Democratic banner., 1847-08-09
British Freedom.

The right to assemble for the purpose of
political discussion is one of the dearest
rights of frcemen, and in this country any
attempt to interfere with it would Justly be
regarded as outrage not to be tolerated.
But this can be done, and is done, frequent
ly in England-all the boasts about British
freedom to the contrary. a late instance
occurred at Derby, at a late canvass. One
of the parties, in this contest, was the char
list party-the only sound political party
iD Eng!and-the only party whose foun.la-
ton points harmonic with American prin-
ciples. One of its leaders issued an adj
dress, in a handful, "To the electors and
non-eIectors of Derby" proposing himself
as a candidate and frankly, according to
custom, stating his views of political ques-
tions. He sums item up i'll the following
ORDER
"That he will do all in his power to i'm
prove the condition of Ireland.
That he will oppose the existing poor
laws.
That he will support the vote by ballot.
Annual ~parliaments.
No qualification.
Universal suffrage.
That he shall oppose any money being
raised for the support of the church, and
that he will improve the penal code, and "a
bolish that piece of machinery, which dis
grace to a christial land, called the gal
lows"
To promote his success the chartists ap-
pointed a public meeting at the Derby mar
ket place-calling it by a handful. All
this was done to promote these principles,
and it will be difficult for an American to
conceive how men could have a higher, a
nobler object.
But this meeting was stopped. The ac-
count of this denial, as given in a tory pa
per, is as follows
"The mayor, w. E. Mousley, Esq, des-
patched the superintendent of the police to
the principal actors in this intended meet
ing, to say he would not permit it to be
held. Two of the parties afterwards wait
ed on the mayor to know whether the SUI
P~erin:endent of the police had exceeded
his instructions. The mayor replied that
he had not; and that he should certainly
not permit such meeting to be held either
in the market place or in the public streets
or ~thoroughfares in the borough, as such
meetings would be calculated to create ter
ror and annoyance to the public"
What would be thought of such a fat,
from some hew-aedged mayOrality in this
country? His honor of Derby, however,
did on a small scale only what the British
government so savagely did on alarge scale,
when it forbad, in so summary a manner,
the last of O'ConnelI's monster meetings.
and which hothiug but the Liberator's great
address and energy prevented being attend
ed with bloodshed. This little Derby af-
fair shows how much the aristocracy Of
England fear the inroads of the political
axioms of the chartists. No doubt these
terrify and annoy, not exactly, however,
the public, the great living and toiling mass
es of Great Britain, but the few who lord
it over these masses as with a rod of iron.
God speed the day when such petty tyran-
ny as his honor Of Derby exercises, may
cease to exist, and British men, as freemen,
stand forth to demand justice and right
from their oppressors.
Subsequently the mayor offered the char
lists the town hall "Jor one meeting, mpon
condition that they should halt adt moan,
when the magistrates WouM be siHtng."-
This was adding insult to Tyranny, and APP
pears to have been refused.- Boston
Statesman.