The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-02 00:00:00

Sir J. WATTS gave the health of the Chairman.
The CHAIRMAN, in responding, said—l wish' I had
words to express to you how heartily and sincerely I thank
you for the reception you have given me to-night. I am not
vain enough to suppose that it is wholly or mainly due to
any merits of mine. But I know the kindness of the recep-
tion which you have always given to my father when public
duty has brought him amongst you (applause)—and I have
felt all my life, as a public man, that a great part of any
position to which I have msde my way was owing to that
which he had previously attained. But I thank you for the
welcome you have given me—l thank you partly because
there is no testimony of good feeling which could reach
me from any other part of the country for which I should
feel half so grateful as that from which I receive from the
inhabitants of that county in ,which I was born, and in
which I hope to live and die. (Applause.) Partly also,
though I won't say a word touching on politics here, I do
feel that what Lancashire thinks to-day, England thinks to■
morrow—(applause)—and, therefore, the expression of
kindly feeling in this district towards one who, whether he
wishes it or no, is a public man, touches me more nearly
than it could in any part of the country. (Applause.) I
have said that I won't address to you one word bearing on
politics, and I won't; but I will just say this, because I
think it has nothing whatever to do with politics in a
party sense—that I have often differed from the majority of
parliamentary men in this respect—l always see them look-
ing out for something which gives them an opportunity for
a fight. (Laughter.) That is not the view that I take of
most public questions. I always wish to see how far it is
possible to bring sensible and moderate men to an agreement,
and if you cannot do that, why, then, of course fight it out.
(Hear, hear, and laughter.) But Ido believe that upon a
very large proportion of questions that are brought before
Parliament, if you can bring men of business, moderate sen-
sible men, into one room they will come to a substantial
agreement as to what ought to be. (Hear, hear.) There
is only one word further which I wish to say. It is a com-
mon popular idea that every man who goes into public life
is engaged in an incessant scramble for the possession of
executive power. So far as I can see, that is a mistake—
certainly, so far as I am concerned, it is an utter mistake,
(Hear, hear.) I hold that a man's business is to help to
carry on the business of the country to the best of his power
and he may do that almoet equally well whether he is a
member of the national Legislature or of the national execu-
tive. The difference to my mind between a mere politician
and anyone worthy of the name of a statesman is this, that
the one is thinking what the country will do for him, and
the other is thinking what he can do for the country. I beg
to thank you for the kindness of the reception you have
given me, and I hope that, feeling myself as closely con-
nected with Manchester as anyone in this room, we shall
meet publicly anti privately on many future occasions.
(Applause.)
The meeting then drank the health of the ladies, and the
proceedings terminated.