The Sun.
London, England, 1821-07-04 00:00:00

the sources from Which the fonrltain of justice
flowed. Where they to endure tyranny because
it was under the mask of loyalty, or becausti; it
was under the disguise of Peers, Old Women,
and his Majesty's Alinisters?s4A laugh.)--If this
Society was to be .endured, they must henceforth
‘‘
consider Mr. Sharpe, and the .Sol'citor, Mavray,
to,be the prosecutors of the 'rib!! .--.---(Ilear!)-
10kas not the A ttorney and SolkcittoraCl atertilVo
were 'to fulfil that °Rise," but MriMurray and
Mr. Sharps must he the ias nspectors of pamphlets
and of prints, to see that the designs were suffi-
ciently moral and loyal. If there were any per-
sons presets; who belonged to this Association,
he trusted that they would lose no time in with-
drawing then selves from it, before they became,
like its active members, completely bankrupt in
fame. If the Association did not possess, like
the Holy Inquisition, the power'of inflicting bo-
dily torture, it did possess and. act upon the
power of torturing its victims by treachery and
deceit. If such an enormity was to be tolerated,
it must eventually break up all confidence be-
tween man and Man. Every one would distrust
his neighbour, and people would 1w to each other ~
as the inhabitants of a pestilential city, where
each shunned the other to avoid contamination ' 't
and death. One thing was certain, namely, that •
it must destroy all fair and free political discus- .-
sion ; and when- such a state of apathy was in- -7 ,
duced, despotism muss be the necessary conse-
quence. The Hon. Member justified himself for ' )
calling upon the- attention of the House, and -T
concluded by moving " That an humble Address
be presented to his Majesty,,praying that he will •
direct the Attorney-General to enter a mil pro-
sequi ...
to all indictments laid against any indivi-
duals by the Society styling itself ' The.Consti.. a.
tutional Association.'"
Mr. BATHUttST commetsced hi a low tone of.
voice, by retharking upon the obloquy and in- ' t
vective in which the Hon. Gentleman had in-
dulged in the course of his speech. Ile cola
lected, however, that his object was nothing lest .
than to put down this Society altogether,— - ~
(Hear!)—though at the same time he advised
any Hon. Gentlemen who might have become
members of it to withdraw the support so given.
With respect to the motion itself, it certainly •
did appear extraordinary that the Hon. Member.
had taken such a course for effecting his purpose
of putting- down the Society, before the House
had come to any decision upon its legality, or its.
constitutional tendency. Before being called
upon to put it down, the House certainly ought
to have formed something like a decided opinion
upon those points. The chief object of the mo-
tion was to empower and instruct the Attornev-
General to stop proceedings upon every indivi-
dual case which the Soiety had thought fit to
prosecute. Now he believed that
according t°
the practice of the Courts this would, in fact, be
quite Impracticable. He, however, wished It'
put it to the,House to consider, npOn broad and
general principles, whether it was called upon to
put down this Society or not. If its principles ,
were odious, as the Honourable Member Loa
emphatically denominated them, he should be
most willing that all the power of the House '
rshould be exercised to p9t a stop to all its ,
proceedings. . Big they had only the Honour-
able Member's invective, and his opinion, t°
prove that such was the case. In opposition
to that' opinion they had the Society's 0011
statement, which professed very different prin.' ,
ciples, and very. different intentions. From the
principles there, avowed, he could only collect
that a certain number of Gentlemen seeing-, 0.4 ,
they believed, the press teeming with seditio"-
and blasphemy, were anxious that such crimes
should meet with their merited punishment.;
ThOse.were the principles which, as it appeareo-
to him, the
.Hon. Member had described as being
so disgustingly odions.—(Heat.)—When th,e
lion. Member laid down that no individuals
could constitutionally take proceedings ont Ut
the hands of the public prosecutor, regarding Ito
O he
Offence in which the public was concerned, `lll
must overlook what continually occurred in it,„
parts of the country where Associations averts,
formed for the prosecution of crimes, in Whi•cal
many of the associators anal prosecutors had
interest whatever in the offence cemmitted• l.ri
did not mean to-say that a Society like the out'',
question was not liable to abuse ; but he coolil
distinguish between principles laid down, 1n
conduct said to be founded upon those principle!
The Hon. Member had said that this So'ier?;
had been formed by a few lawyers, with a vie,
to to their own pro. Now he could not be'i;
thinking that if it t-lc
had been raised upon Coe
narrow basis, the proceedings of the Socieca
would never have called the public attentinnco,
the extent which it had already. done. The be
ciety had certainly done a great deal; whe,,,,,t
it was good or bad he should say nothing. 'lie
the more the question was agitated, the more
0,
was afraid, or rather the Hon. Gentleman 00'5,
site. might be afraid,
,it would still do and Pro o
'per. Nothing Was calculated to increace it,aa
much as the attacks • which had been made tit''pri
it. They only served to fix the public attent it
to it ; and those very attacks would ree(lcare
worthy, in, the. eyes of some people, of Ai to
earnest support. He had lived long enotia 'ow
remember an association which was entered ca
at the time of the French Revolution of c‘3 one
a similar nature to the present. Yet o°o, of
thought of putting it down by the authot;'aats
that House, and much less by any new etode
rents. There bad been no attempt %car
up to that day, with one inconsiderable eriy, act
tion which bad failed, to proceed against ad of its
or conduct of the Society upon the groon by the
illegality. Whether the course pur uea „ ' with
Society was prudent or not was a questi°diii ar
which the HOuse had nothing to do. it
: .Heratalled uFoll
pear to him that the present motlothe House to direct the Attorney
do • namell, to
by law he was not empowered to ' corn"
had been
put down prosecutions whieha
• statuted b certal"
menced because they were instituted b fare
He should therefore
vote in the State. .. what
vote against the motion. traor'
Dr. LUSHINGTON thought it rota little ex
,_,
'dinary that after the almost uninterrupted pow
for the last o
which lion. Gentlemen hadiie sway maintoaft no'',
)irt'yea oppositers—after the