The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-05-30 00:00:00

MR. BRIGHT AT. MANCHESTER.

Yesterday afternoon the adjourned meeting of the
Lancashire Reformers was held at Manchester, when
the following resolutions were agreed to :--
1. "That this meeting witnesses with great satisfaction
the steps taken by the House of Commons to maintain
inviolate its right to determine the sum of taxes to the
1 ivied upon the people, and pledges itself to support the
House by every means in its power.
2. "That the various branched of the Labeashire
Reformers' Eriiion are recommended to renew their public
meetings to adopt petitions for presentation to the House
of Coniinons immediately after the recess.

3. "That this meeting tenders its best thanks to
Lords Paliiierston and Russell and to Messrs. James;
Duneottibe, and Bright, for
,the course they have taken
in the Hense of Commons, last Friday night, with
reference to the rejection of . the Paper Duties Bill
(Abolition) by the House of Lords:" •
Mr. Blight, M.P., being present at tlae,ineeting, was
loudly cheered on:rising to speak:, He saiclhe was not
aware, tail his arrival in Manchester, on the previous
night, that that meeting was to be held and as he was
coming to Manchester 'for the' day, he was anxious to
hear what was thought by his friends on the constitutional
question now before the country; and also, if they
thought fit, to hear him, to tell them what be thought.
The question, as Lord John Russell had said in the
House of Commons, was one of great gravity, and
worth the most serious thought of every man in the
kingdom. It wag no question of parliamentary reform,
for they did not ask that the frontiers of the Constitution
should be extended, but that they should remain in-
violable and intact, and what they had been fir the last
200 years, and for which our forefathers had fought and
bled. The chairman had said _the proverb (taxation
and _ representation should go together) grew up with
us from the cradles and it was also true that the House
of Commons had, more particularly, perhaps, than any
thing else, the right and purpose of proViding aids and
supplies for the Crown: They knew that a monarch;
about some 200 years ago, attenipted to levy taxes
without the consent Cif ,the
.#onse of coriimcris, and
they knew, alp, what it, test hint. Byer since that
time the louse of Commons had the sole right to
to create and levy 'taxes. The Crown, like the: House
of Lords, had the power to refuse to pass bills for
raising money ; but it now-never did so. It would be
tyranny, and would be felt as such by the people, if it
did ; but it was not -only much more tyrannical, but
much more dangerous to the welfare of the State, when
the House of Lords took upon itself the responsibility
of rejecting a money bill. In one case only one person
was responsible ter the act, but in the other up wards of
four hunched gentlemen were responsible. The control
which the people, through their representatives, had
over the exchequer of the nation, was the very founda-
tion of our liberties. After alluding to the American
Revolution, he went on to say that until 1860 there had
been no difference of opinion with regard to the
question of taxation and representation. The
Lords had to ratans of obtaining knowledge on
these questions only through the Commons, and so
jealous was the House of Commons on piestiona of thi;
sort, that, it would not, and does ndt send them, even
when asked for, papers ektiraates relative to supply.
The duty of the House of Commoni was to maintain
inviolate its privileges over the taxes which it levied
from men who ivoiked and tolled as no other Men under
heaven worked and toiled. in regard to the precedents
which had been Alibied by the-Lords, to show that the
course they had taken was a legal one, he denied that
they boll any analogy to the case in point. The fact
was, Lord Derby "and his party. disliked the whole
budget, and they would have oppoSed it, in: its
entirety had it not been for its intimate .connec-
tion with the French treaty and had it not been
that that treaty was' exceedingly popular in the
country. The keeping on_ of the excise upon paper
was, in point of fact, something like a fraud Upon thti
country, for the income-tit was tirade , tenpence, or a
penny more thaii it would have been that the paper duty
Might be repealed. But the income-tax was agreed to
by the Lords without a word, whereas, in the House of
Commons, when it was declared that the extra penny

was to be put on, there was some discussion. He (Mr.
Bright) objected to the tax upon paper, because it
was a tax upon industry, a tax upon liteature, a tax
upon a free press, and a tax upon knowledge. Having
spoken of the unseemlyness of accepting the increased in-
come-tax, and refusing to pass the paper bill, Mr. Bright
proceeded to say that if these unconstitutional acts of
the Roust Or Lords were permitted to go unchecked
the peope of England might bid farewell to everything
that was dear to them. He had every reason, however,
to believe that the House of Commons .would not treat
the matter in a.tty spirit of levity, hut with a gravity
becoming the occasion. Nothing had ever been said or
done which was in reality so hostile to the House of
-Commons as the course which Lord herby had adopted
on the paper bill. The House of Lords and the House
of Commons had been in harmony for the last 200 years,
solely because the former had not ventured to trench
upon the province of the latter in matters of taxation.
'The members of the House of Lords were responsible to
no one—they sat there by hereditary right—but the
Commons were liable to be dismissed at any moment if
they were refractory, and sent back to their constituents.
There was, hawever, no dissolution of the House of
Lords. If the father died, there was no measureable
instant of time between the death of a peer
who voted to-day, and the life of the peer who
voted on the morrow. The spirit of the peer-father
was not irore hastily out of the body, than the son rose
in his stead, and in him all the prejudices, the alarms,
and the self interest of his order were maintained. In
fact, the only thing belonging to, the peers which did
not die was their old prepdiceeN He believed that there_
had never been a year when the office of the Chancellor
of the Exchequer had been held, or the duties performed
by any man under a greater sense of what was
due to the people of this kingdom than by 11t.
Gladstone. Everything he (Mr. Gladstone) had
done had been done .for the good of the industry of
the country and for the extension .of our power as a
nation. The Government had done much, and it was
proper and right that 'all who had the welfare of the
country at heart should stand by them. He could con-
ceive nothing that could be more ignoble than for the
Cabinet to quietly give up the privileges of the House of
Commons; and, in conclusion, he urged upon the meeting
the necessity there was for supporting the Government
and the House of Commons in maintaining the rights
and privileges that had been fought for, bled for, and
handed down to them in sacred trust by their fore-
' fathers.

A prospectus has been issued of a company to be
established for the construction of pneumatic tubes for
the conveyance of despatches and parcds between various

stations in the metropolis, including the mail bags of
the Post•ofice between the railways and the district

offices. The Marquis of Chandos is chairman.

GENEROSITY or THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE.--The
Duke of Devonshire has signalised his visit to Ireland
by acts of generosity towards his tenantry, which we
should be glad to see more widely imitated. He has

given to the inhabitants of the town of Lismore the

almost priceless boon of a supply of pure water from the
castle reservoir. It is to be bestowed in no stinted

measure, but will flow in all parts of the town from
public fountains, and be carried into the houses of those

who choose to have it. We need not dwell upon the
public advantages of this measure. Next to air and

food, abundance of water is the greatest necessary of
life—the best security for health and physical purity
Such an act is really one of the most benevolent, as it
is one of the most useful, that the position of the Duke
of Devonshire could enable him to perform. Itisinpgriae-s
gra-
tifying to see high rank made conspicuous by eu
so admirable, and we trust the lesson they offer will not
be lost upon other Irish landlords.—Cork Exonvner.
SALE OF MODERN PICTURES IN LONDON.—The sale
was resumed on Monday. The following were the prin-
cipal specimens :--151.—W. P. Frith, R.A.—The Flir-
tation, a subject of two figures, male and female,
beautifully finished, painted last year-165 guineas
(Ward). 152.—J. Linnell. —A n Autumn Sunset;
gleaners returning home; a view near Redhill,
justly considered as one of the great master's best
works-310 guineas (Wilkinson). 196.---Frederick
Tayler.—Hawking in the Olden Time ; a splendid
work-170 guineas (Vokins). 204. T. J. Linnell.—A
landscape • moorland scene, with figures and cattle ; a
noble work--250 guineas (Agnew). 2g5. D. Maclise,
.R.A.—The Ballad : a female subject; most beautifully
and elaborately painted-300 guineas (Gambol.* ?06.
F. Goodall, A.R.A.—The Declaration (of Love) ; a
splendid work-250 guineas (Gambart). 207. T. Ores-
wick, R.A.—A landscape, with figure.; introduced by
J. Philip, R.A.-175 guineas (Agnes). 208. J. C.
Hook, R. A.—The Brook of Human life :
"And out again I curve and flow
" To join the brimming liver ;
" For men may come and men may go,
"But I go on for ever I"—TENNYSON.
" The distant landscape in this brook scene," says
Mr. Ruskin in his notes, "is one of the sweetest
ever found by painter"-410 guineas (Evans). 209.
H. Wallis.—Marten in Chepstow Castle. "Lcetitis
est quoties anagno sibi constat konestuni," a fine work
of the artist-200 guineas (Bentinek). 210. J.
Linnell.—Kensington Gravel-pits. One of the finest
works of the artist-398 guineas (Evans). 211. W. P.
Frith, IRA.—The Study; a charming subject of two
figures male and female-186 guineas. 213. J. E.
A.R.A.—The Love of James the First; a
splendid female figure. Exhibited at the Royal
Academy-400 guineas (Gambart). 214. F. R.
Pickersgill, A.R.A. -- Othello and Desdemona ; a
superb work of the master-210 guineas (Evans).
215. David Roberts, R.A.—EI Heralda Sevilla, a very
fine example-142 guineas (Fraser.) 232. D. Cox.—
The Pirate's Isle, a landscape with rocky scenery and
figures ; a very important work, from Lord North-
wick's collection (where it sold for 81 guineas)-115
guineas (Crofts). Mr. Mitchell's choice cabinet of 50
pictures and drawings realised the sum of £4,440 ; the
other pictures, £1,700. Total of day's sale, 46,140.