The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-30 00:00:00

The Opening of the Swedish Diet.

At the opening of the Swedish Diet on the 19th
inst., in the remodelled form sanctioned by the new
Constitution,
Ma-
jesty delivered the following speech :
Gentlemen andyßing Charles in person, his
Men of Sweden,---We have just
b
r
common prayer for the A linighty
the new epoch into which our
in rcmodified form of its ancient
Fatherlandgacean consecrated,
and blessing,
enters b y
freedom. The same prayer from the depth of my
heart accompanies the greeting I now offer you, who
are assembled for the first time as representatives of
the Swedish people, to undertake the important
duties which have been executed for centuries by the
Estates of the realm. In the conviction that you are
thoroughly aware of the importance of the first steps
in your career I express my confidence that in your
advance towards that social progress required by
the spirit of the age you will proceed cautiously to-
wards the object in view, with due regard for the
benefits inherited from your forefathers.

"By careful maintenance of the friendly relations
in which I have uninterruptedly continued with all
foreign Powers, and not entertaining the wish to
take
git a
tpet
thosedisputed questions which have
to agitate, other portions of
Eu
a well-founded hope that the
united
which are surrounded upon all
d
agitated,
ior threaten
frontiers, will also in future s oiertsoo pd
be
kingdoms,
i I
n n
ga cherishtduoroalls ,
re-
joicey
in the blessings of peace.
" The events we recently witnessed have mean-
time revived the warning confirmed by the experi-
ence of past times, that we must rely for the security
of our independent existence, next to God, upon
ourselves and our own strength.

" Until the time when the plan for the defence of
the country, laid before the previous Diet, can be
remodelled in accordance with the opinions of the
Estates in that regard, nothing is more necessary
to strengthen our defensive system than the equip-
ment of the army with fire-arms of improved con-
struction. Convinced that the nation will be ready
to submit to the sacrifices essential for this purpose,
I have not hesitated to ask of you considerable
grants for the supply of new weapons, notwithstand-
ing that the requisite means must be obtained by
increased taxation.

" In view of the position and wants of the ad-
ministration, which will be laid before you to-day
in accordance with the Constitution, I have, in other
respects, felt it my duty to recommend the greatest
economy. Iu view of the present situation, I have
also thought it advisable that our railway works

1. rills fur several l-gislative works of general im-
portance—as, for instance, the revision of the act
of union with Norway, the re lemption of the land
tax, the settlement of new war right arrangements,
the regulation of the pension system, the keeping
the books of the public debt, and the improvement
of the water supply—are in course of preparation.
The short period that has elapsed since the last
meeting of the Diet, has neither sufficed to allow of
these bills being completed, nor has it permitted so
many new wants to come to light as was formerly
the case in the more lengthened period (three years)
between the respective Diets. I consider it an ad-
vantage that at your first meeting I need not ask
your attention to so large a number of measures as
to prevent the settlement of their labours under the
new forms, together with the consideration of other
questions you may think more pressing, being com-
pleted within the time assigned by the Constitution,
and which henceforth, as the Diet will meet yearly,
need only be exceeded in extraordinary cases.
" Our sources of existence agriculture and
mining— have long had to Contend with unfavourable
circumstances, and almost all branches of industry
have suffered from the injuriousinfluence of a widely
spread monetary crisis with the resulting shocks to
credit. A better condition of affairs is, however,
already springing up, and the most efficient help
against Past difficulties depends less upon measures
of the state than upon private foresight.
" I have waited joyfully for the day when I
should see you assembled around me. While I
reckon with confidence upon your wise co-operation
in all matters affecting the advancement of the com-
mon weal, I trust you may receive the reward of
your counsels in being counted by a grateful coun-
try among those who have really promoted her
honour and prosperity.
" I now declare this Diet opened, and remain
well affected in all Royal grace and bounty towards
all of you collectively and each individually here
present."

The Forthcoming Reform Demonstration

Last evening a special meeting of the members o

the Working Men's Association was held in the large
hall of the Sussex Hotel, Bouverie-street, Fleet-
street, Mr. G. Potter in the chair, to consider an in-
vitation from the Reform League to take part in the
forthcoming Reform demonstration on the 11th
proximo, and the propriety of calling a Trades'
Delegate Conference to take into consideration the
late decision in the Court of Queen's Bench affect-
ing the Trades' Unions.
The CHAIRMAN said, with reference to the in-

vitation from the Reform League, he thought there
was the utmost necessity for united action among
all real Reformers, and he thought the association
should co-operate with the League in making
the demonstration as effective as possible. The
association, however, was peculiarly situated. The
great majority of the members were members
of trade societies who would probably take part in
the demonstration, and who would prefer going with
their trades. Possibly the case might be met by the
association appointing a deputation to attend the
demonstration with its banners, and those indivi-
dual members not attached to any trade could unite
and attend with the deputation.
After some considerable discussion the following
resolution was adopted by a large majority :
Moved by Mr. B n.T, shipwright, and seconded
by Mr. JENKINS, organbuilder—" That six mem-
bers of the executive committee of the association
attend the demonstration of the Reform League on
the 11th Feb. next, as a deputation with the ban-

ner of the association, and that those members not
attached to any trade taking part in the demonstra-
tion, be recommended to join the deputation."
Messrs. G. Potter, Green, Thomas, Packer, Hart-
well, and Jenkins were appointed as the deputation.

Mr. GREEN then moved the following resolution :

—" That the committee of the association be em-
powered to take immediate steps for convening a
conference of delegates from the trade societies and
trade councils of the United Kingdom to assemble
in London on the first Tuesday in March next, to
consider the recent decision in the Court of Queen's
Bench affecting the legality of Trades' Unions and
the necessary measures to be taken thereon."
Mr. STACEY seconded the 'resolution, which was
agreed to.
Mr. TROUP moved the following resolution :
" That this association having become acquainted
with the assertion of Mr. Ford, of the Thames Iron-
works Company, that they were prevented from
making contracts which would have employed many
artisans, because the shipwrights had refused to
accept a reduction of 6d. per day, and having,
after due inquiry, made a denial of this statement
in the daily papers of the 21st inst.; regret extremely
to find that Mr. Ford's statement should have been
virtually incorporated in the report of the Lord
Mayor's Committee, road at the Mansion-house on
the 28th inst., notwithstanding its being an absolute
misrepresentation of facts."

Mr. T. BRTAN secouded the resolution, which was

carried,

It was then resolved that a public meeting should

be convened as early as possible in Poplar, to ex-
plain the misrepresentations daily being put before
the public as to the conduct of the skilled artizans of
the oast end of London by interested and ignorant
persons, •

The meeting then adjourned until Tuesday evening
next, to take the Queen's Speech into considerati)n.

THE LICENSING SYSTEM,

A conference for the purpose of promoting the
revision of the licensing system was held in Exeter
Hall yesterday morning, under the presidency of
Lord Eliot, M.P., in the absence of the Right Hon.
the Earl of Shaftesbury. The conference is to ex-
tend over two days, and to consist of morning and
evening sittings. The discussions and resolutions
are strictly limited to the consideration of the best
means of diminishing the present facilities for
drinking intoxicating liquors on the premises where
they are sold, or in places of public entertainment,
and of granting licences for such consumption. The
expediency of repealing the present Beer-shop Act
also forms a principal subject for consideration.
Among the gentlemen on the platform were
Archbishop Manning, the Rev. Sir Henry Lovelace
Starner, Bart., M.A., the Rev. Henry Solly, Mr.
Edward Lawrence, M.P., deputed to the conference
by the Town Council of Liverpool ; the Rev. Ed-
ward Jackson and Mr. John Jowett, Leeds deputa-
tion ; Rev. Dr. Garrett and Mr. Edward Whitwell,
Kcndal deputation. There was a meagre attend-
ance in the body of the hall. Mr. C. J. Ribton
Turner, corresponding secretary, read letters from
Mr. J. S. Mill, M.P., Mr. Townsend Mainwaring,
M.P., Sir John Bowring, M.P., Mr. G. J. Goschen,
M.P., General Sabine, President of the Royal
Society ; the Earl of Dartmouth, the Earl of
Shrewsbury, Lord Denman, Lord S. G. Osborne,
Lord Ebury, the Bishop of London, Sir Thomas
Hastings, Sir R. Murchison, the Dean of Ely, the
Dean of Carlisle, and others, who expressed their
sympathy with the object of the conference.
The following resolutions formed the basis of the
discussion :

1. " That, in the opinion of the conference, the present
number of houses licensed to sell intoxicating drinks to be
consumed on the premises is very considerable in excess
of the real wants ofthe population, and that it ought to be
greatly diminished.
2. " That the power for granting licences for the sale of

intoxicating liquors to bo drunk on the premises exclu-
sively vested in stipendiary magistrates appointed by the
Crown, who shall hold periodical sessions for the purpose,
on the plan of the courts held by revising barristers.
3. " That the wants of the street, parish, or district in
regard to such licences fib.all be lad before the liCellan

magistrate in such form as the inhabitants may severally
or collectively desire, in due conformity with the rules of
court; and this expression of their opinions shall be a prin-
cipal element in regulating the decision of the magistrate
in regard to granting or withholding the said licences."
Archbishop LIAxxiNG ro3e and was received with
loud cheers. lie said that when the executive com-
mittee invited him to take part in the conference he
responded heartily to the invitation, because he con-
curred heartily with the object the promoters of it
had in view. Ile understood that object to be this:
to ask the Legislature to retrace certain stet s it had
taken, and not to speak common-places about
drunkenness, nor to indulge in statistics of the ex-
tent to which it prevailed ; nor were they present to
discuss the moral remedies, without which all legis-
lative remedies would have no effect, but to discuss
one single point—viz., whether past legislation had
not given most dangerous facilities, and. therefore
multiplied the inevitable temptations which lead the
labouring poor to fall into the sin of drunken-
ness. His own experience during a period of 30
years, first among the poor of a country district,
and the latter half in London, cenvinced him that
the number of places in which drink was sold—
spirits and beer—was greatly in excess of the
wants, real or supposed, of the population, and
that it was high time that their number was dimi-
nished. He could testify that the drunkenness of
parents and the early intemperate habits of children
caused the misery which was filling the streets of
London with unhappy and abandoned children. It
appeared to him that the Legislature ought to in-
terfere, because everything affecting the moral
well-being of the population was a proper subject
of legislation. The Legislature controlled the prac-
tice of medicine, the sale of poisonous drugs. It
interposed in all the conditions of the health of the
people—it interposed between the parent and the
child—and if one thing poisoned the population
more than anything else, and invaded those rela-
tions, it was the facilities which were afforded for

drunkenness ; and the past acts of the Legislature
had afforded those facilities. He felt convinced
that drunkenness was invading the homes of the

poor, was changing the character of our labouring
men in the country, and breaking up domestic life
amongst the poor both in London and the country,
withering and destroying the power and the pro-
mise of the future—the children of England. (Loud
cheers.

Several other gentlemen addressed the Confe-
rence, and a resolution was carried approving of a
uniform system of licensing.
At the evening sitting—Mr. Hugh Owen in the
chair—there was a formal discussion on the ques-
tion whether the local magistracy would be the best
depositaries of the licensing power. It was com-
menced by
Mr. THOMAS HUGHES, M.P., who begged to state

at once his very strong opinion that the local ma-
gistracy were probably the worst depositary of the
licensing power to be found in the country. What

was wanted was a permanent legal tribunal, where
there should be certain settled principles upon
which licences should be granted. Some method
should be arranged by which to take the votes of
the ratepayers or the people of the district. If that
was not practicable, he could not conceive anything
better than the tribunal of a trained lawyer, not
in any way influenced by local considerations.
(Cheers.)
The Rev. Mr. Garrett, Mr. Samuel Morley, Mr.
J. Pownall (Middlesex magistrate), Dr. Ellis, Mr.

Jowitt, the Rev. Isaac Doxey, Mr. Joseph Clarke,
of Southampton ; Cyrus Symonds (an operative ma-
chine maker), the Rev. Henry Gale (rector of Tre-

borough), Mr. Arthur, Mr. Coles (joiner in Dept-

ford dockyard), the Rev. Henry Solly, Mr. Wil-
liam Saunders, of St. John's-wood ; and Mr.
Councillor Thompson spoke to the question, as did

also,

The Earl of LICHFIELD, who arrived late. His
Lordship said —Admitting that there must be licences

he did not consider the Permissive Bill was the right
thing to counteract the evils arising from the exis-
tence of those licences. He was most distinctly
opposed to its principles. The polling which it
proposed, for instance, would give rise to heart-
burnings, which years would not wipe away.
Another objection was, that it entirely ignored the
difficulty of a majority deciding to retain licences.
The present state of things was neither one thing
nor another ; but it was not true, as appeared to be
thought by many gentlemen present, that all of the
evils of drunkenness arose from the action of the
local magistracy. It was the case of beer-shops
_ .

being licensed by the excise they were anxious to
improve. There were no two opinions as to which

of the two authorities was preferable. The greatest
evils resulted from beershops. (" No, no; Gin
palaces.") From gin palaces it might be in Lon-
don, but not in the country. Respecting the pro-
position to constitute a board to grant licences, it
would be liable to all the influences now brought to

bear on the local magistracy, and in many cases
ten times more so. As to stipendiary magistrates,
they would be dependent for information on per-
sons acquainted with the district. In his opinion
the law was sufficienty strong if pue into force; but
no good whatever would be effected until, by edu-

cation, the people were taught to withstand the end-
less temptations to which, even in the absence of

beershops and publichouses, they would be exposed.
(Hear, hear.)
The speech excited considerable animation in the
meeting and some slight animadversion.
The discussion was adjourned to this day.