The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-18 00:00:00

DISMISSALS IN THE POLICE.

An extraordinary story is told in a weekly journal called
..ne Police Service Advertiser. This paper appears to hold
the same sort of position among the police as a class organ
which is held by the Army and Nary Gazette among
military and naval men, or the Civil Service Gazette among
that portion of the servants of the Crown whom it
especially represents. An inspector of the Surrey county
force, named Miller, who was stationed at Reigate, was,
it seems, in the habit of taking the paper, and, to save
postage, he allowed five copies, which were taken by the
men under his command, to be sent to him within the
same cover. A month ago (so the inspector states) he was
summoned to the office of his chief and accused of circu-
lating a seditious paper calculated to cause dissatisfaction
among his men. Two constables were in readiness to sup-
port the charge by their evidence, but the inspector at
once pleaded guilty, not having any idea, as he says, that
he had done wrong. He was then told that his offence
justified his immediate dismissal, but that he might escape
that ignominy by resigning and sending in his clothes at
once. This he did, but subsequently pleaded for a recon-
sideration of his case on the not unreasonable ground that
he had served in the force for twelve years and eight
months without any complaint whatever having been
made against him. His case was reconsidered, and he was
told that he might be readmitted to the force, but on
conditions which no officer having any notion of self-
respect could accept. At the age of 50, and after nearly
thirteen years' good service, he was to be reduced from the
rank of inspector to that of second-class constable, never
to have the chance of promotion, to be sent to a distant
part of the county, and, however long he might serve,
to have no claim for superannuation allowance. He
declined the offer, and was then told that if he
would withdraw his application for readmission to
the police force he should have a certificate as to
his previous conduct. He assented, and when the docu-
ment came to hand it turned out that the column in
which his character should have been stated was left
blank. Throughout the whole of the proceedings not a
word was said implying that Inspector Miller had com-
mitted any other offence than taking the obnoxious paper;
and he had never been told, unless he has been guilty of a
suppressio veri, that it was wrong to take it. The facts
may, of course, be incorrectly stated, or the Police Service
Advertiser may be so bad a paper that any officer's com-
mon sense should have forbidden him to patronise it.
Upon these points we have no opinion. What is of real
importance to note is that, supposing the case to be
exactly as the aggrieved inspector puts it, he has no
redress, and that is a matter in which the public are inte-
rested as well as policemen. By the Acts under which
the rural police force is constituted the chief constables
of counties have the power to dismiss any officer, however
long he may have been in the force, upon the merest pre-
tence, and neither the comity magistrates, the Home
Secretary, nor any one else is competent to review the
decision. The case is made the worse by the fact that
every constable has a certain sum deducted from his
weekly wages, which goes towards the superannuation
fund of the force. He may regularly contribute to the
fund for any number of years, and if he has the misfortune
to offend his chief he is liable to be sent about his business
at a minute's notice, and all his money is forfeited. A
private soldier is entitled to trial by court-martial before
being drummed out in disgrace, and it is hard upon the
police ;constable that he should be in a worse position.

A numerous meeting of West Yorkshire miners has been
held on Hunslet-moor, Leeds, to consider the reduction of
wages which the masters have proposed to make. A reso-
lution was passed to support the lodges now on " strike,"
but the question as to whether there should be a turn-out
in the Drighlington district was referred to a delegate
meeting. That meeting immediately proceeded to business.
and it was understood that the result would be an offer on
the part of the men to accept a reduction of 5 per cent.

The general return of all matters connected with the
Bankruptcy Court for the year ending October 11 has
been issued as a parliamentary paper. Within the twelve
months 8,994 adjudications of bankruptcy were made. The
number of discharges granted was 6,902, and in only 100
instances was a discharge refused. The total amount of
gross produce realised from the several bankrupts' estates
was £583,520. In 5,876 cases there was no dividend,
while in 40 the estates paid 20s. in the pound.

A Belfast paper states that Mr. Getty, the senior mem-
ber for Belfast, who has long been in declining health, has
resigned his seat, and that a writ for the election of his
successor will be issued at once. Sir James Emerson
Tennent is expected to offer himself, and so also (should he
come out of prison in the meantime) will Mr. Johnston,
who is now in Down Gaol.

Archbishop Manning has followed the example of Earl
Russell, Mr. Mill, and Lord Dufferin, and has published
a pamphlet embodying his views on the Irish question. It
is in the fo,rm of a letter to Earl Grey. In Dr. Manning's
view, the " intimate and vital bond which links Ire-
land to America " gives the present state of things
a " graver, deeper, mightier, and more perma-
nent character than the rising of 1798 or 1303."
His purpose, however, is to write of subjects
which are still within parliamentary control, although
the power of controlling them becomes less and
less as they are continually being postponed. These are
religious equality and an equitable land law. First, how-
ever, he must notice, in order to stigmatise it, what he
must call a " public crime "—the cynical, sarcastic disdain
with which certain English public writers habitually treat
the Irish people in their discussions. This creates more
bad blood between the two peoples than even graver
wrongs.

As might have been anticipated, the Archbishop advo-
cates the removal of the Irish State Church, and then he
passes to the land question. He speaks of it as " that in
comparison with which all others are light." It is the
question of the people and of the poor, of social peace or
agrarian war, of life or death to millions. He lays it down
as being essential that the case of Ireland shall be taken
and treated as it is, in and for itself, and not be pre-
judiced by constant reference to English customs. "I have
talked freely," he continues, "for many years with men of
most countries in Europe. I have found everywhere a
profound sympathy with Ireland, in no way flattering to
England. Our insularity keeps these things from our
ears, and we therefore soothe ourselves with the notion of
our own superiority to other men. But such an abuse of
the rights of property is without parallel, at least in this
century, on the continent of Europe. Our self-respect
should lead us to give up the illusion that our office in
the civilised world is to teach the nations how to live.'
We may learn of Prussia, France, Switzerland, and
Tuscany, even of Canada and Prince Edward's Island, all
of which are in advance of England in the solution of
what is called the `land question' in Ireland."

THE BISHOP or HEREFORD.—The Right Rev.
Dr. Hampden is too ill to attend to his episcopal duties,
and it is announced that the Bishop of Worcester will
hold a course of confirmations for him during the next
month.

THE NOTTINGHAM LACE TRADE. —The lace trade
at Nottingham is now in a condition of activity unexam-
pled within the last eight years. Every available machine
is in motion, but hands are scarce. Young girls who have
been only a few months at the business receive, it is said,
in many cases as much as 20s. a week.

THE QUEEN'S BooK.—Messrs. Smith and Elder,
the publishers of " Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in
the Highlands," have issued a cheap edition of that
popular work. The Queen's subjects who cannot afford
the higher-priced volume will have the satisfaction of
knowing that in the smaller edition they get all that her
Majesty wrote, printed on excellent paper and in hand-
some type.

- -
MARVELLOUS ESCAPE.—An accident of a most
extraordinary kind lately occurred on the Midland Rail-
way, near Trent Station. In a compartment of the train
from Nottingham to Leicester, at 8.45, was a Mrs. Selby,
and heuson, two years of age. The little boy was leaning
on the door, which had not been locked, and, while the
train was going at a rapid rate, the door flew open, and
the child fell out on to the line. The terrified mother
could not make either engine-driver or guard hear, and
the train did not stop until it got to Trent Station. A
special engine was then despatched to the scene of the
occurrence, where the little boy was found sitting on a
bank. He was conveyed to the Nottingham General Hos.
pital, and, beyond the shock occasioned by the fall, no
injury was discovered.

FIERCE ASSAULT ON A POLICEMAN.—Three men
have been taken before the magistrates at Wolverhamp-
ton, charged with intending to murder'a policeman of that
borough named Lomasney. The accused are named Richard
Stephens, James Pitt, and John Nixon, all of whom lead a
kind of nomadic life alternating between the making
of besoms and poaching. Late on Saturday night
they assailed the officer with cries of " You're
a Fenian 1" Later in the evening they at-
tacked him with stones, one of which weighed
upwards of two pounds and was tied in a handkerchief
as a sling. The officer was found lying insensible, sur-
rounded with a large quantity of blood, which had flowed
chiefly from a severe wound on the temple, and by his side
the large stone and handkerchief described. The weapon
seems to have been hurled against the poor man's
head with so much force as to break the stone in two.
There was blood upon the handkerchief and the stone.
The surgeon to the police said that Lomaaney was lying
in a very dangerous state, and that the symptoms were
becoming more dangerous rapidly. In addition to the
i 9, 9.1.1t4a11trkWM.140.5.111.