Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-05-25 00:00:00

THE RIFLE CORPS

THE country would now appear to be fully aroused
to the importance of Rifle Corps being established as
its auxiliary defence. Liverpool was but one of
' several large towns that met at the close of last
week, fbr the purpose of carrying out the patriotic
purpose. Hull, Bradford, Plymouth, Oxford,
Glasgow, Edinburgh, were all simultaneously on the
move in furtherance of the same popular object.
The utmost unanimity seems to pervade the public
mind on the. subject. It is felt and acknowledged
to be no party affair; and it is most desirable that it
should not be a class one either. The Lord Provost
of Edinburgh has expressed his anxious desire that
the Volunteer Corps in that city should partake as
little, as possible of a sectional character, and should
be so formed as to embrace the general body of the
citizens, of whatever professions or stations in life.
And this is as it should be. The defence of our
country is an object in which all are interested,—
high and low, rich and poor, one with another.
It is a patriotic object ; and no condition in life has
a right to dispute with even the humblest the
possession of patriotism. Our, working men are, we
doubt not, generally as good patriots as their betters :
they love their country as well, and would serve it
as loyally. It is on the people at large that we must
depend, and not on any privileged sections of them,
when the hour of national danger arrives. The bard
of Scotland, as our readers will remember, has
supposed a case, in which
howe'er crowns and coronets be rent,
A virtuous populace may rise the while, •
And stand a wall of fire around their much-loved isle."
And so, let us hope, it will be, should any occasion
arise for such a necessity.

The propriety and expediency of this course, on
the part of the people of England, was forcibly put,
in his usual plain, common-sense manner, by our
respected townsman and late county member, Mr.
WILLIAM BROWN, at the Liverpool meeting.
" When we consider," he observed, " the position
of Europe at the present time —when we take into
account that two of the most powerful nations on
the earth are now in arms, contending for the
supremacy, it behoves us to maintain our neutrality ;
and the best way to maintain that neutrality is to be
prepared on any occasion for any contingency
whatever. The Government have thought it expe-
dient to form volunteer corps. We have been
flattering ourselves that, we shall not be drawn into
this contest, and I hope we will not ; but still we
must be prepared." Yes,—we must be prepared.
We must maintain our neutrality ; but it must be an
armed neutrality, in order that it may really and
effectually be maintained. We must stand upright,
impartial, neutral. But we can only do .so in our
own strength ; and that strength must be furnished
with the means of being executed. These Rifle
Corps, then, are a practical and effectual means of
doing this. They are calculated to be a most
formidable and reliable national defence, in case of
need. Not, it is true, by themselves ; but certainly
as auxiliaries. For, as General WILLIAms told us at
our town meeting, we must not be misled on this
point. "Believe me," said the hero of Kars, " rifle-
men—no matter how adventurous and skilful—will
not stop an army. Recollect, you must have an
a-rPIY too. Ido not mean an enormous army, to eat