The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-29
A PENNYWORTH OF ENGLISH RE
PUBLICANISM.
Frsm the London Saturday ReUietO.


The English Republicans differ from their
French fellows, or, as they prefer to call
them, 'brethren," in having no traditions
The Trade Unionists and tap-room orators of
the manufacturing boroughs can scarcely re-
cognize Cromwell as a practical interpreter of
their theory of the republic, nor can they ex-
pect the mass of Englishmen to accept Citi-
zen Tom Paine or Citizen Hunt as the
glorious ideals of the English politician of
the future. Neither that English republic
which actually did exist in the seventeenth
century, nor that English republic which
frantic minority wishAd To hiring into axist-
ence q generation ago, can ever inhame any
great proportion of the English people with
the fire and passion which the recollections of
80 and '92 can always awaken in the mass of
workmen in French cities. The founders of
our Republican clubs have neither political
nor literary English names to con jure with.
A slight perusal of the English Republican
organs by any person who has the least
acquaintance with French Republican jour
nalism will bring into cruel prominence the
deplorable poverty of our noisy little English
political sect in journalism. One chief bus-
ness of every Republican meeting appears to
be abuse of the London newspaper press. All
the daily journals, we are told, are in the
hands of the middle classes, and the con-
sciences of their editors and contributors are
regulated by the kings of the money market.
| A Republican club, or branch of the Land
| and Labor League, almost invariably meets
| in public-house so we Judge from all the
reports of their meetings in Reynolds Ne,oS-
paper. But whether the landlords grant the
regenerators of society talking-room, beer,
and tobacco, for love of the coming Republic,
or whether the regenerators of society spend
something out of their wages for ''the good
of the house." the reports do not say. A
Tobacco Parliament, as Mr.. Carlyle would
| tell them is at once so monarchical and so
| Prussian an institution that we can scarcely
believe that any true Republicans and
| lovers of the sacred nation of France
do their business amidst the fume
of pipes AS the Queen is the subject of the
first toast at the ordinary convivial meetings
in such places, the Republicans, possibly un-
able to hberate themselves completely from
the genius loci, are generally inspired to make
3he Queen the subject of their first resolution.
| She is the great robber of "the people.
Every Republican conceives that he is drink
ing half pint less beer, or smoking screw
less of tobacco, in consequence of her last
robbery of the working-classes by the dowry
of the Princess. Their next resolution runs
parallel with the next toast of the less august
societies who use the same room, and en-
braces all the royal family. The Prince of
Wales, thanks to the great crime of his sis
ter's dowry, has been let alone for the last
few weeks; but the like indulgence could moi
be expected for hisSchild. The EnglishR q
Publicans appear to be indignant alike at his
birth, at his title of 'infant prince" aud
at his funeral, which the penny-a
liner of their organ chronicles
under the heading ''Mummery al
Sandringham," in language SO revoltingly
vile and brutal that quotation is impossible
They discern, however, bright side in the
same event; for, in another part of the news
paper, under the hsading ''A Happy Re
lease, the childs death is thus recorded: -
''We have much satisfaction in announcing
that the newly-born child of. the Prince anC
Princess of Wales died shortly after its birth
thus relieving the working-classes of Eng
land from having to support hereafter anothe
addition to the long roll of State beggars the.
at present maintain" Our only apology TO
polluting our columns with this piece o
, rufianism is that it is we'll the public shoul'
, know what this "Republieanism" actually is
as represented by its accredited and favourit
D organ.
a A set of persons who call themselves tn
n ''Uniyersal Republicans" are, it seems, Gus
o lomers of the Lord Clyde Tavern, Vauxha
J, 6srdens-they might surely find some les
n arlsoeratic sign somewhere in the boroug
a OF Latnbeth-and address each other at thei
l. meetings as t'citizen." Their ambition I
receive some sort of title is evidently as grea
is as their eagerness to take the titles of othe