Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-02-29

Extracts from John Bright's Recent Speec !
Birmingham

Birmingham
We now come to another question, and
that is the question of the habit which the
people of this country have had for .
long time past, and especially just lately
of entering into savage and cruel wars.
believe all wars are savage and cruel but
| mean harsh and cruel, wars on unclviliz'
ed or half-civilized men. When l read OF
transactions of that kind something always
puts to me this question: What is it that
makes, if anything makes, this needless and
terrible slaughter different in its nature
from those transactions which we
call murder? We call one set of transac-
tons war, which has q totally different
sound to what we term murder and we do
not appear to inquire when thousands a Q
guilty what it was that brough it on, and
why it was that we should infict that
terrible slaughter, while weare all excit-
ed to the last degree if some individual
by the individual act of somebody else, is
put to death, and that act is called muir
der. Take the wars with the Zulus and
Afghans. We know we have had excuses
made for them, and excuses VIII CHI were
not justified by the facts--excuses that the
Zulus attacked Natal which is absolutely
and VIGOROUSLY and entirely false. We
have had statements with regard to the
Afghans very much of the same charac-
ter, that they were going to throw their
influence with another and northern pow-
or, and that they insulted outrageously the
envoy sent to negotiate with them
all of which l believe, there is not par
ticle of foundation for. These are % cuses
offered by persons who commit crimes in
order that they may say these acts were
not crimes, but necessary acts of states
manship. Well, at most, in regard to either
of thIse powers, the case was one of Gus
picion, but suspicion which the most ex-
perienced persons said there was no ground
for. But is it right upon mere suspicion, that
a country like this should send in one case
20,0. O and in the other 1000 troops to in
wade territories and to put to death not less
than 20, 600 men engaged in the defense of
their own country. which. in our cas-, we
consider honorable and needful2 \ j
We may be quite sure that in some shape,
if we, the people of England, tolerate the
bloody and sanguinary crimeswhich are
committed in our country's name, If they
are so committed, and we do not remon-
strate and condemn, we shall have no &C
quittal at the tribunal by which the actions,
peoples are finally judged Now that is
my view Perhaps l have spoken 100
strongly, and perhaps with warmth and
an esrnestness which some of you may
think unnecessary, [Cries of mo, nol"1 l
believe that it is not possible to too strong
ly condemn policy by which the hard
earned treasure of our people is wasted,
by which the blood of our brethren and
those who we are to call our foes is shed.
To day is the anniversary of the battle of
Isandula. l do not know how many lives
were sacrificed in it, but there were 1900
lives lost on the British side, namely,
officers, soldiers and native troops, and /
know not how many of the Zulus
were slaughtered in war which has never
been proved to be necessary. Sad aavl.
Can any one show us the justification for
the enormous and incslculsble loss of life