Tens of thousands of British nonconformists have been refusing to pay at least a portion of their rates because of their opposition to the provisions of the Education Act of that allow for taxpayer funding of sectarian religious education, which, more often than not, means Anglican or Catholic religious education. In our survey of a sample of newspaper coverage of the movement, we’ve now crossed over into .
The only article in my sample from this month comes from the Burnley Gazette:
Passive Resistance
Scenes at Todmorden.
A scene with passive resisters took place at Todmorden Police Court on .
There were 27 defendants from the Hebden Bridge district, including four ministers and three ladies summoned for non-payment of the educational part of their poor rate.
They came to the court encouraged by a letter from Dr. Clifford to “light on till we cleanse the fair fame of England.”
The Rev. William Jones, Baptist, acted as spokesman, and was stating the grounds of the resisters’ conscientious objections, when Mr. Gamaliel Sutcliffe, chairman of the Bench, told him to keep to legal objections.
Mr. Jones protested that that was an unfair magisterial interpretation put on the summons, and declared that it reduced the court proceedings to a farce.
Mr. Sutcliffe demanded a withdrawal of such language.
Mr. Jones refused to withdraw.
Thereupon the Chairman refused to hear him further.
Mr. Jones said such a judicial farce was fittest taken in camera.
Amidst a scene of excitement the passive resisters left the court in a body, and afterwards held a protest meeting.
