The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-20 00:00:00

THE RIVAL OMNIBUSES.

It is very natural that the General Omnibus
Company should desire to monopolise the public
passenger traffic of the London streets. Equally
natural is it that the Saloon Omnibus Company
should endeavour to establish an opposition to this
monopoly. So long as the contest between the
rival 2i,sociations was conducted in a fair and
legitimate manner the public had no right to inter-
fere between them. But when the rivalry degene-
rates into a public nuisance, and when the limbs
and lives of those persons who wish to travel
by the conveyances of one of the rival com-
panies are endangered by the violence of the
servants of the other, surely the time has arrived
when a remedy should be found. From choice,
neither Parliament nor the public would wish to
meddle in the affair at all. We had much rather
that the road were left open to all without restraint
or check, so that the persons engaged in the trade
have sufficient discretion and good sense not to
make their quarrels and jealousies a source of annoy-
ance to the town. If this should not be the case,
then there is no other alternative than that of
handing over the regulation of the trade to the
Commissioners of I'olice, or some other properly
constituted authority. The police would receive
strict orders to notice all infractions of the regu-
lations, all disturbances of the public order, and
to cite the offenders before the police-courts, and
so, no doubt, an end could be put by the strong
band to such disgraceful scenes as have taken
place for some time back in the London streets,
in eq,nsequence of the rivalry of the omnibus pro-
prietors. Still, we had much rather not be driven
to so extreme a measure. We had much rather

leave the omnibus proprietors to themselves, if
they will but abstain from such practices as must
render interference imperatively necessary.
The form which the dispute has assumed is that
of a prosecution for an alleged conspiracy insti-
tuted by the Saloon against the General Company.
Now, "conspiracy," as every practical lawyer knows,
is a skittish mare to ride. An accusation of this
kind is ever found more difficult of proof than any
other, so hard is it to rivet firmly all the links in
the chain of necessary evidence. In the present
case, for example, it may require no small amount
of trouble and ingenuity to fix upon the directors
of the General Company a guilty knowledge of lie
acts of their drivers and conductors. It may be,
and Nye think it is, as clear as noon-day that Vie
practices complained of have actually taken place,
but it is not so easy to establish the series of crimi-
nal acts to the satisfaction of a jury. Not one, but
many acts of the like kind, must be proved, that it
may appear there was a criminal design. It must
then be shown that the directors were cognisant
of the acts of their drivers and approved them
before they can be brought m peril upon a charge
of conspiracy. The common sense of the question
is, of course, that this was so. Every man who has
walked about the streets of London for some time
past must have seen the omnibuses of the Saloon
Company undergoing the process of " nursing."
Surrounded as they were by the vehicles of the
rival company, it was impossible that a passenger
could either enter or alight from one of the Saloon
Company's conveyances without being exposed to
danger. It would require a very robust fa thin-
deed to believe that the directors of the General
Company are the only men in London who were in
ignorance of these discreditable struggles. In such
a case sufferance and express direction are twin
• sisters. We are not, however, inclined to spectf, ate
upon the chances of the prosecution, nor to enter
upon the charges made by one company against the
other, as far as the mere interests of the companies
are concerned. We would rather treat the ques-
tion as one of public convenience and public order.
If these gentlemen cannot come to terms, and so
arrange their mutual relations as to abate the public
nuisance, no doubt in three or four months' time an
act of Parliament could be obtained which would
effectually deprive them of all power of mischief
for the future.

This is the very wise suggestion which Mr.
Paynter, the presiding magistrate at the West-
minster Police-court, threw out on Thursday last,
when it seemed more than doubtful if the compa-
nies could be brought to arrange their differences
out of doors. The professional gentlemen employed
by the General Company at first expressed their
acquiescence, speaking on behalf of their clients,
in the recommendation of the magistrate. Mr.
Edwards, however, on behalf of the prosecution,
stated it as the conviction of those for whom he was
acting that the difficulty in the way of an arrange-
ment was, that it would be impossible for them to
trust to the promises of the opposite party. Mr.
Paynter proposed that the whole matter should be
referred to Sir Richard Mayne, who would be wil-
ling to arbitrate upon the matter, and lay down
rules for the regulation of the traffic. If the rival
companies take the true viewjaf their own interests
they will adopt this practical method of escaping
from a very awkward dilemma without hesitation
If what they want be justice—and either side
would be unwilling to admit that they want more
—this they will surely obtain from a gentleman of
the high character and discretion of Sir R. Mayne.
From him they may obtain a speedy and uncostly
settlement of their disputes, whereas, if they persist
in litigation, no one will be benefited save the pro-
fessional gentlemen engaged. The General Com-
pany, as it would appear, are anxious to establish
monopoly. Be it so ; but let them carry out their
design by furnishing for the public accommodation
more comfortable vehicles, and running them at a
cheaper rate than their rivals. They may depend
upon it that the public arc not in a conspiracy to
ride in bad omnibuses when there are better ones
to be found. They may also be very certain that
all attempts to get rid of rivalry by violence and
wrong will surely end in their own grievous loss
and discomfiture.

IRELAND.

DUBLfS, FRIDAY MORNING.

A tolerably circumstantial account of the at-
tempted assassination of Mr. S. M. Gason. a magis-
trate of the county of Tipperary, published in the
Daily Express of yesterday morning, is declared
by Saunders of this morning to be totally' 'without
foundation. The Express of to-day is silent upon
the subject. The affair is altogether a mystery.