Order," Lord Lowther, Lord Kenyon, Sir
Rebell Peake—not Sir Robert Peel—( A laugh)—the Mar-
quis of Thomond, and other nobles and great men of the
land, too numerous to mention. But it might be said this was
a religious Association, established only from the purest of
motives ; but he had shown that it was a political institu-
tion, and lie had also shown that its members took a qua-
lified oath of allegiance. One of the persons examined by
this Committee was a Mr. Whittle, a maltster, of Rochdale,
who stated that he had been an Orangeman for twenty years,
but had been expelled in 1835 by the Grand Lodge, held at
Kenyonni, because he had voted for the Liberal can-
had been expelled on similar grounds. The Orange
dLoidrd ate for Rochdale; and further, that several other Orange-
men
gerous Association, but it was an unlawful one. Seeing,
Association was therefore not only in the highest degree a
I:ensafore, that it was an unlawful Association, and that some
tof the greatest men in the land belonged to it, what must
be e of the working millions of this country when
hey found
prosecution had been instituted against any
one the fe•el i
tnigi
member of that Association, while people were sent hunt-
ince and peering about the country for the purpose of discover
in; any persons who might have been guilty of violating the
la" in those trades' unions ? What he asked was, that these
men should not be sent away until an inquiry had been made
into
this Glasgow Cotton•spinners' Association. He asked
for
no inquiry into the trial. It might perhaps be said that
there
was no parallel between the case of this Association and
t at
no
the case of the Orange Association—that no serious outrages
had arisen out of' the Orange Association. But this was a
mistake. Near Glasgow itself serious outrages had been
owe el by Orangemen, in one of which a constable was shot
by an Orangemen. The murderer was taken and executed ;
end here the question arose, if the assault at Mile-end could be
traced to the leaders of the Cotton-spinners' Association,
merely because the parties committing it were connected with
that Association, how was it that the leaders of the Orange As-
sociation were not prosecuted for the murder committed on the
constable by one of their body ? If there was culpability in one
lawcriminality
ie h win the d
b eo other.
productiveT hi s
of
fatsh ae
mmodeoatf
roifgandt--
wished the Crown to be respocte4i,
icef loailsneci,eottnebsreei ricileg4'etYlual jes,lf
they
the Courts of Justice to be beloved, they mute keep the Nun-
teen of justice free from all impurity and corruption. The
lion. Gentleman concluded by stating that he should only
on. letpber than read as follows:--" That this House
move the first resolution of which he had given notice, which
6qleq Committee sheuld .be appolotecl 1.?
iVol'ilepnion that a
inquire into the coestitution, practices, aid effects of a Society
which has long existed in Scotland, under the title of the
Association of Operative Cotton-spinners of Glasgow and its
neighbourhood.'"
The LORD ADVOCATE said he was bound to acknow-
ledge the perfect courtes' with which the lion. Gentlplp