New-York tribune., 1880-02-08


SONS Is MANAoED-sPEECHEs BY Mr. BRIGHT
s,, william uARcouRT AND MR.. CHAMBERLAIN.
The regular London correspondent OF The
TRlBljNR sends from Birmingham descrip-
tion of the dinner recently given there TO eel
citrate the opening of the new Liberal Club.
The different elements in the Liberal party
were represented by Mr.. Bright, Sir William
Harcourt aud Mr.. Chamberlain. and the lo!-
lowing letter makes an interesting comparison
of their different methods of speaking III
public.
FEATURES OF THE CELEBRATION.
lis SOCIAL AND Personal AsPECrs-slR WILLIAM
HARcoURr AND HIS BRILLIANT spEEcH-so"h
OF ITS TELLING POINTs-MR. BRiGHTS YUM"
COLLEAGUE.
trpoN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or the rf'boSh'l
BrRMiNGHAM, Jan. 2l.-lt is partly soc'ai an"
partly political demonstration when mas pro"gh'
me down TO Birmingham Having regard to the
weakness of the hesh aud the necessarily Iin'teu
interest OF Americans in English politics, wlIl say
as little as possible about the political SIDE OF las.
nights CEREMONY and treat the social and personal
aspects of it more fully. Perhaps l may indulge
myself by acknowledging, TO begin wltD the eA
traordtnary politeness shown to the foreigner I'D
this town. In certain sense the festival OF ias1
night was private one. 1t was a dinner gwen 10
celebrate the opening OF the new Lloer"'
Climb Strictly speaking, nobody but member
of the Club, or an invited guest, had any claim 10
be present at the dinner. lad not thought OF
going down. Late the day before friend told me
that the occasion would be signallged by some
remarkable speaking, and that tickets Tor the
gallery were purchasable. Upon this hint tele-
graphed and on my arrival found ticket not 10
the gallery but to the dinner-table waiting for Inc,
II wonld be ungrateful to say that this sort OF
courtesy is peculiar to Birmingham have
proited by it many times and in many places, ana
some day mean to write an essay on the advan-
tages of being an American in England. But TINS
present essay must be confined to the pleasures OF
dining with the Birmingham Liberal Club.
IL is no Joke to arrange a dinner for 800 people;
or generally speaking it is a bad joke. When they
pretend to do It in hotel the result is usually DIS
fressng In other places it is more distressing stii'
This feast given in the Town Hall, which sup
pose docs not boast of kitchen; still less of
trained staff of walters familiar with the demands
of starving multitude. The meal was nevertheless
fairly well cooked and well served. caterer took
contract for the banquet and carried it out as II
it had been a contract for so many stand
of arms or gross of steel pens. 1t appears
you NAV do anything by contract in Blr-
mingham. The caterer and the committee had
the good sense not to attempt too much. The num-
Der Of dishes was almost without limit, but they
were cold, excepting the soups and the game which
were. as a consequence, not iukewarm. but actually
hot The tables were prettuy decorated the draw
ing-rOom improvised under the gallery was maze
to look comfoItabl ; even the wines were good.
have sat through many dinners in London, given at
the most expensive and popular taverns and rooms
devoted to such entertainments. There were very
few of them indeed which were so good rs this
in BIRMINGHAM; town which the Londoner
invariably speaks of with fine scorn as provincial
ORGANIZATION has much to do with it, and hear on
inquiry that the organizing in this case is the work
of Mr.. Mathews-one of the hard-workmg band OF
Radicals in this extraordinary borough who is con-
tent with the results of his work and takes little
thought about the credit and renown that accrne
10 him personally. The arrangements for the whoo
solemnity were, / believe, in Mr.. Mathews's hands
ELEMENTS OF THE LIBERAL PARTY
Politically speaking, this demonstration was not
only important but curious. Those of you who look
at English papers and reviews must have remarked
lately determined effort to bring the Moderate
Liberal TO the front More accurately speaking 1t
is an effort of the Wing section Of the Liberal party
10 enforce and perpetuate its claim to the leader
ship of the party. Now, Whiggery Is al
discount. Wings as such, are not popular. and,
knowing they are not popular some OF the most
ambitious among them masquerade under the new
name Of Moderate Liberal. They venture out from
their hidin gplaces In their proper guise in vener
able quarterly periodical which circulaes mainly in
political churchyards But when they really seek
to get the ear OF an important Clique among the
living, 1t is an evening paper OF London which
speaks for them-not as Wings, but by the less
mouldy title they now affect. We have been given
to understand that they repudiate the Radical
and all his works. By way of ex-
posing the hollowness of this new pre-
tspce il seems to have occurred to Mr. Chamberlain
thai the appearance of Wing in Birmingham
would be IA good thing and that there might be no
mistake about the meaning Of the incident. it was
arranged that Mr.. Bright, Sir William Harcourt
and Mr.. Chamberlain should all speak on the same
night from the same platform. Mr.. Bright stands
for the Gladstone element in the party Sir William
is as be himself urges. Moderate Liberal OF the
genuine not the sham kind, and Mr. Chamberlain
is the Radical Or the phrase now goes. Advanced
Liberal. This programme was completely and hap
PLY carried out
Mr.. Bright, need hardly say is and must be the
central figure of any public meeting held in Bir-
minghain He made an elaborate speech, of the
retrospective and historical kinda speech worthy
of his fame. The greeting gwen him was such as
his appearance never fails to evoke. But / have
written so often about Mr. Bright that shall take
the liberty of passing him by on this occasion with
hardly more than respectful and admiring recog-
milton. Sir William HarcOurt is a less familiar
figure and because he is less familiar to You
In America | shall devote some space to him. He
has come TO the front Of late rapidly that you
ought TO know him more intimately than you do
II for no other you must be Interested In HIN
because his wife IS an American lady, who once
bore of the most brliiant ana honored names Ill
American literature
SIP WILLIAM HARcouRTs PERSONAL CHARACTER
IsTiCs.
Sir William Harcourt speaks of himself as-at
least in comparison with Mr. Bright-a Young man
He II aftv-twn OF fftY-three which is something