The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-01-14 00:00:00

MR. GLADSTONE.

The COT stituents of Me. Gladstone were called upon
by plw ard to meet on Monday bight, in the Lem
tureshall, Greenwich, in support of the " requisis
tion" published last week, calling upon him, in the
name o' the b Tough Litutrals, to resign his trust as
the member oT the conrituency. The result of this
ran was one of the wildest scenes witnessed of late
years in a public building, and it meet reflect the
deepeft discredit upon some persons (remarks The
Times). 'the placards calling the meeting were in the
oosour and style adopted by the Liberal party in that
locality; but no names were given, and the whole
affair was repudiated by the Liberals. Long before
the time at which the meeting was to commence, the
Isecture-hall. which holds about 1,300 persons, was
filled to overflowing by two distinct parties, one corr.
posed of artisans and men of tie tramsmen class, the
other of "roughs," headed by prize.ti4hters, the
" rough" representation numbering about 00 in all.
The meeting commenced in uproar, when the door
behind the place set apart for the chairman opened,
awl a gentleman whose name was given as Captain
Dummy stepped forward and took the chair. He
ttempbsd for a very long time to obtain a hearing, but
the meeting flatly refused to hear him, and called upon
Dr. Bennett to take the poaition of president. Captain
Dominy at lard turned to the reporters and addressed
them, and such was the din and uproar that even then
only a few diNointed won's of his address could be
beard by these who were within a few feet of him. In
one interval he declared that the requisitions hod been
signal by 4,000 electors, ansl at once " some names"
were demanded; but he went en to oomplain that Mr.
Gladstone had not been once to Greenwich. If Mr.
Gladstone, he said, had only once visited the men who
Inkd electxd higi, no ouch tuettiog pa thie would have

Raving got thus far not anotii4 word
could be heard, and he was ordered by the meeting to
' • haul down his in ciusaiL"
In a o'ntinivd din, in which the rougha took al ad-
ink, tart in trying to fight dog n all opp ration, a Mr.
M'Clure roan to propose resolutions. No better bear-
ing was vouchcafed ti him thaa La I been given to the
ohairman. Mr. M'Clure managed, after much diffi-
culty, to ray t.) those around him that the Liberals had
made the poation of the working man intolerable, and
that he caste there to benefit them This statement
was received w,th shouts of derision, and the speaker,
as he retired from the unequal conte4, gays the re-
porters a printed paper with the resolutions it had been
intended to propose. These were :
" First Resolution. Resole, d,—That, having ceased to
have any confidence in the Right William React
Gladstone as a Minister of the Crown, either in hie home or
louden policy, and moreover taking into consideration the
shameful neglect he hai shown towards the interests of
this borough, which returned him, a stranger, Whit re-
jected oy two eolight. ned corstimencies who know htm
better, we now deem it neemsary, iu pursuance of the
object f r which this important meeting was convened to
demand from him a restoration of that Parliamentary 'met
which, in an ungiraded and evil hour, we couruitted to his
charge"
•• &cool Resolution. Remived,—Tuat all the electors who
agree lathe ttrat resolution be requested to sign the requisi-
tion with 5. little del .7 sta possible, in order that Mr Glad-
stone may he informed, at the earliest date, of the opinions
and Malta of the electors of this borough; and that the
chairman he ra pleated to sign these resolutions on behalf of
this meeting."
- • -

At this juncture a fight commenced near the plat-
form, and the persons who had called the meeting made
a runh for the door. But a string body-guard rallied
around them, and the chairman and his supporters re-
sumed their position at the table.
The scene visa one of indescribable co:dation and
noiee when Mr. B extei-Latigh y was se in in the top-
most part of tie hall, which is in the form of a theatre.
lie was hailed will cheers by one party and roith howls
by the oihcr ; a way was made for him over the tends
of the audience to the table, on which he mounted, and
the main body of the meeting again demanded that
Dr. Bennett, should preside. The roughs then mailed
down in a body, overturned chairmati's table, chairs,
reporters' table, and everything t Isc at haul, and tried
hard to break them up. They completely clearel the
platform of fro nib., opponents and reporters, and they
had to themselves the whole of the space usually 013.
cupied by the speakers and friends. Here for a time
they jumped about and scrambled among theinselso P,
the meeting meanwhile looking on in no small alarm.
, At h ngth Ale. Baxter-Langley, Dr. Brunet, and
others, rc.entertirl.
- -

Mr. liaxter•Langlcy then commenced an rtddreas

Ile urged them to have a teasonahle discussion on this
question, and to look to see wbat amount of truth was It.
that sc-zelleti reitnisittee, and whether the &Hewett°. In
It were or were toot well founded. lie was ready to do his
best to glee the other side a herring, and he h ared thst
there would be a fair discussion. In the first place, he
held himself as one ot the persons who had made a greater
&scene 3 for the electinn of Mr. Ghtilstotte thou any, and he
felt that Mr, liladstotte had not paid that 'mud 01 respect to
the electors of the borough which was clue to them. (Loud
and general cheers.) Tots alienation in the regubution might
Ice fairly made, nod it was well foutmad. ale weisr,a,a
had, indeed, been ill-advised In not coming down to meet
Me constituent, and addressing them anon the topics of the
day. (Loud cheerd.) It would have been of interest not
only to that bormigh but to the country in general, for the
"winged tinders" of the press would have carried his
words to all ports of the world, ant all who spoke our
tongue would have known the policy of England's Go.
vernment at this morrentous period. (Cheers.) But when
they went in that regulation a step further, be could
not agree with It In what It said of the whole Hesston being
',ailed Its matters connected with another country. (Lieu )
Ireland had a right to have marks of injustice removed
from her (" Home first !"), for Entailed was benefited
Is the paciftcation and the rendering of J Attlee to the
sister country. (Cheers.) Then, WWI the Session wasted
with the Education Act? ('No," aced °hem ) it wee all
very volt tor the Tories to gay the Session was wwted, but
If it had not been for therm more Rood would have been done
(Cheers and bowie.) Acts beneficial to commerce had been
parsed, and the trade of the country would soon feel this
benefit. rhe noir-statement shout Mr. C had been
answered by that gentlernau himself, aud he hail proved
that this alleged mhestatement about the breech-loaders
did noksest In his hands. (Cheers.) The rpirit of this re
gnisition was to make England du something In the war
which she hni not clone. (" We don't want war," followed
by a howl ) Tome might be many in that borough whose
interest might seem to depend upon large avmaments, but he
could not, for his life, think that the working people, who
formed the hulk of that borough, desired war, seeing that
war meant the blood of the working man, that w, meant
the taxation of the working man. The electors of this
bormigh would act very unwisely indedd if, upon such
grounds as load been set forth ill that reretialtion, they had
acted as It proposed (ricer, hear ) He erect that the I..berti
party, In closing the dockyards, were only acting in accord-
anoe with* deci.lon already arrived at before they canoe
Into power.
A wrking•man, named Mr. T. Barwick Rock, then
proposed a vote of conedence in Mr. Gladdtone, and,
after much confusion, it was put to the meeting. Hands
wore hold up for it amid a great noi.e, and, Vas con-
trary being put, no hands aupeared. The resolution
we then declared to be carri-d, and the proceedings
conclueed w;th a shout for cheers for Giad•tone.

On the Pnbject of Mc. GI sdetone and hia conatituents,
the Pall Mall Gaunt obs,rvee :
There artisan to be much unnecessary excitement respect-
ing Mr Gladstone and his constituency. Whether Mr.
Gladstone sits for Greenwich or nA is entirely a matter be-
tween him and them. he outer world has no particular
interest in the point. When Mr. Gladstone was rejected in
Lancashire the world heard with a languid interest that
Greenwich had taken him under its wing, and with the
same languid intereEt hears that there is now a difference
of opinion among his constituents as to tie wisdom of
their choice. No advantage In gained by tho.e who die-
approve his cot/not arid those whe approve it belabouring
each other at public meetings. Whatever dissatisfaction may
prevail among them as to the proceedings of their memhev,
they may take it for granted he will not resign or, to
use a fashionable expresdou, "replace in their bands the
trust they have reposed in him." Toe Greenwich people
must watt patiently until the Lent general election, and Mr
that time they will probably thorottzhly "know their own
minds." Public meetings and "rushes of roughs" will not
help them in any way. Their two grievarcis appear to be
th..t Mr. Gladstone has closed the dockyards and will not
pay them a visit No 'rushing of roughs" at Greenwich is
likely to mites him to reooen the dockyards or tempt him
to give them the pleasure of his society. A Hyde Park
meeting might posst my be of some avail, hut the
whole excitement is tar too weak to exercise any
influence upon their member. In the meantime
every b sly mast feel for Mr. Baxter Langley, who
evidehtly hardly knows yet which way the wind Wows. If
Mr. Wal.tone in turned out, Mr Baxter Langley would like
very much to sit hi his place : but on the other hand it may
be a dangerous game to j dr. his of pments. Mr. Glailstone's
aboulders have been very useful to many of those whose
shoulders were useful to Mr. Gladetotie as a ladder to
popularity among a certain class. It is diffluilt to advise
Mr. Ban or Langley at present, but probably MU wisest
course is not to corumi himself to either party until a few
weeks of the next session have elapsed. Mr. Gladstone may
bet 'timer of streng, h " or a "source of weakneas ' to
those eho are ambitious of parliamentary honours. The
grasp on his coat tads sh,uld not be relitiquiaked but only
relaxed for the present.