The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-04 00:00:00

COURT OF COMJION COUNCIL.

Yesterday a special court was held for the purpose of
agreeitior upon a petition to Parliament against the Po-
lice (Counties and Boroughs) Bill. The court was un-
usually crowded, and there was a large attendance of
alde‘'meti.
Mr. J. WOOD, chairman of the Consolidated Commit-
tee, brought up the following report :
" We of your Consolidated Committee, to whom on
the 28th of February it was referred to consider a bill
to render more effectual the police in counties and bo-
roughs i❑ England and Wales, and to report thereon,
do certify that Mr. Remembrancer having laid a copy
of the bill before us, we proceeded to consider the same,

and find that it proposes that the constables of the mu-
nicipal boroughs in England and Wales shall, in addi-
tion to their ordinary duties, perform all such duties
connected with the police as are from time to time, by
any regn,ations made under the add bill by the Secre-
tary of State, declared to be police duties to be per-
formed by such constables, and that it shall be lawful
feu. one of her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State
float time to time to make such general regulations with
respect to the duties of constables appointed by muni-
cipal corporations as he may see fit. That it is also pro!
posed to authorise one of her Majesty's Secretaries of
State from time to time to make rules for the Govern-
ment, pay, clothing, accoutrements, and neee,saries of
constables appointed by the municipal boroughs.
" That your committee are of opinion that such powers
will virtually deprive municipal corporations of the
management and control of their police, and place the
same in the hands of one of her Majesty's Principal
Seeretsries of State for the time being.
" That your committee most strongly object to such
an infringement of the rights and liberties of the people,
and recommend your hon. Court to oppose the said bill.
That the tendency of legislation towards centralisation
is, in the opinion of your committtee, subversive of that
principle of self-government which is so congenial to the
spirit of this free nation, and which experience has shown
to have materially contributed to advance the prosperity
and promote the liberties of the country.
" That the persevering efforts of the Government to
reduce the responsible local administrations of free muni-
cipal constitutions to the condition of mere agents of a
Minister of the Crown display a tendency towards cen-
tralisation of the most objectionable character, calculated
ultimately to subvert and destroy the principles of local
self-zovernment enjoyed by the people and recognised
by Parliament.
" That Mr. llemembrancer having, by the direction
of your committee, prepared the draught of a petition
to the hon. the House of Commons against the said bill,
we have approved thereof, and recommend the Barad to
your hon. Court for adoption. All which is respect-
fully submitted.
"Dated this 3d day of March.
"JOHN WOOD " G. VILE
" P. LAURIE "D. J. M'LAucHLAN
" W. CUBITT " IT. DE .TEnssr
" T. CORNET " H. BLAKE
"J. PARKER "T. H. HALL
"B. BOWER "J. ANDERTOIt
" W. WILLIAna " J. CAUSTON
"T. ROWLEY " F. FARNCOMB
" W. S. HALE " H, L. TAYLOR
"E. HICKSON " W. A. ROSE
"J. HUMPHREYS " W. HUNTER
"W. JONES "T. DAKIN."
"T. J. 110 LT
Mr. WOOD, in moving "That the Court agree with
the committee in their report," said that the committee
had approached the subject with the greatest anxiety to
do justice to its importance, and were unanimous in the
recommendations which it contained when it was very
fully discussed on Friday last. Although the corpora-
tion itself was exempted from the operation of the bill
still the committee felt it their duty to recommend to
the Court that they should oppose the principle involved
in it. (Hear, hear.) About 80 petitions from boroughs
in England had been lodged against the bill. He knew
that there had been and were in London delegates or
deputations from all parts of the country whe enter-
tained similar views in respect to the bill with those
stated by the committee.
Mr. W. JONES seconded the motion.
Mr. H. WELLINGTON VALLANCE said that the bill was
another step in the system of centralisation which had
marked the course of all, but particularly so-called Libe-
ral Governments, for the last quarter of a century.
Centralisation was but despotism in disguise ; it im-
plied the taking of all power from the people and lodg-
ing it in the hands of the Central government. (Hear.)
The motion was carried unanimously amid applause.
A petition to the House of Commons against the hill
was then unanimously adopted.
Mr. ANIJEETON sail that, so far from finding fault with
the Government for introducing the bill into Parliament,
he, for one, very much rejoiced that they had done so,
because he was certain that it would be the means of