The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-12-13 00:00:00

EARL CAIRNS ON DOMESTIC
LEGISLATION,

On Saturday afternoon Earl Cairns was presented
with an address by the members of the Northern
Counties Conservative Club at Newcastle-on-Tyne.
In reply, he took occasion to enter on a review of the
foreign and domestic policy of the Government. With
regard to the present aspect of political affairs as re-
garded domestic legislation, he said they had in the
last few weeks passed through a most singular and,
he thought, unexampled crisis in this country.
(Cheers.) He was one of those, and a much greater
man—Lord Beaconsfield —(cheers)—was another,
who never doubted that when the borough franchise
in this country was extended it would be quite a
necessary and logical consequence at some very early
period that the county franchise should be assimi-
lated to it. Lord Beaconsfield always said that if
this were done it must be accompanied with a very
large redistribution of seats; and the House of Lords
in July took what he thought was a very reasonable
course. They said, "You admit that these two sub-
jects are part of one great measure. We do not
oppose, we do not resist an extension of the suffrage
with regard to the counties. We are willing to assent
to it, and to assent to it in the form in which you
propose it. But before we do this, and before
we make this law, we must know what you are going
to do about the redistribution of seats.' (Cheers.)
He thought that was a very simple and a very
common-sense course for the -House of Lords to take.
(Cheers.) They knew what happened. An endea-
vour was made to kindle a flame all over the country
against the House of Lords. They were denounced
high and low denounced at railway stations
(laughter), at public meetings, in the streets, and in
the houses. The whole country was in a flame, but
he was bound to say it was not all on one side.
(arbors.) A manifestation of the feeling in support
of till course taken by the House of Lords was pro-
duced which, he believed, surprised the Government
itself not a little. (Hear, hear.) Well, they met
again in November. The House of Lords were un-
repentant. How did they stand now? The very
thing which the House of Lords asked tO be done
last July had been done. (Loud cheers.) And it
had been done in a way so peculiar and so emphatic
that there was no example in the history of the
country of anything done in the same way before.
The Government had come into the House of Lords
and had said, "If you would like to know what our
views are about redistribution we will communicate
them to you. You shall know everything about it;
and we will endeavour to see whether the measure
which we intend to propose meets your approval, or
whether there are suggestions you would like to make
which we may perhaps agree to; and when that
is done and there is reasonable prospect
of our agreeing we will ask you to pass
the Franchise Bill. Nothing could be more
plain or more simple. Why was it not done
before? He rejoiced to think that perhaps at some
future time it would be remembered that the House
of Lords had acted with a good deal of wisdom on
the present occasion, and that when on some future
occasion they endeavoured to interfere wisely in the
legislation of the country their opponents would be
more tolerant towards that Chamber than they had
been in times past. (Cheers.) The Conservative
candidates throughout the country might go down
with a courageous heart and might claim in the face
of the country that they were not opponents of true
and just reform. (Cheers.) He hoped that both here
and in every part of the country that indomitable
spirit of the Conservative party which had carried it
up to this time would carry it further still, and that
the result of these great changes which were now
taking place would be that in this country, the Con-
servative feeling as manifested at the hustings at the
next election whenever that might take place, would
be greater and more triumphant than it had ever yet
been. (Loud cheers.)

A camel will work for seven or eight days without
drinking. In this he differs from some men who will
drink seven or eight days without working."
A New York woman has left her husband a large
fortune on condition that he shall remain single. Hap-
piness does come in double doses occasionally.
"I thought you were a flame of Miss Bullion, Mr.
Dood," said Slim. "I thought so, too,' said the other,
"until the old man fired me out one night."
A dairyman was awakened by a wag in the night
with the announcement that his best cow was choking
He forthwith jumped out to save the life of poor
Crummie, but lo! he found a turnip stuck in the
mouth of the pump!
An Englishman inquiring of one of the French
Legation with whom he was conversing: "How much
should I have to say before you knew by my pronun-
ciation that I was not a Frenchman ?" "One word,"
was the prompt and decisive reply.
!.." On a sun dial which stands upon the pier at
Brighton is inscribed the most hopeful line: " 'Tis
always morning somewhere in the world."
" Doctor," said the grateful patient., seizing the phy-
sician's hand, "I shall never forget that to you I owe
my life." "You exaggerate," said the doctor mildly;
"you only owe me for fifteen visits; that is the point
which I hope you will not fail to remember."
An old organ grinder is permitted to visit the
palace of Prince Charles Frederick at Berlin and
interlard the atmosphere with his music. He is said
to be the only person who can make the prince laugh.
It is suspected that the prince only laughs when bs
feels the saddest.