The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-26 00:00:00

TBE SUN. LONDOIN. SATUIttiA EVENING, OCTOBER 2f5,

SHARE LlST—This Day.

CONSERVA7ISIII AT COVENTRY.

ORDINARY SHARES AND STOCKS.

-ip--
COVENTRY, Friday.

Last evening the " inaugural dinner" of the Work-
ing Men's Conservative Association of this city took
place in the Corn-exchange. It was also arranged
that this should be the occasion for " celebrating the
passing of the Reform Bill, and to afford the Con-
servatives of this city and the neighbourhood an op-
portunity of expressing their approval of the do-
mestic and foreign policy of Lord Derby's Govern-
ment." Nearly 600 were prt-sent, a very large
proportion of the assemblage being what is called
" wol king men." The exchange was filled, and it
was stated that bat for that circumstance ninny
more tickets could have been sold.

At the cross-table there were some of the princi-
pal residents of the city ; the Right Hon. C. B.
A,lderley, M.P., presided, and on his right and left
were Mr. D. BrJniley and Mr. Wise, county mem-
bers, and Mr. Eaton, one of the members for the
city. The presence of Mr. Ferranti had been an-
nounced,-but the hon. gentleman did not attend.
The usual loyal toasts having been given, that of
"The Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese" was ac-
knowledged by the Rev. R. 11. Baynes, rector of St.
Michael's.

Mr. Alderman LINES proposed " The Earl of
Derby and her Majesty's Ministers." He said Lord
Derby, the Premier, stood " head and shoulders"
above any other man in the house of Peers in fit-
ness for his post, and Mr. Disraeli was one of the
greatest men of the 19th century. He congratu-
lated those present on the fact that this was the
largest political dinner that had ever taken place in
Coventry.

The Right Hon. C. B. ADDERLEY, on rising to
respond, was received with loud cheers. He said—
It does my heart good to hear the toast of Lord
Derby and her Majesty's Ministers, among whom I
humbly serve, so heartily received by at least 600
of the good men of Coventry, to say nothing of the
galaxy of beauty which in large numbers surrounds
them in the gallery. I can say with perfect con-
fidence that there is nothing more to Lord Derby's
heart and nothing that his colleagues attach more
importance to than such associations as the present.
(Hear, hear.) A similar institution in Birming-
ham made me their medium of inviting Mr. Dis-
raeli a few weeks ago to a banquet which they pro-
posed in the Town-hall. 'AIL Disraeli's answer,
which was cordial, as it should be, was that he was
prevented from any possibility of accepting their
magnificent invitation at the present moment, but
that he hoped before long to have the honour of
being their guest. (Cheers.) I saw Sir John
Pakington this morning at Stoneleigh, and he told
me that he had a similar invitation from a similar
association in the city of York, which he is about
to attend in a few days from the present time. I
will now propose what is really the toast of the
evening, "Success to the Coventry Working Men's
Liberal-Conservative Association." (Loud Cheers.)
This class of associations arespringing up—recently
it is true, but yet vigorously and increasingly—in
all the principal towns and cities of this kingdom.
(Hear, hear.) Not only so, but they are springing
up entirely of their own accord, and without any
external influences. By this they show two things.
First, they express a genuine feeling felt throughout
the country ; and in the second place they, by the
occasion on which they hate sprung up, express a
special protest against what is going on. The
reeling that they so express is the feeling of Con-
servatism throughout this ccuutry, the love of order,
the reserve of the Celtic principle, the feeling of
common sense which animates Englishmen pos-
sessing the most enviable institutions in the world,
that it is better to leave gool alone, and that when
they are happy they do not wish for a change.
(Hear.) I recollect once pitting this question to
Mr. Cobden, "Do you not confess that the tendency
of Englishmen is Conservative ?" His answer was,
"Conservative is an expression hardly strong enough;
they are Chinese " ("hear, hear, and laughter)—
" and if our great grandmothers had put our grand-
fathers' infant feet into small shoes we should do
the same." (Hear, hear," and laughter.) I ventured
a joke upon the occasion, and said we should have
another corn law in that case. (Laughter.) He did
not take the joke—he was a practical man—but
he was perfectly justified in the opinion which he
expressed that there is no nation, and justly and
reasonably so, which is so tenacious of its own habits
and institutions. (Hear, hear.) So much for the
feeling which is expressed by these great associa-
tions. We have had Conservative associations for a
long time, but there must be something special which
has called into existence associations such as the
present. (Hear, hear.) This something is what I
call a protest against what is going on. The associa-
tions protest against that sham Liberalism which
has for some time been bawling about the country
—(laughter)--in the name of the people of England,
and especially in the name of the artisans and the
working classes. (Hear, hear.) These working
men's associations protest that the sham Liberals
have taken their names in vain and without their
consent—(hear, hear)—that they are a narrow clique
of agitators who inscribe the name of the people
upon their brazen trumpets. (Cheers. " The great
people of England," says Mr. Beaks, " must have
the public parks for their own use," notwithstanding
that the real people of England, when they have
spoken for themselves about public parks, protest
that they don't wish those parks for their own
particular purposes. " The people of England,',
says Mr. Bright, " must wrench their rights from a
hostile aristocracy," no matter the fact that all the
real people of England know perfectly well that
the people are with the aristocracy, and that the
aristocracy are of the people. (Hear, hear.) These
men inflate their class cant to assume a national
dimension, and by imputing to their opponents all
the vices which are common to human nature they
have gradually acquired all the egotism and into-
lerance which have spread bitterness and rancour
and animosity throughout the country generally.
(Cheers.) There is nothing so overbearing either
in religion or in politics as our " one-eyed" Re-
former—(hear, and laughter)—who claims to him-
self all the public virtues and all the wisdom in the
country, and who cannot conceive it possible that
anybody else should either wish or do anything for
his country's good, unless through his own parti-
cular view. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) There are
two great parties in the country —one in favour of
conservatism of what is, and the other who go in
for progress and change. (hear, hear.) The object
of these associations is to protest against the non-
sensical idea that there is any class in this country
which can claim to itself all the virtue and patrio-
tism, or that there is any other class which has all
the prejudice and the folly of this country. (Hear.)
in all the party struggles which this country has
yet seen there has been a spirit above all parties—
a spirit of patriotism, which in different views has
anitnated both. (Hear, near.) The revolutions in
English history have never been long subversive,
more than the bath struggles
but hAiidt:oll tothing
ti frer;ti generations of hereditary freemen among
us. (Cheers.) Mr. Cobden in the corn law agitation
said he did not believe the difficulty would result in
rtvulittihn; for the reason that tile• aristocracy of
thi'S ebtlutil alWaysktlest slieu to give ray. Wear.)
It n the same in the agitation fur eiecioi'al
reform. (Hear,. hear.) Mr. Bright, in one of his
recent speeches, said that for five and twenty
years he had h9llOl-ed hitnself td bepre .leinE on in
ah undeviating line for the pUblie good; but had
PAIRd all the 'oriel ritfjtiin tigainA
• ,• .„
k.uaugtiter.) llie intoxication ot egotism pi-Oci4 itces
the same effect that is commonly observed in con-
nexion with the intoxication produced by physical
alcohol—the victim of such intoxication imagines
not that he is falling down, hut that the paving
stones rise up and strike him. (tatigtitei..) T h e, Con-
-seryativo parts hate passed a bill for the country at
large whidh the prtifeSsed Liberals Wanted to secure
for one class alone, and, having done so, the Ve-
formers at once turned round and blamed them for
having passed the measure at all. I believe that
the most fortunate thing that could Lave happened
in the course of such a great question in this coun-
try is that the question has not been settled by the
victory c.,1 parties seeking power, but by concession
on the part of the power itself. The right hon.
gentleman having alluded to the American question,
ciancludA by saying—lt is all very well for parties

to struggle against the other in this great and free
country, but depend upon it that these Working
Men's Liberal Conservative Associations have hit
upon the right idea, which is that there exist certain
parties who may discuss various questions in the
proper Chamber of debate for the interests of the
country, but that there is one party supreme over all
—the great party of our common country. (Cheers.)
After various other toasts, the proceedings termi-
nated at a late hou, having been of a most enthu-
siastic character throughout.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.—This Day:

SII E RIFFS' C OUR r.
(Before Mr. Commissioner K.,:rr.)
DYER V. FILLET.

This was an action to recover for tie hire of
four carriages and pairs, defendant having paid a
sum on account, which he alleged was agreed upon.
Plaintiff said that he was a job-master, and de-
fendant acted in the same capacity, and upon a
certain occasion defendant hired four carriages and
pairs for a wedding. lie arranged to keep them a
certain time, from three to four hours, but he did
keep them six hours. He paid £6 when he hired
the carriages. This was not at all reasonable, con-
sidering the time he kept them.
Defendant said that he agreed with plaintiff to
pay so much for the job, and he was not tied down
to three hours. The fact was that the wedding
party wanted a drive after coming out of church,
and they were taken round the suburbs.
One of the coachmen was called, and deposed
that he drove to the house from which the wedding
party started at half-past 9 in the morning.
His Honour—Well, how long did the wedding
last ?
Coachman—l hardly know.

His Honour—l suppose it did not last from half-
past nine till 12 o'clock ?
Coachman—l think not. After the wedding the
parties wanted a drive, and they were driven about.
Defendant—Of course we could not drive a
wedding party about the streets of London, and it
had been arranged that they should go a little way
out.

His Honour asked plaintiff what time was agreed
upon ?

Plaintiff—From three to four hours, and they
kept the carriages six.

His Honour thought the charges were not un-
reasonable, considering the time the vehicles had
been kept ; but as there was some dispute about
one of the carriage windows being broken, the case
must be adjourned for evidence upon that point
only.