The Sun.
London, England, 1835-06-23 00:00:00

PUBLIC MEETING AT WALSALL.

(Abridged from the Birmingham Jourital.)
On Thursday evening last, a numerous and highly-respect..
able meeting of the rate-payers of the borough and foreign of
Walsall, was held at the George Assembly-room, for the pur-
pose of addressing both Houses of Parliament, in reference to
the Municipal Corporation Bill.
At seven o'clock, RICHARD JAMES, Esq. was called to the
chair. They were met to forward petitions to both Houses
of Parliament, in support of a Bill already in the Commons,
for reforming Corporations, and to thank his Majesty's Mi-
nisters for bringing forward so efficient a measure.—(Cheers.)
Other towns had already assembled, and the sober but stern
declaration of public opinion in favour of the measure was
now being generally proclaimed. He had the clauses of the
Municipal Reform Bill, and notwithstanding he was a mem-
ber of their present ccrporate body of the town, he fully con-
curred in the provisions contained in that Bill.—(Cheers.)
The present Ministry had evinced great wisdom by producing
such a Bill, consonant as it was with strict justice, and called
for by popular feeling. The people looked for much at their
hands, but the measure went very far to realise their most
sanguine expectations.
CHARLES FORSTER COTTERILL, Esq. proposed the first re-
solution. He admired the judgment of the Ministry who di-
gested, and the firmness of the man who introduced the mea-
sure to the House of Commons.—(Loud cheers.) He must
now briefly advert to some leading features in the Municipal
Corporation Bill. First, with regard to the suffrage, an ob-
jection had been urged by Sir Robert Peel, that the suffrage
should be confined to the ten-pound householders, which was
most forcibly answered by Lord John Russell, who clearly
proved that as the franchise for the election of borough mem-
bers was confined to the ten-pound householders, he would do
away with any jealousy on the part of the rate-payers, by con-
ceding to them the power of electing their own municipal
representatives. In addition to this, it would be an extension
of the suffrage, and he, as an individual, would be far from
restricting it.—( Cheers.) With respect to the qualification
—objections were made to the Bill that no qualifications were
required on the part of its officers ; but, for his own part, he
did not require better qualification than the honesty and good-
sense of the rate-payers of this district.—( Loud and conti-
nued cheering.) The Bill, however, would have been of no
avail, nor would have removed abuses, unless the existing
members and officers of the Corporations were removed by
it. This was the crowning-point and top-stone of the Bill.—
( Cheers.) They ought to be grateful for the measure ; and
it should be the duty of every good loyal subject to support
Ministers in such a way as that they might be enabled to
carry their project into full effect, without the popular parts
of the Bill being in the least impaired.—(Cheers.) In these
times the people should rally round such Ministers, for, with-
out the support of the nation, they must certainly fall before
a desperate Tory faction.—( Loud cheers.)
Mr. HICKEN seconded the resolution.
Mr. NEWMAN proposed the second resolution, and said, I
hail with heartfelt satisfaction and delight, the introduction
in the Commons House of a measure with the professed ob-
ject of rectifying all corporate abuses. Of the measure in-
troduced by his Majesty's principal Secretary of State for
She Home Department, Lord John Russell, I shall only say,
that as far as my humble abilities will allow me to form an
opinion, it is calculated fully to effect the object it has in
view, viz., a Reform of Corporate abuses.
Mr. HOLDEN seconded the resolution.
Mr. JOSEPH COTTERILL proposed the adoption of the pe-
tition.
In respect to the new Bill, he had only to say, he
considered it a measure likely to be productive of incalculable