The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-14 00:00:00

I talking to me about America. In England a, man
can say pretty well what he likes, and can do what
he pleases, so long as he does not interfere with his
neighbovr. This is a rational. freedom: (Cheers.)
But there one thingwh NI I hope for in a reformed.
Parliathent. ' I Mean economical government. 13ut,
before you expect a reformed Parliament, 'you must
reform y ourselves. 'I don't think (venom's- Will
come from £lO householders. The old Parii;-`tment
had an expenditure---I was going to • say- not half
so heavy as this, and since the deform Bill, or the.
;C,lO householders voted, the expenditure has
increased every year. One thing I must remark
as to the composition of administrations. It
was fancied when the last Reform Bill was intro-
duced that the aristocratic portion of the 'Legisla-
ture would for the future have no monopoly of the
governing power.' But I recollect that in the first
Reform Parliament when. - Mr. •Gisborne said, " I
hope now Mr. Hume, Mr. Warburton, and Mr.
Grote will be members of the Government," it was
received by the whipper-snappers of the aristocracy
with yells of contempt. Mr. Hume you all know ;
Mr. Warburton was a great man, and had all that
constipated a great man. Mr. Grote has made a
namifor himself, -and has added another wreath to
the laurels which have been gained for England by
writers. He is the historian of Greece. He was
trained to government, and yet there was not a
whippersnapper of the aristocracy but what turned
up his nose at him. (Cheers and laughter.) But
a great change has come over the House. 'We are
not now, wedded to the notion, that there arc only
three* men who can take the government of the cowl,
try—Palmerston, Russell, and Derby. It is sup-
posed that amen k the 20,000,000 of Englishmen a
Prime Minister cannot be foundbesides these three.
When.l first went into Parliament, sanguine, full
of hope, and as I fancied; studied the science of govern-
ment, I was shocked at what I found to be the feel-
ing of persons who. represented the-great northern
hives of industry and the city of London. They
were the representatives of the large constituencies
of the country, and I always found them like what
Cobbett said of Sir F. Burdett, poking his' kn ees into
the back of the Prime Minister. (Laughter.) Take
any locality you please. You want representa
tive—vou look about and find a well-to-do man -
More than 50 years of age, and you send him head-
hing into an assembly -of critics, the most acute,
that the world. el;er saw, with feelings alive to.
everything liidicrouS. The man•gets up. He makes
an attempt at a speech, and is laughed at. He per-
haps leaves out a " h," and a shout of derision runs
through the house; Down ,he sits, and his mouth
is closed, for - ever. (Cheers and laughter.) .That
accounts in a great, measure for what you must-
have all remarked, that you are not represented in
the House of Commons in a way to give you the
Weight you ought to have. The wealth, the in-
dustry, the intelligence, the acuteness of the north
4are they to be found in your representative in the
House 'of 'Commons ? No. Does London, that great
mart of the whole world, send members who, are an
himour to the• House of Commons ? I say, no. Well,
then,l 'ask, what can you possibly' expect from a
refermed•House of Commens if you -do not prepare
Men to go into that house capable of discharging
their duty as your representatives, and not merely
rich men that all their lives' have been engaged in
the accumulation of wealth, and wholinew as much
about gpvernment as Ido about China. (Cheers.)
You must send fit men to represent you. I have
observed that the great classes of the north aid
turning their attention to it... They are now train-
ing young men up to be the equals of -the gentry
who go to OXford and Cambridge—(cheers)—and
when they are so they Will- step into their
proper places. England will be duly repre-
sented,
and you will have a manufactur-
ing population represented by educated manu•
factuters—men who Can take their places by
the side of any man, no , matter how great may be
his name or lineage. Until you have such edu-
cated men as your representatives, depend upon it
no Reform-Bill will be what you wish. I will now
turn to another point. "Do I believe that the Re-
fcrm Bill will bethe greatbusiness ofthe session ?" I
do not believe it will, and I will tell 'you why. Eng-
land started in the race of government with the great
nations of Europe pretty much upon an equality.
There was 'a certain degree Of freedom in all. Years
went on, and fortune favoured England, but did
not favour . the 'continent of -Europe. The result
has been that England stands alone among the
great powers of Europe as the hope of our common
hunianity. DeSpotism reigns in 'Austria, France,
PriiSsia, Russia, and in Italy. We are lying on the
outside efEurope, and the jealous eye of eery po-
tentate of Europe is upon us. We have a difficulty
in maintaining our position ; all the world of tyranny
watches England, which is the great light of man-
kind. (Cheers.) Depend upon it, we are on the eve
of great changes in Europe. During the disastrous
year of 1848 the population of Europe rose up against
these despotisms, but were so totally incapable of
governing themselves, that it has ended, as you have
seen in France, enlightened and great as she is, in
a pitiful despotism. (Hear, hear.) With France we
have been allied, and with her we are now upon
good -terms. But every turn of the wheel is watched
in order to do us harm. We are insulted wherever
we can be. If there is a question upon which Eng:
lishmen have been alive for the last half century it
has been the slave trade. At last our great and
friendly ally has cast in our face an insult such as
England never before bore. Well, we did bear it ;
and I suppose we shall hear a good deal more. But
if you give .a foot you will be asked to give a yard.
Stop at once.- Say,—No, we will not retreat. We
have intended the good of mankind by our protec-
tion of the unfortunate slave, and we; will, under
Providence, continue that protection, and woe be to
him who attacks us. (Loud cheers.) As I came down
from London to-day I watched with anxiety on my
arrival here to know whether there had been an
electric telegram. I was anxious because'Europe is
on the eve of war. Depend upon it, our foreign re-
lations next year will interfere :With our domestic
concerns. I therefOre entreat you not to misappre-
hend the doin.g.s of your representatives. I and my
hon. colleague shall do all we can-to forward your
views ; but they will be crossed—l do not believe he
fancies so, but I am sure of it—by censiderationi of
our foreign relatiomi England will find that she
cannot touch pitch without being defiled. Our
alliances ought to be with freedom everywhere.
(Cheers.) A despot; however he may have gained
his poWer, ought to be to us a despot still. With
France as a people let us be in alliance. She is a
iillant and great nation; and has been a light to
mankind, as we have been ; but she has not an ex-
ample of good government. We have seen consti-
tutional government in France trodden out by the
hard heel of an unblushing despot. Constitutional
government has been put down, England has been
insulted, and every poaible attempt has been made
by- that despot to ally himself with the Powers of
Europe, tyrannical as they are. Depend:upon it the
pretence now made of aiding and assisting Italy is
a mere pretence to march down his praetorian
hordes upon that greet country. He will erect in
the place of the eagle of Austria the eagle efFrance.
I have no faith in a man who has perjury on his
lips. (Cheers.) I recollect when at Cherbourg, see-
ing the Emperor of the French visit the Queen of
England. It was a great sight. • Everything was
there to excite and rouse the buoyant spirits of men.
I saw that man mount the steps which led to our
noble Queen's vessel, and when I saw'his perjured
lips upon her hallowed cheek my blood rushed to
my heart to think of that holy and good creature
being defiled by the lips'of a perjured despot. (Loud
cheers and huzzas.) The sight which I then beheld
was a type of England. She was in alliance with
this clespot,---she, the great light of mankind, whose
writers, philosophers, whose mechanics, every man
of us, have been working in the great cause of
humanity. England is 'upon a pinnacle at which
the world wonders—many admire, and still more
envy. She is great because she is good. tHear.)
But, depend upon it, no alliance with • foulness can
be made without foulness- attaching to the ally. I
say at once that rather than be the ally—the active
ally of a despot' like Louis Napoleon, I would at
once break away from him. (Hear.) England alone
can withstand all his anger and all his power, but '
you must support your Government in that great
move. If • you do that, we need not fear, though
the world stood in arms against us.. I have pretty
nearly .explained all I want to explain. Mark me
well. I have told you that the Reform Bill will
not be the great business of the session. You must
be prepared forithat ; and, being prepared for that,
go you steadfastly on to the great end. You have
a view. (Hear.) Be determined to obtain reform,
and you will obtain it. Tell your representatives
what you think. I have your statement in the
petition. With the petition I agree ; and, so far as
it is concerned, Sheffield will be thoroughly repre-
sented by my hon. colleague and myself. In many
other matters I fear it will be very inefficiently re-
presented. (The lon, gentleman resumed his seat
amid loud applause.)
Mr. HaDFIELD---It is not in my power to say
with my hon and learned colleague that the little
clique that disturbed us this evening has not dis-
turbed me. I must confess also that what I have
just heard has placed me in a difficulty. I meant