The Sun. — 1851-06-30 (London, England)

THE SECRETARY OF THE BRADFORD REFORM ASSOCIATION. (EVERY MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY.) Sir,—On Wednesday the 25th, an important Bill for removing religious tests in the Scottish Universities was lost on the second reading by a single vote (66 to 65) in consequence of the non-attendance of Members who consider themselves as destined for higher things than watching the general progress of Parliamentary proceedings. It was said of the King of Prussia, that he was as good a corporal as he was a general. And here is an instance, where a measure of importance to the interests of religious freedom might have been saved, if only one of the great guns of the Liberal, party would bave volunteered the humble office of assisting with a vote. On Thursday the House again met at twelve o'clock, for the purpose of getting through the St. Alban's Bribery Commission Bill. Great haranguing on the dengesous nature of Commissions, and the perils to " the rights and privileges of Englishmen" incurred by inquisition into bribery; all of which must be highly interesting to the exiles who are living on John Dory at Boulogne. Nevertheless the Bill, eith its dangers, wile finally read a third time, and passed. On proposing to go into Committee on Supply, the question of Danish Claims, or what remains of it, was brought forward and negatived by 126 votes against 49. The Chancellor of the Exchequer made a considerably vigorous defence, in the way of distinguishing the reintoning class of claims from those which had been allowed; and as there must clearly be an end at some time, there was every human appearance that it had come now. There must be a limit somewhere, to what a Chancellor of the Exchequer can be expected to disburse for the sins of his predecessors. In the Committee, some debate arose on an item of 2,4391. for Office of the Registrar of Merchant Seamen, but as usual in such cases, wrapped up and complicated with other sums so as to be invisible to all but a practised eye. It is with a strong sense of the comparative inutility of such remarks, and the enormous difference there is between what may be expected in the way of foresight from individuals in their particular cases and from a community, that any such subject is here entered me But there are clearly twnpoints on which the evil principle, the political Ahriman, is making qui9t progress, without much of opposition, inasmuch as these who could, will not, and those who would, may not. And these two points are, laying the foundations for returning to the practice of impressment in the event of a war, and for lengthening the cords and strengthening the stakes of the bloody wrong called the right of Martial law, after the manner of Kirke and Ciaverhouse. For a long time, the British army was encouraged to murder and " cat " its prisoners, on the ground that it was an extension of the law I.:y which a soldier is punished for selling his necessaries, or deserting from his post. And by way of enforcing the analogy, the same forms were know; ledge to be gone through. The progress of now; ledge has blown up this trumpery pretence; end now the ground taken, not so much by the military as by tile legal advocacy "Co of the claim, is, that martial law is founcled on the fact of its being no me." It is a thing standing upon a vacuum; and as the earliest traces of ideas are said to be found in poetry, it is probably the developement of the conception that " nothing is but what. is not." For such follies, we must go through nature's course of cure, which is experiment. Meanwhile, we must pay the doeter's fees, s% hich consist in what may be made for the " Anglo-Saxon" by the practice, together with all the damsge and loss of fame which may accrue to ourselves during the process. The English people will be profoundly astonished some day, it they find the soldier breaking in upon them with his " law because it is no law." But what right will they have to complain, when they have nursed the evil? To return to the question of Registration, which is perhaps more immediately interesting in your maritime suburb of Hull than at Sun Bridge, I point out for those.