The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-26 00:00:00

THE BETTING-HOUSE CASES.

The decision of the Court of Queen's Bench on
Saturday in the cases of the turf commission agents
is made the subject of a long letter by " Legalis " in
the Daily News. Those who deplore the final
decision of the illegality of such establishments
as those of Messrs. Wright, Smith, and
Morris are made to understand that the words of the
enactment under which the proceedings were taken
were plain and explicit, and, therefore, there was no
chance for any attempt at evasion, after the prosecu-
tion was once set on foot. Whether the
law, when passed, was intended to embrace
the points which have now arisen, or not, is a matter
of indifference. It must be carried out according to
its wording. The judges have held that the receipt
of money through the post is sufficient proof of the
infraction of the Act, if there is evidence to skew that
it is the consideration for an undertaking by the person
who receives it to pay upon the happening of a certain
event. " Legalis " vindicates this decision ; and the
latter part of his argument alludes to Tattersall's,
and says it is important to consider whether that and
similar establishments do not come in the same
category as those of Messrs. Wright, Smith, and
Morris. "There must," ho says, "be no drawing
of distinctions between institutions and individuals,
but the penal consequences of the statute must be
applied vigorously and without favour."

THE MARQUIS TOWNSHEND'S LATEST DOINGS

There are popular orators and popular orators.
some appeal to the lowest, others to the hardened,
others again to those who think slightly, and not a
few to the sentimental. The Marquis Townshend,
feeling that a few peers is not the extensive audience
which a gentleman of his talent should endeavour to
influence, has taken to haranguing the paupers on
Clerkenwell-green. His lordship, it seems, thinks
the casuals of the metropolitan workhouses are
ill-treated, and he tells them so. He was sorry,
he said in his address to about 200 of them, that
after they had had breakfast they were kept in the
workhouse till noon to pay in labour for board and
lodgings. His lordship urges that they ought to be
let out early, as it is difficult for them to
get work so late in the clay. He advised.
the shivering ill-clad men to whom he spoke
to make up a deputation to Mr. Goschen, to ask
audience of that gentlemen at Gwydyr House, and
to protest against the hardships to which they were
subjected. Probably Mr. Goschen would•have some-
thing to say before he consented to receive such a
deputation ; and it certainly might be submitted to the
Marquis that the assembling at Whitehall of a crowd of
the class which usually occupies the metropolitan
casual wards, is not quite what a legislator, hoping
for peace and. order, should endeavour to bring about.
We cannot say that the Marquis's speech is calcu-
lated to do the casuals any good ; but he gave them a
threepenny dinner of stew afterwards, and that may
have done so.

REFRESHMENT FOR TOWN COUNCILLORS.
The ratepayers of England are apt occasionally to
grumble when they find their contributions towards
the local expenses in part consumed in the shape of
refreshments by their guardians and town councillors•
They may, perhaps, derive some consolation from the
fact that their brethren of Scotland are sometimes
compelled to do the same thing. The Stirling town
council presents. a case in point. That body the
other Sunday officially attended the kirk twice in the
day. In the interim they refreshed themselves; and
at their next meeting they had to pass the bill. It
demanded payment for four bottles of whiskey, several
bottles of wine, and a largo quantity of ale.
A town councillor, who, it may be concluded,
neither attended Church nor luncheon, pro-
tested against the quantity drunk. It is
only fair to say that when they saw " the
reckoning," the other members did seem ashamed of
themselves. Nevertheless, they made as good a
defence as they could. They did not satisfy Coun-
cillor Thompson, however ; he still continued to
accuse them of extravazauce. and Aounthinz worse.