The Van Buren press., 1873-10-21
0UsTING QUEEN VICTORIA.
Charles Bradlaugh's Arrangement Of the
British Ar,stooracy--M Met With
the Word Lie Uproar
in Steinway Hall.
From the New Yorh sun, l,b.

| hall, sud for au Lour OF more WAS listen
ed to with rapt attention by q well filled
house
| at is not to bc denied, said the
speaker, THAT republicanism in England
has fair chance for ultimate success.
Republican clubs are in active operation
! all over the ceautry, hut particularly in
! tue a,tisan dtstricts IN the midland coun.
ties and the strength Of their sentiment
was well shown at tho great meeting in
the town. hall Of Birmingham, when only
fifteen hands were raised against the pre-
posed adoption of republican institutions
There was time when any attempt to
hold meeting in favor of the adoption
af republican principles was met with de
tcrmined opposition in my country, but
nowadays the right is admitted even by
such exponcnts of public opinion as the
| London Times. Prosecution was threat
ened at FIRST, but have beaten tho gov
srumcnt SO often that they prefer now to
! leave the reformers alone.
The movement which am here to a).
prove and forward is not a communistic
movement You may goad with the pen
and wound with the sword, but society
cannot be changed except by generations
Of training Ii is not an International
movement, although VIC earnestly desire
to SEQ all nations Of the earth in friendly
communication, and as one on the great
social questions OF the day. 1t is not in
tornatienal in the strict sense OF the term,
because we believe aud know that no fix
ed programme of politics will suit the
people Of all countries. Oar movement
seeks to make n republic in our own
country. When inaugnrated the move
mcnt in England was laughed at. How
could we have republic without revo-
luton was asked NJ. answer then, rs
now, was: We have no have written con.
stitution. No statute that 10 passed by
parliament is unlawful, and every act of
parliament becomCs part of the consti.
tuition, which is always changing where
AS, with you, evory legislative act must,
in the first plaza, be in accord with the
spirit Of your constitution. which Is the
settled foundation Of your government
policy Our monarchy is not hereditary.
Since tho time OF William the Con
querer there have been thirtysix mon.
archs on the throne Of Great Britain. or
these twenty have assembled by act Of par
Lament, and only sixteen BY hereditary
right The nrcsent rciguing family are
not in power by right, but by ST tutc, In
1883 you and we had bad king iou
were so lucky as to get rid Of HIN, but We
were saddlod with him for long time af-
terward He was mono the worse for bo Z
ing a mad king, for don't think that he
could have worked more mischief had he
been as shrewd ar - solomon Laughter
and applause We have descendants Of
that mad monarch over us yet, aad take
the ground that they have no legal right
to rule England They were not placed
in power by act OF parliament, nor do
they rule by hereditary right. Eminon,
jurists have declared that parliament has
the power to exclude the monarch from
the throne, and If ever there was call for
the exercise Of that power it is now AL
though am in favor Of 4 republic in
England, do not want it to come
dread not the effect, bu, the cause that
must lead to the change. The misery, tho
degradation, the poverty Of the agriculta
raj classes will bring it about too soon.
We have NO land to till Ono hnf OF
England's soil, one half Of lrsland's, one
half Of Scotland's, and one half Of Wsles'
is in tho hands of ouly one hundred aud
sixty families, and four ffths Of Scot
lands broad acres arc owned by only
twelve families, and in the latter country
pauperism is rapidly increasing. We
! have Ii, 1000, 000 acres OF waste laAd--not
land given up TO mining, to marshes, and
TO public roads, but good arabic land
that is held in the hands of the rich aris-
toeracy, who do nothing to make it pro-
ductive.
"Whcn her majesty ascended the
throne the land OF Great Britain paid
CAT 600, 600 taxes now it pays S75, ,000,.
900 Two hundred years ago land paid
two Gfths Of tho taxes of the country /;
to-day it pays less than one seventy.
fifth. What we want is fair division Of
the public domain among those who have
a right to it aud will make it profitable
do not, like Joseph Arch. call upon
English farmers to rush to America. ]
/ WIFI tUcIIl W stay ~ uomc aHu uS'cioI'
the resources Of their own country. But
in order to do this they must he aided by
the government +"
Before closing his lecture, Mr.. Brad.
laugh said he would be happy To reply to
any questions asked by tho audience,
whcreupon q stout person with very
red face rose aud attempted speech. Mr.,
Bradlaugh very courteously invited the
stout person 10 take = stand on the plat
form, to which elevated position he was
raised after some little difficulty by two
young giants, amid the good naturod
laughter Of tho audience
As soon as he got his sea legs on, the
red.fa gentleman took from bis peck
OF the black cover OF y sermon book and
using this Us baton with which to mark
time, ho thus launched forth
"Mr Bradlaugh has stated that the
aristooraey were opposed to you in the
lato war, and that they and the church of
England riaiculed you ! pronounce
that statement deliberate lie. "
At this the audience Kissed, many Of
the more exeitab!a people loudly demand
in: the III hammered speakers expulsion.
The din was kept up for minute or
more, when Mt sign from Mr. Brad
laugh quiet was allowed to reign again.
~ have listened, laid the fat gen
lleman, "to the whole Of Mr. Bradlaugh's
address know what he was going to