New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-28

doence After time no looked mp and said, !" Their
ara thousands Of bones In England az this moment
where wives mothers aud children are dying0f hunger
Now when the FIRST paroxysm OF your grief = past
would advise you TO conc With me, and We Win never
! rest till tho Corn Law is repealed"
This was in 1s4l when Mr. Bright had reached his
thIrtieth year The Antt-Com-Law League had been
formed few years before he had already taken a
| prominent part In tho movement His name nai
! appeared In the provisional committed organized In
| Manchester he had written an elaborate reply 70 a
| pamphlet by tho member for Oldham. and had de.
nounccd the Corn Laws as tho "curse Of tho factory
| SYSTEM and bad made several speeches at Rochdale
and elsewhere In favor OF free trade But fl not
until Mr.. Golden appealed TO him over the coffin
where lay his young wife that his great soul
| took Gre. From that moment he divided with his
friend the toll the obloQuy, the honor and tho final
success Of that historic movement The two men
uniting In this common cause contracted one Of tho
pures and nobIest friendships Of which English pub
| lie life bears record. when MI Golden died, his
colleagues cuogy In the ceremonies was one OF the
tenderest as well as most eloquent ever delivered
After twenty years. he remarked, Of most intimate
and almost brothcry friendship With him, little
know how much loved him until found that
had lost him.
In the agitation against the Corn Law, Mr. Golden
was the organizer and ogeIan, and Mr., Bright tho
| orator. From ls4I to 1916 was the period Of great
est activity and tho two lahored side by side on tho
platform and In Parliament Each had qualities
which the other lacked and both were men OF sound
Judgment sterling common-sense and equable temper
Mr. Bright was tainted toward the close OF his lire
by tho Irish Natlonalists with Inconsistency IN pro
noting political agitation in his youth ana IN re
ssting similar agencies and advocating Coercion DIS
In his old age. His answer was characteristic
voup lea9e had been conducted rs our league was
should not have opposed you should have sent you
a subscription and become one Of your members inc
AnttcorLaw League never encouraged outrages or In
tImidstion. 1t was organization Wlih prahchos
IN every town and many village, conauctea ZOE
the single purpose Of placing freetrade majority IN
Parliament If Mr. Golden and mr Bright had NOT
been mon OF conservative instincts and admlraoio
pnUers of selrestraint they would have lost contToi
nj tho movement In times when distress was WHO
spread and political passion was Banning throughout
England. Under sagacious leadership the arlI@llon
never had recourse to criminal agencies and was
finally crowned with success. ,,,,,
MIR. BRIGHTs ENTRY INTO PARLIAMENT
Mr. Brght's career In Parliament opened IN 1919
when 10 succeeded in carrying by storm tho Con
servatve stronghold Of Durham, in the interest Oh
tho Autl-Con Law agitators. In 1e47 he was re-
turned for Manchester without opposition and was re-
elected In 1889; but IN 1887 he was defeated IN CON
sequence OF his opposition to the Crmean war ana 10
Lord Palmerston's policy in China birmingham
gladly accepted him as its representative at os
election In tho autumn Of the same year The TIC
1899 HIS ouarlercentury OF active political service
was rounded out by series Of impressive demons ira
lions occupying the greater part OF week. IL the
capital of the ldands had become during the interVa
a pTeat uolItical centre H. was because he had made
IL school Of Radical and progressive Thought In
one Of his addresses at tho Birmingham jubilee Mr.
Bright said: al plead only that have been honest
in tho pursuit Of public Objects without ambition ior
public prcferment. Dignity and emoluments and all
that Office can give are valueeSs unless they are ac-
companed by tho belief that they arc held In consist
ency with ones duty, and with the honest endeavor
to servo the people who have given me and shown mo
so much Of their trust.'
Free trade the subject Of Mr Bnshes maiden
spcoch IN tho Commons II was delivered before
small house and was received lIStlessy. During tho
next four years he was frequently on the hoor being
constantly thrown upon his defence on account OF
hts participation IN tho proceedings Of tho AnuCofn
Law League. HIS reputation rapidly improved and by
the time Sir Robert Peel succeeded in carrying the
abolition OF tho Corn Laws, he was considered one OF
the most eloquent debater3 IN the Commons Through
out the agitation he had boldly charged the land
oyvnur Grass with deliberate seshness in thwsFting
the wishes of the working classes. Ills frequent ap
pearances on the platform before audiences Of wording
people gave him the best practice he could have had In
public speaking lie did not acquire Parliamentary
mannsrisms continued to speak plainly and to avoid
rhetorical articles and theatrical gestures; and his
OrafOfy
OF manner and lucdty of thought which characterized
IL TO the end After tho dissolution Of the AnCorn-
Law League he ceased be regarded as an asltator
and was Acknowledged to be leader with great
popular constituency behind him. Ills Views OF public
questions broadened year by year; he began TO advo-
cato the lowering OF tho suffrage apd tho establish
ment OF the Irish Church and he became moral force
behind Mr. Gladstone in advancing Liberal measures
of a progressive nature At the outset he drew the
same moral whenever he spolp. whether he opposed
a project for compelling military pensioners to serve
again. discussed the regulation % labor In factories
or denounced all state endowments Of religion, or
reasoned respecting the causes of Irish discomfort,
he had ONLY remedy for every abuse, every wrong
every grievance and that cheap bread and fTco
trade. After the abolition Of the Corn Laws tho |
tribune Of the people became broad states
man.
MANLY EFFoRrs FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM. |
Mr. Brighps defeat at Manchester in 1857 was the |
result OF tho manifest aud most courageous net OF
his lie. 10 had opposed tho War policy Of tho |
Government which led to the Crimea and had only /
succeeded in rendering himself very unpopular. His
speeches at this time were among tho Dobest Of his
life "A moro impressive passage than this II would |
DO difficult to find In the memorials Of modern elo-
quence;
do not suppose that your troops are to be beaten
ia actual conflict with the foe that they win DO
driven into the sea; but am certain that many
hupc that tho distant one may return-many such
homes may DO rendered deSoate when the next mail
shall arrive. Tho Angel OF Death has boon abroad |
throughout the land you may almost hear the beat
BORA p was ass slain Of ola to sPs with blood 6e n
and tho two sidsposts OF doors that he may spare
and pass on he takes his victims from the castle
AZ the noble, tho maEs0n of tho wealthy and the
cottage OF tho poor and owly and if S on behalf OF
all these classes that make this solemn appeal
Lord Palmerston's aippant and contemptuous reply
10 Mr. Brighps lmpassoned appeals drcw forth from
Ia In vasa
enee But the war feeling in England was so strong
that tho orator slonced His health was greatly
impaired and for two years he compelled to with
draw from public life and to visit the Riviera, Al
cers and Italy. HIS defeat at Manchester was
welcome release to weary and faded public man,
whose health had been shattered and hisSpirit tempo
rarily broken Undeterred by the opposition which
no had excited by his course during the Crimea he
geopsly espoused tho OF tho North and OF
the sayo in the American civil conflict az timc when