The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-10-07 00:00:00

THE HOME SECRETARY IN
SCOTLAND.

The Eight lion. 11. A. Bruce, M.P., Home Secre-
tary, a& 1 ressed a me..ting if his constituents in the Mee
Church, ('rosshill, Renfrewshire, on Saturday night.
At the conlleelleelLIO•lit of his speech he referleil to Cer-
tain hig. much ins speeehes, contending that
he hal fully entered into the charges made against
the Govennnent, and that in defending the I ioverm
molt he teas also defending himself. lie referred to the
arduous labours of then:embers 1:111rillg tire 1:14
and mentioned is nutolier of the u I '.i icid
been pits,ed. specially refci, t• t: hat
he hail Lord S!,:i t:
dealing with tl: •Fa y • ;
%%Ha plarol I,i ;.•;,,,,k, t un.h, tie I Sloty .Ict. lie
(Mr. Bruce) wa-, very glad immediately to a,,ent
that addition. lie read with infinite delight the nob],
ien Lord Shafted nry ri ,ta!i,erhfii iii t ilasi Iv; aml
thirT;ht there was mit a man in the countiT, hardly
V,ll excepting Mr, e; who desert...ll letter inf
the peilde, and es: weialle the workpeople, than lwol
Sholte.diury ; but if 111,1 lordship was lire,ellt he WOlll,l
Its' the ..trougeit withers he NI r. 'truce) einld have
that he hail to the best f lila isv Cr prosecuted the
1111 Win, .I,lli Slhifte,linry hail After entering
further into a defenee if the NI iaistry, Mr. Erik, said
that, he went,' ii, it test-rye the conlldence of his con-
stituency if it tars tent' that the public interest had
sulf,•refl fen. his want zeal and energy. Many un
attack,: were 111,1110 lqrrsi the overnment,
and the rea. on that they were generally so reticent
re;,,,triling them was because if they made a practice
to reply to the meat of these untunclel attacks the
piddle would believe that the accu-ati-ns were true
whi, Ii they flh I it', answer. lie afterwards sisike of
the 'i intaglio tA I h.11,1.1,1C11 Acts denvieg that liii y
hi a secret manner, 4111 e IlOtiee 14 all
the steps having been nuule public ; and that if their
bises were immoral they ought not to exist. In the
instructions which he issued to the I tommission, it was
stated they were not to inquire into the physical effect
of the Acts, but the moral bearings. lie, as a member
14 the if iovernment, was Wins,' in honour not to enter
lets; the question ; but whatever might have been the
; ijaal set, etA 11 the Acts, no doubt they had had a
• repre,sivet fleet 1 a 1/111itiilltil nt While admitting
tlart the I fovernment were blameworthy for having
s-,lia,kcel in the legislation with. int sufficient considera-
tion of all its bearings, he thought they would Lida&
they were taking effectual measures to present a Bill
satisfactory to the great mass of the pei,ple.
In reply to a question, Mr. Bruce Sala that while
lie give his willing support to the !fill introluced by
3lr. 'Jacob Bright for the municipal franchise to
women, he was not prepaml to extend the right of
voting to women ' • nor did be think it would be an ad-
antage to do so for politieal purposes. Several other
fined.lfin were lint, to which the answers were reccit ed
with approbatif fn.
; The foll ,win motion WaA 113,11,1, 1111:11.11i11181:i1

thol.ti proient recrl thuir lwarty
to tile 1: Mil 11, an. 11. A. Bruce for Ova avhire, he la,
ja,4, .lelivereal, tail esiaresaa their euntatieceha him as
their repra,entative."