The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1872-10-01 00:00:00

MR. FORSTPat AT BRADFORD.

The Hight lion. W. E. Forster addressed bin eon-
'diluents at Ereiford on Friday night. There wee an
immense audience in St. Georgehhhall. lie said thaf
hard work was the simplo explauttiou of hie long
abeenee. The 'eructation that the ballot would Pass
through easily this year, at a foregone conclusion, was
erroneous. Ile did not complain of the delay, end, in
spite of wbot hermene.l at Preston, be was ilatloliod
with the working of the Ant. There were no coincleints
that there were difilmolties in lb, working of the ballot.
He had accepted the proposal in respect of the illiterate
voter with reluctance, hut was sore that If it sminfPoted
with the principle of two Bid the eon...salon mutt be
revoked, and the measure restored. lie did not Oa,-
alder that what had happened had proved that the
number of voters sten'd be reducol through the ballot,
but if It were peel lo often rote.' before simply b 10111•13
they were easel, an I votes of that kind were set
wanted. Hr. Yorst'r admitted that a clever guess was
made at the result et the Preetan election, but they got
no information as to how amen voted. Par uncut
must leave • into free to tell how he voted If ho chose,
but it could demand that no proof of the vote shouhl
be afforded. At Preston there was no attempt to g-t
proof. Ho did not think, however that so clever a
guiles would be male 114•10. Public opinion would be
Walnut any organloation for that perpoee, and In other
constituencies so many worls would tot be willing to
tell how they voted. Calculation would thus become
mieleadiog. Coming to the Alabama settlement, Mr.
Forster point's! out that the object of the Geneva
arbitration was not merely to preserve peace but to
produces friendship between tho two ciuntrie• No
such friend•hip existed io fore this settlement, and the
mats of feeling was ouch to tu;glit at any moment pro.
dues war. Forbearance wan nertessary to secure A
result from the negotiations, and by the exercise of
forbearance alone had they got rid of the Indirect
Claims. The resn't wos a at for their these ,
they bed obtained not or rely teat* with Ainorica. bet
new international rues of tee ii'ghest worth to them,
besides "letting ark example which could not fail to he
benefissial. With roger.' to wa.zes in the agricultural
districts, it must ho admitted that tee farmers wet*
not in so goo.l a poeVon to grant their lebourers RD
advanoe of wages as some other employer., and
although wages were lower in the agricultural dietrieta
than In the manufs:tedag ones, • ferrate had also
greeter losers to imitate than uth,rs. There was
another ohms, the landlords, connected with this
matter, who, by einestion and pooltion, and generally
being in easy eiccumotoncee, w, to oil., ant he trusted
would, media." between both Earths, end assist them
in the settlement of their differenoes. Sows of then
were doing it at this mom, id in • way witch ought to
excite the adndration of all by recearnisiog the duties
which the ownership of lan I pressed upon them. He
thought It would he one of their first duties in Parlia-
ment to take awoy the obstacles which prevented some 1
landlords from &be their dote by ans-ndment of the
Imad Laws. Ile. Forster alluded to the compulsory
Menses in the S,otoh issootion Mid an e•preseol
(ensid loud ehe, re) a hope that the, woull soon be able
to make eompulsion universal in England. His elicit
in edecetional work was not to favour, as bed been
state r one denomination more than another, but to
obtain a minimum of secular instrocion, oombined
with religious for those who wonted it. A vote of
eonfidence in the right hon. gentleman was passed.