The morning news., 1889-03-28

Mr.. Bright shared with Golden the alb
horrence of war which led TO the peace con-
gresses of that I me- He also opposed the
demand for increased armaments which
followed tie coup de etdt of 1852 IN France.
When England drlfted into war with Rus
sia, Mr.. Bright opposed the government
and his own constituents, and in 1855 he
made some memorable speeches against the
continuance of the war. In 1856 he retired
from parliament, but was returned by Bir
mingham in August. 1857.
While actively at work in favor of the
extension of the franchise, the civil war in
this country divided England. John Bright
was conspicuous in support Of the union,
though his own business and that of the
whole cotton manufacturing districts sut-
fered terribly.
After the close of our war, Mr.. Bright
returned to his labors on behalf Of extend
ing the franchise; he spoke at meeting after
meeting, and had the satisfaction of seein G
the minority in favor of this reform grow
steadily until even the Conservative party
finally passed a bill which, in some respects,
was beyond what the liberals had first pro-
posed. In December, 1858, Mr.. Blight be-
came president of the board of trade under
Mr., Gladstone, aud proved to be less of a
firebrand in Office than his opponents had
predicted. In 1870 i'll health compelled him
TO resign his post, although for few years
after he followed the work of parlia-
ment more or less actively. In August
1873, Mr. Bright was appointed chau-
cellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which
post he held until the defeat of the Glad
stone party in the following year. Mr..
Bright again became Chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster In 1880, when Glad
stone returned to power, but resigned in
1882, when tie government began war in
Egypt. Mr. Bright felt that he could not
conscientiously continue in Office aud coun-
tenance bloodshed. John Bright was mar
ried in November, 1899, to Elizabeth Priest
man, the elde't daughter Of Jonathan
Prlestman Of Newcastle His wife died in
1S4l, and he was married again in 1S49 to
Margaret Z. Leatham, daughter of a banker
of Wakefield. There have been four sons
and three daughters from this marriage.
The separation of John Bright from the
bulk OF the Liberal party on the Irish ques-
tion is the only incident in his career which
really dimmed its spendor. Almost from
his entrance into the House of Commons he
made himself the outspoken and uucompro-
missing champion of Irish wrongs.
With the Irish national idea, he never
appears to have had much sympathy, ard
when the franchise bin of 1884 brought
into the House eighty-six Irish member,
he became completely allie lated from the
Irish aud proved one OF the most powerful
and even truculent opponents of Mr.. Glad
ity under the criticism which the aband n
ment of his old friends excited sometimes
led him into utterances of such inconsist-
ency rs to give color to the charge that he
changed his earlier political opinions; but
the general disposition of Englishmen
has been to remember only the great
service he had rendered to the libaral
cause in the days of his vIgor, and to set
down his latter day abberratlons to age
and Ill health.
William Robertson, in his book upon the
Life and Times Of John Bright" says of
| Bright's personal appearance: "He may be
| described as robust of frame, feet inches
in hight, broad -chested and OF gr ce-
full department His face is broad and full,
and decidedly Saxon; his forehead, high,
| expansive and prominent, bordered with
venerable locks, silvered by time. Dark
and heavy brows overhang his keen eyes,
which are OF tender blue, full Of sweet
| gravity, and wonderfully Intellectual,
which can fash fire or melt into tears and
| captivate all who come within the sphere
of their influence When animated duriug
a speech, his comely Saxon features bright
en- into unmistakable beauty. The whole
has an expression of fine intellectual dig
nity, candor, serenity and lofty, gentle
manly repose. For the last thirty years or
more his oratory has been so popular that
when he has given his promise to address a
meeting in any town, the number Of per-
sons applying for admission tickets has
exceeded by thousands that which the build
ing could accommoda Q; and so valuable
are his speeches considered that at these
meetings about sixty reporters are present,
who record every sentence