The Indianapolis journal., 1886-01-15
BRADLAUGH'S TRIUMPH.

BRADLAUGH'S TRIUMPH.
The Conservative Leaders will Make No Eff
fort to Unseat Him.
LONDON, Jan. 14-The government leaders
have decided to take no official notice of Mr..
Bradlaugh's act in taking the oath as a member
OF Parliament for Northampton. The letter of
protest written by Sir Michael Hicks-Beach to
Speaker Peel was meant for the record and not
for immediate effect. There are more pressing
matters to be attended to between now and the
2lst inst, and the Tory leaders are anxious to
let the Bradlaugh incident drop It is possible,
however, that some of his bigoted followers will
exert pressure which will compel the govern
ment to sue Mr.. Bradlaugh for the penalties
prescribed for taking a false oath as member
of Parliament. If the courts declare that he
was illegally sworn, he can be compelled to pay
f500 for each vote that he casts. Mr.. Brad
laughs course will be carefully watched by the
strict constructionists, and if he becomes un-
usually troublesome they will seek to remove or
ruin him by law. If he were content to be a
silent member, doing on an opposition bench
and voting mechanically with his party, he would
be welcome to sit in the House as long as his
townsmen choose to keep him there. But Mr.
Bradlaugh could never be silent member. He
is reformer, an agitator, and AN iconoclast by
instinct and by profession. He has been cooling
his heels in the antechambers of Parliament for
several years. and during that time he has form
ulated some notable schemes of reform which he
will very soon launch upon the House.
This evening Mr. Bradlaugh addressed an
enormous gathering of his adherents in the
famous Hall of Science He was received with
frantic enthusiasm. Some of the men in the
audience wept for joy over his final triumph
after so many rebuffs. Mr.. Bradlaugh stated
that he would forthwith begin vigorous cam
paign in Parliament for the reform of the land
laws and the abolition of pensions
Mr.. Bradlaugh was born in Hoxton, London,
Sept. &C. 1888. Owing to the extreme poverty
of his parents he ceased attending school before
he was eleven years DID, He developed an early
taste for politics, for at the age of fifteen he ap
neared as an orator before street audiences dur
ing the political turmos Of 1878 The origin
of his atheistical opinions dates from the same
period. Studying to fit himself for Sunday
school exhibition before the Bishop of London,
he became skeptical and declared his inability to
reconcile the thirty-nine articles with the four
gospels. His father, influenced by the clergy
gave him three days in which to change his opin-
ions, on penalty of losing his situation. He ac-
cepted the penalty, and Quilted the situation and
his home forever. For year he earned an ade-
quate support selling coal on commission and
then, becoming slightly involved in debt, he en-
listed in the service of the East India Company,
where he remained until a small legacy enabled
clerkship in solicitors Office, in London, and
entered at once upon his life career of
political and atheistcal writer and
speaker. In 1859 he gained considerable
notoriety by. editing journal called The Inves-
tigator, which was soon suspended for want of
capital. He was now we'll known under the ap-
propriate name of "1conoclast" which he signed
to all his writings, and was met with the fercest
opposition on all sides. A year later the journal
which he now edits the National Reformer, was
established and in the conduct of this his repu-
tation for ability greatly increased. Systematic
attempts were made to suppress his journal, but
their only effect was to increase it's circulation.
His sympathies for the oppressed were not con-
fined to his own country. When Italy was fight
ing for freedom he raised, by his own exertions,
100 guineas, and sent them to Garibaldi. He
visited Irelsnd, conferred with the advocates of
shome rule" and raised his voice in their justi-
fcation.
His success as a speaker was unquestioned,
and from his earliest years his athestical views
were pronounced At Plymouth in 1861. he was
arrested at the instgation of the Young Mems
Christian Association, but discharged by the
magistrates He then brought suit against the
superintendent of police and recovered one
farthing damages, each party. paying his own
costs. He thus established the right of free
speech in Plymouth and the adjoining towns
To his courage and perseverance the English
press owes its entire freedom. Up to 1869 every
newspaper was required to give $4,000 security
against the appearance of seditious or bias
phemous libels He printed The Free-Thinker
in defiance of that law and so bafled the officers
Of the crown in their prosecutions that the
statute was repealed. He was also instrumental
in establishing the competency of free thinkers
to give evidence in courts of law.
On the termination of the Franco Prussian
war Bradlaugh used his influence Gu behalf of
France and for his presumed support of danger
GUS sections of the Republican party he was
twice placed under arrest. once by the provision
al government and once by NJ. Theirs.
Mr. Bradlaugh has made three trips to Amer
lea, the first being in 1873, when he made an ex-
tensive tour of New England and the Middle
States, and was received with great cordiality
His principal subjects werei' English Republican
ism" and the Irish Land Question" The other
dates of his visits were 1874 and 1875
The great aim of his life has been to obtain
seat in the House of Commons. After three IN
successful efforts he was returned from the
county town of Northampton. in 1885, Upon re-
fusing to take the accustomed oath he was
moved from the House in custody and lodged
in the Clock-tower. The following day
he was released, and the House
adopted resolution proposed by
Mr.. Gladstone, which permitted members to
affirm instead of taking oath. He was, however,
denied the right to vote He resigned his seat,
and was Immediately reelected, but was again
denied admission to the House. Shortly after
his expulsion in February, 1881, suit was
brought against him for having sat and voted in