Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-08-15

speech is now more than ever agitating the peo-
pie Of England. The tories succeeded recently
in defeating the Russell Gladstone Ministry in
their efforts to enlarge the franchise. and the
ministry at once resigned. The people, how
ever, have not given up the contest. The lead
ers of the reform party are determined that the
power of that portion of the laboring class OF
England, at present shut out from any par,ici-
patton in government, shall be felt, and they
propose public meetings to express the deter
mination of this DISTINGUISHED class 10 demand
of the government the ballot. A meeting of
this sort was called not long since to assemble
in Hyde Park, no building being large. enough
to hold the immense gathering expected. The
government authorities forbade the assemblage
in that place, on the pretext that public
park it must not be used for political meetings.
This prohibition greatly exasperated the people,
and although the meeting, after being shut out
of the park, was held in another place, the null
titude, in spite of the police and the military,
broke into HYDE Park and destroyed nearly al
the railing about it.
After the police had forbidden the holding
of the meeting in Hyde Park, John Bright
wrote the following letter:
RoCHDALE, July 10.
DEAR Sir Il thank your Council for the
invitation to the meeting intended to be held in
Hyde Park on Monday next.
| cannot leave home for some days to come,
and therefore cannot be in London on the 23d
instant.
l see that the Chief of the Metropolitan Po-
lice force has announced his intention to pre-
vent the holding of the meeting. 1t appears
from this that the people may meet in the parks
for every purpose but that which ought to be
most important and most dear to them. To
meet in the streets is inconvenient, and to meet
in the parks is uulawful-this is the theory of
the police authorities of the metropolis.
You have asserted your right to meet on
Primrose Hill and in Trafalgar Square. hope
after Monday next no one will doubt your right
to meet in Hyde Park.
you, and il millions of intelligent and homes.
men are denied the franchise, on schat fomnda
tio~ does Our Liberty rest - there IN the coun
try any liberty but the liberation Of the ruling
class? This is q serious question, but it is nee
essary to ask it, and some answer must be given
to it am, very respectfully yours,
JOHN BRIGHT
Mr.. Geo. Howell, Sec. to the Reform League,
Adelphi Terrace, Strand.
John Stu-rt Mill. in discussing during dis
cussion in the House Of Commons, respecting
this exclusion Of the people from public park,
and the attempt on the.part of the government
to .tiAe free speech, is reported as having used
the following severe and admonitory language
Mr.. Mill thought that noble lords and hon
oYable gentlemen on the ministerial side of the
House did not fully estimate the extreme Sc
riousness of the occasion, and the direful conse
queues which might result from the step which
they had taken He would not discuss the
question as to the right of the people to meet
in Hyde Park the government had the opinion
of good lawyers to the country, and he believed
the government thought they we're acting quite
rightly when they resolved to exclude the peo-
pie; but he would add that lawyers we're not
all of one mind upon the subject, and that in
his opinion if the people had not the right to
meet in the parks they ought to have it. He
maintained, however, that when application was
made for permission to hold the meeting, it
should have been granted, and that if the people
really believed they had the right to meet in
the park, that belief formed q reason under the
circumstances for granting the request ten thou
sand times rather than refusing it once. TIE
people were already in an excited state upon
another subject, and the government might rea-
sonably have expected that if the people were
refused the simple request they made, conse-
quences such as had happened would have re-
suited. II the people we're not permitted to
meet in the parks, where, he asked, could they
meet with lees interruption to the traffic or in
convenience to the inhabitants of the metropo-
LISP Trafalgar Square could not be said to be
more convenient for a meeting than che park
md h0 AZ cd hal in
one of them once in every two or three years
would cause one-thousandth part of the inter
Fuption to the ordinary uses to which park
was put than was caused by q volunteer review
The Home Secretary had assured them that he
had no objection to the holding of such meet
ings in proper places and at proper times, but
he did not describe what we're the proper times
and places; and already the newspaper scribes
Who we're supporting the government we're de-
claring that no open air meetings ought to be
tolerated in the metropolis. He adrised the
goveyxxent to adopt that declaration, and he
promised them tint in such an euent they t0ouid
haze to encounter resistance Of q re,y difsreni
hSd from that they had a. get encountered
Noble lords and right honorable gentlemen op.
posite could be congratulated on having brough,
about piece Of work last night which would
require wiser men than they we're to eface
1t had been the anxious wish of ell well-wishers
of their country, that the necessary changes il
the constitution of this country should be made
If possible, without the least alienation or il
blood between the governing classes and the
governed. The present government, however
seemed to be determined, as far as depends up
on them. that this anxious desire should b,
frustrated. 1t was we'll known that a kind O
people existed who could do more mischief il
an hour than could be mended in lifetime
Her Majesty's present advisers seemed to b,
deslrous Of having their names inscribed il
company with the names of those illustriou
mischief-makers.
The attitude Of the present British Ministr,
toward the reform question. and the reform r
in England. 6ud striking parallel in the posi-
ton of the President and his cabinet in thi
country in respect to the enlargement of sui
frage at the South. Both are hostile to an ex
tension Of suffrage to q large class Of those no,
deprived Of il. Both affirm that such an ez
tension would be dangerous to the stability c
our institutions. A meeting to discuss til
matter in London is dispersed BY the police an
military, and convention to discuss The subjec
in New Orleans 10 declared unlawful by th
President and with his aid and oountenance
dispersed by the police and the mob. Thus v
have the spectacle Of the government Of th
republic, striking hands With the rebels, and b
force aiding to sti6e free speech and crush on
liberal and progressive idess of government i
this country at the same moment that the toris
of England are resorting to the same nsthod
e. 1-x-~e - ~ -;>sd. n