The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-07-12
what John bright Has seen.-A strII.
iuE Picture of EunItsh TI6a

Hall, in London, on the 25lh of June,
as follows: s....
! r - From my youth upwards I
have had before my eyes, as you have
had before yours, almost everywhere,
and nowhere more than in this city,
great wealth, great luxury, remarkable
refinement and very high degree of
educationi and almost close alongside
of this I have seen great poverty, fear
full degradation, and also an.ignorance
so profound that 1t was almost imposSi-
BILE to measure or to fathom IL, Now, /
have believed that nation which
could make so many rich, and so many
refined, and so many instructed, might,
If II were to examine its own affairs,
and to manage them, lessen the number
OF those who were in poverty, in degrR-
dHtion and in ignorance; and / have
been strongly ofopinion that IL the Par
Lament of the country more broadly
represented what will call the indus
try, the intelligence and the virtue of
the entire people-if God has given 10
men power to govern themselves we'll,
and to improve their position upon this
earth; possibly, IL we had a Parliament
so formed, We might raise vast multi
tudes of our people from condition
which was one of misery to them and
ted 1t.
"Now, thought the House of Com
mons was built on too narrow a basis;
that in many things, and particularly
because by reason of the extreme eX-
pensiveness OF elections many of Its
members hardly represented anybody,
II was to considerable extent corrupt,
and that what may be called the health
of the House was not by any means in
satisfactory condition. Well, this
was, you know, denied, and 1t was de-
MED most stoutly by men who sat OPP
posite to me last year and who sit oppo-
site TO me now. lLauGhter.l They
said there was no such House in the
world, no Constitution or Government
which had done SO many good things,
no representation which was so exact y
voice of the mind OF the wbols people
OF the country. [Hear. hear.l They
denied the truth of the statements
which had made, not having examin-
ed the matter as 1 had done, and said
that which, doubtless, they had a right
to say, because they believed il TO be
true. (Hear, hear.l
"Well, now il is curious that those
gentlemen to whom refer have con-
was right. No, no. They have not
only adopted, especially with regard to
the main point of the great question
that has been under discussion, my
views with respect to the health OF the
patient, but they have actually stolen,
or borrowed without acknowledgment,
my prescription. A laugh, aud cries
OF No, mol We are nearly all agreed
in the House of Commons on this mat
ter now, and think il was not unrea-
sonuble to suppose there might be con-
siderable agreement here; but II there
be any gentleman here who thinks
am Overstating the case, can only
lnu "A him IN nhaaFVa what IIl-
ring the rest of the session, and perhaps
by the end Oft he may come to the CON
clusion at which l have arrived.
tCheerS.l There is one thing beg TO
state to the two or three gentlemen who
seem rather to differ from me, and 1t is
this-that the House of Commons, with
regard TO all the boroughs of England
and Wales, has now established fran
chise which is lower than any franchise
that exists in the Northern States Of the
American Republici and this, after
have been charged for many years
with wishing to Americanize our insti-
tutions, has been done by those gentle
men who brought that charge against
me. [Hear, hear.
Nov, lest / should be misunder-
stood, let me explain thar the reason
why say that the franchise is lower
here than there is, that we have uDfor-
tuDately in this country a larger num-
Der OF the population whoare poor, and
ignorant, and dependent, than can be
found in any corresponding number of
population throughout the heretofore
free States OF the American Republic.
Therefore say that the franchise which
we have established is lower than that
which exists there. Now 1 do not pre-
tend TO say-I think most people are
rather puzzled to conjecture-whRt
within the next ten or i've years may
be the result of what has been done. /
believe that there is great and solid
goud in all classes of the people of this
country. Hear, hear. Ny own i'm
preston is that in the highest class,
that of high titles and privileges and
great wealth, there has been an
amazing advancement In everything
that is creditRble to that class during
the last thirty years. ICheers.l But
could not withhold the expression Of
the same opinion with regard to what
has transpired among the middle or
among the working classes. believe
that from the highest in the land, down
almost to the very lowest, there has
been a great increase of general knowl-
edge, and great increase Of kindness
between man and man; and that We are
at this moment more ready than we
have been at any former period wisely
to admit great numbers OF the popula-
tion to the exercise of the franchise and
OF political power. [Hear.l
"The session OF 1861 will, / believe, be
memorable to a very late period, and
memorable for the conversion OF great
party. A lAugh.l L trust and believe
that that party, having abandoned its
ancient position OF resistance on this
great question, will consider its posi-
ton with regard to some other Ques-
tiOns. [HeaT, bear.l And hope that
in future we shall have in the House OF
Commons, taking the whole House and
both sides of IL, less obstinate resist
ance to hear, heaIl-
and more of a fair and candid consider
alton OF all the arguments that may be
submitted to it on the questions that
are brought under confederation
| THear, hear.1 think the result OF what
mas been done will be TO open a wider
field for the intellect and energies of the
| people; and here 1 take upon myself to
say that think we may hope with con-
| fdence that those who come after US,
| looking back at our proceedings during
this eyentful year, will have no reason
to condemn the course that we have
taken"
IT is gala year, not for France
alone, but for all Europe; and not for
Prince and Pontif merely, but for the
people. The reviews, the pageants,
fairs, singing festivals, shooting match
es, which summer always brings, are
this year doubly brilliant. In London,
they are talking of monster volunteer
review; in Hungary they still celebrate