The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-21

cause of religious liberty falls martyr once
more 10 mistaken religious zeal. That the
government was right and the people wrong
will be the well-nigh universal verdict of
thinking people in the United States; but it
should not be forgotten that the quality of
religious conservatism which the English
people possess in an excessive degree is one
In which the American character is some
what deficient, and those inclined to
be severely censorous should consider
whether, when grave interests are at stake, it
is not safer to err on the side of too great
strictness than OF too great liberality. Mr..
Gladstone can afford to wait. He has tried
to storm public opinion and has failed, but
it is not the first time, and usually hereto
fore the positions that have resisted his first
assault have yielded to him later. In the
calm complacency with which, after the divi-
sion, when those who had accomplished his
defeat called uproarously for a declaration of
his purposes, this really grand man, affect
ing indifference to their clamors, went on
penning a letter he had commenced, there is
suggestion of one greater and grander than
he, who was also in advance of his times
| and who found relief from popular clamor
on certain occasion by writ
ing in the sand" as though he
would prefigure thereby that while
the demands of prejudice and the DEGREES of
injustice. would be washed away by the in
coming tide, the eternal principles ofright for
which he contended would still survive, un-
disturbed as his own placid countenauce
and triumphant as his own lofty spirit
The scene of last night, when the House
voted once more to not allow the subject of
this bitter controversy to take an oatn which
he has declared would be in its religious
sanctions without force or meaning to him.
was necessary sequel to what took place
the night before, though the increased ma
jority against the government is truer in
dication of the feelings of the people than
was the former vote. That many Liberals
who voted in favor of the affirm
alton bill should have voted imme-
diately afterwards to deny Mr.
Bradlaugh the privilege of swearing shows
that while they were willing to admit him
to the House, they were not willing to become
parties to the deliberate PROCLAMATION of a re-
ligious form which the people of the country
have always held sacred, The gentlemans
speech in his own defense hardly rose to the
importance of the occasion, though it was
ingenious and forcible. He denied many of
the allegations brought against him during
the debate. He had not Published an OBJ
scene book he said, and he quoted the de-
cision of Chief Justice Cockburn, who said at
the trial that 'the defendant honestly be-
lievec that the evils that this work would
remedy, arising from over-population, are
SO great that if it were possible to avoid
them this would be wise. That such was
the honest opinion of the de-
and heard what they have said must do
them the justice to believe" AS to the
charge of having paraded his atheism before
| the House in spirit of defiance, Mr.. Brad
| laugh declared he had not done this but
had simply avowed it in response to the
demands of committee of Investigate on
who he thought at the time were generous
| English gentlemen who would not distort
| what they had asked for into a declaration
| that had paraded it here" His next sen.
tence was stinger and is worth preserving.
Il have never uttered my opinions in this
House, and under great temptations l have
reIralned from saying any word which car
wound the feeling OF the most religious, al
| though l have heard within these walls
language used against me by protesting
| Christians which l would have been asham-
ed to use in any decent assembly,"
The excluded members remarks were
| listened to very attentively by all, the En-
glish love of fair play asserting itself suf-
ficiently to secure this, and on the Liberal
side many of his points were greeted with
cheers, but it is doubtful if the speech made
him single vote. Thrice has this man been
elected by his Northampton constituents and
three times has Parliament refused to allow
him to take the oath. 1t Is scarcely possible
a Parliament could ever be elected in Eng
land that would vote otherwise on this
question, so that his only chance for taking
his seat is in the passage of bill such as that
which was defeated on Thursday night But
here again there seems to be little hope for
him, for the more the subject is agitated the
more do the people of the country declare
their opposition to such measure, and it
is quite certain that if Mr.. Gladstone were to
appeal to the electors on this issue at the
present time he would be defeated by an
overwhelming majority.
The other question of commanding inter
est here is the question of whether or not the
United States will give up Sheridan and
Walsh. The tone of the leading papers is
temperate, but firm. They admit the ne
cessity for the British government to make
out clear case, but when that shall have
been done no quibble or fear of the Irish,
they hold, should prevent extradition.
Among the people there is a feeling, 1 regret
to say, that our government will keep them
if it can find the slightest pretext for so doing
and fear, too, that the judges may not be
over-scrupulous in searching for such pre-
text. In fact we are suspected here by very
many of latent sympathy with Irish griev-
ances. One hears complaints of this on every
hand, and it is really to be hoped, for the
sake of the friendly relations that should ex-
ist between the two nations, that this matter
will be settled justly and to the mutual salts
faction OF both sides. HT