The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-13 00:00:00

Visit of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to

Lancashire.

BOLTON, Wednesday.
The public opening of Farnworth Park, a pleasing
and somewhat picturesque enclosure, situate within
three miles of Bolton, took place this afternoon.
The park, containing from 12 to 13 acres, and very
tastefully laid out, is the gift of Mr Thos. Barnes,
M.P., to the local board, for the benefit of the people
of the district. Advantage was taken of the visit of
Mr Gladstone to give eclat to the proceedings. A
general holiday was observed in Bolton and Fara.
worth. Processions of Sunday and ragged school
children, members of friendly societies, Odd Fellows,
and others, accompanied by brass bands, took part
p
in the ceremony. A raised platform at the upper end
of the park, draped with scarlet, white, and blue
glazed calico, afforded ample accommodation to the
numerous body of ladies and gentlemen who had
obtained tickets of admission. Immediately behind
the platform a spacious marquee was erected, where
a clejeuner was laid out for 700 guests. Shortly
after one o'clock Mr Gladstone, with Mrs Glade
stone, arrived at the park entrance, accompanied by
Mr Thomas Barnes, M.P., Sir 1. P. Shuttleworth,
High Sheriff of the county, the Earl of Ellesmere,
the Hon. Algernon Egerton, M.P., Lieut-Col. Gray,
M.P., Mr Massey, M.P., Mr Bezley, M.P., Mr Pilk-
ington, M.P., Mr Hibbert, M.P., Mr J.. Cheatham,
Mr J. R. Barnes, followed by the Mayor and other
municipal authorities of Bolton, and several of the
clergy and gentlemen of the town and neighbour-
hood. The Bishop of Manchester was to have been
there to deliver a prayer, but he was unavoidably
absent. Great delay occurred in consequence of the
length of the procession. It was nearly 2 o'clock
when the ceremony commenced by the Sunday
scholars singing the 100th Psalm.
Mr. THOMAS BARNES, M.P., then made the formal
presentation of the park to his neighbours and
friends, and especially the working men of the town
of Farnworth, for their free use and enjoyment for
ever. He did so in the firm belief that it would
materially contribute to their health, enjoyment,
and happiness.
Three cheers having been given for the donor,
The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER, who was
received with loud and continued cheering, said,—
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe that my first and
formal duty imposed on me by th© appointed order
of proceeding is to declare in your presence that this
park is now once and for ever opened and dedicated
to the public good. (Cheers.) As respects the gift
of the park, that has been made in the hearing of
witnesses sufficiently numerous by cur friend Mr.
Barnes, and as regards the acceptance of the park
I ask any of those who witnessed the spectacle of
to-day, who has seen the whole population, young
and old, rich and poor, and not only the whole
population of this place, but a good auxiliary force
from all the country round. (Cheers.) I can only
say that if that does not constitute an acceptance of
the park, Ido not know what does. (Cheers.) In
compliance with the religious and wise custom which
prevails, it has been usual that solemn prayer should
be made to Almighty God on occasions like this.
We have learnt why, mainly through the absence
of the bishop, it has been impossible that we
should externally comply with that honoured
practice ; but, as respects the sentiments within the
breast of every one of us, I am sure that none who
listened to the heartetirring accents of the Psalm
just song can doubt that it is the belief and convic-
tion of this vast assembly that all our works, in
order to bring a blessing with them, must be begun,
continued, and ended in the fear and the love of
God. (Cheer s.) I pass on, therefore, to speak to you,
as the time and circumstances will permit, upon the
character of the occasion now before us. The pre•
sentation by Mr Barnes is happily not an isolated
act. It is part of a great system, part of a great
movement. He is, indeed, the representative, and
the honoured representative, of a principle and a
tendency which is among the very best characterise
tics of the age. (Cheers.) In this busy, stirring,
critical, industrious, enterprising, money-making,
money-accumulating age it is well that while these
pursuits have full scope given it should not be for-
gotten that there are other wants and other inte-
rests; and, in particular, I call Mr Barnes on this
occasion the representative of a deep and growing
conviction with respect to the relation that ought
to prevail, and that happily now to a very great
extent does prevail, between the employer of labour
and the labouring population of the land. (Cheers.)
I think, ladies and gentlemen, that it is about 30
years since a gentleman of high character and. of
great ability, employed in the public service in Ire%
land, created very considerable alarm and apprehen-
sion by putting forth in a concise and telling form
what was thought the somewhat revolutionary
doctrine that " property has its duties as well as its
rights," The doctrine was received by many for the
moment as revolutionary—as if it were some mons
strous conception aiming at the breaking up of
society ; but that dreaded monster, if such it was, has
now become a domesticated idea. (A laugh.) It has
entered with us into every house, and it lies as quietly
by our firesides as if it were the favourite
dog or cat of the family. (Cheers and laughter.)
Property has its duties as well as its rights, and
the relation of the man who employs labour to the
man who gives labour never can be permanently
satisfactory to secure if the exercise and practical
form of that relation is confined to the mere sets
tling of the cash account of the wages of the man,
(Cheers.) It is doing violence to the principles of
human nature, it is running up a score against
ourselves, it is offending against the will and de.
signs of Divine providence, if we refuse to recog-
nise the fact that moral associations and social and
endearing ties of affection belong to, and ought
never to be severed from, the relation between the
the master and the workman. (Cheers.) Well, now,
circumstances brought about a result which at first
did not appear satisfactory to the manufacturing
districts of this country, but which I believe was a
matter calling for the deepest thankfulness. I
mean this—the relation of employer and labourer
had never been in this country thoroughly and
carefully examined until it came to be examined
in the case of the factory system. When it was
examined much was brought to light that was
highly unsatisfactory. There can be no doubt at
all, as a matter of fact, that partly owing to the
state of the law, and partly owing to human in-
firmity and negligence, much was discovered which
called for amendment. It does not follow that the
state of the factory system even at that time was
in any respect worse than the state of the general
relations between the employers and the givers of
labour throughout the country—but you were first
of all placed under jealous and microscopic examine
ation. Much criticism was the result; bugbears
were were sent abroad through the country. The
began to be entertained in many quarters that the fac-
tory population, and those who employed them were
a set of tyrants or misers—and, it was believed that
there was something hopelessly incurable in,the nce.
ture of the system, and you will well recollect that
the ignominious appellation of white slavery was by
many persons in the country applied to it. I don't
know that it was a very pleasant process for Lance-
shire to undergo that examination, but, after all,
Lancashire has come better out of it than might
have been expected. For what has since taken
place ?—the laws hese been amended, and with the
amendment of the laws there has come—what ? No
amendment of the law can of itself sscure a wiser,
a kinder, a more philanthropic, a more enlightened
spirit on the part of the employers of I..bour, a mere
orderly habit, a higher intelligence, a stronger con-
fidence, a more affectionate system on the part of
those by whom labour is ziven. It is not too much
to say, though I doubt not much may remain to be
done, it is not too much to say that something like
a moral transforraatio
has
passed over the district
in which I speak, and e
in no part of England more
than : here, in th©
circumstances of the last few
years. I say the manner in which suffering has
been met—that aurest test of what Constitutes the
true man—has settled the question of theestimat. on
in which the factory population are to be held by
the rest of their fellow•countryea„. Now let me
turn more closely to the subject that has brought
us together to-day. Those employers of labour—
I mean the masters of factories—'who were first of
all placed under critical and jealous examination,
hays now become in many instances, in instances