Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-09-26
The Coming Cromwell.

Charles Brsdlsugh, the leader of the English
radical republicans, has divulged to q World
Correspondent the plans and expectations of his
party. Bradlaugh fully expects to be President
OF the British Republic in 1876. He states that
lie Is only afraid the crisis will come too soon
that he is strong enough to pull down the mon
archy, but not strong enough % erect on its
ruins arepublic. According to Bradlaugh, there
are two great movements Of which he is the
head-one is the republican movement, the
other the free-thought, secular or infideI move
ment- TIE infdels are not all republicans,
however. There are now in Great Britain
sixty-eight avowed republican clubs, with
an aggregate membership OF 10000 men, and it
Is estimated that there are 900 ardent republi
cans in the kingdom outside of the infidel re-
publieans. There Is no central organization to
govern theSe associations, but Bradlaugh seems
to be held as the leader. Therepublican strength
Is made up Of artisans mainly; and almost
wholly in towns, as ''nOthiDg can be done with
the agricultural class" Bradlaugh, however
asserts that the farmers will make no trouble
when the revolution comes. He hopes that the
revolution may not come until 1876, but SAYS ii
may be precipitated at any moment--by the
death of the Queen, for instance, or by her
being oficially declared incapable Of longer ex-
ercising her duties by reason Of mental aliena-
they will have none of the dissolute, spendthrift
line Of princes torule them. The republic must
be proclaimed. The revolution need not be o
violent one. Parliament is all-powerful. What
one Parliament has done another may undo.
The reigning family holds the throne, not by
what is called "divine right" but by virtue of
an act Of Parliament. Parliament may repeal
this act, and the republic be set up peaceably;
but should Ii not, Ii will be attained "by blood
she'd"
Bradlaugh's republic does not seem to be alto
gether a wholesome one, according to American
ideas. He proposes to establish il on an infidel
basis, having no written constitution; there il
positively to be NO such thing as divine sane
tons OF law; the idea of any authority higher
than man himself, which may give laws to man,
Is to be abrogated; whatever laws are framed
are to rest solely on the authority OF the major
ity for the time being, and not on any idea that
q Supreme Being has ordained certain prin-
ciples of action with which these laws are in
harmony. Education is to be wholly secular,
divorced from all idea of duty to God Further.
Bradlaugh hints that sgrarianism- division
of the land among the people-will be an indis-
pensable feature Of the revolutionary pro-
gramme.
1t is apparent that Bradlaugh il a visionary.
and II Is quite certain that his model republic
must be repugnant to the thoughts and feelings
Of an immense majority Of the people of Great
Britain but il is not unlikely that he has a fol-
lowing in some of the large cities that makes
hIm an object Of some unessiness to the govern
ment- The large concessions made wear bv
year BY the ruling powers to the cause OF liberal
reform, shows that they recognize the fact that
if these privileges are not readily granted, the
people may reach out and take them. Infidel
Bradlaugh will probably never be President.
but Great Britain viii be virtually a republic
before many years, and doubtless in a perfectly
peaceful way.