The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-12-10 00:00:00

power of noticing and punishing such breaches of
duty, neglect or inefficiency, which come judicially
before them.

For the first time, however, the Bench of this town
have claimed a more extended authority, and assume
the right of determining what shall be disqualifica-
tions for service in the force, beyond the ordinary
legal disqualifications. "No member of an Orange
or a Ribbon society," they say, " shall be permitted
to belong to the police force." Here is palpably an
interference with the very first power of the Watch
Committee—the power of appointment; and the
right of the Bench so to interfere once conceded,
how far may it not be pushed ? They go further,
however, and claim now the right to issue "regula-
tions," which shall override those of the committee.
They claim the right of interference with the inter-
nal discipline of the force. They call before them
members and officers of that force, to report upon
the conduct of private individuals or members of
another body, which was not legally before them,
and assume the right, upon that report, to issue
their censure of such conduct. They frame orders,
which in effect set aside the authority of the Watch
Committee, and direct them to be communicated to
the force as their dicta, to be observed without refe-
rence, or even the show of respect to the authority
of that committee. Finally, they make the superior
officer of the Committee—the Head-Constable—
under a very intelligible threat as to the consequence of
refusal, the instrument of conveying to the force
under his control what we cannot but consider as a
marked insult of the body which appointed, which
pays, and which should exclusively regulate them.
Mr. Rushton—we use his name most prominently,
not because his authority is personally of any supe-
rior weight to that of his magisterial brethren, but
because they appear to permit themselves to be con-
trolled by him in this matter—Mr. Rushton main-
tains that, in the steps which the Bench have thus
far taken, they have acted in strict accordance with
the law and for the public advantage. With the
legal part of the question we shall here have nothing
to do. In our opinion this has been already settled,
by the greatly prepondering weight of the opinions
taken, in favor of the claims of the Watch Commit-
tee, to which is now to be added the opinion of the
present Town-clerk. But that the course taken by
the Magistrates and persisted in can by any possi-
bility result in good to the community we utterly
deny, and shall endeavour to show.
In all bodies similar to police bodies, the main
source of strength, and the only source of complete
efficiency, must be discipline. In using this word
we do not mean that portion of military discipline,
which consists in perfectness of drill, the capacity
of walking in strict line, or of executing expeditiously
certain evolutions; but a perfect recognition of theau-
thority of superiors, and a proper regulation of the
different grades of that authority. Such a system of
discipline has been established in the police force of
Liverpool, and we believe in a degree of perfection
which is surpassed by few, if by any, other bodies
in the kingdom. It is perfectly obvious, however,
that no discipline, and no efficiency in the exercise
of their duties, can be expected to remain in a force
which has more than one sup rior authority to look
up to for orders. The dilemma in which Mr. Dow-
ling recently found himself is a strong exemplifica-
' tion of this. He had an order of the magistrates to
carry out, in itself illegal. He was required to carry
it out in a manner insulting to the Watch Commit-
tee, whose paid officer he i 3. If he refused to obey
the Magistrates he was threatened with their cen-
sure and feared dismissal or suspension from his
office. If he executed their order, he incurred, in
the first instance, the consequences of an illegal act,
and in addition, the censure of the Watch Committee,
who had an admitted power of dismissal. How was
he to act ? How did he act. Nlr. Rushton, illegally
we contend, relieved him from the execution of one
part of the Magistrates' orders; his own legal know-
ledge deterred him from the execution of another
portion, (the reading to the police force of the libel
upon Mr. Parker, conveyed in the preamble to the
resolutions,) and for so doing no censure proceeded
from the Magistrates; and the coincident tenor of
the resolutions of the Watch Committee saved him
from any difficulty as to the rest. But had the
Watch Committee dissented from the resolutions in
question, or issued counter resolutions, in what po-
sition must Mr. Dowling have been placed ?
To descend, however, a little lower, what might
be the operation of this Magisterial assumption of
authority upon the conduct of the inferior officers,
and even the private members of the police force ?
Their head has two masters, and has promulgated
to them the orders of both. Are they in the execu-
tion of their duty to pause to consider which of the
two they are to obey. The magistrates, in the case
already referred, have said, " report to the commis-
sioner of police, who shall report to the Bench."
The committee have said, "report to the head con-
stable, who shall report to us." So long as these
two offices of " commissioner" and " head con-
stable" are in one individual, it is perfectly easy to
satisfy the requirements of both bodies. But sepa•
rate them, and what will be the result? Why we
shall have one portion of the force, in cases of in-
terference with them when on duty, running with
`their complaints to one functionary, and a second
portion to another. We shall have the force divided
into two factions—a kind of " red and white rose"
war carried on in the midst of a community which
pays both contending parties—combative Dogber-
ries on their beats falling foul of each other on every
available pretence, and a now disciplined body, in-
tended to be the guardians of our persons and pro-
perty, degenerate into a dangerous nuisance.
It is perfectly obvious that such a state of things
—such utter disorganisation as must result from a
concession, to the Magisterial body, of the powers
which they claim to exercise, independently of the
Watch Committee—could never have been contem-
plated by the legislature. We defy any man of com-
mon sense and common fairness to point out how
the admitted powers of " regulation," possessed by
the Watch Committee, can be exercised in conjunc-
tion with similar independent powers of regulation
in the Magistrates, or any other body. The notion
is preposterous. One party or the other, it is clear,
the Watch Committee or the Magistrates, must
abate their pretensions. The former must either
become a mere registering body—a committee with-
out powers—or the Bench must confine itself to the
exercise of, what has always hitherto been consi-
dered, its legitimate authority, and abstain from in-
terference with the police force, except when the
acts of any of its members come judicially before its
notice.

We have given insertion in another column to a
letter addressed to Lord Sandon, not because a
portion of the remarks which it contains is at all
applicable to the noble lord to whom it is addressed,
which they are not, but because of the ability with
which it is written and the pertinence of the lessons
and remonstrances which it contains to the back-
sliding and spurious Conservatism which we see
around us on every side. We rejoice to be able to
record our implicit confidence, and that of the ma-
jority of his coustituency, in the faithfulness of Lord
Sandon to his past professions, and to his thorough
Protestantism, as on several recent occasions mani-
fested. We would remind our correspondent that
it may be, and most probably is, from no consent of
his lordship, a subscriber merely to the fund raised
for repairing the church referred to, that the amount
is being expended in semi-popish desecrations. We
are assured that, from all our knowledge of his cha-
racter and principles, such an appropriation of it
would be very far from his inclination.

We have inserted in another place a letter from
Mr. Miller, late head-constable of this town, in
which some charges have been directed by him,
quite unnecessarily, against our respected chief ma-
gistrate ; and we have been requested to p.iblish
another letter by the same writer, but we did not
receive it in time for insertion to-day. Upon ano-
ther occasion we may express ourselves upon both.
At present our columns are fully occupied.

The Rev. S. Cragg, who resigned the chaplaincy of the
workhouse, in this town. for the curacy of Harborough
Magna, has been promoted to the incumbency of the
newly-formed district of St. Thomas's, Coventry.
ROYAL MERSEY YACHT CLUB.--The monthly meet-
ing was held at the Mersey Hotel, on Tuesday evening,
and was very numerously attended. The commodore read
a list of noblemen and gentlemen desirous of joining
the club. It contained the names of the Right Hon.
Lord Viscount Combermere, Combermere Abbey, and
respectable merchants, shipowners, and others, thirty-one
in number, all of whom are to be balloted for at the next
meeting in January. A new marine compass was offered
for the inspection of the meeting by Lieutenant W. Lord,
R.N., invented by a friend of his, Captain West, R.N.
It is constructed on a plan to diminish the oscillating and
rotatory motion, so common to compasses in general
during tempestuous weather. It is very ingenious, and
also simple in its nature.