The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-03 00:00:00

LONDON, SAP:RIMY, NCI. 3, 1866.

Mr. BRIGHT has again appeared before an Irish
assembly, and last night he appeared before a meet-
ing of the working men of _Dublin. It is curious to
notice that the Irish members do not seem to sym-
pathise with the great political agitator, and that
they leave him nearly alone in his glory. Only one,
THE O'DONOOHLTE, was there last night. It is the

more extraordinary that this should be the case,
since Mr. BRIGHT loses no opportunity of descanting
upon the subject of Irish representation and its great
significance. He even went so far as to declare that
the Irish had more interest in the matter than

the Scotch or the English. The reason is that
they are so few in number to meet the members
they find on the other side of the Channel, and
these are also very unfairly distributed in " small
boroughs and different parts of the country, and in
counties under the thumb and finger of their land-
lords." After entering upon an analysis of the pre-
sent representative system in Ireland, Mr. BRICHIT
seemed to think it most faulty, as, indeed, what
representative system is not in his mind and ac-
cording to his mode of thinking? The boroughs are
too small, and the counties large, and, under the
peculiar circumstances and relations existing between
the landowner and the voter, there is scarcely anything
of freedom to be found. Mr. BRIGHT thinks that
the best proof that all is done in an unsuitable man-
ner may be found in the fact that the representa-
tives returned are not all Liberals. Like many
others who go to great extremes he confuses him-
self, and ends by admiring the very thing that in
accordance with his principles he should despise and
condemn. Thus, after some observations on the
ballot, which contained a good deal of truth, he
went on to illustrate his meaning more fully, and
cited " that new Parliament of North Germany,
which is about to be assembled, where every male
person of twenty-five years of age is to be
allowed to vote, and to vote by ballot." If all
the changes and alterations so much vaunted are
to lead us in the same direction as the Prussians
have taken we had better stop as we are until we
understand a little more clearly what we are about,
and what it is we are driving at. After describing
his plans a little while in a comparatively calm
manner, Mr. BRIGHT launched out into his usual
style of violence. " You have your wrongs to com-
plain of," exclaimed he—" wrongs centuries old."
How unsuitable it is thus to persist in making out
everything to be so hopelessly bad in the regulation
of Irish affairs, and how unwise it is to keep on
exciting people in this manner, and perverting facts
to answer a purpose instead of quietly and cautiously
dwelling upon matters of such vital interest and vast
importance to the community to whom they were
addressed. We should think by this time that every
one must be pretty well aware of the sentiments
which Mr. BRIGHT entertains about the character
and condition of our present Parliament, but he
seems to consider that he cannot reiterate the opi-
nion too often. Then we meet with this passage,
which might Le called a stereotyped phrase in his
speeches at monster meetings—" Now I hold,
without any fear of contradiction, that the
intelligence and the virtues of the people
of Breat Britain and the people of Ireland are not
represented in the Imperial Parliament." This very
prejudicial notion of Mr. BRIGHT'S accounts, we
think, in a great measure for the loss of his prestige,
and if his influence has greatly diminished among
those who are themselves influential, it is because
he is so bitter and one sided in all the estimates he
takes of public matters. He is in such a hurry to
say what is wrong that he sometimes forgets to tell
us what is the right course to pursue. The chief
object of his appearing in public, so far as we can
judge, seems to be to rail at the views of the upper
classes. States are not remodelled by this means,
nor are laws amended and reforms readily carried
out.

Really, if we were to take these observations au
pied de la lettre, we might fairly conclude that Mr.
BP.IGHT advocates the scheme of Chartism, and
would apportion estates and riches throughout the
world in an equal manner. " I do not believe in
the neceesity of wide-spread and horrible misery ; I
do not believe that we were placed in this island,
and on this earth, that one man might be great,
and wealthy, and glorying in every profuse indulg-
ence, and 'dye or six or nine or ten men suffering
from the abject misery which we see too com-
mon in the world." We may well inquire
how a great deal of this can seasonably be avoided.
Except in a savage state perfect equality cannot be
maintained, and it is quite idle to speak to working
men in a civilised city after this fashion. It may
irritate the repining among them, it may excite the
passionate, but it can never impress the thoughtful
or convince the sensible. Above all, it can never
be the way to make them willing to do their duty
in the station where Pnov IDENCE has placed them ;
and thus it is a mischievous argument to employ.
Mr. BRIGHT, in illustrating some of his theories,
said that there were some questions which you may
settle in your own house, without having even the
country referred to. You may settle that that
which is just, is just everywhere, and so on. Why
does he not carry out this theory himself when he
is descanting upon the various classes of the com-
munity? Why are all of high rank and wealth and
standing to be stigmatisd and denounced, and why
are the lower classes to be raised so high ? We
know
know that there faul
ists abound in all places, and we
which the unlettered na
no d toyortariai
innye d scoa n great s ae
when
they are excited. Another part worthy of notice
zisr claims for himself the
insiertihtis.o f l‘hiarv: g
all rolitical life long been
the devoted champion of Ireland and the defender
When he entered the House of
of Irish rights.
Commons the most prominent figure he saw there
was DANIEL O'CONNELL. We do not know if he
wished his hearers to think that the mantle of the
great Liberator had fallen upon himself in preference
to others native to the soil, but they might occa-
sionally infer it if they liked, Now it seems strange
to look back to the time of the " famine" in Ire-
land, and to notice) the very peculiar statements
then made by one who has always been so seriously
in favour of the Emerald Isle. In the time
of trouble he thus commented on the character of
The Irish are idle, and
tthheereafflioriectesdtarpvienogpl;e :—"
starving, and therefore rebel-
lious." It would be, however, surprising if a man
who speaks so hastily
commit himself, andatel yasAl
r.
BRIGHT, did not often se
there-
forehimseil.
it is
lavphiattyafsosrurhanincie
ctaonadrroohgeateeoteoso,
wmhuacthlanto-
guage can do in the way of vituperationtha he etheem,p,
"plans
and we hear, without much surprise,
and theories of his opponents and their legislation
have failed deplorably, disastrously, ignominiously."
He has, therefore, acquired a right to offer to the
people of Ireland a new policy, which is to be wise
and just, reform all abuses, and prevent future in-
justice. • It might have been expected that it would
take some time to effect this ; but, on the contrary,
we hear that Mr. BINGIIT's "mission is o'er," and
that he has taken leave of his new friends, having,
to use his own words, " said his say." We wish
that in giving expression to his views he had been
more moderate, and then those lie addressed might
somella o
beftter memories of his stay than the re-
collectiontlne speeches, but no real solidity
in them, and
an excitement that sought to
condemn persons more than to keep to facts.
It has always been the error of those who professed
to serve Ireland that they Went too much to ex-
tremes; and Mr. BRIGHT, instead of setting a wise
example in this particular, has apparently set out
with the intention of being pia: Ara e ple l'Arabe,

which object he has achieved with a success that
does not always wait on merit, and with a zeal
which, .bowever well meaning, has certainly outrun