The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-20 00:00:00

S N

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MILITARY FLCOGING.
Yesterday afternoon, a meeting.as held at Exeter
Hall, in order to consider the best Means of obtaining
the abolition of the system of military torture now prac-
tised in the army; Thomas Wakley, Esq., M.P., in the
chair.

The meeting was very numerously and respectably at-
tended, and before the arrival of the chairman on the
platform, a number of soldiers of the Grenadier Guards,
who entered the Hall, were vociferously cheered.
Mr. Weimee said, the gratification he ,derived from
being before the meeting and presiding on such an occa-
sion, was greater, they could readily believe kim, than
he was able to express, because that was an occasion
which was honourable to the humane feelings of the na-
tion—it was one which was honourable to human nature,
and it was peculiarly gratifying in consequence of a re-
cent occurrence. The bond of union which cemented
that meeting on that occasion was sympathy for their
suffering fellow-creatures. They believed that acts of
injustice and cruelty were perpetrated in the name of
what was called discipline, and, entertaining that beliefs
they were there to express their opinion in dissent from its
If the authorities who had so long advocated that systems
of cruelty with reference to the army and the navy, had
but duly reflected on what might have been done by a more
humane system of treatment, in all probability that
meeting would not have been then assembled; but the
authorities seemed to have forgotten that those who took
situations in the army and navy, when they took their
offices, did not cease to be human beings, and were ani-
mated by human sentiments. If they believod, for
example, that the soldier and the sailor possesse 'd the
same feelings which they themselves entertained,
and could be actuated by the same motives, they we uld
not for so long a period have consented and have desir ed
to inflict upon them a punishment now not employe d
even upon the brute creation. In the present advance
wont of knowledge, and the improvement of moral feel-
ings, this savage system of punishment was giving way,
and was made to yield to the force of moral feelings
which an improved system of education had produced on
this country. But there were officers who constantly
exclaimed that no discipline could be maintained in the
army unless the power of inflicting the lash were re-
tained, and unless that infliction every now and then
took place; but when they were asked if they did not
believe that if another system were adopted—a system of
rewards instead of a system of punishment—it would
serve the same end—they had not replied to it; they had
no way of argument; but they turned upon their heels
and exclaimed that they did not believe in the efficiency
of such a system, and that they rejoiced in having that
atrocious power in their hands—the power of infliot;og
punishment upon their fellow-creatures, who were cer-
tainly equally as honourable with themselves—(Loudi
cheers)—equally 'as just, and! equally as sensitive as
themselves. The voice of the British nation had been
raised against this atrocious cruelty. It was branded
and stigmatised—it was cendemned, hated, aad despised,
from one extremity of the kingdom to the other. Who
was there,he would ask who dare to say that such iniquity
should continue? The voice of the public would be
omnipotent in this cause, as it had been in every other
cause in which it had been recently expressed—(2-m-
-meuse cheering)—and he felt assured that the day Of
flogging, if it had not ceased, was, at all events, near ther
approach of its termination. The pretence had
hitherto been raised, in consequence of igno •
ranee or otherwise, That there was no danger
to human life in flogging; but experience—not only
recent experience—but experience of remote times—
had proved indisputably that it was not only dangerous
to life, but that it had killed—and killed again and
again ; and he was sorry to be compelled to express the
opinion that it had heen enforced with the knowledge'
that it had been fatal to human life. From circumstances
which he was unable to explain, that circumstance had
been kept back from public consideration. Now, how-
ever, it was universally known, and no longer could it
be said, when an unfortunate soldier or sailor was sen-
tenced to have his back lashed with that infernal ma-
chine, the cat-'o-nine-tails, that the infliction could be
made withont danger to human life. Why, they were
told that a surgeon should examine the body of the un-
fortunate culprit before his punishment was inflicted,
and that he should determine what amount of suffering a
fellow-creature should be enabled to bear before life was
in danger. For such a statement to be made in a civilised
country was in itself a miracle. Good God, let them
only conceive that a man should be required to test
beforehand the capabilities of endurance of is human
being—that he should gauge the strength of the human
body—that he should be required to ascertain by the
application of his scientific skill what amount of suffer-
ing, what quantity of pain could be endured by a fellow
creature before his life was put in danger. It was an
insult to the profession to which he had the
honour to belong.—(lmmense cheering.) If he were
in the army, whatever might be his prospect of
degradation—punishment—poverty—or deprivation—
his answer would be, that he would not be
answerable for the consequences of one single lash.—
(Enthusiastic applause.) He would—when the unhappy
being under the lash had received one—he would tell
the commanding officer, standing by, in as stern a voice
as he could, that he would not be answerable for the
second. Oh, there was something in it which was in
itself so disgusting, and so repulsive, that it was difficult
to speak about it with common feeling or patience. He
would ask, did the soldier, when he became such, did he

cease to be a citizen—did he cease to enjoy the civil
rights which other men possessed ? They were suffi-
ciently ready to laud the soldier when they believed that
he had protected them from danger. The soldier who
risked his life in their cause and for very bad pay—
(Cheers)—who was kept in a state of constant suffering
—who was under his general, colonel-major, captain,
lieutenant, ensign, sergeant, and coporal ; and if he
did not appear a very humble man, and extremely sub-
missive before all persons, he became a marked man,
and it was indicated to him that before long the farrier
should become his intimate acquaintance. Yes, even if
a poor fellow in a mistake were to call out to his superior
officer " hallo," the chances were that in a few days he
would find himself with a scored back; he would find
that he had been lacerated and torn, and that his life
had been endangered. Now was it believed, or could it
be believed by persons in authority, that the English
people would endure such a state of things?—(Cries of
" Never, never.") Now that their minds were directed
to the subject, and had become acquainted with all these
cruelties—now that the fiat of public opinion had been
launched against it—those who admitted it to continue
would be marked and stigmatised as being as
bad as the system itself. But for a moment, leaving out
the question of the physical suffering, and the danger to
the physical constitution, were they to forget what were
its effects, and what might be its influence on the moral
condition of the man ? Why, they might increase the
number of lashes, if that were only concerned ; but let
them picture to themselves an unfortunate man brought
inside a square, before hundreds of comrades ; be saw
before him the halberts, or a ladder nailed to the side of
a house ; he had to strip or be stripped, and to walk to
the ladder or the halberts, and there to be tied hand and
foot, with his limbs stretched to their utmost extent, in
order that he might not exhibit what was the amount of
agony and suffering he endured. He said, let them pic-
ture to themselves a man placed on that rack of 1846--
(Loud cheers)—for he called it what it well deserved to
be called—it was a rack ; and tell him did they send
from that place a man with an unbroken spirit, or an un-
subdued mind—a man who did not feel himself degraded
down to the lowest point of human degradation ? Tell
him if that man afterwards was ever likely to be a good
soldier, or to raise his head as an honest and independent
man ?—(Cheers.) He questioned if the moral degrada-
tion were not worse even than the physical punishment ;
and he questioned whether its effects on all that was
valuable in a man, were not calculated to hinder him
ffom being a good member of society, to make him a
good soldier, a good brother, or a good friend. And was
not this effect infinitely worse than the danger to his life,
or the torture of the physical infliction ? and if that were
the case, how could the punishment be justified? And for
what offences was this punishment inflicted? He was
not acquainted with the military code, and therefore he
would not attempt to name it, but circumstances which
hadbe believe
ecvoemtehtto t hist kwnaosw liend gfli cat
eidndufocre d t
hhei mm too think s
ttrmiflki
trifling
gn d to
and
pardonable offences—for the most pardonable offences
their fellow-creatures had suffered this horrible and un-
endursble torture. But returning to the physical con-
stitution—was there any person in that meeting so in-
experienced as not to know that the most trifling wound
would sometimes occasion death—a wound that occa-
sioned the most trifling inconvenience, and that only for
a moment, and, as far as the individual suffering was
concerned, did not require any description of medical
treatment? There were peculiarities in certain consti-
tutions which rendered wounds dangerous, and no skill
or sagacity of the surgeon could discover them. A
slight scratch of the skin might produce erysipelas and
death; a trifling injury to the extremity of the finger
might produce lock jaw and death; the cutting of a
nail too closely to the skin had frequently produced
death; and the cutting of a corn too closely had also
produced death; but it was laid down as a rule that
lacerating, cutting, scoring, pounding, and mincing the
back of a human being would not produce death ; and
some even spoke of it as not a disagreeable operation.
He must confess he should like to see it tried on the
backs of those parties; and, further—medically speak-
ing—it was his opinion that they richly deserved the
operation.—(Cheers.) But, to make another appeal to the
English public, why were the authorities unjust to
the officers? and he wished to speak of them as favour-
ably as possible, but, in his opinion, that which was
beneficial to the men ought to be applied to the officers.
—(Cheers.) It was a great injustice to withhold it from
them.—(Cheers and laughter.) If the practice were so
good for discipline, and so effectual for the promotion of
pure morals, then the young officers had reason to com-
plain that they had not had the benefit of it. From
what he had heard, it would occasionally be advan-
tageous to them; and in any case they should have that
themselves which they advocated with reference to
their men. If it were good for the men it would be good
for the officers. If it ought to be applied to " the men;'
were not the officers men.—(A voice—" No, some of
them are boys.") He always heard the expression
" officers and men," and never " officers and privates."
If it were good for the men it was good for the officer&
unless the officers would wish to indicate that they were
not men ; and ho must say that, if they continued the
practice of flogging, they were men who certainly would
not be much admired. He heard it stated, only a few
days since, in argument, in a different place, that the
chances were that the men would shoot their officers in
battle if this punishment were not retained, and even in
a less degree occasionally used. What did they think
of the privates ? Did they think that a private had such
a peculiarity of human feeling that he was a man likely
to shoot his officers if his officers did not flog him. There
was something so curious in the logic of that argument
that he had failed to comprehend it. In hisreoaren_me
prac-
tice, during life, he had found that: he treated
asted
as they ought to be treated—if he treated
in
•_ ,poAsessing the same feelings !y;1;
she
quaities.tEee.
same cingui—on bag- anwwwtr_esnedeitL.
ay. beg ress