The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-14 00:00:00

Mr. Bright at Birmingham•

BIRMINGHAM, Wednesday.
A town's meeting of the inhabitants of Birming-
ham, convened by the Mayor, was held in the
Townhall this evening, for the purpose of taking
into consideration the question of Parliamentary
Reform. The hall was crowded in every part.
Mr. YATES, the Mayor of Birmingham, presided,
and he was supported by Mr. Bright, M.P., and
numerous local celebrities. Mr. Scholefield, the other
representative of the borough, was prevented by ill-
health from being present. A letter was read from
the hon. member apologising for his absence, and
declaring his readiness to support any real measure
of Parliamentary Reform which may be introduced
by the Government in the session forthcoming se • of
Parliament.

The proceedings having been opened by thellayor
in a brief speech,

Mr. Alderman LLOYD moved, seconded by Mr.
RADFORD, " That in the opinion of this meeting the
state of the country is peculiarly favourable for im-
mediate legislation on the subject of Parliamentary
Reform, and that the repeatedly expressed opinion
and the recorded pledges of the more prominent
members of the present Government render it espe-
cially incumbent upon the existing Ministry to pre-
pare at once a comprehensive measure of Reform,
calculated to satisfy the just expectations of all
sections of the Liberal party."
Mr. BRIGHT, when the cheering with which he
was received had subsided, said—Mr. Mayor, ladies,
and gentlemen, I lament very much that on this
occasion we have not the presence of my hon. col-
league, Mr. Scholefield. (Hear, bear.) I regret it
more because his absence arises from the state of his
health. My opinion is that, like a great many men
who are in Parliamentary life, he has worked too
hard, and is suffering from over-work. I have, as
you know, before I was politically connected with
this borough, passed through a period of great physical
weakness, and I can sympathise with anyone suffer-
ing from the same cause. I may tell you further,
that hard work and over-work has been to a large
extent given in your service, and therefore I feel that
I may ask you to have whatever forbearance may be
necessary, and to give to Mr. Scholefield, should it
be needful, such a period of relaxation as the state
of his health may require. (Cheers.) Since I was
permitted on the last occasion to speak from this
platform a considerable change has taken place in
the condition and prospect of public affairs. Since
that day we have had the election of a new Parlia-
ment completed ; we have also got a new Minister at
the helm, and further we have a new policy avowed
with regard to the new Parliameut. I hope it will
be found that there is a larger majority sitting on
the Liberal side of the house than has been found in
any preceding Parliament of our time excepting that
one which was elected immediately after the passing
of the Reform Bill. (Cheers.) With regard to the
new Minister, although he is new, yet it must be ad-
mitted that he is somewhat old. (Laughter.) He is
old in the services rendered to his country, and I
think, not forgetting any errors in his political career,
that he must be considered also in his attachment to
freedom. (Cheers.) With regard to the policy which
I have described as new, although it is apparently
now new, yet after all it is but the illustration of the
ancient policy of the Whigs and the Liberal party.
(Cheers.) Now, I fancy that in this matter we feel
that the prospects of the country—l speak now of
its political prospects—are brighter and better than
they have been for some time past—l suspect that
that is also the opinion of the country ; for I ven-
ture to say that the sentiments that will be uttered
at this meeting to-night, and the resolution to which
I believe you will give an almostunanimous consent,
will meet with the approbation and consent of the
great body of the people of the United Kingdom.
(Cheers.) But it seems in almost all mundane affairs
that everybody after all is not quite content, and
judging from writings in certain portions of the,
press, and from some recent speeches, I presume our
old friends the Tories are by no means in a cheerful
mood—(laughter)—they are subjected to what I
should call spasmodic apprehension, and whenever
any. change is about to take place—which a few
years afterwards they all admit was a very bene-
ficent change, and which by and by they begin
to support they behave as if they thought
the deluge was coming back again, and that there
was no ark in which they could find refuge.
(Laughter.) We have had very recently a speech
from rather a conspicuous member of the Tory party,
who represents a very small borough, perhaps
twenty or twenty-five miles from this. I speak of
the member for the borough of Droitwich. Now I
will not depreciate the member for Droitwich, and
I do not wish to depreciate the borough which he
represents. It is a borough which ought to have
been enfranchised by the Reform act. (Laughter.)
But instead of that I am told that it was made to
include a good many miles of agricultural district,
and that the character of the borough was thereby
changed. I see from Parliamentary returns that
the borough of Droitwich occupies no less than
forty-one square miles of ground, which I believe
is about three times as much as is occupied by the
whole borough of Birmingham. Still Sir John
Pakington is member for Droitwich, and he sits in
the House of Commons, and he has been Colonial
Secretary of State and First Lord of the Admiralty
and a member, of course, of the Cabinet of Lord
Derby; being then a conspicuous man, we may
judge a little of what is going on.from what he
says. When I refer to his speech, I see that he
positively bemoans the condition and the prospects
of his party. He is anxious to get rid of obsolete
fancies and old enemies. Well, the Tories have
once changed their names to Conservatives, and I
suppose that being found out, it will be necessary
to have some other name, and Sir John Pakington
asks that they shall have a great constitutional
party. Now he does not think that the Govern-
ment will be able to carry a Reform Bill such as we
want, because he believes that the House of Com-
mons will not listen to such propositions. There were
many men on the Liberal side of the House who
will coalesce with the Tories to prevent any bill of
the kind being passed. He then refers to the speeches
made on our side of the house, especially to the
speeches made last session by Lord Elcho, Mr. Hors-
man, and Mr. Lowe, which he praises highly. He
classes those gentlemen as three of our best statesmen
—(laughter)—and evidently, and very naturally,
looks to considerable support from that quarter.
As to Lord Elcho, I find that he is enthusiastically
in favour of the Governor of Jamaica ; therefore I
do not believe myself that the Liberal party, or
Liberal opinions, or a reform bill of any value, will
have the slightest need to regret if Lord Elcho has
gone away to his own proper place on the other side
of the house. But this idea of a coalition of Sir J.
Pakington's is worthy of consideration for a moment.
Who are the parties to he got rid of ? I suppose on
his own side he must get rid of Mr. Newdegate. Mr.
Newdegate is a gentleman who is generally wrong
in his views, but who is in the main sturdily inde-
pendent. Ido not know, also, how he will be able
to keep such parties as the leader whom he follows,
for we all recollect that when the Aberdeen Govern-
ment was first formed Mr. Disraeli, with an oracular
voice,.. proclaimed that England did not love coali-
tions. I Suppose, therefore, Sir J. Pakington will
get rid of Mr. Newdegate on the one hand, and his
leader, Mr. Disraeli, on the other. Ido not know
how many he expects from our side of the house to
join in this coalition, but bear in mind that the con-
stituencieswill have something to sayin thismatter ;
and if members on our side, elected as Liberal mem-
bers on our side, elected as Liberal members, and
expected to vote for a Liberal Government and in
favour of a measure of reform, desert their pledges
and violate their promises, their constituencies, I
hope, are independent enough and liberal enough to
look after their representatives in this matter, and
keep them to their duty or dismiss them from their
service. Sir J. Pakington proposed to form a great
constitutional party, and he said that its cry will be
constitutional progress—not the cry of despair
which he is now uttering—a party which is ready
to grant all reasonable demands which the real in-
terests of the country require, and not less firmly
disposed to resist all dangerous concessions. All
the blessings that we have been receiving for the
last 30 years Sir J. Pakington and his friends were
contending ought not to be granted, but resisted