The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-10-20 00:00:00


ftmt Iroubm Corresptmbnti.

fire &emit right to state that we do not stall times ideate)
easerees eith our correspondenteiopinioDai
The aspects of public optpion in rsion tone
creasingly important quation of Reform, diunand
reference, not ass foundation for advocacy, but merely
as a recognition of one of the most prominent features
of the time. On the one 'hand we see meeting after ,
meeting held hi which manhood suffrage and' the
ballot are advocated, and at which resolutions are
passed in favour of these political ideas; and on the
other we have almost every day the utterance of
some more or less diatingniehed member of the
Liberal party who announces himself as quite op.
posed to those extreme views, though in favour of
an extension of the suffrage. Ag a representative
man, I extract a remark from Mr. Bruce's letter
in reply to an invitation from the Merthyr Tydvil
Reform League. He says, "I think I shall best
advance the cause of moderate reform, which alone
in ruy opinion is either practicable or ,desirable,
if I abstain from attending a meeting and taking part
in the • demonstration' of an association which
assumes as the fundamental principle of acting. that
nothing less than manhood suffrage can be accepted."
I regard Mr. Bruce, se I have said, as a " representa-
tive man," to use Emerson's phrase. ',feel certain that
he represents an increasing feeling and opini4s-flfat
manhood suffrage and the ballot are inepracticahle,
even if they be theoretically sound as a fdture 'policy.
We have then these two great ideas in conflict—an
organic change on the one hand, and a partial change
or gradual reform on the other; and these twoeideas
will perhaps have a "strife for the mastery" from
the present time till the meeting of Parliament.
There is a third idea which many entertain, though I
have not notioed its expression anywhere lately—that
no reform is needed. The present ig not a fitting
time to give expression to such an idea; in feet it is
net one of those ideas which people cherish in secret
and give effect. to by "'mote. Wei musk-wait till next
Session to pee due weight given to•this idea, during the
. • struggle whikh I, for one, think is isievitable. The
signs of the times indicate that next Sgesion will be a
most exciting one, and I look forward to the spectacle
. being repeated that we saw last Session—the fate of a •
tiu-ning en a Reform BA •
It has frequently been remarked of late that all the
o
agitation and all the meetings n the subject of Reform
have been on one side, and it has been *eked, why do
not the Conservatives organize a coutteragitatenb
There is a probability of something of this kind being
done. A Con ive Association for London is
• talked of, the intention being to heive branches
throughout the country. It remains to be seen whether
the IMMO spirit of organisation will solvate them so
has stirred the Reformers.
There is a rumour. I see, of a complimentary
banquet to the Right Hon. Robert LoPre. I should
like to see it take place, if only as a setoff aganst an
unlimited quantity of abuse which has been heaped
upon him lately. Everybody knows that he unfor-
tunately gave utterance to some wofds which showed
that his opinion of the working classes, in the matter
of electors' purity, was a very poor ose. Whether
there was any or no truth in these remarks', or whether
" it is that they have given special offence mi account of
~ • their containing unpalatable truth, I trill not essay to
e determine; but true or halms, exaggetated or net, no
good can come of having these worts posted up in
' every factory in the kingdom, as Mr. *right would
wish. "Let bygonse be bygones."
Lord Cowley, it is said, has been prevailed upon to
continue his position as Ambassador in Perils for a few
'months longer. He will be in his fitting place,if he
occupy the Embassy during the Paris Exhibition.
On di; that the Prince and Princess of Wales will pay
a visit to this exhibition in the spring or summer of
next year, and that then they will be the guests of
Lord Cowley. Better late than never, and the royal
I, visit to France will not be an exception to the adage,
but still one cannot help thinking that it is a great
pity that their Royal Highnessea could not make it
convenient to pay a visit before this. The Emperor
,of the French, there is no denying, is no great friend
of the Queen's. He is regarded as a naesenu and a
usurper; and whatever success may have attended his
policy, and good government accompanied it, still the
fact remains that the Emperor of the French is not
one; of the "old original" legitimate governing,families
of royalty. The Prince and Princess will, it is to
be presumed, pay a visit to the imperial family, and
time something like • rapprochement between the two
families may be arrived at. But had there been any
wish for this there would have long since been visits
to and fro. It is now a long time since The Tones,
evidently on authority, announced that the Prince of
Wales would probably, in his character as prince, pay
a visit to the Emperor and Empress, but no approach
to anything of the kind has yet taken place.
An association has been formed here called the
Evicted Tenants' Aid Association, and they have
opened s free registry of lodgings suitable to those
persons who have been compelled to remove for the
beet of all possible reasons—because their houses were
being pulled down. This association may be of great
benefit to evicted tenants, but this free registry is a
very poor affair ; it merely does for the evicted poor
what they 'wild easily do for themselves—find out
what lodgings are to be let. What is wanted is more
lodgings and houses. This want is gradually being
met to a certain extent, bat the chief evil is that it is
the wrong description of houses that are being built,
and in the wrong places. What the poor want is
lodging in London, near their work, and this can only
be 'accomplished on the system already adopted by
Alderman Waterlow and the promoters of workmen's
houses on a large scale.

icatto-
act3l!l'

I had a chat the other day with an old Greenwich
• pengioner—not at Greenwich, and it matters not
where. ,He tells me that the new system of paying the
men their pensions out of the hospital is liked by many
&Ad disliked by others, which is natural enough. The
principal ground of complaint, however, is simply a
'''creifeesion of weakness on the part of some of the
recipients. Sailors are proverbially improvident, arid
, Greenwich pensioners are no exception to the rule
The consequence is that come of them spend their
pensions almost as soon as they get them, and suffer by
their foolish carelessness. There is no help for this,
I suppose; such things always have been and will be.
By the way, there was a talk some time ago of making
Greenwich Hospital available for the merchant service,
: but nothing appears to nave been done. Stich a reform
would be an invaluable boon to the sailors in the
mercantile service, and in some Teepee% they are en-
titled to it, for they subscribe to the institution, a small
sum being stopped out of their pay.
Preparation/ are being made for the Lord Mayor's
show. There's an important fact for you! Does any-
body out of London take the slightest interest in this
silly Cockney exhibition? I think not. People laugh
at it, sneer at it, ridicule it, bnt nobody out of the
sound of Bow bells considers it a matter of the slightest
importance. And Londoners, except, perhaps, the
lowest class, look upon it in much the same light.
Here it is regarded as a nuisance; business is stopped,
and a great portion of the streets blocked up in order
that a ridiculous piece of tomfoolery may be perpe.
tested, which has not one redeeming point. But the
Guildhall banquet is quite anoter affair. There the
art of dining is carried to a climax, and the after.
dinner speeches of Ambassadors, Ministers, and distin-
guished guests afford food for comment in the news-
papers of the world. Will Lord Derby this year
have anything to say about Reform? I trow not.
Will Lord Stanley have anything to tell us that we do
not already know about our foreign policy? I doubt
It. But still the speeches will lei significant and in-
teresting if they be what speeches at this banquet
always hive been. The office of Lord Mayor is gely
o*er-rated and under-rated. Abroad he is re.räed as
' rigreater man than the Prime Minister; it borne,
tutrrow-minded people think his leading Characteristic
• to a fondnese.for turtle soup. It is not worth while to
combat such silly prejudices, as everybody who knows
anything of girl° life, knows that, notwithstanding ste-
reotyped jokes which have lost their truth, the Court
of Aldermen numbers amongst it many men of high
cultivation and refinement. Civic functionaries have
In fact improved of late years, and with this improve-
ment there has been • corresponding higher apprecia-
tion of the dace of Lord Mayor. The gentleman who
. now goo, out of office has won golden opinions from all
sorts of men, and has just been decorated by the King
I of the Belgians, though there hi some doubt whhther
Mr. Phillips can legally receive this honour. • Jew, he
has banquetized the clergy, and in his offisial capacity
• has attended church; a Liberal, he has been unusually
- courteous to the Conservatives; and his private libe-
rality has, I am told, been worthy of the highest p.vaise.
It has been stated that his sticsessor, Alderman
.Gabria, is also a Jew. This is &pardonable error, He
211Mbt be sailed • 1•••••111r Christian. The poor boy
has become a very rich man, but the intermediate
lanes have not been oharasterised by that penurious-
• new which sometimes marks life's journey in such
Ciasen.

The German emigrants in Switzerland have lately
celebrated by • fete the erection of • monument to Kerr
Simons, who WY drowned In the lake of Waldersee, and
whom they look upon as the hero of German liberty and
unity. A number of speeches were made and pstriotie
hymns sung, but • correspondent who was present on the
occasion observes that no gratification was expressed at the
recent events in Germany, and that the general impression
seemed to be that the R rest results achieved by Count
Bismarck would not be beneficial either to the German
nation or to th• cause of freedom. The Swim are continuing
their defensive preparations, which are supposed to he
huddled by the oietstorial attitude that haa been lately
assusual towards tient by the selabburtag Sistea