Cbr Country.

Birmingham has been the scene of contest between two sections of the Charfillst party, called, in the language of the day, the " Moral Force men " and the " Physical Force men." The reader is aware that Mr. Feargus O'Connor and Mr. Stephens have recently advised large bodies of the working men, whom they addressed in the Northern counties, to arm themselves, and prepare for a struggle with their oppressors. Mr. O'Connor recommended that a day should be fixed for a simultaneous effort of the people to obtain their rights. This lan- guage the leading members of the Birmingham Political Union thought exttemely impolitic arid objectionable ; and at one of the meetings of the Council of the Union, Mr. Salt expressed his disapprobation of Mr. O'Connor's course of proceeding in strong terms. Mr. O'Connor re- solved to defend himself and face his opponents in their hcad.quarters ; and accordingly, after attending a Universal Suffrage meeting at Leicester, on Monday week, on the following day he went to Birminge

ham, and was present at a meeting of the Council of the Union. That meeting was held at the Public Office ; which was incapable of con- taining half the numbers eager to be present. We need not detail all that passed ; the results will suffice. Mr. O'Connor avowed his

readiness to answer Mr. Salt, and to maintain his own position against the Council : and it was finally agreed, that the proceedings should be

adjourned to a day in the present week ; when the following resolu- tion, drawn up by Mr. O'Connor, and an amendment by Mr. Douglas, should be discussed.

Mr. O'Connor's resolution-

., That the constitution of England guarantees to ev ety free citizen the right to possess arms; that the laws impose upon every citizen the duty ot bearing arms ; an,t tnat reason and judgment can alone determine for what pm pose such right has been gua ranteed and such tut 3 imposed—when to he exercised, ami how used. That the e StitUti011 Is a spirit inherent in the best.digested resolve of an exiFting generat ion, based in its actions and workings on the follow tag truth—' Null: ventlemus,nulli negannis,

ant deferemus, justitiam yid reetnni ;' and epnveyel in .1,1 express:ons and familiar maxims ; such as the K int; can do no wrong ;' by which we it.fer, that he must obey the spirit of the constitution, :old nut that he min throw 'IT responsibility, amid saddle it upon advisers, who have become irrespuusible. Ag:tin, ' the King never dies ;' which is meant, that though the monarch perisheth, yet dees the constitution, of %Ode% he was but the representative, live throughout all ages. Again, that the people are the legitimate source of all power.' Such we recognize :IS the spirit of the uoustitution ; while, in its legal interpretation, we find liberty protected by the habeas Corpus Act ; by which, is meant, that man, w hen accused, shall have speedy trial by a jury of his peers, and as regards prom, ty. that he shall not be taxed except with his own or hie representative's consent in Parliament. That the constitution has been violated if, spirit, and the laws have been Mined into instruments of oppression. That every monarch, from the seventh sear of the reign of Henry the Sixth to the reign oi' the llighth, and from that P'erital to he Revolution of 1683, ('rums thence to the revolt,. tionary Reform Bill, :Intl from that time to the present. has upeuly anti syste- matically violated the constitution of this country, as well by the elevation of

political partisans to the state and dignity of Representative Peers, as by tile appointment of .4piritaial Peers to the discharge of political duties; thereby de- stroying the centrolliug poser which one branch of the Legislature sva,; de-

signed to hold and exercise between the extravagant demands of the People npon the one hand and the usurpation of the Monarch upon the other. Th it while we would mort sincerely dopier.. confusion :mil civil war, and %Odle we would bear much wrong and great oppression before we woald either justify in others, or have recourse Ourselves to arms, yet do we recognize in the Nomination the right to pusses, and to use arms for oar own &retire; and therefore we j Lbtify the recommend:diet, el those persons who have counselled the people to arm openly ; which recommendation we sincerely believe to have been given to prevent the had effect of secret arming. which must ever lead to assassioation and outrage, consequent upon so cowardly arni unconstitutional a practice. In conclusion, that we hate entire confidence in Feargm O'Connor; and that we are determined, should the alternative In, necessar3, to die (Ice- men rather than looger live slaves."

Mr. Douglas's amendment-

- That this Union expressly, still;, the strongest matmer, condemn all extiortatiOnS to physical force for the purpose ,,f procuring;Uuivers .1 • a/ ige aud the te her ebject, of the National ['tuition, or it hose latent is to produce any hioach of pie, law, or order : and this Union Wolter. and in tle, strongest manner, con :emu all lxiii it Iio or times beyond whieh the peaceful. and lav. nil, and urderl!, agit 1000 of the People's rights is to cease, and a civil war for their vindication to tto entered upon."

Much interest was excited as to the result of the proceedings. It Mr. O'Connor's resolution were carried, it was feared that the Bir- mingham Union would be broken up, by the retirement of Messrs. Attwood, Scholetield, Aluntz, Salt, and Edmonds, and other gee- tlemen, who have been regarded as the leaders of the Birmina- ham Radicals. Mr. Attwood addressed a letter from the Isle Of Wight, where he was residing, to his fellow townsmen ; reminding them of the glorious victories they had obtained by following his ad- vice, and earnestly exhorting them to eschew violent councils, arid rely, as heretofore, on drat moral influence which would certainly lead to complete success.

A preliminary meeting of the Union was held on Titesday. Mr. O'Connor was present ; and then in the strougest language, dielainod all appeals to physical firce, as highly injurious to the popular cause. With respect to arminy, lie said that he only meant to maintain the constitutional right of every person to possess arms ; and as to fixing a day beyond which the people should wait no longer, he only meant to follow Mr. Thomas Attwood's suggestion of a simultaneous strike, and never intended that they should resort to arms on the 30th of Septenz- her, or any other day. On Wednesday morning, a special meeting of the Political Unioa Council was held at the Public Office, to kt1TallgC the order of pro- ceeding at the great public meeting to be held at the Town-hall in the evening. It was then agreed that Mr. Doug:as's amendment should be put as a substantive motion ; and that Mr. O'Connor should pro- pose his resolution as an amendment. When the Council assembled in the Committee-room of the Town-hall, they were informed by Mr. O'Connor, that he did not intend to oppose the resolution, as he entirely concurred in it ; and that he wished to forego all that part Of his own resolution which stated the violation of the constitution, the right of the people to arm, and the confidence of the meeting in him- self, Thus altered, the resolution was presented to the Chairman ; who, with o'hcr members of the Council, required that the entire resolution of which Mr. O'Connor bud given notice, should be aban. doned. To this proposition Mr. O'Connor also assented ; and he was then allowed to move the following resolution in the meeting- " That this meeting, understanding that Mr. Salt has disavowed uny intention of marking Mr. rumens O'Connor with disapprobation, are of opinion, that the resolution, of uhich Mr. ftl!uuner gave notice, has become unnecessary ; that oar future ac: ions in the struggle fur Universal Su ffiage will be suflieiently deeLratory of our Paul, r motives for has ing embarked in the agitation of that great its' tonal question ; and that we are resolved to mark ail!' our disappr.dm , end to brawl unit the name of tia:tor, any in ii Maul, who shall, hum, s options feelings or Mb, notions of pertunal importance, attempt to cause disunion in the (ladle .1 r.ouks. Th it this, meeting plelge themselves to the Radicals of the empire, and each to the other, that the people of BitTillgilaKI WW1' 1.4ill cease to agitate until the principle of ntiversal StlIr,;kgo be comes the basis of the constitution of the empire; awl by which alone CiOt eup ii, even- handed, and entire jostice. be rendered to England, Ireland, awl Scotland. And as the feeling of the Radicals of England towards their Irish brethren has been thkrepre• seated, we embrace the present opport 'ty of declaring our love for the Irish uor king classes, and our desire to do them substantial justice, by extending to them that principle of set: government which we claim for ourselves ; an-I by is hich alone they will be enabled to rescue themselves from the cruel ascendancy of a persecuting Law- Church, from the injustice of a corrupt Magistracy, from the dominion of tyrant Landlords, awl front the profligacy or interested ructions."

Mr. Edwin Thompson, a working man, seconded the resolu- tion. A brief discussion ensued. Mr. Edmonds, contrary to the wishes of the Council and of the majority of the meeting, per- sisted in reading and commenting upon a speech delivered by Mr. Stephens at Wigan, in which the people weve exhorted to obtain their ends 11 force of arms. When it appeared that Mr. Edmonds bad no wish to disturb the unanimity of the present proceedings, and that his object was to hold up to public reprobation such advice as Ste- phens gave, he obtained a patient hearing, and his powerful speech was repeatedly cheered. Not a word was uttered in reply. The resolu- tion was carried unanimously; and the meeting broke up in perfect good humour. The correspondent to whom we are indebted for an outline of the proceedings, adds that the " men were in raptures at the reconciliation."

Such being the result of the trial of strength between the " Moral Force "and " Physical Force" men, it is amusing to read the follow- ing notice on the subject in the Tory paper, the Birmingham Advertiser, of Thursday's date ; for a copy of which we have to thank somebody we presume, the publisher.

"his Rile N' or TERItOR.—The ' important ' discussion has ended: and Mr. reargus 0' all nor's resolution FO It 1MM E DIVE E BLOODSH ED was adopted last night, at a meeting of the Birmingham Political Unionists, held in the Town-hall. We congratulate its leaders on this manifestation of the reality of their influence and control over a Birmingham mob! *O'Connor, the firebrand of the North. has, by his own single and unaided efforts, defeated the fraudulent pretensions of those who, for a long course of years, have set up as their motto Peace, law, and order,' and carried, even with the conseut of Mr. Salt, his pretended opponent, a resolution, the effect of which, if they have the courage to act upon it, must result in a civil war ! We were last night particularly anxious to obtain the precise terms of Mr. O'Connor's triumphant resolution. For this purpose, our publisher, at a late hour, called at the residence of Mr. Salt. Ile there ascertained that Messrs. F. O'Connor, Salt, P. H. :Hunts, and others who had taken part in the proceedings of the meeting, were aisem- bled in midnight conclave ; and on requesting to be furnished with a copy of the resolution which bad been so unanimously and vociferously adopted at the Town-hall, was told by Mr. Salt, who had previously consulted with his guests on the subject, that 'they would see him d—d first, and then would not give it him.' Such is the courtesy of the Radicals! Feargus himself, if we had seen him, would not so have treated us. In the absence of more definite information, we are

compelled to rely on the current report of the night. It is said that the sacrifices of Mr. George Edmonds in the cause of liberty were forgotten, and that his attempts to reply to some portion of Mr. O'Connor's inflammatory address were

received not only with uproar and disapprobation, but with threats of personal violence. Will Mr. Edmonds withdraw from the Council of the Union? We imagine not ; but are rather inclined to think, that so long as he can keep up his consequence, by any species of ad captandum trickery, he will always be found, scum-like as he is, at the top of the boiling. The absurdity of last night's pro-

ceedings quite indisposes us for treating the matter seriously ; but, if these mis-

guided people are really inclined for a fight, we have no hesitation in declaring that the nell.affected—that is, the vast majority of the people of England—are fully prepared to meet them. Hurrah ! for Messrs. Scholefield and Lloyd ! Oh, shameful prostitution ! that the powers of the Alagiatracy given to pre- serve order aitd subordination throughout the realm should be made sub- servient to the inculcation of such treasonable designs. We regret to learn that one of the gentlemen just referred to—at present we will not say which*..- AO far forgot the duties of his office and his avowed political opinions, as tu be present at the diseussioa."

The Tory journalist, it would seem, had been hoaxed by a false re- port.

• The allusion is to Mr. Lloyd, a respectable Tory, mho concurred still, Mr. Seliole- field in granting the Town-bull for the meeting.