The Statesman.
London, England, 1819-05-06 00:00:00

nese of the esperimet.t, should be *meted for tbs
period of severs , Cars
Mr. C. HthILV EY vispnbea his motion ►etrtko
to PAThisseters bring wilimPsaire 10 Mods rel+tire to
hinge in •rieh she palish sleight be interested, oat
Wellsekkeysetrat.

LictrersiNn SYSTEM.
Mr. BENNETT presented t Petition from be.
teen 3.000 end 3,000 Viet eel ler., id inadott; West-
minster, mod Soothwatk, praying that a 11111 eoight
b. istrodeced to sowed the preterit Ity.tem of Li.
cences.—lt was read, end laid trona the table.
Mr BENNETT then moved for leave In bring Ira
a bat for the better Regulation of the Mode iir which
Licences are grantvd to l'addicent. He said that few
questions 'voiding the interests; and what sue of
more consist; , the 'notelet of the People. were
of superior importasice to the present ; he week! not
trevel through long details which the Below bad heard
eve: and aver again, bet would merely state the law
as it stood. and the amendment he proposed to in-
trodore. The piincipel Act upon this subject was that
46th Geo. 11. c 35, ender which pohlic.houses for
the first time were lly liressord : the party re-
spiring • licence was to be presided with the certifi-
cate of the clergyman, she churchwardens end over.
seers, and of four respectable inhebitents of the parish.
Upon this point the practice had varied in dilfersist
plates : In some the Magistrates would not license
without the sigaelere of the *Wider and as the mi.
nister, from conscientious motives, would not *mil-
lion these pieces of retertsiement, no poblic•heleses
at all vitiated. In the metropolis the practice was
quite the reverse. fee there the clergymen signed es
a mailer of course, and the beadle, for • fee of frees
half a crown to • guinea, procured the neceasery
Down et the perish-officers and the iribabirsids. Thal
law was therefore in ibis respect • useless deed
letter. The @iterating he suggested war, that
the signatures of the clergyman, tho chetah.
wardens and overseers, and via lubsbilsois should
be necessary ; or of twelve Isibabitasits uithlet
the minister and the parish Akers: but that they
should be °Weiner, from the parish ohere the epplia
cant for a licence bad last resided; for it not glare-
qemetly happened, shat a publican, whose hoes, bed
been the resort of the vilest of mankind, obtained a
licence from Minstrel** in • situation where be was
totally unknown. Tn. nest change he bad to pee.
pose was In the system recognisance", w bich hi-
therto had beer either two of 51. each, or one of 101.;
end in general Dote publican emigre surety for sm-
other through a whole line of applicants without
knowledge of their character or cireentstenc.s. It
was his chject that the mount of the rotes*.
since should be increased, end that the ;sorties
entering into it should be sirens es to their re-
spousibility. The arbitrary power which Mavis.
hates enjoyed of depriving a man of his !teepee
without the aseinommor of any reason, wes • greet
evil in theesisting low : ha did not mean to emit say
slur upon the general imp.niality of the mode its
which Magistrates discharged this part of their duty
1.. the country : cases of oppression could be pointed
out. bet they were few he number computed with the
Metropolis, where, "melodies; to the evidence before
the Committee,. system of petty tyranny bed bees
carried on to a shameful 'steed. Instances could be
detailed where victuallers, with the signature of the
clergyman, perish officer., arid almost every respect•
able inhabitant is their favour. lied been debarred
obtaining • living by brit/ &righted of their Li-
ceaces, in eider to gratify the vindictive spleen or
petty caprice of some man disposed to display his in-
'Whims. bet erne! autbetity. Another greet evil
originated in the si stern of licensisig being converted
into an engine of poinical iallience, iroi• particu-
larly io borough., where the corporate Magistrates
exercised a most arbitrary end :vinous power to fa-
visor the views of some patron or proptleler. The
object of rendering Licences anneal was to seehrent
the Las, and those which in %sees Antse's time
were only Is. each, in a very short period were
augmented to 10s.; end every Gentleman who reed
the Act of George 11. knew that another purpose is
making Licences annual wet, that Magistrates shooed
not have the power to deprive a man of his Li-
cence until the expiration of a year. His (Mr. B.'s)
intention was to WINO the 46th George 11., and in-
stead of allowing to Magistrates in the Mat instance
so arbitrary end rviensivo • power, to preside* gra.
dusted scale of penalties for irregularities which
shoold be proved seeinst the house of a publican s
the 'envoi z ought to forfeited in such a cases
and the ,sex evens of penalty he thought should sot
eaceed 1001. on the third conviction, or forfeiter, of
the licence, end incapacity to keep a public-house foe
three years. 'this weislii limit the authority of Ma.
Outdoes In putting dun houses without cause
assigned, and tend to put a termination to not vela-
. ties. despotism that bad reigned in the metropolis.—.
The Honourable Member then mentioned the case of
a Mr. Meek, of Chit ketivrell, a man whose conduct
bad bees such us to command the respect of all Ma
neighbours. This peison's licence had been faker
sway from him by the arbitrary act of the Magis-
trates, and bed not hero since renewed, by which he
had seff.red s loss iti I flitifty to the amount of ep.
wards of 1,0001. Ile should propose, tiers, that there
should be an appeal, not after a trial by jury, for the
Bosse bad testified its disapprobation of such a pro.
vision be the last Parliament ; but that theme
should be an appeal from the Licensing Magistrates
to the Magi-testes of the Quarter
There were certain other clauses in the Bill, the ob.
joist of which nes to give a greater degree of rbliritr
to the licensing of these houses. Ile tressed they
would be found also to provide • eherk upon one It(
the greatest glieveaces 'aiming, by petting an end
I o the monopoly of the brewers, she forced the pub
Beans to vend their eileltereted liquors; nieces,.
all contracts beturn them ire future would exempt
I them from 'Piling lay 0.6., than ratline thorn's, of
• escierable quality. Zr' one teen (toe name of
which we did not bear) the e were *et len o.r er
of
fr
wpeerbsi.ic. hi on orb,
eel:7i/
fowl of
oar. be%ificilr.rhigniw.biesier olibriaelha:on.ad7e
eighteen houses,
ed to brewer.. In the env'', of aireittetean therearrer
:fbipearielyeedn,:neadtesee:::.blinyewseethihivierihne
.I:reacees:.:l6bsennee•orsat y
geornAitnberhesirinotogr.,;:
hoot
etstappeeneo
tires.
erioseabkdbandisefflaZtrichrrieforren;
de heel;
ea;
overt
s,
tow: opweresods,