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MAar,10,1856*1 THE XOS ADl^ ' £&
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, AN INVITATION FROM THE TORIES. It is c...
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PROGRESS OF POLICE RULE. When Mr. Arnold...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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clergyman for misconduct , a jury of four } aymen . would be judges of the fact . But the clerical body object . It is impossible , they say , entirely to separate the fact and 4 pctrijifej . it is impossible to hand over so jiauch .. control of the clergy to laymen , for lawyers are not the proper judges of doctrine ; and , in short , they must keep the jurisdiction to themselves , botK with regard to preaching and prafct & e ; i They will not have the very moderate : reforjn . proposed by the Lord Chancellor , but the Lord Chancellor must
not proceed with his Testamentary anS Matrimonial Bills until he has passed his Church , Discipline Bill ; and he is not to priss his ; Qhureh Discipline Bill until he has rendered it . such a measure as shall satisfy all the bishops , all the archbishops , and all the beneficed clergymen of the United Kingdom . We may call this " a bad . look out" for husbands -and wives who are awaiting the improved adjudication in matrimonial causes . But we are helpless to counteract the ecclesiastics because we Bhare their vices .
TJaey will neglect no influence which they possess in order to retain for themselves as much power and influence as they can . The Bishop of Exeter fires up at the idea of permitting any third party to judge between himself and any future Goehah , as to the exact nature o £ prevenient and subvefiient grace . On the contrary , Exeter would desire to have the power of depriving Gtorham , — -of casting him off into outer laity , as the proper retribution from differing from that bishop , w ho really , by the constitution of the
Church , " knows " , " the truth" in sucfh matters * The Bishop of Exeter knows the truth , " because he has it from the highest source ; and he will not permit any lawyer to interpret the institutes of the Church . The Gobhams . of the Convocation are powerless to prevent the bishops from retaining this mischievous and half-irresponsible authority , because they will not allow the Lord Chancellor to alter the ecclesiastical law if they can help it ; and the reason why they obstruct him lies in their fear that some
advantage will slip out of clerical hands into lay hands . The beneficed clergymen have a less dread of episcopal abuses than of lay reforms . But it is the same out of the pale of the Church . The officials clip down the reform in the custody and jurisdiction of wills * or , the reform in the conduct of matrimonial causes , because they s ) anpathi 8 e with the "Vested rights of proctors , barristers nt law " of seven years' standing , " judges , registrars , and any class of men that hold place . Nor ia the vice solely official . Why
is it that in all present schemes for improving the law matrimonial , common sense and justice are violated , by concediug to the husband a . right of divorce in cases of adultery , and denying it to the wife ? Equal law is the very boa 3 t of the country ; " equity , "that is , evenness—is taken to be synonymous with , justice . The reason why the abuse is retained is , that the laws aro for the moat part ; made- by husbands , and the husband wa , nte to obtain for himself full facility in executing justice upon an erring wifo , but
also , [ to ,, retain for himself the right of gomg astray , without , accounting for it . Each for hiin . $ elf . The majority of husbands in the land would rather keep this abuse than not , if it helps thorn to prevent a complete reform of the law . Thoro is a class of persons at present extremely respectable , who aro intorested in adjusting our statutes so ns to permit what , Socioty already permits—the marriage of a , widower with hia wife ' s sister . Those who aro specially interested will combine for that lobject , and . for nrtn © other . On thin , principle , of each for himself , all attempts at improvement are handed over to isolated
minorities , impotent to attain their own object , too selfish to assist in obtaining the common object of all . It is this self-seeking of the laity which divides it in the face of its enemy , the clergy , and constitutes the true fortress of clerical monopoly . " We shall obtain clergy reform , marriagelaw reform , testamentary-law reform , when we can return to the old rule of thinking of othess besides ourselves , and can join in the quest to obtain a good for its own sake , although we shall " get nothing bv it . "
Maar,10,1856*1 The Xos Adl^ ' £&
MAar , 10 , 1856 * 1 THE XOS ADl ^ ' £ &
, An Invitation From The Tories. It Is C...
, AN INVITATION FROM THE TORIES . It is clear that the Tories are prepared to make a move for power . They have , perhaps , a right to imagine , from the experience of former session Sj that the Liberals will assist them . But , unless we are signallj 7 " deceived , the Liberal party , the only party in England that has a future , has advanced beyond thab point of factious rancour at which it would invite the contempt of its enemies , even to punish the shortcomings of its half-sincere friends . It wants
organization ; but political organization is usually the result of an event , or of an opportunity . Within the next two years , unless external and fortuitous influences prolong the apathy of the English people on subjects of domestic politics , the occasion will arise for a general union of reformers . The Tory party , avowedly incapable of entering the House ' of Commons with a majority , affects to propose an alliance with
the Liberals ; but true Liberals will know how to avoid the snare . It is pretended that the Whigs have reached that development of their political History at which they desire change to cease , and that the Tories , while they resist organic changes , have drawn up a fascinating programme of political reforms . Innovation , they say , is no longer revolutionary , but constitutional . " We have heard this paltry subterfuge before . It is not now for the first time that Mr . Disraeli bids for
place behind the back of his leader in the Peers . When the " gentlemen of England" followed him , last week , to Lord Derby ' s house , it was agreed , for the sake of " a chance , " to cavil over the fall of Kara . Some of the more respectable members of the party were absent . The clear-headed Liberals saw through the trick , and declined to punish the country by expelling Lord Palmerston to
make place for the desperate adventurers who came at the call of faction to St . James'ssquare . Whatever may be the Premier ' s position in Parliament , the position of the Tories is materially worse . They aro forced to trade in Liberal pledges , to renounce their party symbols , and to declare themselves as constitutional innovators in advance of the Wliigs . They could understand a Russell or a Bitioirr administration :
they would prefer positive nncl sincere Radical ism to the falterings of the Coalition Whigs ; but , if events have a meaning , Lord Derby is the only statesman who could occupy , upon intelligible grounds , the post of First Minister of England . That is the Tory manifesto . In the official departments , Finance , the Colonies , India , the Army and Navy , they promise a systematic plan of reform . They put it therefore to Mr . Cobdkn
and Sir . Tosiitta Walmesi . is y , Mr . Otway and Sir Ebskine Perry , JMJr . Rokbuoit , Mr . Layari > , and Mr . Laino , whether they aro acting , faithfully to their constituents in supporting Lord I ' almerston , who is an Imperialist sailing under Liberal colours , 'instead of bringing i . u Mr . Disraeli , who , though ho reverences the forma of tho Constitution , is prepared to change and improvo wherever change is safe or improvement necessary .
We may yet have to suffer the government of the Tories . If , however , with indifference in the nation , confusion among political parties , and hesitatioii among party leaders , this divided faction should return to power , we must accept their administration as a transient necessity ; but th . e country has gone beyond the idea , that when Whigs and Coalitions fail ; all that is left is to call in the Tories . When Lord Palmehston ' s Cabinet
is dissolved , it ; , will be because it has no policy ; but this want of policy on his part will not be compensated by the empiricism of Mr . Disraeli , or the humniation of being governed by a band of rural justices and declamatory , lawyers . If the parliamentary machine Works irregularly and Feebly , it i £ on account of imperfections in the parlifi mentary machine . The' House of Commons is elected , in theory , to serve one purpose , but , practically , to serve another . It . represents the agency of Coppock :, and the country families , in unison with the partial , and local interests , ignorant sympathies of a mass of ten-pound householders . We must not
suppose that the nation is blind to these circumstances , or thatthe principle of political reform has lost its vitality . The apathy we witness is far from being unaccountable . It does not prevail among sincere or thoughtful men , nor will it last much longer . A reconstruction of " the Liberal party is taking place—a reorganization which , so far from tending in favour of the Tories and the dwindling band of dupes who have sworn allegiance to them in the midland counties , will swamp all sectional agitators , and force the Whigs to follow , instead of leading , the policy of Reform .
Progress Of Police Rule. When Mr. Arnold...
PROGRESS OF POLICE RULE . When Mr . Arnold , the metropolitan magistrate , avowed the subserviency which , is expected in the stipendiary magistrates to the Home Office , he did not speak of a theoretical grievance , but pointed out a place in which the fundamental principles of the British constitution are invaded , and in which the danger to public interests , and to personal interests , is immediate as well as precise . We have not been long without finding practical instances , and a case has occurred this week . A young lady , whose gentle and ingenuous manners are confessed , went , on Tuesday last week , to witness the ceremony of the proclamation of peace . She was accidentally separated from two ladies whom she accompanied , and after the procession had passed at Charing-cross , she moved for the purpose of rejoining them . It seems that orders were given for no persons to crosB at that particular place , and . a policeman obstructed her . Ho did not , however , content himself with barring her passage , or explaining the rule , but seized her roughly b . y the waist ; and when in her alarm she had freed herself from his hold , he struck her violently with hie staiV . Her frienda endeavoured to identify tho man . For that purpose she was taken by Mr . Henry Mayuew to throe policestations in successioii . At tho third , the Marylcbono station , tho men were drawn up to bo inspected by her , aud she did not detect her assailant ; but presently , turning round , ahe saw behind hor D 57 , whom she immediately recognised as the man . He exclaimed , " I deny using my staff . " There are some discrepancies in tho evidence , which rendered it not positively certain that this person was tho jjoliceman who struck the young lady , though tho balance of evidence inclines tho other way . It ia aBserted'by hia officers and comrades that ho wna not among tho small body of th . o D division that were stationed at Charing-cross : that no disturbance took
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), May 10, 1856, page 13, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10051856/page/13/
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