The Sun.
London, England, 1834-04-18 00:00:00

TITHES,

The same Hort. Mx;;;;presented a petition from
the agriculturists of the neighbourhood of Canterbury,
praying that the present system of tithes might
be done away with, upon fair, just, and equitable
principles, having a due regard to the rights of private
property. (Hear, hear.) The petitioners stated that
they had rather the system of tithes was done away with
altogether, than that it should be kept alive by commuta-
tion ; so far they were opposed to the views of the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer.
CHURCH AND STATE. _

Mr. PLUMPTRE also presented a petition from the
minister and congregation of the methodist chapel of East
Wood, in the county of Nottingham, praying for a
reform in the established church, and, at the same
time, expressing it as their opinion, that the
maintenance of the church should be regarded as the
paramount duty of a Christian legislature. Though
they wished the union of church and state to be maintained,
they, at the same time, acknowledged and regretted the
existence of many abuses in the discipline and administra-
tion of the church which they were anxious to see removed.

Sir E. KNATCHBULI: said it was unfortunate that
he, as one of the representatives of the county, was not
aware of the meeting from whence the petition emanated,
because he would have felt it his duty to have been pre-
sent. NO notice whatever had been given of the meeting.
The petitioners could not have known what the plan in-
tended to be proposed by his Majesty's government was,
and it would have been better if they had waited for it.
As to the question whether there should be any alteration
at all in the system of tithes, he should readily assent to it ;
but he would withhold his assent to any proposition for the
abolition of tithes. With regard to the plan proposed by
his Majesty's government, he saw many objections in it.
Lord DALMENY presented a petition from the pa •
rochial schoolmasters of Stirling for an increase of salary,
and stated that at a future period, if no other member took
up the subject, he should feel it his duty to do so. The
hon. member also presented a petition from Dunfermline
for an alteration in the law of church patronage, which
was referred to the committee sitting on that question.
Major BEAUCLERK presented a petition from the
farmers and others, who attended Croydon market, against
the removal of Smithfield market. He next presented a
petition, signed by 700 inhabitants of Croydon, complain-
ing of the abuses in the church, and of the hardship of
making one sect pay for the support of another, while by
the Scriptures no one sect ought to be superior to another.
(Hear.) Also a petition from a parish in Down against
tithes; and three others from the persons engaged in the
fisheries in the district of Ardglass, complaining of distress.
THE DORCHESTER UNIONISTS.

The same How. MEMBER next presented a petition,
agreed to at a public meeting at Leeds, signed by Thomas
Barlow, condemning the sentence passed upon the six
Unionists at Dorchester, for violating an obscure Act of
donheo hoping
fotrhatth
et hrei
rich,
house
dw oaunlodthienrteforpr otshee,
aPnardlinamotenaltioanw
poor. He supported the prayer of the petition, and
said he was happy to hear that the hon. member for
Sudbury said " that although he was opposed to unions,
yet he thought the law in this instanee was overstretched.
It would be the wildest scheme the government ever at-
tempted to strike in such a manner at the unions, and he
hoped they would recall the men. If no other member did, he
would move an address to his Majesty to restore those poor
men back to their country, for all of them had wives and
families. Let ministers look across the channel and see
the French King attempting to put down the people with
bloodshed, but the bayonet would never accomplish it. Let
the Government afford relief in the way of a reduction of
taxes.

Mr. HUME took the opportunity of supporting the pe-
tition presented from the meeting at Leeds, which con-
sisted of 20,000 persons, the proceedings of which were
most orderly, and its sentiments unanimous. He had seve-
ral other petitions to the same effect; one from a meeting
at Marylebone, of 3,000 persons ; and meetings were
taking place everywhere to remonstrate against this act,
and a more cruel, or unjust act, had never been perpetrated
by any government. The sentence might certainly be
legal, but when he looked at the higher classes, and saw
that they formed unions, and administered oaths on the ad-
mission of members, he was led to inquire why the
law was not also enforced against them? (Hear, hear.)
He recollected the discussion which took place 'on one of
Mr. Pitt's gagging bills, and that the other night the no-
ble paymaster of the forces, he was happy to say, said,
" Did any man expect that the principles of Mr. Pitt
would be sanctioned by this government ?" Why, that was
now the very fact of the case. What had taken place ?
A few individuals, feeling the pressure of low wages, were
ill-advised to think they could relieve themselves by uniting
in such associations as they had formed; but they were ig-
norant that they should render themselves liable to such a
punishment as had been inflicted upon them. The govern-
ment ought, at least, to have suspended the hasty
execution of such a sentence. For this act alone, they
deserved to be severely condemned. (Hear, hear.) He
could not but say, that when he saw them drawing such a
glaring distinction between the rich and the poor, they
ought
not to have lent their aid to such an act, and give it
so speedy a sanction. He would admit that the sentence
was legal ; but were there no crimes of a much
more serious cast which were frequently pardoned ?
Upon what grounds, therefore, did the Government act in
this case? He could attribute to nothing but a cowardly
feeling on the part of Government, which, finding the
trades' unions opposed to their interests, were anxious to
get at them, and had seized the first victims they could
catch. (Hear, hear.) He had no hesitation in saying,
that any individual who broke the laws ought to be
punished. (Hear, hear.) But the people looked upon
this as attempt to put thesis down ; and since the sub-
ject was shortly to come before the house, government
might have fairly suspended this harsh and unjust sen-
tence. The -people had been driven to their pre-
sent proceedings by bad laws, and ought to be sym-
pathized with, and be raised from depression. The
government ought to act with clemency, and even if
the people did err, their errors ought to be viewed with
mercy, and not be met in the severest manner the law al-
lows, As the petitioners had requested him to support the
petition he had done it, and did join with them in implor-
ing the extension of the royal clemency. He hoped Go-
vernment would pause, and not rouse the whole ; let them
recollect that the multitude may be oppressed for a time,
but it was impossible for it to go on. (Hear, hear: )
Lord HOWICK said, as the question would come re-
gularly before the boils? in a few days, when the heads of
his Majesty's Government, members of that house, would
be present, and when they would doubtless defend the
measures that had been adopted, it was not his intention
at the present moment to go into a full discussion (Hear)
of the policy pursued by his Majesty's government with
respect to trades unions, feeling that in the subordinate
situation he occupied, he had no right to do so ;
but he could not sit in that house and listen Co
what had fallen from the two honourable members
who had addred it, without offering a very
few remarks. Thelon. member for" Middlesex had stated
very fairly the principle; he had' stated that he regretted
that so mist-IlTn an idea should 'he putertalued by the la-
bonring classes, that they could raise their wages by
combination.—(Hear, hear.) He had also said that,
as long as they kept within the law, no punishment
seould take place. He (Lord Howick) concurred most
cordially in that sentiment, thinking that parliament did
that which was no less politic than demanded by
justice when it repealed those. severo st,,totes against
combinations I,oich existed previous 'to 1825. (Rear,
hear.) He ( Lord Howick) considered it the undoubted right
of every man to determine for himself on what terms he
could part with his labour, and there could be no possible