The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-05-15 00:00:00

TAX-RESISTING PATRIOTS.

A meeting of. the patriots of St. Pancras, London, was held
nn S:iiiirday last, to adopt measures to procure the remission of
the, sentence passed in the King's Bench lasi week on a man
named FOrd, and his companion, for art assaillt on a broker,
who had been put, in possession of a house for arrears Of asses-
sed taxes. A deputation of seven persons was appointed tb Wait
oat Lord John Russell; who, with his uti'der-secretary, Mr. Fbx
Mettle, recaived them on the same day at the Borne cletfice.
The deputation explained that they .wcre&ppninted at &nu-
merous meeting of the rate-payers of St. Pancras, the ineeting
deeming that, it would be imprudent, under the present conch=
tion of government, to call a public meeting on the subject, and
thereby produce public excitement. The men, for the purpose'
or obtaining a remission of whose sentence the present deptita-
ti.i waited upon hisilordship, were, without having any mortal
guilt attached to them, about to be conveyed to the house of
correction, to have their heads shaved, and. be compelled to wear
the prism) dress, a sentence which was-considered peculiarly
harsl7 Under the circumstances of the case, 'and 'extremely dis-
tressing, inasmuch as the men were hurnble tradesmen,' depend-
Mg entirely upon their manual labour, and several of them
having young and numerous families. The house-tax was now
repealed, and the present was thought not to be the proper'
moment for political excitement; a great portion of the commu-
nity felt themselves considerably indebted to The men, in ques-
tion for the repeal of the house-tax, and would not witness their
ncarileration larnopg felons by a sentence arrived 'at through
very indorietnSive evidence. The deputation were desirous that
the Men slinuld not be removed from the King's Bench, where
hey liadthe opportunity of seeing their families.
140 this remonstrance Lord John replied, first, that he feared
hie 'had no power to keep them in the King's Bench; and,
secondly, that he believed he had not the right to interfere with
the Sentence.' To this the deputation replied that there was a
strong 6'oling in St. Pancras in favour of these men, and that
they, the delititation, could not help thinking that publicexcite-
meat 4otild 'he aioided. at the present• moment. Upon this
deliate hint b7ing given, his lordship suggested to the deputa
tinn the propriety of preparing a memorial, which he said he.
would take care should be presented to the King. The deputa-
tion then urged that if his Fordship had associated with the men
under
,sentence he Would be quite satisfied that they ought not
to be sent to the same prison as common felons. Lord John
Russell declining to make any further positive promise on the'
subject,'the deputation•replied;—" If the memorial is discussed
in our vestry, pt will 'be with open doers, and will create con-
siderable excitement, and we leave to your lordship to decide
whether excitement at the present moment would be advis-
able," The deputation then withdrew; andshortly after returned
with the memorial

Taking into consideration the parties who first counselled
resistance, to tax-gatherers, and coupling with the persons
who gave that advice, "the inexpediency of creating:Consider-
able;,:excitement,!' 'and the • fact that the noble Wader of the'
House trf Commons has nut even an old` threelegged, stool to
sit upon in lb-at • place, the prayer of the memorialists might to
be granted. Possibly Colonel Evans will have the kindness to
accept a peerage, and thereby disqualify:himself from sitting in
Parliarnent'as one of the members fur the borough of West-
minster.

THE MORNINinCHRdNICLE AND THE CLERGY,

•
We take from She Times of Tuesday, the following letter ad-
dressed to " The Editor of the Times and the clergy of Great
Britain" :
" Sir,—Being a constant reader of your paper, and also hav-
ing an opportunity of sometimes seeing the Mo'rning Chronicle,
I shquld feel greatly obliged by your inserting'a few lines to the
relitoriof that abusive paper. ram the patron and rector of a
~:isiderable living, and also a whig (not a radical). I have
his week read the most low abuse against the clergy of Devon,
for having voted as they thought tit, and used their influence
to the same effect, that I cannot avoid noticing it through' yOur
columns. What., sir, is the time arrived when every'mart lint a
clergyman of the established church may vote and use his in-
fluenee without being belied, and ►he most abusive low Charges
brought against him ? Are Mr. Faithful!, of Brighton, Mr.
Brotherton, of Salford, Mr. Timothy East, of Birmingham, and,
the whole train-of dissenters, to vociferate as they do, and are
we of the established church to sit.quieseent ? I boldly tell
you I. wilt, not as one. Tam a whig of twenty years' standing;
with property in three counties, and depend upon it I will use
my influence now to the utmost extent. Ido not understand
why this low abusive paper (for there is no talent in it) should
send forth such attacks with impunity. I speak from my own
knowledge that five. whig clergymen of property have totally
taken a different line of polities (swing to this papet. The ge--
nerality of the clergy are possessed of considerable property :
the dissenters have Done scarcely of a private nature; and are
we on this account to be the more silent ? My hands ate quiet,
but my tongue and pen will• never cease to disclaim against
such a system of slander. Is not a clergyman the fittest of all
men to uphold the religiims.institutions when attacked, and
which he thinks most valuable to his country? I will state two
things without fear of contradiction—the one, that no body of
men have been so politically quiet, possessing Om property,. as
bey have been ; the Other, that more is given by them to both
public and private charities, looking at what they :possess, than
any other body in the kingdom. Look at'the list of county
subscriptions, and let me ask hew much *comes from dis-
senters ?-7--not one.twentieth, butthey partake in common with
the benefits of the institutions. I 'hope, therefore, that the
whig clergy throughout the empire will use their utmost en-
deavoutrs
,to put out of circulation a paper like-the IWrning
Citroaicle, possessing so little talent and so much personal
Lot se. " A WHIG CLEROYSSAN"