The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-03-01 00:00:00

BIRMINGHAM PETITION.

Mr. T. ATTWOOD presented a petition from the council of the
BirMingham National Political Union; complaining of the un-
due and improper interference of the military on the occasions
of the-elections of members to serve in the united Parliament,
and calling upon the house to declare all elections,. where such
interference had taken place, to he null and vod. He con-
curred in the. prayer of the petition, haxing_been himself.a
witness; during the late elections, of many gross acts of vio-
lence by the military. He had seen bodies of infantry with
loaded musketi-enter a town, and troops of cavalry, with swords
drawn, marched up in front of the hustings while the poll was
procee.ding; add all-this had been done though no breach of the
peace had taken place. He had known an innocent man,
endeavouring to escape from the assembled crowds, bayonetted
in the back, and other electors cut down by the sabres of the
dragoons, on going to and returning from the exercise of their
franchise. He trusted and confidently hoped that it would be
the *ill and disposition of, the house to afford protection to
electors on such occasions, and should the house refuse, which
he could not anticipate, or neglect, Which-he could not believe,
to do so, he also hoped that the people of England would them-
selves take care to protect their own rights and privileges; that
they Wolllll also Lea. la. trial, A. 408 tt&hur,--., -pc -4-a...vcd -the
right,to bear arms in their own defence. (Hear, and cries of
"Oh,_ oh.") He trusted that the people (should the house
refuse to interfere) would go to the exercise of their franchise
with loaded pistols in their pockets, ("Ob; oh,") to protect
themSelveS when proceeding to elect their representatives.
(Hear.) They had a right to, do so should the house neglect
its duty in withholding from electors its protection, and: the
people in such a case might go prepared with loaded rifles to
protec,t themselves and defend their rights and liberties. (Hear,
and cries of "Oh, oh.").
Mr. SPRING RICE concurred with the hon_ member for Bir-
mingham in the hope that the people of England would never
forget the rights and liberties which . they enjoyed, but he.
trusted that they'would also never be unmindful of their social..
dutieg: (Hear.) He could not, however; think that the hon,
member for Birmingham was contributing to the protection of
those rights by Om. suggestions :he .had thrown out on the pre-
sent occasion;—namely, that either the house might be neglect-
ful of its 'duties to the people, or that in such a case the people
were to be justified in the use of arms. With all respect for
the hon. gentleman, he (Mr. Rice) could not but think such ,a
suggestion was ill calculated to attain any desirable object.
(Hear.) He conceived that the hon. gentleman had fallen into
a mistake, arising from a misapprehension of both 'the facts,
and the law affecting
i such a case as that to which he had re-
ferred.; It might be . inferred from what had been stated by the
hon. gentleman; that if any improper interference by the mili-
tary took place the parties feeling themselves aggrieved were
without their remedy ; but he hoped that the people knew well,
as must the 'hon. gentleman himself, that in any case of inter-
ference with the freedom of election it was open to them to
make such Interference the subject of complaint to the house
itself (hear); and he must say, that, such a course beitig so
open to them was a much more constitutional one to follow,
and affording a much better remedy, than the suggestion to the
people that the house would neglect its. duty, and, on that
hypothesis, to tell their( that they were justified in protecting
themselves from such interference 'by the aild of loaded pistols