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 The Judicial History of Individual Liberty. géant Copley's exposé of this prosecuting witness told strongly in Watson's favor, and, in spite of Lord Ellenborough's strong, but not conspicuously unfair charge, the pris oner was acquitted. The government did not dare to put Castle on the stand again, and proceedings against the other prisoners were dropped. The government could see nothing in the ravings of the suffering and half-starved peo-

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public meeting and discussion, with restric tion of the press, and provided for sum mary dealing with conspiracy and sedition of all kinds. Spies and decoys were the natural allies of the government in the execution of these remarkable acts. ' Coercion, not sympathy, was the express policy of the government, breeding as a natural consequence mutual distrust and fatal enmity. The disaffection

ARTHUR THISTLEWOOD.

pie but political sedition, and, as theretofore, thought of no remedy but repression. The Regent was panic stricken. The famous Six Acts were rushed through Parliament, the writ of habeas corpus was suspended, and in dividual liberty was as effectively suppressed as it had been in the days of the Stuarts. The Six Acts covered the ground with thorough ness. They dealt with the prevention of arming anti training, with the suppression of

of the people fermented in secret and inevi tably manifested itself in violence. The Nottingham riot of 1817, with its de structive violence and foul murder, was the consequence of forcing discontent into law less channels. Though sufficiently formid able in its earlier stages, this conspiracy really collapsed before the military force was 1 brought to bear upon it. Brandreth and his leading associates were at once brought to