The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-12-12 00:00:00

BRIDPORT.
CURRENT EVENTS AND QUESTIONS.

R. Purvis, E-q., M.A., L.L.D , of the London
and Counties Liberal Union, delivered a highly in-
structive and iota, citing leclare at the Templar Hall,
on Tuesday evening under the aunpioes of the lOW/
Liberal Association. The hall was crowded, three or
four Conarrvativ,s appearing amongst the audience.
The Chairman Weed. T. Stephens, Esq., in the ab-
sence of the President, by resin of a meat bereave-
ment. Mr. Htaph,,na wee wipportad by the Mayor
14/13"kiLlfcci the ex-Mayor (Mr. C. Edmonds),
Rev. W. J. Halo, and Mr. II Howell.
Mr. 811111111118 introduced Ilr. Purvis to the meet-
ing, and expree.ed his dem regret and sorrow for the
canoe which kept their worthy President from being
amongst them that evenin‘. He would ask ill, auto-
ciatmn to pees a vote 01 ilamathy ant cond,lence
with Mr. J. P. F. Gundry and his family in their sad
bereavement. . . _

The vote was at °Dee paseed, and the CRAISMAX
said he would acquaint their President with their ex-
pression of sympathy.
The Limon= said to. diffensase in the recent visit of
Lord Liomlngton, and that of his lithe speaker's) were
three in number. Firstly, there were no fog odensla
heralding his own approach (hear, hear, and lauxhterl ;
secondly, Lord Lamo noon maid be did not come to di-suss
politics, now, he (lie. Purvis) did (hear, hear, and &e-
-pitome). and thirdly, newly-tread peers dwelt upon their
descent, while Liberals dwelt up3n their ascent (applanee).
He thought he cool I not do briter than make the speech
of Mr. Cochrane Beane the text of his observations. N
Kr. Cochrane Baulk. showed • most clandioll land complete
l4noranc of politics, and he actually said he knew nothing
about politics, but wished they would •end him to Parlia-
ment that he might learn the rudiments of the science.
(bond laughter.) But Mr. Purvis did not think Bridport
was consiitoted for the education of eons of newly.
created peers. But he (Mr. Purvis) was present to
educate and not to Instruct, for there was • great
, difference between educating and inatructing. He would
not dilate at length on 'Waal, as recent events
had shown that • better state of things was
beginning to prevail there, and the recent outrages did
not show that our policy had failed in Ireland. It was
theca who were against all rule, all authority, and all Lew
—those who were as much the enemies of Mr Periled as
of Mr. Gladstone—(cheers)—who had been brought to bay,
and that proved that the Liberal policy had not failed
there. He considered Mr. Gray was wrong in what he did,
but from the report of the committee who enquired spent
the circumstances of his imprssonment, he (Mr. Pursono
found that the Irish Administration absolutely instructed
the officers of the Crown to challenge all Catholics who
came forward as jurymen, and the result was that all
thoee convictions is !mien I were obtained from iodate
exclusively Protestant; the fact of making religion a
qualificatioa was trickery, and threw dircre lit on the
Irish Government. With regard to Egypt and our foreien
policy, he would deal with the °pinkies contained in Mr.
Cochtaue Baillie's speech, nod not with Mr. Ilaiilie's own
opinions. Now the young gentleman who &rinsed to
repreeent them in Parliament —(langooter)—said that the
war in Egypt coght have been avoidrd lip diptocuacy, and
that Is was a iustificati.o of the policy of Lord Beaconsfield.
Wasn't it strange to be told—after the declaration of
years, that Mr. Gladst one would modem anything rather
than Are a shot—that we had rush orl needlesily into war
but remember those who *Aid it were disappointed
politicians in search of • cry. (Hear, beer, and applause.)
But Mr. Bailie did not say how the war was to 133 avoided
diplomacy. We cant to know by what particular act,
at what particular time, Arabia ontbrrek and the
massacres could have been prevented. He firmly believed
there was a national party Is Eio pt. and he believed that
Arabi became the head of that party, and eso the tool of
the Sultan, and England could not tolerate • fool of
Sultan tillyboAt ti be tile head of • national party in
Egypt or anywhere else—(cheera)—and the decoration of
Arabi by the Sultan, immediately after the massacres,
sufficiently p owed that he was his tool. (Rame hear.)
There were other circumstances which justified the action
of Hatband, and that was the preservation of the Sues
Canal, for lathe present fop, when steam end teicHn...ig,
had pricticalty annthilatrd space, the shortest way wag
the only way to India. We were bound to
maintain order in Eapt, and when there wee
an outlteak it was to our interest to send a
fleet to Alexandria, because Arabi was proteeeding
to make the presence of the British first imposodble, and
so we knocked his fort, about bill ears—Guar, heart—and
by the electric light the fleet saw Arabi coastructing
new forte, and so, because ee should not be annihilated
from land, that we bombards,' Alexandria. The
speeches of Mr. Gladstone on F welsh policy always
continued six propositions--economy (applause) peace;
concert of Europe; freedom throughout the world ; not
ta emus in entangled engagements w th other nations;
to advocate freedom throughout all nations. (Loud
applause.) Now it had been said that Mr. Glad tone's
onttrference In 'Copt was • justification of the Beacons-
field policy, but did the spendons of four millions by
Ht. Gladstone, justify the spending of six millions by
Lord Beacuoefield in order to melts faces at the
from tba top of Candaber I (No, and applause.) B I&COtra -
field said he wanted • scientific frontier—flood laughter)
—well, he got if, be extends I it to Cahn), then to
Ostadanar and was trying to •atend it to Herat, end
that was like the child's idea of seeking silver
spawn at the end of • rainbow. (Hear, beer, and laugh-
ter.) At some future time, probably Eagliand and Russia
would j its together, but the question was where should
they join; but the situation really amounted to this—lf
the Russians should ever get to Herat, it would take them
97 days to get to Candabar, sod it would take us 15 dayi
from our newest Indian frontier, soil the Amiens should
ever get to Herat, then would be the time for us to go to
Gendahar. Much had been said about our evacuating
Osedshar, but, as we should require fifteen thousand
European troops and twenty-five thousand native troops,
had the time arrived for us to do thief With regard to
this Egyptian question we were willing to pat our trust
in Mr. Ginattont,—(applause)--end believe it necessary
to presume a safeguard for the rod to India, but there
was a widespread determination not to enter upon a
policy of adventure. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Gladstone had
always expressed himself strongly desirous of maintain-
ing the concert of Europe, and has object was to preserve
the armies of the different countries—not Si instru-
ments of savage instincts of vindictive humanity—
but is a more &Amin system of police, to put
down • national row. Soothing again of to.
Hattie war he said there wise question of what was to
be done with the bondholders. He was of opinion that
when England arranged the affair' of Hope she might be
able to settle the quotation by allowing the bondholders
say 31 per cent., not upon the sum of a hundred millions.
which they did not lend, but upon the probable forty
millions which they did land. (liar, hear.) That should
satisfy the bondholders, or at any ra's our own sense of
justice. Something had been said about bringing Indian
troop. to Egypt, but he would r •mind them that the
bringing over of lodise troops to Hart with the consent
of Parliament, did not justify the bringing of Indian
troops to Europe by Lord Beat onsfidd willeout the consent
of Parliament. The Land Question was the great question
now before the country; toe nationalisation of the land
wee a question many political cc motet/la had tried in
vain to solve and to settle, but without accomplishing it.
The great question was that whilst the wealthier classes
had increased in happiness, the poorer claws had
increased in happiness too but not in the same
proportion as the Wealthier. (Hoar, hear, and
applanct ) It had been raid that rent should not
be paid, but he clearly demonstrated that as long as the
world remained as it now waa rent must be paid. Reintro-
ducing the subject of extondtng the iranchise to counties,
he trusted they would rerognise the right of the equalise-
t on of the hour nigh and coonty franchise, for boroughs
at present often included p orts of theoourity, and counties
on the other hand included parts of towns. The present
(I overnment, though troubled ny ottatruction—(yes, and
laughter)—had passed many useful measures, and any On.
of those amours' would be sufficient to "mike the repu-
tation " of any Tory Government (Hear, hoer, and
laughter.)
A coidial vote of thank*, moved by the CHLIZMAN, anal
seconded by Mx. Client/a EDMUNDS (edt-Msvor), was
extended to the lecturer, and after Mr. ?trims had
reel:eroded, I,ud end ringing chars were raise I for " Mr.
mi&d•toon"