The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-26 00:00:00

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Banquet to Mr. Bright, M.P.
The members of the Northern Department of the
Reform League entertained Mr. John Bright, M.P.,
to dinner last night at the Albion Hotel, Manchester.
The chair was occupied by Mr. E. Hooson, the pre-
sident, and a magistrate. The gentlemen present
were Mr. Edmond Beales, Lieut.-Col. Dickson,
Alderman Rumney ; Messrs. Jacob Bright, Ernest
Jones, E. 0. Greening, H. M. Steinthal, S. Watts,
jun. ; the Rev. S. A. Steinthal, the Mayor of
Ashton, &c.
The first toast was, " The Leaders of the People,
John Russell and William Ewart Gladstone."
The CHAIRMAN then gave "The Health of John
Bright," which elicited the most enthusiastic cheer-
ing, the toast being drunk standing.
Mr. BiziGuT, M.P., on rising to respond, was again
greeted.with prolonged plaudits. In the course of his
speech the hon. member said :—Now there are dif-

ferent platforms ; there are very great differences in
the religious world ; but still the religious world pro-
poses to itself to march on to one common end.

There are differences in this school of politics—the
Reform school. But still we may all march on to
one common end, which is a real representation of
the people in tip,. establishment of popular power as
supreme in this country. (Hear, hear.) Now, al-
though we some of us differ, I believe the difference
arises from this :—Many believe that something less
than the proposition of the League is sufficient, not
only for the purposes of the League, but of all re-
formers. That is sufficient to make the House of Com-
mons a true representative of the people. Well, I
believe that the middle class of this country, speaking
of them in any way that you like, by any kind of
measurement or ascertainment of their opinions—my
own honest opinion is that they would consider at

this moment that a bill that advanced as far as
household suffrage was in itself, considering all the
interests and opinions of the country, a wiser mea-
sure for a Minister to propose than that of manhood
suffrage, aacUlat they believe that it would give to
the country a really honest Parliament. (Hear.)
My view of the whole question of these differences
is this—that when one sees a real movement some-
thing grand in its proportions, powerful for the
gaining of results, the plan of a sensible man who
wants to do something, and does not want to split
hairs, is to take with that movement, to help it, and
to make the best of it, and to get all the good he
can out of it. (Cheers.) I was sorry to find from
the papers the other day that some friends of mine
—I refer most to one Whose letter I read—in the
West Riding of Yorkshire take a different view of
this matter. I read a very fine, and, I am sure,
a most conscientiously dictated letter from Mr.
Baines, the member for Leeds, to the committee who
are organizing a great meeting that is to take place
in the West Riding. He declined the invitation to
attend the meeting, on the ground that he was not
in favour of manhood suffrage. I don't blame any
one for holding such an opinion. lam not in
favour of manhood suffrage, as against household
suffrage. (Rear, hear.) But the people of Leeds
or the West Riding don't want to commit Mr.
Baines to manhood suffrage by his attending the
meeting. lam not committed to-day any the more
because I have attended the meetings. So far as I
have seen of the working men in connexion with this
movement I find them tolerant in a high degree and
asmc
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honestlyaild
behlr
eoa ntnee us
mt and I
ydbr
effre respectfulfriendly of and to all those who
ohme
mt
ottthoheemt
admission
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They would admit all to work, and we should all
work on with perfect unanimity up to the point
where the work parts from us and falls into other
hands. Make this movement as large as you like ;
carry it on from the West Riding to Nor-
thumberland and Durham ; from there to
Glasgow ; after it has exhibited itself in
Glasgow, perhaps at the beginning of the
year it may reappear in greater proportion
than ever in London. (Hear, hear.) But, let it
take any proportions that you please, finally it will
become a question for the deliberation of 12 or 15
men, who are the Queen's immediate advisers, what
shall be the precise measure presented to Parliament •
They will have to consider that what is called the
Conservative opinion of the country—the timid opi-
nion. (A laugh.) I am not speaking now of those
who are passionately against all Reform, and who
hate the very name of popular power, but I speak of
the section much larger than lies between us and
them, who are quiet stay-at-home people, who pro-
bably read their newspaper, and have as good a feel-
ing towards the working man as any of us have, but
who have not sufficiently considered this question,
who are not courageous enough in spirit to join in
a great movement like this, but when a Cabinet
come to discuss a measure to submit to Parliament
they must necessarily take into consideration all this
amount of opinion. Well, now, with great defe-
rence to my friend Mr. Baines, for whom I have a
most unfeigned respect, and whose services in con-
nection with this question can hardly be over-esti-
mated, I am very sorry that he and others have not
found it consistent with their views of duty to at-
tend these meetings, to give to them all the support
in their power, to make of the whole Reform feeling
and opinion of the country one grand and powerful
force, because, depend upon it, the resistance which
we have by us is not easily to be surmounted, for we
shall not, in all probability, cut off the enemy in de-
tachments, and unless we meet in some form and shape
I know not how it is possible we can eventually
triumph. (Hear.) I believe the time is coming when
this question must belaid hold of by a Government,
and that Parliament will feel that it dare not treat
it in future as it has treated it in the past. These
great meetings, as Mr. Mill very justly said, were
not meetings so much for discussion as they were
meetings for demonstration of opinion, and, if you
like, I will add for exhibition of force. (Cheers.)
Such exhibitions; if they be despised and disre-
may become exhibitions of another
force. Now, I have been insulted in past
tkgiiamnrdedse,odfnot a little in this very city, that .I was in
favour of peace at any price. I always said that I
was not in favour of war at any cost, which I think
10 years ago my opponents were. (Hear.) I belieVe
that however much any of us may abhor the thought
that political questions in any country should ever
again be settled by force, yet there is something in
the constitution of our nature that when these evils
are allowed to run on beyond a certain period unre-
dressed that the most peace-loving of men are un-
able to keep the peace. (Ilear.) And bear this in
mind—that, however much we may wish political
questions to be settled by moral means, yet it is no
more immoral for a people to use force in the last
resort for the obtaining and the securing of freedom
than it is for a Government by force to suppress and
deny that freedom. (Loud cheers, the audience
rising.) I must ask pardon of my friends here for
touching upon what may be termed " abstract prin-
ciples." (Laughter.) We are, doubtless, a very
long way—longer than can be measured, I hope--
from the time when it will be necessary seriously to
consider questions of that nature. (Rear, hear.)
I think that the question was settled in 1832 whether
the changes which may be necessary in the govern-
ment of the United Kingdom can be accomplished
by peaceable means, or whether force will be neces-
sary for their completion. In conclusion, Mr. Bright
expressed a hope that when Mr. Beales and his
League friends returned, they would show to the
powers that be, to the Government that is, and to
the Government that shortly, he hoped, would be
(loud cheers) that the question of Reform had taken
deep root in the minds of the people, and that Par-
liament might as well shut its doors for every other,
kind of legislation whatsoever until it consented to
pass a bill that should satisfy the just and moderate
expectations of the people.
The hon. member resumed his seat amid loud
cheering, and the proceedings shortly' afterwards
terminated.

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