The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-30 00:00:00

Oteningini

LONDON, TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 30, 1847,

The measure introduced last night to the House of
Commons by the Right Hon. Baronet, the Secretary
of State for the Home Department, appears to be as
little objectionable in its character as any Bill in any
degree restrictive of the liberty of the subject can pos-
sibly be ; indeed it is scarcely deserving of the title of
a " Coercion Bill," and appears simply to be in accor-
dance with its title—"An Act for the better prevention
of crime and outrage in Ireland." We confess that
we, in common with many others, are agreeably sur-
prised in finding that there is so little departure from
the principles of constitutional government, and also
that it is not the intention to punish the innocent with
the guilty, or to make the whole of the country—in
the larger portion of which the peasantry (notwith•
standing the unprecedented distress and severe
sufferings with which they have been afflicted)
have exhibited a most praiseworthy forbearance—
responsible for the atrocious acts of bloodshed that
have been perpetrated in some of the disturbed dis-
tricts. There is to be no interference with the
great palladium of our liberties, the trial by jury.
Every person accused of an offence against the
laws has still a right to be deemed innocent
until convicted by twelve of his peers ;
there is to be no martial law, no new or extraordi-
nary tribunals, nor in any case is the man who is
necessarily absent from his house to be punished,
therefor, unless he should at the time thereof have
arms in his possession, which (unless satisfactorily
explained) would lead to the inference that he was
engaged in some unlawful pursuit; above all, it is not
intended to dispense with the necessity of a search-
ing investigation into the causes that have
led to that fearful state of society that has been so
eloqopntly described by the Right Hon. Baronet in
his brilliant and effective statement, or as a remedy
for the evils from which the crimes have had their
origin. "It would (said the Home Secretary) be a
short-sighted policy for any Government to think
that the mere prevention of crime by police regula-
tions or penal measures, was the great object of their
rule. It may be necessary at a period of the preys..
lence of peculiar crime to enforce the law stringently,
and if it prove inadequate for the conferring of that
protection which the law guarantees to indivi-
duals, that the law should be amended so as
to make it thoroughly efficient; but, on the part
of her MAJESTY'S Government, I earnestly disclaim
the idea that these remedial measures should be, or
are, limited to this Bill; or that a Bill of this kind,
limited in its scope, and temporary in its duration, is to
be regarded as a panacea for the evils which press upon
Ireland. I willingly concede that it is the duty of a
wise Government and Legislature to look rather to the
causes of those evils, for symptoms of that kind are
not to be neglected, nor are we simply to wait for
that slow curative process which may arise under an
improved state of the laws regulating the relations of
landlord and tenant—the remedial measures for
freeing encumbered estates--a revision of the grand
jury laws, and other measures of that
nature which it is the intention of Government to
propose." This is the true principle. The present
Bill is not to be regarded as a substitute for any of
the ameliorations that may be requisite, or neces-
sary. But it will accompany those enactments, awl
while they are working out improvements in
the state and condition of the country im-
provements which will speedily (although, perhaps,
not immediately) render any Acts of extraordinary
stringency quite unnecessary—it will afford pro-
tection to those gentlemen anxious to reside upon,
and efficiently to discharge the duties incidental to
the possession of their properties, and enable them
to co-operate with the authorities in carrying into
effect the laws which may be passed for the general
good.

The following are the chief provisions of the pre-
sent Bill :—The Lord-Lieutenant is to be empowered,
with the consent of the Privy Council, to issue a
proclamation, that the provisions of the Act should
be extended to any disturbed district, whether
county or city, barony or half barony, or any
district of less extent. Copies of the proclamation,
together with an abstract of the provisions of the
Act, are to be posted in convenient places in
the locality about to be brought under its opera-
tion. his Excellency is also, whenever there should
appear to be a pressing necessity therefor, authorised
to increase the police force of any district, to any ex-
tent which he might think fit, out of the reserve force,
which is to be augmented from 400 to 600 men.
This additional force is to be under the same con-

proclaimed district, thus following
trot as the rest of the body. The expense
the precedent set
thereby occasioned is to be entirely borne by the
by the wisest of our Monarchs, the English L-r-
CURGUS, ALFRED, who made every locality liable for
the crimes which took place therein. The payment
is not even to
be postponed, but an estimate
is to be formed of the probable expenditure
for three months, and the amount thereof is to be
immediately levied as part of the county cess, and
so on for each successive term of three months, so
long as the disturbances shall continue. With
respect to the police regulations there is to be a
general prohibition within the proclaimed dis-
tricts upon all persons whatsoever, irrespective of
mak or the amount of rating, with certain excep-
tions,to carry or have fire-arms elsewhere than in
his or her dwelling-house; this is to be deemed a
misdemeanour, punishable with imprisonment, with
or without hard labour, fora term not exceeding two
years. The granting permission to carry fire.
arms to persons for their own protection
is not to be entrusted to the local magistracy, who
might be exposed to increased danger for any re-

fusal, but to a Government officer appointed for the
purpose. The police are to be empowered to search
all persons coming within the provisions of the Act
for fire-arms; and in the event of finding them on

their persons to take them away. The Lord-Lieutenant

is also to be authorised to call upon all persons