Star.
London, England, 1821-07-04 00:00:00

purpose of carrying• the laws of the land intoeffect—
(Hear, hear).—He did not mean to say that the Law I
Officers of the Crown had not performed their duty,
but he confessed he could not think that lenity praise- '
worthy which spared to a certain extent an indivi-
dual (Carlile) now suffering under the sentence of
the law for a libel teeming with the most horrid
blasphemies. He had sesircely been confined two
days when, as if he had never been prosecuted, he
sent out from his prison another libel, recommending
assassination, and equally blasphemous as the other.
He did not say that pen, ink, and paper ought not
to be allowed him ; but he must say, that if an indi-
vidual were to go into prison only to commit again
the same crimes which he had already perpetrated, the
law was of no use as to its main object, which was
the prevention of crimes—(ffear, hear).--While the
present licentiousness of the Press prevailed, he hoped
the Coastituttonal Association would proceed fear-
lessly against its abuses—that they would not be in-
duced to prosecute any libel merely from party or
-,:ersoitai politics, but that they would direct their
aim against calumny and detraction whenever they
rose to a height that made them the fit objects of
public notice—(/tear, hear).—ln pursuing this course,
they should prosecute all offenders impartially—
whether "John Bull," or by whatever title they were
designated—(Cheers).—lie was sure that they (the
Members of Outhouse) were proceeding in the right
Course when they enforced the law against vice and
crime on the one hand, and were educating the
People on the other—(Hear, hear).
Mr. DENMAN said, it was satisfactory to him to
find that his honourable Friend who had just sat
down had principally applied his observations to a
Society which was only incidentally brought. into
discussion—the Society for the Suppression of ViCe.
He remembered with pleasure that, on a former oc-
casion, his Honourable friend had opposed the em-
ployment of spies and informers for the discovery of
crimes, and it was upon that principe that his Ho-
nourable and Learned Friend 11/..Lushington)chiefly i
attacked the Society now before the House. There
was lately an instance of the employment of an in-
dividual in this way, and no doubt could be felt that
such a race of men would tend to create eritnes
themselves, as it was by discovering crimes that they I
earned their livelihood. A Society of this kind was
thus distinguished from all others, and when he heard i
the flieht Honourable Gentleman opposite stand for-
ward in defence of it, be telt the greatest surprise—
he should rather say indignation—at hearing him
put it on a level with other Societies existing in the I
country. The Society for Prosecuting Felonies arose
from a natural desire to preserve property; the crime I
was one of which there could he no doubt; the pro-
secuton of it did not tend, like the prosecution of
political libels, to raise a man to the favour of men
in power—(Hear, hear). He had not the least hesi-
tation in sav ng, that the proceedings of this Asso-
ciation we'. illegal, and subjected them to prosecu-
tion. In one instance they compelled a man to give
up his whole stock, to make oath that he would sell
no more numbers of a pamphlet which he had on
sale, and they threatened him with an aggravated
proceeding in the Court of King's Bench if he de-
parted from these stipulations—(hkar, hear, hear).
In another instance, where a person published an
Address to Sir Francis Burdett, they compelled him
to pay them a sum of £BO. The House would see
to what proceedings of this kind might lead—(Hear).
He then alluded to the Prospectus of the Associa-
tion, in which they declared that one of their objects
was the encouragement " of persons of integrity and
talent in the literary world, to exert their abilities in
confuting the sophistries, dissipating the illusions,
and erlosing the falsehoods, whichate employed by
wicked and designing men to mislead the people."—
Now he, for one, must say, that lie had not as yet
heard of any one production fmm the pen of any of
the members of this Society, except an indictment.
It was also a very objectionable thing, that several
hundred pounds were placed opposite fictitious sig-
natures in the list of subscribers. He did not know
whether Ogles, the Misses, £'2," was fictitious or
not—(A laugh)—but it was manifest that these were
alarming posers vested in this Society, which were
of so doubtful .t character as to their legality, that
various Bills which they had presented to Grand Ju-
ries were thrown out. If a counter-association were
established, how would it be possible to find an un-
biassed Grand Jury ? This of itself was such an im-
portant inconvenience resulting from this Society,
that it was sufficient, in his opinion, to induce Go-
.vernment to discourage it altogether. On these
grounds, if his Honourable Friend pressed the mo-
tion to a divisi.an he would certainly vote for it.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL thought it rather
an extraordinary mode of proceeding on the part of
the Hon. Member who brought forward this Motion,
that, without any previous Resolution asserting the
Illegality of this Association being sanctioned by the
House, he should at once call upon the Howe to ad-
dress the Crown to direct a noli prosequi to be
entered in all the prosecutions that have been hitherto
instituted by this Society. He could not help observ-
jug, that if that Society was illegally constituted, the
Courts of Law were open to try the question—(Hear,
&ear)—and if the Hon. Gentleman opposite felt so
strongly upon the case, why was no question brought
as yet before the Courts of Law, that the matter
might be decided ? It had also been said, that the
Society for the Suppression of Vice was an illegal
Society ; and yet that Society had now existed for
several years, and not one prosecution was brought
forward against it. He confessed he could see no
difference between the principle of that Society and
the Society now under consideration. His Hon. and
Learned Friend had asked who was the responsible
person in case an individual was aggrieved by this
Association? He had no hesitation in answering,
that it Murray or Sharpe prosecuted an individual,
the party aggrieved might have his remedy against
him, and the Committee who sat and directed the
prosecution—(Hear).—But malice must be shewn to
have actuated the prosecution. It was evident, then,
that though the proof of malice might be difficult, the
party aggrieved had, however, a better chance here
than if he had been prosecuted by the Attorney-Gene-
ral.—As to their employment of spies, and the encou-
ragement which wasthereforesaid to be given to crime,
be would only say, that he might with as much jus-
tice have been charged with encouraging Carlile to
publish blasphemy, because he had directed a person
to purchase Paine's Age of Recson in his shop.—
He then made some observations on Orton t affidavit;