The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-02 00:00:00

The League Meeting in Hyde 'Park.

Last evening a meeting of the Reform League
delegates was held in the Sussex-hall, Bouverie-
street, and, as in the course of the evening three
superintendents of the Metropolitan Police waited
upon the Executive of the League, and publicly and
officially served the members with copies of the pro-
clamation issued by the Home S,.!cretary, the pro-
ceedings were of a somewhat exciting character.
Mr. Beales, M.A., presided, and among those pre-
sent wore Mr. Bradlaugh, Lieut.-Colonel Dickson,
Mr. Merryman, and other members of the League
Council.

The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, in-
troduced to the notice of the meeting an address
which he proposed to issue in the name of the
i.eague. This was as follows
" Men of London, who, not yet having the power
of voting for those who are called your representa-
tives in Parliament, desire to have that poWer, and
to make the representation of the people a reality,
come together once more to express your desire
unanimously and firmly, and to claim the franchise
which reason, justice, and the Constitution give
you. Come and join in the protest of your brethren
and fellow-countrymen at Birmingham, Newcastle,
Leeds, against the restrictive conditions of the Bill
now before the House of Commons. That Bill
affects to be intended to give you the franchise, but,
in reality, it, in many respects, excludes you from
it, or accompanies an unwilling concession with con-
ditions contrived to embarrass you in its acquisition
and exercise. Come and meet the Council of the
Reform League in Hyde Park, on Monday next, the
6 h of May. Come as loyal, peaceful, and orderly
citizens, enemies of all riot and tumult, but unalter-
ably fixed and 'resolved in demanding and insistinz
upon what you arc entitled to. If time presses, stay
not to form in processions, but come straight from
your work. Come without bands and banners.
Show that the cause itself is sufficient to call forth
your energies, and animate your exertions. Your
enemies have ventured to treat your former demon-
, strations and meetings with the insolence of revilingS
and sneers, and insolence that springs from base-
ness is ever the proof of conscious wrong and injus-
tice, and has but too often imperilled the peace of
nations. Let your only and disdainful answer be to
meet again and again in your moral strengthwiti: until
that
you are fully and ungrudgingly invested
which is your birthright as the citizens
s o
State, the right to vote in the choice ofthofs ea fwhofree
make
xyeorcuirselarU overnsl; impose .taxes,
Utrperso'pgeorvtieersn, youryour lciobuernttireys,
and
The q e:t
op of
responsibility
sibyioliuty
with your opponents. your
oallt e r yourniea s ilvfe youor aac rt
6i
v eadd, rfiovre self t p
rao oepcdt tt
la° nn
or for the support and
undoubted rights, be the fault andv a uthe emr
e
uestron is not one of
c
party, awl ought tiot to bb oni.of 'ffa43:k 611.6

-
,
affecting equally the nati
whether Tories or Conservati
" PADmoNn BEALEs, Pre
League." kr
He then called upon the people to-ittentand 4ain-
tain their rights.
Mr. BRADLAUGH, in the course of a very violent
speech, urged the people at all events, to attend the
park, and he said the Government which had been
cowardly enough and cruel enough to call out the
military before would -do it again ; but he would
not be deterred from attending, and if violence were
used he would be among the fir.it to meet that violence.
The concluding sentences of the speech were ecru-.
i.letely Jost in the loud cheers which burst *front his
hearers at the proposed defiance of the law ; and
some of the meeting, in their enthusiasm, tossed
their head-gear, mostly c cps, to the ceiling. At
this juncture Mr. Superintendent Durkin, with Mr.
Superintendent Walker and Mr. Superintendent
Kittle, entered the room,- having previously sent in,
their cards.

I\lr. MERRYMAN addressed the meeting, calling
for a quiet hearing for all the superintendents had
to say, and he said the police might carry back to
their superiors the assurance that the League were
firm and determined as to holding the meeting, not-
withstanding any proclamation which . might be
brought forward.

Mr. MANTLE urged the assemblage to receive the
statement of the police-officers in solemn silence, aid
to show no feeling at whatever was stated by then,
Mr. Superintendent DURKIN then stated that he
attended with his brother superintendents, from the
Commissioners, to give the president and all other
members of the Reform League Council, the notice
he then placed before them.

With saying this he handed the members around,
a copy of the proclamation, which was read by
Beales glifollol, s.:r7 _

" Whereas it has been publicly announced that a
' meeting will be held in Hyde-park on Monday, the
6th of May, for the purpose of political discussion :
And whereas the use of the park for the purpose of
holding such meeting is not permitted, and inter-
fere with the objects for which her Majesty Ilia bees
pleased to open the park for the general enjoyment
of her people : Now, all persons are hereby warned
and admonished to abstain from attending, aiding,
or taking part in any such meeting, or from. enter-
ing the park with a view to attend, aid, or take part
in such meeting.—S. H. WALPOLE. Home-office,
Whitehall, May 1, 1867."
There was an attempt made to ridicule the seve-
ral parts of the notice, but this was suppressed.
After the paper had been read the police officers
left the room.

The CHAIRMAN said this was a very serious crisis,
and it became the meeting, as calm and reasonable
men, to consider the notice. He then entered into
a very long dissertation upon the notice, which he
dissected word by word, and his conclusion was that
the Government had no right to exclude the people
from the park. He called upon the people to hold
the meeting, and he said if there should be any riot
or disturbance the fault would rest with the Govern-
ment for interfering with the people's constitutional
right to attend the park in a meeting for the dis-
cussion of political questions.
Mr. BRADLAUGH also entered into a long word
by word discussion of the notice. He :ailed upon
the people to show that they were not degenerate
sons of their fathers by being cowardly enough to
abandon their purpose because of this notice. The
Government, he said, had invited a contest, and
if the League brought themselves out of it like men,
more would be done by this Monday meeting than
had been done after months' Parliamentary debate:
The resolution he moved was :

"That this meeting, denying the right of S. H.
Walpole, or any other person in this realm to issue
such a proclamation, and regarding the parks as
places open for the purpose of holding public meet-
ings, which are the right of all Englishmen, reply
to the proclamation that they intend holding the
meeting of Monday, and that-the consequences of
endeavouring to prevent it must rest with those who
are wicked enough to take this course." (Loud
cheers.)

This was seconded.
- Colonel DicKsoN said the proclamation was a very
mi'•k and watery affair, and, -showed that there was
some «funking"ie officia-tqu.arters ; but the T.eagito
were prepared to slipiv that there was no funking
among, them.

Mr. CONNINGTON proposed a modification of the
resolution submitted to the meeting.
Mr. CONOLLY, stonemason, said some of the
speeches he had heard that night sounded to him
like addresses from a general to a well-disciplined
army. He knew that some who talked the loudest
would be the first to run away in danger—(hisses
and uproar)—and, as a large meeting like that could
not he a deliberative assembly, he moved that the
question as to the holding the meeting should be
altogether referred to the Executive. He looked
upon the matter as altogether a serious one, and the
whole question was not worth shedding blood for,
or resorting to physical force in any way.
The CHAIRHAN begged leave to say that there
was no wish to imperil life, or sacrifice a drop of
blood on Monday next. If there was any disturbance
the fault would lie with those who employed force
to prevent the peaceful exercise of a right.
v
After some speeches in violent language, which
were much cheered, the chairman submitted the re-
solution of Mr. Bradlaugh somewhat altered in
words, but the same in spirit, and it was carried
unanimously. The meeting then separated.

METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.
GOWER-STREET STATION is the nearest to
E. MOSES and SON'S Establishment,
_New Oxford-
street, corner of Hart-street.