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Leader (1850-1860), 30th October 1858, Edition 1 of 2, Page 1148

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      Untitled Article

      POLITICAL FOEESHADOWINGS . Me . Bkigiit at Birmingham . —We have this weefc to record a most important meeting , the occasion being Mr . Bright ' s first visit to his constituents of Birmingham on Wednesday . The townspeople were , summoned by the Mavor to meet him in the Town-hall at seven o'clock , and long before that time the large hall was crowded ; not an inch of ground being unoccupied . In addition to the Birmingham people a great number-of the hon . gentlemen ' s friends from Manchester and the neighbourhood were present . Mr . Bright , in rising to address the meeting , was received with loud and prolonged cheering . He said , " Mr . Mayor and gentlemen , if I exhibit embarrassment in rising to address you I

      must ask for your forbearance , for , in truth , as I cast my eve over this great assembly I feel myself almost bewildered , and I am oppressed with a consciousness of my incapacity properl y , to fulfil the duty vliich devolves upon me to-night . It is now nearly tliree vears since I was permitted , and , indeed , since I was able , to stand upon any public platfonri to address any public meeting of my countrymen , and during that period I have passed through a . new and a great experience . From apparent health I Lave been brought down to a condition of weakness exceeding the weakness of a little child , in which I could neither read nor write , nor converse for more than a few minutes without distress and without peril ; and from

      national party ; and if it be a bill sensibl y better than the bill that is being prepared for us in Downing-street , why should we not , with all the unanimity of which we are capable , do everything m Ol £ power to pass that measure into law ? I say that vte . are great in numbers ; that united we are great in strength ; that jve are invincible in the solidit y of cur arguments ; that we are altogether unassailable in the justice © four cause . Shall we then , I ask you , even for a moment be hopeless of our great cause ? I feel almost ashamed even to argue it to such a meeting as this . I call to mind where I am , and who arc those whom I see before me . Am I not in the town of Birming ham-England ' s central capital ; and do not those eyes look upon the sons of those who , not thirty years ago , shook the fabric of privilege to its base ? Not a few of the

      strong men of that time are now white with . age . They approach the confines of their mortal day . Its evening is cheered with the remembrance of that great contest and they rejoice in the freedom they have won . Shall their sons be less noble than they ? Shall the lire which they kindled be extinguished with you ? WI 13 ' , I see the answer in every face . You are resolved that the legacy which they bequeathed to you you will hand down in an accumulated wealth , of freedom to your children . ( Great ' cheering . ' ) . As for me , my voice is feeble . I feel , now sensibly and painfully that lain not what I was . I speak with a diminished fire ; I act with a lessened force ; but as I am , my countrymen and my constituents , I will , if you will let me , "be fuuiul in your ranks in the impending struggle . " The hongentleman ' s address was received , throughout , with ini mense enthusiasm .

      Viscount Galway , M . P . —At the annual meeting of the Worksop Labourers' Friend Society , Lard Galway said : Since I last addressed you great changes have taken place . Of course I have strong opinions in favour of the present Government , but in one case , the admission of Jews into Parliament , I felt conscientious scruples on the matter , and therefore 1 did not vote with the Government . But I can say for the present Government that it may fairly challenge comparison with any that lias gone before it . One reason is that they . have excellent officials , not . merely men of high arid noble birth , but several of them clever , straightforward , and intelligent men . I shall say nothing of Lord Palmerston ' s Government , except that I hope the present Government may receive the same fair consideration as they did . I think Sir George Lewis need not be afraid that tliev will bring

      forward measures merely for one side . It liiis been complained that they have been too much dictated to by the House of Commons ; but I have yet to learn that a Government ought not to be ruled by members of the House . Mr . Bqi / ton King , M . P . —At Wellesboume , on Wednesday last , the hon . member for South Warwickshire , in the course of a speech of some length , said : — Another question in which they were much , interested was as to giving a right to vote in counties to 10 / . householders . After giving the subject his best consideration , he had voted against the proposition . He did so for this reason—not because the 10 / . householders should not have a voice , but because he thought it would materially lessen the influence of the landed interest in the House of Commons . In his opinion the landed interest was not sufficiently represented in the House of Commons . And whatever change

      was made , he hoped that would not bo lorgatten . There was one question which would bo n prominent one next session—a bill to be brought in by I < oril Derby ' s Government , commonly called n Reform bill . As far as that measure tended to increase tlio numbuv ot electors amongst the honqst , industrious iniiliUc-clnsisoJ , it would have his support ; as f « r as it < lislrni > cJ » swi small and corrupt towns and gave members to populous counties and towns , it would havo his support . 1 iey must always remember that tho population , the veaitn , the instruction , and education of this country wna increasing and would increase . Tho power of the uouso of Commons was greatly increased , nnd , in his opinion , would go on increasing ; therefore ho thought it wns o « the greatest consequence that tho mom hers 01 i « o honest , industrious middle-class , who lia < l 11 voico in electing member * of that powerful House of Unimous ,

      should bo increased also . .,, | , Mit . Palk , M . P . —At tho meeting of II" ^ oOtl i u i l "i Agricultural Association on Thursday , tho lion . " >«» lU < r said that the time had arrived when tho quimtlon 01 iioform must be entertained by thu Uouso of Common .. Ho believed that tho agricultural interest -was »> ° '"" volvedin that measure than perhaps In any ouij'i » could bo brought before tho Leg islature , i '" )< . f , the time had como when tho oloetlvo franchise « i 1 " country must bo rcconsidorod in a different epirlL urn a different mind from what it was when tlio l" >'» lC u ' was carried , that all classes of tho community ulio" 11 considered , and that tho fruiichirto should bo _ giu' j thoso who would faithfully , honestly , aiul ccmscioni 101 »« 1 use it for tho benefit of tho country , Ho cnrwi i" * what side of tho Houso the monsiiro omnim ' ' « . ' would give his vote to that measure wWeli-U « lw " would give the fairest and litrgcst amount uf rq > n «< - >»

      t iou to tho people of Iho country . i .. llS !( Lll a Ai , peuman Salomons . —Thi « gentleman < u ; ioj * . « mooting of tho electors of Urwmwleh 011 iim" . Ho made a declaration of opinion on oxtoufllun l' 1 lH

      that condition , by degrees so fine as to be imperceptible p . ven to myself , I have been restored to the comparative health in which 3-ou now behold me . " The hon . member then alluded to the sympa-thy he had received from all classes of his fellow-countrymen . This naturally led to observations respecting the course which Birmingham had pursued in electing him as their representative ; and the speaker , in thanking Birmingham for such a great honour , repudiated the statements of those who had said that his opinions on questions -ef war and foreign policy had become modified during liis exile . He so far justified the view he had taken of the contest with Russia as to ask what compensation England had obtained for the loss of forty thousand lives

      and one hundred millions of moneys and what Europe had got forJ ; he three hundred millions which it had expended in "" tnat war . Mr . Bright then proceeded to open the question of Parliamentary Reform , which constituted the burden of his speech . He referred to the contest between the country and the Parliament on tho corn-law question , to prove the necessity for a Parliament that would yield just measures more easily ; and he showed , by a reference to the religious classes in this country , that the House of Commons certainly does not fairly represent the national feeling . This was also obvious by a consideration of the way the taxes upon income and property were levied . Mr . Bright next proceeded to show how utterly unequal the

      piesent representation was . He drew a comparison between certain boroughs in Yorkshire and other boroughs in that country . He also contrasted the number of members sent from Buckinghamshire with the two that were sent from Birmingham , with an equal population . Ho showed thero were twenty-two boroughs in three counties sending members which had only one-half the population of Birmingham . These facts were to be taken into consideration with another , namely , thut out of every six individuals wo moot only one who luid tho right of voting for a member of Parliament . Well , what did they want ? Ho took it to bo they wanted a real and honest representation for that fraudulent thing which

      was called representation . Tho real difficulty ot Lord John Russell ' s position , Mr . Bright contended , was that his loi'dship did not very well know how frco representation was to exist in consonance with tho mind of the House of Lords . Tho Poors had never initiated any great popular measure , and never yielded of their own free will to the demands of the nation . But this resistanco on tho part of the Peers must bo overcome ; and looking at tho question as it directed tho House of Commons , ho was of opinion that if a statesman snt down to draw out a now Reform Bill , tho extension of tho suffrage might at loast bo based upon thoso franchises which already existed for parish , union , and corporation purposes . Vor himself , however , ho

      would prefer tho widest possible oxtonsion of tho suffrage As to tho counties there seemed to bo a kind of understanding that extension of tbo suffrage was not to proceed so far as in tho boroughs ; but tho -10 s . freehold qualification might bo niado tho basis of considerable chango . Whatever changes wo . ro rqgarded as dosh'ublc , tho ballot , ho continued to say , must bo considered as a necessary accompaniment , and ono which the state of things rondorod inevitable Mr . Bright concluded in the following w . ordu : —" Now , I have a suggestion to make , which I hope somobody will act upon . Tho Reformers now aro moro numerous than over they wore boforo . Why should they not by some arvangomout havo tholr own Reform Bin—> havo it Introduced Into Parliament and supported with all tho strength of this great

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      Untitled Article

      1148 THE Tj E A D E R . [ No- 449 , October 30 , 1858 . - - — . ^—^^^^^^—^^^^^^ J . ^^^ M ^^ P ^ " ^***^^ " ^^^^^^™^^^^^^^^^ " ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ - . ¦— . ^^^^^^¦^^^^¦^¦ . ^^^^^^¦^^^^^^ la ^^^ M ^^^^ W ^^ B ^^^ H ^^^^^^^^^^ M ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ , ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BS ^^^^^ I ^^^^^*

      Untitled Article

      soliitists hope , ' the victim , 0 : 1 whom the Imperial . wrath is to descend . The result-will be anxiously watched , for it is evidently a wager of battle by which extreme principles in France are to be tested . The dreadful feud between the Christian and Mahometan races in Turkey is being pushed on to the issue of a struggle for mutual extermination ; With a ¦ continued supply of arms and ammunition poured into fcandia . from Greece , it will not be long

      before the figlit commences in bloody earnest there . In Bosnia it would seem to have commenced already . Late news tells us that in the district of Posavina the Christians have risen S 000 or 10 , 000 strong ; encounters with their Turkish oppressors have taken place , in all of which they were the victors . In one village sixteen Mahometans have been , formally put to death , and in almost all the villages the houses of the Beys have been given to the flames .

      The general home news of the week is full and variously interesting . In the criminal and police courts there have been some remarkable cases . At Guildhall , a stock-broker—but not a member of the Stock Exchange—named Oliver , has been remanded on the charge of applying to his own purposes 5000 / . entrusted to him for the purchase of certain public securities . Oliver led the lady , to whom the money belongs , to believe that he had deposited in the London and County Bank the bonds which she

      had authorised him to purchase for her . He regularly sent . her money , representing the quarterly dividends as they became due ; but , at length , her friends became suspicious , made inquiries at the bank ,, and discovered that no such securities had ever been deposited there . The consequences of this discovery were , that after vainly making application for the bonds , the lad y , gave • Oliver into custody , and he stands remanded . It is not many days since a very similar case was brought before the Guildhall-court ; and -something more than a

      suspicion is abroad that if the owners of bonds and other securities were suddenly to determine to inquire into the subject of their safe-keeping , very astounding discoveries would result . The Weedos and Woolwich Inquiry . —The Royal Commissioners on the Army Store and Clothing system were to have met again at Woolwich on Thursday , but circuntstances rendered it necessary for them to postpone their visit until Thursday next , and their proceedings , therefore , stand adjourned until then .

      The Submarine Tei-egbaph . —It appears that the wires between Dover and Calais have been fractured , probably through some ship dragging her anchor . Steamboats are now engaged in searching for the damaged portion , which , when found , will of course be at once repaired . Very Dear . —Tho Cheltenham magistrates have fined a young farmer , named Charles Cooke , 2 £ and costs , for kissing a girl , named Mary Ann Ayres , on tho Alstonc-road . " On Circuit" at tiiic CAj > E .- ~ Sir William Hodges is the judge on circuit . Wo hear that the first hundred miles of his journey " impressed him with horror" to tho difficulties and dangers of travelling in tho colony . — Graham ' a Town Journal .

      The Salt Tba . de . —A deputation of the principal salt producers ia Cheshire and Worcestershire waited on Lord Stanley on Thursday , introduced by Mr . liramley Moore , M . P ., to represent tho injury tho trade sustains from the absence of bonding privileges in tho other ports of India similar to those enjoyed at Calcutta . His lordehip gave assurances that tho matter should bo carefully looke d into , and no doubt is entertained of the grievance being romodiou .

      The Chabcub against a Stooio-dealer , —Tho following is from tho Committee of the Stock Exchange : — " Sir , —I am desired to acquaint you , for tho information of tho public , that William Lemon Oliver , ugainst whom a most aorlous charge was yesterday made before IMr . Alderman Carter , is not , nor over has boon , a member of tho Stock Exchange . — i am , Sir , your most obodiont servant , ( Jkorciki Loveless , Socrotary . "

      Amucuioan Seouiutiks . —Tho position of tho market is thus . noticed by Messrs . D . Boll , Son , und Co . ;—¦ Tho market for American , securities during tho past week has continued inactive ) , , Stato stocks , ara scarco . Transactions Intvo taken plaeo in tho United Statos I ^ lvo pov Cent . Loan , which is Ju bonds to bearer of 1000 dollars each , at 05 , at which price thoy will yield 4 £ por cent . In railroad bond * and shares there is lhtlo 01 nothing doing .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 30, 1858, page 1148, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2266/page/4/