The Republican journal., 1873-10-30
The Dream Of an English Republic.

The Dream Of an English Republic.
Mr.. Charles Bradlaugh, the well known
champion of the English republic that he
hopes and believes to be coming, is an
nounced to speak in many prominent
places in this country, and among others
in Portland He commenced his lecturing
tour in New York, and his openin" there
is said to have made a favorable impress
sion. He is by no means the ranter or
wild visionary that he has been called in
the English opinions that have reached uS
In his New York address as much rs u
champion of principle may, he present
ed both sides of the question, indulging in
but few Red Republican pyrotechnicS. As
yet the republican movement there is not
wholly recognized as such, and his chief
aim was to dignity it in the eyes of the
American people, showing its reality and
legality and thus to create Il public opinion
on this side of the water, which should aid
the coming one in England with its SYM
pathy Though the movement heretofore
had been recognized principally by its
friends, he told of the Republican, clubs
existing i'll the chief places of England
and Scotland, making a series of Republic
can associations throughout the land.
whose principles were avowcd and open to
criticism and the daily growth of which and
the decided opposition already encount
cred showed that it had now the title OF a
living principle and was steadily incrca>
ing in vigor Its greatest strength was in
the artisan districts, and he emphaticallv
declared that it was neither communi>tic
nor international. Not communistic. for
the desire was not to create new elements
OF change the face of society, but to deal
only with things as they existed, not inter
national, for they did not believe the teaS-
bility of attempting to carve 4 set Of
politics that would fit the world Their
movement, without being exclusive. WAS
simply to make a republic in England, ami
having thus shown its reality he urged its
perfect legality, and to this end examined
the claims of monarchy. That monarchy
could be educated lawfully to overthrow 4
monarchy. he assured that England'S con
stitution was not a written one like that OF
United States, that could be inlringed by
a statute, but that it was made up by the
daily doings of parliament. Year after
year adding to it, and in its purest sense.
Parliament representing the whole coun-
try, it was the will Of the people only. as
expressed through their representatives in
Parliament, that held monarchy in its
place. He cited history to show that Eng
lands monarcy was not hereditary. OF
thirty-siX monarchs that had assembled
the throne since William the Conqueror
but sixteen had any show of hereditary
right; the remaining twenty owing their
elevations to elections, more or less ire
gular. There was. he said no living
loyalty in England for the family that now
sat on the throne. The Brunswicls have
never been of us. They do not belong to
our traditions; their memories are not
ours; their desires are not ours; their
hopes are not ours our Shakespeare is
not theirs; our Milton is not theirs: our
Spenser is not theirs; our Chaucer is not
thelrs-they are foreign graft on our oak
tree, and they are whitening day by day
from the trunk they have blighted' Show
then the reality and legality of the move
ment, he pleaded for its necessity by citing
the conditions Of England to-day. The
pauper asylums We're the palaces of each
county, and the increase in the number of
their occupants was going on at an appall-
ing rate. One hundred and sixty families
own one-half of England, one-half OF
Wales, more than one half of Ireland and
four-tifths of Scotland OF the b 900 600
OF acres of waste land, -, 900 900 were
capable OF cultivation, and were not cult
waited because they passed from father to
son in the aristocracy, and he declared
that the condition Of the agricultural popu-
lation of England was worse than any
other country of Europe, except perhaps
Russia. How this state of things was pro-
crossing from year to year. he quoted from
the tax lists to show that when Queen
Victoria assembled the throne f47 ,OOO. 900
a year was the taxation of the country.
Now, including collection, it was TO-
ooo,ooo. Seventy years ago the landed
proprietors Of England and Scotland re-
ceived f22 900, 900 per year rents. Now.
from the same property, they receive more
than tl00, 600 On their income seven
ty years ago they paid Il land tax Of IT,
100000. Now, on their quint,lplcd in
come, they pay less than two Millions
Two hundred years ago the land paid two
hfths OF all the taxes. Now it pays but
one seventy-sixth part. This had been the
drift of this landed power, and it was that
which to-day owned the House of Lords
and throttled every measure of reform.
This state of things it was that fed the de-
sire for q republic Yet he did not want
violent measures for its establishment lie
feared that it would come too rapidly, be
precipitated by the degradation, poverty
and wretchedness of the laboring classes
on the one hand, and the obstnacy and
FOLLY of the ruling classes on the other.
lie cited France and Spain to show the re-
suits of republics existing before their
time Republics could not be made in the
mold OF war, nor men prepared for them
in day. They must become accustomed
to it gradually, as a prisoner to his liberty
after long confinement TO this end he
was beginning the agitation now not TO