The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-04-22 00:00:00

RED REPUBLICAN DEMONSTRATION
IN HYDE PARK, LONDON.

The following account of flits great demonstration" In
favour of " Red Republicanism " is from Monday's Times:—

Yesterday afternoon was spent by some "East-
enders," chiefly young fellows of Shoreditch, St.
Luke's, and liethnal-green, in an attempt to "demon-
strate" the sympathy of the Londoners in favour of
Red Republicanism gen, raly, and particularly in
support of the Parisian Commune. The "demonstra-
tion turned out to be a signal failure in every respect.
The public attended numerously in Ilyile.park to see
the hoi.y imitations of the Parisian SoAalists, and
thin left the orators to speak to little knots of youths,
roughs, and a few curious people of the general gather-
ing. La fact, the "platforms" were not more
numerously attended than were the gatherings round
the "political litany "men, and the audiences made
sport of the proceedings almost from beginning to end.

- - -
The demonstration was supposed to commence in
Finsbuty-square at half-past two, and at that time a
very gathering with banners and a band shich
lent no additional cliarrus to the proces4on, straggled
in a scat of rough marching on der to CI, rkenwell-
green, where it was expected the Irish would join, but
eahomffi many of that class were there, few followed.
However, the number had by this time somewhat in-
creased. Additional banners, too, anpeared, one bear-
ing the word "Poland," another " Vive la Commune,"
Ind a third "Universal and S cal Republic." Two
or three banners had the American stars and stripes on
a red ground, and were surmounted by ill-made cape
of liberty. Snne officers of the proceesion appeared,
decorated with bits of red riband, and, for the most
part, smoking dirty pipes. One or two with red sashes
rotted their waists, in the style of thi, were intrusted
with the duty of selling 'addressee," at the price of
one pi nny each. The rank and file of the procession
were constituted principally of boys and dirty youths,
and they struggled through the streets by way of Fleet-
street and Pall-mall to Hyde-park, getting on their
journey a wholeeome washing in a downpour of rain.
Before the arrival at the park a great many people
had gather, d about the enclosure, no small number
being foreigners. The natives and those "to the man-
ner horn" here were of three dibtiuct dames -the
roughs, domestic servants, and the trading daeses ;
but the roughs only manifested a d ,ire to obtain a
close alquaintance with the Red Ite,ul 1 c me, out they
affteted their purpose by climbing op the trees, which
they broke in a shameful manner, and where they kept
up continuous sport, while the other classes stood for
a time afar elf until the procession had come up ; but
soon after the speeches had set fairly in the exodus if
the respectable classes was to be seen at all points,
leaving the lb publicans with a mere handful of
listeners, and these principally of the lowest class.
There were two " platforms," one on a costermonger's
arrow and one on a park seat. At the knit a person

named Jawes alurrsy, a shoemaker, presided; while
Mr. Weston occupied the same position on the other
pl•ce.
The Chairman riihned the meeting at the meter-
monger's barrow platform by declaring that this was
one of the most important gatherings ever held in this
park, for it was a demonstration in aid of the emanci-
pation of the down-trodden in the whole human race.
There were laughter and ironical cheers at this, and he
went on to declare that the Commune in Paris was
fighting, not her the rights of Paris alone, but for the
rights of all the wok king classes of the world, and the
liberation of labor from the trammels of capital, lie
wenteun to avow that the meeting represented the
opinion of the "people of London, and he dealt a
blow at the "English Republicans" who are not lied,
and who have not joined this demonstration, by declar-
ing that there were no "twop. tiny" lecturtra there to
sji,ak with the object of inducing the people to attend
their lectures, bat the speakers were houeit working
men who had coins to do a duty, and that done would
retire to their workshops. He then entered into a
A vigorous defence of those whom to tinned "our
brethren in Paris," referring to the Communists, and
he urged that the sympathy of the English people
should be given to then/.

Mr. Radford was then called upon to read "the
address." It was read amid various manifestations,
not all of concurrence with its views. It was hes.led,
"an address to the members of the Commune, the
Central Committee, the National Guards, and the
working rtisses of Paris, adopted by the people of
London aisiembled in public meeting u ,nvened by the
International Democratic Association, and held in
Ifyile•park, on Sunday, April lh, WI." It was ad•
dressed to " Brethren," and its principal points are as
follow:

"We send you fraternal greeting in the name of the
Univerall Republic. We tender yc.o our most heartfelt
thanks for the sublime work you are doing to behalf of
human liberty, art in defence of your communal rights.
We recognize in you the pioneer, of progress and the archi-
tect. of a new and purer social state ; whilst we regard your
oppressors, the men of Versailles, as the worthy disciples of
the Man of Ihecember, and as the cowardly and mercenary
Instruments of Huropean despots. Mainly ' elected 'by the
priest.ridden peasantry, with Prusalan bayonets at their
throats to nettle simply the conditions of peace, their mi-
nion Is ended, ad that Ignominiously, in the male of a
portion of your country men to the German brigand..
Neyertheless, they still exercise the ' authority ' exacted,
and arrogate to themselves the right to enslave you We
salute your proclamation of the Commune, or local self-
government, a. the resurrection of the glorious era of the
first French Republic, which, lu the Constitution of 1793,
Article. GO, to, and 150, placed direct legislation by the
people Into the hands of the then existing Communes. We
wish you success in your heroic defence of the Commune,
and trust the other great centres of industry in France will
prove true to their Republican tradition., and emulate your
illustrious example ; for we know that a number of free cities
and independent comnounitles would, under the application
of the federative principle, develope the rest omen of the
country and constitute an iminperable barrier to oppression
and usurpation. We rejoice that amid the many arduous
duties you are called upon to perform you are deliberating on
important questions relating to organic social reform which
are Intimately connected with the welfare of the people.
We quite approve your project for liquidating the heavy
war Indemnity by selling the palaces and appropriating the
Crown lands to national purposes , and we can only regret
that our fellow-countrymen are not yet sufficiently educated
to Imitate your noble exaniple. The ' Government ' of
Versailles, if Republican in name, has evinced Its
monarchical predilections by not having immediately dis-
posed of the ' Royal' domiciles ; the re.inue.shion of king-
craft is beyond doubt contemplated. We are gratified to
learn that you have dec.eed the separation of Church and
State, end hope you will restore the Church property—
monopol!zsd by the priests—to the use et the nation ; for a
pseudo religion which has made itself the willing accomplice
of It naparte's bloody deuce, whose ' cardinals ' have all
been decorated and tubsidized by that monster, and which
has helped to thwart and delay the realisation of the
brotherhood of nations, stands condemned. . . . . We
mourn with you the loss of the brave Flourens and the many
other worthy men who have been so barbarously murdered
by the myrmidons of the rebels of Versailles, consisting of
Imperial Gendarmes, Niouchards. and Ignorant Papal %leaves.
They have, in thus dedicating and consecrating their lives to
I the cause of truth, of justice, of civilization, of humanity,
as against the cause of Ignorance, of retrogression, of
1 barbarism, and Inhumanity, set Int a magnificent example
I of self-abnegation and disinteresteduens, and one to which
I posterity may not improbably owe their deliverance. They
I are a loss to us as well as to you. They were part of the
army marching to redeem the human race from all sorrow
and slavery, and we claim them as martyr' on behalf of
human progress."

After a bitter denunciation of the English Prom, the
address concluded with :
And although our unscrupulous and moribund 'Govern-
ment' may seek, and DO doubt are seeking, in collusion with
the rebels at Versailles, to precipitate foreign Intervention
In order to annihilate your rights, we, the people of London,
believing you to be fighting for the liberty of the world and
the regeneration of max kind, hereby express our profound
admiration for the grandeur of your enterprise, and tender
you the honest uncompromising hand of friendship and
fallowahl p,

"Log live the Universal Itspubllc, Democratic and

The speeches, some of which were by foreigners,
were all of one pattern at both platforms, and they
wandered from speaking of the Paris Commune to
talking of the faults of RJyally generally, and ex-
pressing a hearty desire for the e.tablishment of a
'Commune" in England.

Oae remarkable feature of the speeches was that
nearly all denounced the other English Republicans,
and even Bradlaugh and other so.called leaders were
spoken fin a manner showing that there is no com-
munity of feeling between the sections of these people.
The " address " was ruled to Irs carried at bolt plat-
forms, and it was also egreed that it should be scat to
the Commune. At the end of some speeches a Mr.
0 en urged that the crowd should put subscriptions
into boxes then cent round in support of the "organi-
zation," and he read somethiug while this operation
was going forward, Very indifferent success attended
the passing of the boxes, some of which it was reported
disappeared in the process of collection, and the advo-
cate then went to the other platform with the same
purpose In view, but the listeners in great part melted
away at the suggestion. The band then drummed the
people out of the park to the tune of the Mar-
seillsisti." Very few returned in procession, and the
banner bearers, with a happy indifference to appear-
1111C+11, took the banrers from the poles and walked
eastward as much like the undemonstrative public as
possible.

The Daily Neon, in commenting upon the above,
gives timid persons in remote parts of England Ills as-
surance that the Hyde Park demonstration of Sunday
does not presage any immediate installation of a Com-
munal committee in Buckingham Palace. It was ap-
parent to the considerable crowd of observers who had
congregated at the place of meeting that the handful of
people forming the prockeision if they were working-
men had completely disguised their appearance ; and
it may be said briefly that Sunday's expressien of Byrn;
pathy with the Commune was a failure. The
setat ridiculous appearance of the pageant—with its
half-dozen red td igs surmounted by Phrygian caps,
and its band, which performed the "Marseillaiae" in
tones resembling the music drawn from a comb and a
piece of tissue paper—has little to do with the truth or
falsity of the doctrines which the " Universal Social
Repub'ic " jr desses ; but it shows in some measure
how these freaks of the persons who claim to represent
extreme Democracy are regarded in En, land. The
chief justification of revolution lies in its probabilities
of success; and England owes much to successful re-
volutions. But, in the present case, we may feel sure
that the social forces which produced the display in
Hyde Park on Sunday are not sufficiently deep, wide-
spread, and powerful to cause the most apprehmaive of
country clergymen any harm. The Communal in-
surrection in Paris, and in the other French cities, re-
present a very different state of affairs, and are the
savage efforts of a large section of society to cure
itself of an evil produced partly by centuries of bad
gove rnmeut.

The Afornin9 Post thinks it is a matter for congratu-
lation that the meeting of Sunday should have been
held, for it has exposed more completely than could
have been done in any other way the entire absence of
sympathy felt by the masses in England either with
the principles of the Parisian Commune or with their
professors. The International Democraqc League in
their address to "the men of London" asserted that
the Paris insurgents "are fighting for the right of local
self-government called the Commune." But the familiar
words thus craftily presented to represent the objects
of the Commune cover, however, a very different mean-
ing from that which we in England attach to them. It
Is only necessary to state the pretenei ins made on
behalf of Paris, in order to show that they amount to
a demand, not for local self-government, but for indes
pendent sovereignty, and the address is but a wilful
attempt to conceal the fact.

The Daily Ttlegraph says that altogether the
"demonstration" was so harmless, and offered so good
an excuse for spending an afternoon io the park, that
the example might be offered to any society for pro-
moting the Sunday amusements of the people. It
may, however, gratify Mr. Murray and his lieutenants
to know that, if they ever try to copy the tactics of
Belles ilk by raising barricades on elerkmw,ll-green,
they would not be hanged by the law, but ducked by
an outraged people. They are too 'extravagant to
awaken any alarm.