The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-20 00:00:00

THE SIT_N _LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JULY 20, LE69.

AIISCE

NEWS.

MR. BRIGHT ON TIM LORDS

Mr. Bright has sent another letter to Birmingham
on the House of Lords, and, like the former, it was
read at a public meeting on the Irish Church Bill
held in that town. But the two epistles are as dis-
similar as can be. The " John -Bullism " of the
famous letter is noways apparent in the present ono,
though the President of the Board of Trade expresses
almost identically the same opinions. He commences
with an excuse for not being at the meeting, and then
goes on to say :—" From what is passing in the
House of Commons, you will see that tb e Government
and the House are anxious to act upon the principles
upon which the one was formed and the other elected."
The House of Lords, however, refuses to act upon
those principles, and Mr. Bright declares it is a great
grief to him that the Upper House does not more
clearly comprehend the wishes and interests of the
country. " But I cannot but think" Mr. Bright goes
on to say "it will have learned much from the dis-
cussions which have taken place in both Houses on
this Irish Church Bill. To me it seems of first
importance that more harmony should be established
between the two branches of the Legislature."

and -if any one had offered him - Tor
being.. in at the death he would have
Irnocked the offerer down. The son drives down
to Hurlingham in a drag, stands still and pops away,
and, provide he does a certain amount of butchery, he
is paid a handsome amount. It is a novel idea to be
paid for amusina?, ourselves. But then we are with-
out question a nation of shopkeepers. Hurlingham
will bear witness to that.

THE OPINIONS OF THE EX-PRESIDENT.

Andrew Johnson left Washington for Tennessee
,on the evening of July 2. The previous night be
was serenaded at the Metropolitan Hotel, being in-
troduced as the great champion of Democracy, who
on behalf of constitutional liberty had fought many
battles and won many victories. He thanked the
people for their cordial welcome, and observed that
the time would come, ere long, when the nation
would recognize the importance of the great prin-
ciples trampled under foot so long. He would sc.y,
let us have faith ; it was not necessary to do more
than point to the tyrannical body called Congress,
which attempts to absorb every single power of the
President, standing on the necks of Americans,
endeavouring to blot out the lines which separate
the States, to wipe out the other two co-ordinate
branches of the Government. " I tell you here, my
countrymen," he said. "that if I were compelled to
make a choice (and, thank God, I am not so com-
pelled as yet), I would take one individual who was
honest, wise, patriotic, and just, as my ruler and
master, in preference to a Congress so usurping,
capricious, and corrupt. 'We even find a difference
among them whether they would take such a Go-
vernment as an omnipotent Congress would impose
or an Imperial Government. Such feelers have been
sent out. Take a paper, published in New York,
and which, no doubt, is the emanation and reflection
of a certain combination of individuals, some of
them perhaps residing in Washington, and when we
turn to the title-page, what do we see? On one
side, The Empire is peace,' and, on the other side,
the quotation, Let us have peace !' The meaning
of this is, Let us have the Empire with Grant at
its head, and we shall have peace.' Behind is a debt
of two and a half billions ; the fear is the people
will not pay it, hence the necessity for a strong Go-
vernment to coerce them. I know what I say, aad
not being egotistical, I know what is being pre-
pared for the American people. It bas been said,
I remarked that no nation had everyet paid a national
debt created in war except by repudiation. If I
stated a fact, is there any harm in it? What poli
tical economist dare deny the proposition ? I also
state there is not another nation on earth that made
a debt interminable or permanent that is free. Is
there any harm in stating such facts and great
truths ?" After discussing all he did for the Union
in the war, Mr. Johnson alluded to the slave pro-
perty as three billions of dollars, which walked off
and disappeared in one section, just as it appeared
at the other end of the line in Government Stocks
and Bonds, instead of existing in an institution
which wasproductive to the nation and the world. Mr.
Johnson then, soaring into the heroics, exclaimed--
" You may erect your altar and lay your Constitu-
tion upon it, and if necessary, as an evidence of de-
votion to my country, lay me also upon it, and the
blocd that now warms and animates my exist-
ence shall be poured out as a last libation."
His account of the Civil War and estimate of the
great General now occupying the White House was
at least brief :—" Bodies of men and munitions of
war started in a certain direction ; those columns
never tutned until they conquered. And because
some little fellow walked with a supply train he is
a 'second Washington.' " Mr. Johnson was also
interviewed by a herald reporter, when he warmed
up to a full description and an accurate estimate of
General Grant ! We do not intend to follow Mr.
Johnson through his ravings, and the officer selected
for Chief Magistrate by the people can well afford
to treat Andy's comments with indifference; but it is
marvellous to see a man give expression to such con-
centrated hate ; and we learn, as we read, one of
the chief reasons why Andrew Johnson so lames

ably failed. That Grant has as bitter an enemy as
any man in the world we dare say he has long
known, but although it has been the fashion of late
to allude to Mr. Johnson as a failure, very properly
consigned to insignificance and obscurity, we will
be much surprised if he does not yet become a thorn
in some sides, unless, indeed, he goes mad, and
they can transfer him to a lunatic asylum, for even
now he says that "he often puts his hands to his
head and wonders if he is sane."