The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-11-28 00:00:00

MR: BRIGHT ON THE CHARTIST
MOVEMENT. • .

A large gathering, attended by Mr. Bright, took
place in the Birmingham Town Hall on Monday, on
the occasion of the presentation to the Mayor, for the ,
town, of the portrait of the Rev. A. O'Neill, which has
been painted for a number of subscribers in recogni- I
firm, as the accompanying address set forth, of his
earnest and steadfast advocacy of the cause of the
people and freedom at the cost of persecution and
personal suffering. Councillor Whately, who took
the chair, having briefly opened the proceedings, and
Mr. F. Schnadhorat having read the presentation
address,
Mr. Bright presented the portrait to Alderman
White, who was deputed by the Mayor to accept the
picture, the Mayor being unable to attend personally.
In making the presentation, Mr. Bright said that
Mr. O'Neill had been for 45 years a resident in the
town, having come from what they called the sister
country. They had received from Ireland many good
gifts. One of them was the gift of Mr. O'Neill. He
hoped the time would never come when good Irish-
men would not combine with good Englishmen in
doing Great Britain good. He had been looking over
some of Mr. O'Neill's letters, giving a graphic
account of the things which took place 40 years ago,
accounts which in some respects were perhaps one-
sided—for Mr. O'Neill was an enthusiastic Chartist—
but still accounts which were interesting as affording
a comparison between the state of things then and
now. The Chartist times were rough times, not only
for the Chartists, but for the Government as well.
According to the prevalent opinion at the time, the
claims of the Chartists were extravagant, and the
comfortable classes thought them dangerous. It was
known now that they were not dangerous, except
inasmuch as they created great alarm throughout the
country, and therefore had their element of danger.
The Chartists asked for six things. They asked for
universal suffrage. The country was not far from
that point now, and if the five millions of male house-
holders in Great Britain could not form a Parliament
to govern the country wisely, no further addition of
numbers to the electorate would facilitate that result.
Therefore what was asked for by the Chartists in con-
nection with the franchise might be said to have been
secured. Another demand was for annual Parliaments.
What a miserable idea that was. He should emigrate if
' they were to have an election every year. It would be
unendurable. He admitted, however, that the present
intervals were perhaps too long. Then there was the
ballot. The original dread of the measure was inex-
plicable; but they had it now, and might feel certain
that it would be permanent. As to the Chartist de-
mand for the payment of members, he would observe
that in old times there existed a system according to
which members were paid, but it was payment by the
constituency. Whenever it might be desirable and
necessary he should be in favour of such a system.
He should approve, for example, the contribution by
500 men of 6d. week each to support a working man
representative. He did not intend to take part in
any political movement for altering the representation
as established by the recent bill. Having referred to
Mr. O'Neill's endeavour to withdraw the element of
violence from the Chartist movement, he said that
from that time to this there had been no measure of
reform, political or moral, which Mr. O'Neill had not
taken a willing part in, and in which his services had
not been considerable. The right hon. gentleman
concluded by formally presenting the portrait to
Alderman White, who briefly signified his acceptance
of it on behalf of the Mayor.
A vote of thanks to Mr. Bright, on the motion of
Mr. Tangy°, seconded by Mr. Broadhurst, and a
similar recognition of the chairman's services brought
the proceedings to a close.

SATURDAY, NOV. 28 1885./