The Earl of Wiltonwished to call the attention of the House and the noble Viscount to certain facts which had come to his knowledge illustrative of the state of the manufacturing districts. At Bolton, night after night, large multitudes had for a long time assembled in a field bordering upon the House of the mayor, and on Sunday last the parish church had been forcibly taken possession of by the mob; yesterday the same thing had taken place; and at the time the post left, they had not quitted the 1201 church. Besides this, a placard, which he would read to their Lordships, had for a great number of days been stuck upon the walls of Bolton; and no steps had been taken in consequence of it, even as regarded the persons who had signed the placard, as the chairman and secretary of the society. The noble Earl read the following placard:—
Resolution unanimously agreed to by the General Convention, Wednesday, July 10, 1839, 'That this Convention has read, with feelings of inexpressible indignation, the statements said to have been made last night in the House of Commons by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, relative to the necessity and propriety of employing the metropolitan police force in various parts of the country for the suppression of public meetings of the people peaceably conducted; and further, the approbatory remarks of the same Minister, of the bloody-minded and atrocious assault made upon the people of Birmingham by a portion of that unconstitutional and obnoxious force; and this Convention is of opinion, that whenever and wherever persons assembled for just and lawful purposes, and conducting themselves without riot or tumult, are so assailed by the police or others, they are justified, upon every principle of law and self-preservation, in meeting force by force, even to the slaying of the persons guilty of such atrocious and ferocious assaults upon their rights, and persons.—By order of the Convention.—James Taylor, Chairman; Robert Heartwell, Secretary, P.M.'Now, all that the Government had done to meet these proeeedings was confined to a letter written by the Secretary of State to the magistrates, advising them to proceed against the persons concerned as for a misdemeanour; but he pressed it upon the attention of the noble Viscount, whether, under that very alarming state of things, some more energetic and active steps should not be taken. He could assure the noble Viscount, that he mentioned these circumstances without any feeling of animosity to the Government, his only object was, that the public peace might be maintained; he was going to Lancashire that night, and was anxious to assist the Government in any way, or furnish them with any information in his power. He only trusted, that it would be received in the same spirit in which it was offered, and in whatever was done by the Government, they might depend on the active co-operation and support of the great bulk of the well-disposed persons in that part of the country.
§ Viscount MelbourneI give the noble 1202 Earl full credit for sincerity, and I believe that he has stated these circumstances from no feeling of hostility towards the Government or any Member of it; arid solely from an anxious desire that these circumstances of danger should receive, as they demand, the attention of the Government. In the work of preserving the public peace I feel perfectly assured, that we shall have the active and firm and anxious support of the noble Lord, and I trust, also, of every other Peer, to whatever party in the country he may belong. I am perfectly aware, that circumstances and proceedings of a dangerous and formidable character are going on in many parts of the country; I am perfectly aware, that the state of many parts of the country is by no means satisfactory; it is unquestionably pregnant with circumstances which cannot but excite considerable uneasiness and alarm; and I am perfectly aware that such proceedings as the noble Lord has described, as the breaking into and taking possession of churches, have lately been followed as a mode of great annoyance, and as a mode unquestionably, in my opinion, of breaking the public peace; and that mode has been resorted to in many parts of the country. As to the placard, a part of what the noble Lord has read, I only mention that, because I wish to make one observation, which appears to me to apply strongly to the general features of these proceedings. That placard, in my opinion, is very artfully worded. If I comprehend rightly what the noble Lord read, it asserts, that if an unprovoked attack is made upon a body of persons, lawfully assembled for lawful purposes, a right is thereby given to them to resist that attack by force; and I don't exactly know that that can be contradicted—I don't know any answer that can be given to that assertion. I admit, that the real intention and object is, as I believe, to urge the people to resistance and violation of the public peace; but I cannot help observing, that with the legal powers which exist in this country—with the privilege of free speech and free discussion which exists—in order to be extremely inflammatory and exciting, it is by no means necessary to break the law. On the contrary, it is not so entirely the breach and the violation of the law which is to be dreaded, as the abuse of the law, and the pushing to the utmost of those powers and privileges which the people 1203 legally possess. The noble Lord urges on me to take stronger measures than those which have been already adopted by my noble Friend, the Secretary of State; but I do not know what stronger measures it is possible for the Government to take, or what greater assistance can be afforded, under the present circumstances. The military force of the country has been considerably reinforced and augmented, and means have been taken to inform the magistrates, that every exertion would be made by the Government to maintain and support them in their efforts to preserve the public peace; but, my Lords, it is quite impossible to fill every part of the country with a military force. It is quite impossible to have a sufficient force in every place when danger may be apprehended, to put down any outbreak on the instant. All that can be done is, to use the three which is in our possession in the best manner for the purpose of suppressing violence, and affording protection from apprehended danger.—Subject at at end.