The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-27 00:00:00

ASSESSED TAXES BILL.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved
the Order of the Day for the third reading of the As-
sessed Taxes Bill (No. 2).
?'b HUME objected to the clause relating to the In-
come-tax, which affected the payment of dividends to the
foreign holders of stock, which he thought would be in-
convenient.
The Bill was then read a third time.
On the question that the Bill do pass,
Mr. W. G. WOOD objected to a particular clause,
No. 4, and moved that it be omitted, on account of the
haste with which it had been introduced. Ile thought
the practice of inserting clauses in this manner was a
very objectionable one ; and he had, therefore, called the
attention of the House to the clause.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
Bill had been limited to some alteration in the assessed
taxes, and he had himself moved the instruction to the
Committee on which the clause was founded. So
far from wishing to keep gentlemen in igno-
rance, he had moved that the Bill should be reprinted
and circulated for the use of the House. The clause was
only intended to extend the principle of the Bill to
foreign dividends, as well as colonial dividends.
After a short conversation, in which Mr. Aglionby,
Mr. Mark Philips, Sir R. Peel, and some other Members
took part, the clause was agreed to, and the Bill passed.
PARISH CONSTABLES BILL.

On the motion that the Report on this Bill be received,
Mr. PAKINGTON said he hoped that the further
consideration of this Bill would be postponed till the
next session, as many gentlemen had left town who took
a deep interest in the subject.
Mr. I'. DUNCOMBE said he thought that very un-
constitutional power was vested in constables, and the
speech of the Right Hon. Gentleman on the subject last
night had caused considerable alarm in the public mind.
The power of constables was not properly defined in this
Bill. The constables of this metropolis had latterly
taken great power to themselves, which had been more
particularly shown that day. A meeting had been called
in Deptford on the subject of the Corn-laws. Mr.
Thompson, the Corn-law lecturer, was to have been pre-
sent, but from some cause he was absent. At that meet-
ing a great number, of what were called Chartists,
attended. The room in which the meeting was to have
been held was found to be toe small, and the meeting
adjourned to the open air. The meeting was held in a
large open place where it could obstruct no one. When
the meeting had assembled in the open air, Dr.
McDowell rose to address the meeting, and at the
moment he rose to address the meeting, advocating
the principles of the Charter, the police interfered, and
they said the meeting was an unlawful one, no doubt
actuated by the speech of the Right Hon. Baronet (Sir
James Graham). They said this is an illegal meeting,
and we stop it. Dr. McDowell immediately said, I obey
your orders, what have you now to say ? They answered
and said, go away ? Dr. McDowell said I shall go away
this way ? No, said the police, you shall go this
way. No, said Dr. M'Dowal!, I will go my own
way. No, they said, you shall not ; and they imme-
diately collared him, and carried him off. They carried
him to the station-house. This had occurred this
evening, no doubt caused by the doctrine laid down
by the Right Honourable Baronet. The people followed
and they • said, Let us see what they are
going to do with our f‘riend the Doctor.—(Laughter).
They need not laugh, for he could assure them that the
people would not stand this sort of treatment. They
said Let us see what they are going to do with our
friend the Doctor. They followed him to the station-
house. and then five or six others were taken, and were
now in the station. Some of the parties had come to
him (Mr. T. Duncombe) to know what was to be done.
The men in the station-house would be brought up be-
fore the Magistrates to-morrow morning. They had
been taken to the station-house, and the police had re-
fused to take bail for them. This was a gross outrage
upon the liberty of the subject. That House ought to
be considerate in giving power to constables without de-
fining it. He should therefore move that the debate be
adjourned.
Sir J. GRAHAM said it had become his duty to re-
sist the motion made by the Hon. Member the night be-
fore, as it was an attempt to erect that House into a
court of appeal from trial by jury, and he was happy to
find that a majority of the House had agreed with him,
and decided against the motion. It was not with less
regret than surprise that he found the Hon. Gentleman
employing himself in forestalling the administration of
justice. The Hon. Gentleman was calling on a public
discussion in a case, the facts of which had not been in-
vestigated.—(Hear, hear.) He (Sir James Graham)
would be grossly violating his duty, if he followed up the
subject, which had been so prematurely brought uuder
discussion.—(Hear, hear.) He was quite sure that jus-
tice would be administered with due regard to law. If
the law had been violated, then would be the time to
bring the subject under discussion. The Hon. Gentle-
' man was pleased to say that the constables had been
influenced on the occasion more or less by. what had
fallen from him (Sir J. Graham). Now if they had
neglected or overstepped their duty, they would be
amenable to the law. The law was their guide, and not
what fell from any Member of that House, however
high. With reference to the subject more immediately
under debate, he thought the Hon. Gentleman had
not read the Bill, or, if reading, he did not understand it.
He said that the power of the constables was not limited
or defined, but if the Hon. Gentleman would refer to the
Bill, he would find that a clause was there provided for
the purpose. The Hon. Gentleman said that some con-
stables had acted illegally. Well, the parties bad a re-
medy in their own hands, as the/ could indict the con-
stables. What was more easy than to indict the party,
or to bring an action against them ?
Mr. AGLIONBY said differing as he generally did
from the political measures of the Right Hon. Baronet,
he must say that 'in this Bill he should give the Right
Hon. Baronet his most cordial support.
Captain PECHELL did not approve of this Bill, and
though some parts of it were worthy of attention, his
opinion was that the suggestion for the adjournment was
a very good one.
Mr. HUME said if the Right Hon. Baronet would
suffer the constables to exercise a power which they
might abuse, he might be sure, whatever instance of such
abuse took place would be brought under the notice of
Parliament.

Mr. BANKES thought it a hardship that counties
which had adopted the rural police should have
to be saddled with the expense consequent on the opera-
tion of this Bill. Be suggested that the allowances
given to constables when on extra duty, should be
charged not on the parish to which the constables be-
longed, but on the county generally ; otherwise it would
be anything but an advantage to a parish to possess an
active constable. With respect to the commitment of
young persons to gaol, considering the contamination to
which they were thereby subjected, he ,would suggest
the adoption of a clause empowering Magistrates to
commit for trial young persons who are charged with
criminal offences to lock-up houses instead of the county
gaol."
Mr. DARBY opposed the clause and the suggestion.
If payment out of the county rate was introduced into a
Parochial Constables Bill, it would lead to endless con-
fusion. He also opposed the clause for providing lock-up
houses for criminals before trial, as if they adopted it,
they would be bound to create two sets of prisons and
prison officers.
Mr. BANKES would leave the matter entirely in the
hands of the Government. But he wished to know whe-
ther the words of the Bill included the expenses of pur-
suing criminals who were not committed.
Sir J. GRAHAM thought the words proposed by the
Hon. Member would fix them on the county rate.
Mr. BURROUGHES rose to proposed an amendment,
when
The SPEAKER said it could not be proposed now, as
the question before the House was the adjournment of
the debate.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said be had only made the mo-
tion for the purpose of raising the question. He would,
therefore, withdraw it.
The Report was then brought up, and on the motion
that it be received,
Mr. BURROUGHESproposed the amendment, of which
he had given notice—" And be it enacted that in all
counties, ridings, and divisions of counties, wherein a
police force shall have been established under the au-
thority of an Act passed in the third year of the reign of
her present Majesty, intituled, ' An Act for the estab-
lishment of County and District Constables by the
authority of the Justices of the Peace,' and of any Act
for the amendment thereof, it shall and may be lawful
for the Justices assembled at any General or Quarter
Sessions of the Peace, or at any adjournment
thereof, by a resolution duly passed at such Gene-
ral or Quarter Sessions of the Peace, or at any
adjournment thereof, to 'declare that, in consequence
of the efficiency of such police force it is inexpe-