The Sun.
London, England, 1818-05-30 00:00:00

rote.'

'What is the, import
lof all
,this ? Who of us has ever
heard that free open vestries were incompetent to the duties
assigned to them? to thelerying money from their-own
pockets, and atterwariis arranging its expenditure ? What
-rod is the select vestry with their closed ducat intended to
answer? Even the important deliberations of Parliament are
carried on without suck a proceeding, except upon particular

occasions. Arpments mnv be (wind for such a mode of
procedure in the legislative woreinlil, of a nation, which can-

not, by the most forced constroction,!be ,brolight to apply to
parish htisitu:ss. "flie enirrnot;.howervr, it, not buyonil upr
solvi!IK:- and the whole bill maybe resolved into what may

at fifitsizlit appf ar iinwarrantaille, that is, into An attempt
at, {[icing a redundancy of power in-to th'e hand:a throve Who
already possess a vast deal, and some of .ivhoni certainly are

in po.session, at this moment, of more t they cm, ,exer-

rise with diservtinit.

Permit. me theu.to request of you

again to read attentively the recited clanse, xml then to
comply it with the •following, clause 4, in tolie bill for the rv-
gulatiert of
,parish vestries, which enacts That in alt stmli
-vestries every inhabitant present, who shall by the last rate
have been wssessed at an annual rent not amounting to fifty
poit-ic, shall be entitled to give one vote anil nu more; and
-ever7 inhabitant there present, w•h.) shall in such rate have
been ,rtises.ed al an annual rent amounting to fifty pounds or
upwards, shall 'have and be entitled• to give one vote tar
every twenty-fire pounds of such his Assessment, so never-
theless that no inhabitant shall be entitkd to give more than
six votes.' •

" Is it not- sufficient for the wiagistrate to approve or ap-
point the select committee, but that he must enahled'
to secure a majority, by thus enabling certain individo•ils to
give six v.:es ? Add this to the laitcr part Of clause I, which
runs tits: • And where any such sehret. vestry shall be
established, the overseers of the poor are rrq'iired, in the
execution-of their_offict-, to conform to• the -directions of the
select vestry, and shall not (except in cares of sudden Hoer-.
geucyor -urgent-necessity, and to-the extent only of such tem-
porary relief as each case shall require, and except by order
of justices, &c,) give-any fnrther•rrlief or allowance to the
poor than. such ,as shall be ordered b•y the select vestry.'
• " -This will positively •place many partsbes in a. stale Of
bondage, and unparalleled-submission to% a few individuals,
to whom; our knowledge of • human nature tells .ns, it would
•be worse than folly to-delegate so much power, I will ask,
asa correspondent in one of the daily prints has already
dwrie, who con-firms the select vestry ?—the magistrate; who
the magistrate ?—the lord lieutenant, &c. Surely the
country will look well to a bill containing such singular
and importantermetinents !!! Perhapsil may be told that the
present vestries are, from the admission promiscuously of all
persons paying rates, clamorous, noisy, and senfit for the
transaction of business; in some cases they certainly are so,
hul still the persons assembled have. too mach interest in
the proceedings to diverge from the object of the meet-
ing. fiir- any length of time.: and, as far as I can judge
from the personal experience of• fifteen years, the thing
is generally got through - with the atiprobation of the
majority of the parish, which perhaps will not he the case
should the billin•questiOn become a law, as half a dozen per-
sons might then outvote the whole, should the leading man of
the parish so advise them: It is therefore incumbent upon
the'supporters of this bill' to point out in wbat• respect the
present vestries are incompetent to the proper administration
of their. several duties. The talents and example of the more
intelligent parishioners will not the less be called into action
because the vestry shall be an open one; by_nooteaus their
immediate interests will always induce them to atterni..

‘-‘ Tlie-onlyobloquythet havever met my ears respectingthe
pre-tent•system.olmanagement is, that there is,considerable
difficulty in preventing sums of money being improperly laid
out inovatious ways, through the peeulatiore and intrigue of
persons, some in-andeome out of office : there is, however, a
.sufficient remedy provided for this by the 17th:Pe-o. t, chap.
38, and 43rd of Elizabeth, chap. 2 ; and that the overseers
are-fully amenable to.thc law, vide I Bott. 293. How then
wilt the case be with-a selectaestryi from- which the pnblic-are
excluded, with the exception of two days in-the year, when,
fermi the quantum of business to be got through, and- the.ig-
not-ince of the before excluded: party as to what has been
done, a thousand errors may creep in which it will be impos-
sible to check; aTul am bold enough to say,. that in seven
years the property of the members of the select vestry will not
be assessed at above MICA bird what it ought to be; a system of
patronage, whispering, and intrigue, will be introduced, in-
stead of the open vestry now esisting.. Who will then be
fouod to espouse the cause of the poorand.friendleSs—of the
little trmlesinan aufl.farmer ? Who stare 'do it! Or, should
such a one be found, what will he replied to him ? Why, if
a- farmer, if you resist my plaits I will endeavour to-prejudice
pine latollor.tagainst you.; if a,victualler, I. will. eteleavour to
withhold your licence, and certainly take most especial care
that yon do' nut hung cotitinue a Weill her of the select vestry.
Should not exactly these plain words he used, site effect of ill
&trident iofioence saill beaantanionnt to them. Should. a
verso:n-1w foam] in that vestreof intlepellOnt 11171111, it will be
Iris bane, and his efforts will he futile, because a majority will
be seemed front these persons who are to be allowed to give
six votes each. Nor is this the roily evil that I foresee will
arise flow this extraorflinary bill, which will certainly inflict
new wounds upon our comforts, without curing ally occasioned
by the ()Id system. One shall be meutioned:: as the vestries
are now constituted, many disputes are-there settled, many
alterations and corrections made in the assessments and. in
every department of parish business, thereby preventiug
squabbles which would otherwise end in lawsuits and ap-
peals; particularly if- the parish is sufficiently fortunate ,to
have au attorney for a vestry cleric. This will no_ longer be
the case when tae select vestry assumes its powers,;, front its
very nature mistakes must arise; and how are they to be
rectified but by appre:ling to the Quarter Sessious, which wiil
of course induce au increased expenditure. Encouraged by
theseerecy.of acting with closed doors, by the powers with
which they find themselves vested. and by the title opportu,
pity these things milted present to them tor improving their
own situation at the expellee of the majority, great comfit-
thus must ensue, and frequent appeals may be contemplated.:
hereby adding to the already enormous expenditure under
this head, as r esented to Parbament.
" What are we to gain as a counterpoise to these evils!: I
know out, nor caul discover by. a iverusal of tke bill. If the
introducers of it can explain to our understandings the bene-
fits we•may expect- front a select vestry, and- can make it ap-
pear that our tillSitieS*Will- ile•hettkr transacted, thettner poor
will lie better provided for, and that our resources will, be
husbanded in a why unknown under the old system (every
one of. which positions I am disposestto dispitte)„ anztthereby
: bring us into a way of thinking that such vestry womb, be for
the-good of all concoct-Led, I shou.l4 be exceedingly rejoiced.
Still, why should they not be chosen by ballot, or by a gene-
ral vote of the parish, without the subsequent interference of
the magistrate?' The influence of some despotic, characters
would t;teti be set at tionglit, or, if Inn entirely so, would cer-
tainly prevent the exercise of that complete control over pa-
t ish individuais which appears to beaitotat at : and to arrive
the more, speedily at this end it appears that the office of
overseer is to be rendered nugatory, that nothing is to be
left. him but the mere drudgery of collecting the rates, to
-be disposed of as. the Magistrate, the chairman of the
select. vestry, or some other leading man, in that vestry,
or his or their satellites, shall think proper. No
power- whatever beyond what I have stated is • to be
left in his hands, lest he should be trunble-ares.e. And
if any thing is wanted to prove the truth. of my position, you
need onls read clause 7, which enacts, That it shall he law-
ful for aro' parish, in vestry assembled, to nominate any dis-
creet person to he au Assistant and to determine
and specify the duties to be by him performed, and to fix such
yearly salary, for the eaiecution of the said: office, as shall by
such inhabitants in vesti y be thought fit; and, it shall be law-
ful for any two of his, Majesty's Justices of. the Peace, and
they are hereby empowered and required, &c. to appoint such
person as an Assistant Overseer.'
" Ity this it aprears the Overseers are to be shorn of every
vesti4e of power, and rendered of no use but to raise money :
they are to be placed in the b'ck ground, by an Overseer ap-
pointed with a salary. This Assistant Overseer is immediately
dependent upon those who appoint him ; and must of course,
front the tenure by which he holds his office, act as they shall
sugiest. All these clauseslietray beyoud a doubt the spirit

in which they are framed. Stilt further, although the prin..
ciple of the Bill seems to rt..st so much on doing array the re-'
♦potsihilit-y -of: the Overseers, it, is to be ecacted, by clause
the sixth, ' that itshall.be lawful for.his Majesty's Justices
of the Peace to appoint non-resident Overseers.' Surely this
clause ought not to have effect, except in cases where a cent-
petent person cannot be found in the parish.
" A new field is tints to he granted for the better chance of
finditir, them. Soconfident de I feel that the view here taken
the intention and proLable result of appointing select res.
trip: is a ca,rreet one, that I have not the least hesitation in
saying, that in the parish with which I am more immediately
connected I can instantly name eight out ,of twelve of the
v,,lry, with the Chairman, everyone of whom are in leading-
Arings. and completely at the beck of him who is to confirm
their nomination. Observe also that the Chairnian of this
Committee is to have the casting vote; and as it is most pro-
bable he will be a considerable .man amongst us, he may be
entitled, for any thing that I can perceive in the clause to the
coot rars', to give seven totes !!!! Indeed,•it may he brought
so to, operate. that four persons may be appointed who can
outtnite the whole parish, hare the . sole management and
guidance of all transactions, and expend the monies levied for
the relief of the poor to almost any extent, and in any direc-
tion, that may suit their purposes. Is it possible to cotitem-
,plate the engine or. power which may be thus set to work, by
comparatively trithog causes, without emotions of en alarm-
ing nature?

I do not intend by these obstrvations to impeach the cha-
racter, or at all to sully the good name which that highly re-
spectable and most useful! class .of the community (the Ma-
.i'itraey) have hitherto so deservedly borne. I have too often
witnessed the execution of their labours to_ allow myself to
entertain fur a single moment any such idea. Their lePuta-
. lion is capable of standing on its own basis, .and requires not
any explanation at my hands; nevertheless, our knowledge
bf hinnito natti Fe is such as to convince us that all human in-
. Aituthms arc liable to ,rror,• and that, in spite of our most
. rucn precautiops, the power thus delegated will most tisur-
6dly, fatl;in some inslances, into the hands of individuals, the
fitness of whose dispositions for the office will nut perhaps
merit those just encomiums which I have so sincerely paid to
the whole body. With all deference, then, to the legisla-
tive wisdom of Parliament, with the firmest conviction that its
sole aim in the various laws which it enacts is the confiruia-
.tion at the happiness.and prosperity of the empire, let me be-
seech you to closely examine and weigh every clause of this
Bill, which, in my humble opinion, is fraught with such emi-
nent mischief as will render its repeal soon absolutely neces-
sary, should it pass into a law.
" Should it by chance have escaped you, let me now point out
to your notice Clause-the Bth, (which enacts, ‘ That whereas
the. giving money to parents nut of the poor rates, fur the
support of their children, does not seem to have had the de-
sired effect, from such moneybeing frequently misspent,&c.U.
In order to prevent such misapplication, be it hereby enact-
ed, that when any person, having children from the age of
five to twelve, shall apply for relief on account of such chil-
dren, ix shall be lawful for the parish officers, instead of other
relief, to take into their care and management the children
aforesaid; and to maintain, instruct, and employ them, on the
;wish account ;') and its connection, with the latter pact of
Clause the 9th (which enacts and no Justice of the Peace
shall have power to order any other relief to, for; or in re-
spect of such childen, as aforesaid, whom the Parish Offi-
cers. shall he ready and shall, offer to receive and to
prone for in the manner hereby directed.') An ex-
amination of these Clauses will give the following
results : that should a pauper apply for relief, in conse-
quence of the.difficulty he is under of maintaining his tarni7
ly, it is at the option of the parish officers to grant hint no
other assistance than the rubbing him of his family, and the. •
giving up his children to those whom he is not in the habit
of considering. as the best judges, of. his interests. I cannot
on these clauses refrain from observing, that their severity is
so conspicuous as to render them worthy of the most serious
consideration of Parliament. I have no doubt some persons
may possibly be of &different opinion ; hut upon what known
and well established truths have there not been suds a diver-
sity of thinking ? The most sacred truths, the most Nal--
palde and• irrefragable facts even, have not wanted dispu-
tants ready to defend the obverse of the picture, however
dark.

" Proceeding to clause the 10th, we find that parishes
may unite for the mutual support of their respective chil-
Ikea.' This enactment may apply, and be of use, certainly,
io some instances; but ill how many others may we not rea-
sonably fear that the collisiorrof the different governors, ves-
tries, &c. and the blending their accounts, will be a constant
source of litigation. The suet expended for this purpose, as
presented to Parliament (and which I have before noticed)
surely requires no increase. Will there nut also be reason to
dread that the lesser parishes will be swallowed up in the
vortex of patronage, influence, and power of the greater?
to which case nothing short ot.a remedy, sometimes dilatory,
and always expensive, can be looked to with any hopes of
gaining the desired. relief.
" Thati am not singular in-the opinion I have formed re-
specting this bill, I think the conduct of the City of London
will testify, as well as the petitions presented from various
places, which would have been much more numerous, had
the attention of the public been cabled to it at an earlier pe-
riod. As far, as I have, been able to leant, the parts of it
which are considered as the most objectionable are as fol-
low: the appointing a select vestry, to be confirmed by
the Magistrate : the increase of votes, according to the rate
of assessment : the taking, hiring, and building on land on
the parish account, and defraying the expence out of the
-produce of future rates: the tahiag away the children of per-
soas.applying fur relief; and the granting, or rather forcing
loans on persons so applying.' If to these objections I may
be allowed to adi; my own experience in parish concerns, I
trust, that a case has been made out strong enough to. war-
rant what I have previously advanced.
" That expel ience enables me to:say, without fear of,con-
tradictian, that under my own immediate view, in the parish
of which I ant a weather, a select vestry. has been tried, and
that its operations and acts were found to he so oppressive
and selfish, .that the Whole parish. were at, length, compelled
to resist it; and to such an extent had the parties favoured
themselves and their dependents, that it became necessary
to have the parish surveyed and valued, in ord:r to procure
something like a correct and fair assessment; it being utter-
ly impossible to make arty alteration in the old one, owing to
the influence, of the parties who bad for some time held
the rents of governtneitt among us.
" circumstance has also, transpired that I consider as no
weak support to my line of argument. A petition has been
presented front the very parish whence "reports state that a
considerable portion of the bill has emanated, Mr. S. Bourne
having publicly acknowledged that he did not draw it up.—
If, iudeed, the opinion there in circulation is a true one, very
closely and carefully ought the bill to be examined. lam
disposed to go still farther, and give it as my humble opi7
nion, that the country at large would fed much satistac!
time in seeing the bill deferred until another Session, in
hopes that such a length of time, by affording ample scope
for inquiry and calm discussion, might ensure them a bill
more perfect in its construction than the one, now before
Parliament."