The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1839-07-23 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

JOHN B. HIBBEAT.  " To the Right Hon. Lord John Russell." It will, no doubt, be recollected that the radical party at the election of 1837 made a murderous attack upon the conservative committee who were sitting at Dee's Hotel, that they demolished the front of the hotel, and the lives of the committee were upon the point of being sacrificed at the shrine of reform liberality. The extraordinary delay of the military upon that occasion must‘be in the memory of your readers. Upon that subject the depositions of about 20 persons of the highest respectability were forwarded to Lord John Russell. The above letter of Mr. Hibbert shows how those depositions were treated. I believe that nothing but an open inquiry will satisfy the people of Birmingham. Mr. Maule (solicitor to the treasury) has arrived in the town. It will be seen, from the following proceedings of the town commissioners, that the delicate question of " Who's to pay the piper"—i.e., the expense consequent upon the introduction of the police in Birmingham, will have to be debated by the " active" magistrates of the town. There is something extremely amusing in the explanatory tone of the magistrate's letter.  A special meeting of the town commissioners was held today to take into consideration the following resolutions of the magistracy :  " Borough of Birmingham, " At a meeting of the Birmingham magistrates, held at the public office, Moore-street, this 17th day of July, Dr. Booth in the chair, " It was resolved,  " That on the occurrence of the recent nightly assemblies and processions which endangered the peace of the town, the magistrates, finding the regular police totally deficient in the strength and firmness requisite to prevent such meetings, were compelled, by the urgent necessities of the case, to seek foreign assistance without delay and without the power of previously consulting the commissioners under the Street Act.  " That the precautionary measure, of bringing the London police into the town has been the source of a heavy expenditure and is likely so to continue. " That the magistrates have no control over any fund for the payment a those expenses. " That it appears to this meeting the proper authorities to apply to are the commissioners under the Street Act. " That an application be made to the commissioners to take the requisite steps to ensure the payment of the charges incurred by bringing the London police into the town, and by the contiluing of such assistance until the peace of the town be permanently secured, or a new and sufficient police force be organised. " That a copy of the above resolutions be sent to the Commissioners."  The Commissioners unanimously adopted the following resolutions in reply to a communication from the magistrates : " That the communication from the magistrates be entered on our minutes, and that the magistrates be respectfully informed that the Commissioners have not legally the power to defray the expenses already incurred. " That the magistrates' letter be referred to the Lamp and Watch Committee, and that they be requested to forthwith confer with the magistrates as to future measures for maintaining the peace of the town, and that the said committee be authorized and requested to appoint such constables, patrols, and other persons, as shall in their opinion, conjointly with that of the magistrates, appear necessary or expedient under the circumstances ; and that it appears to this meeting that resource should still be had to a portion of the metropolitan police, until a more efficient local police be appointed, and therefore that the Lamp and Watch Committee be authorized and desired to make such appointments." The committee sat immediately upon the breaking up of the meeting, and it is understood that the most vigorous assistance will be given to the magistrates by the immediate establishment of a well-qrganized local police. In the meantime the London police are to remain in Birmingham, the expense of their maintenance being for the time defrayed by the Street Commissioners. An application will, however, be afterwards made to Government for the re-payment of the money previously expended ; it being considered, as stated by one of the magistrates at the meeting of the Commissioners this morning, that Birmingham in thus defeating the machinations of the Chartist mob was in fact fighting the battle of the entire country. Had the insurrectionary movement been successful in Birmingham, there is little doubt that similar efforts, if not equally successful, would have been made in other parts of the kingdom.