The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1882-02-11 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

EVENTS OF THE WEEK.  A DIABOLICAL PLOT. It is difficult to find terms sufficiently strong to justly characterise the attempt recently made to murder Mr. Forster, the Irish Secretary. The wretch who made up the chemically-prepared letter which would, probably, have caused the death of serious injury of the the right hon. gentleman if he had kimiself opened it, as it was, of coarse, calculated he would, must be a hardened scoundrel dead to right feelings. Yet he is, pro-s bably, going about flattering himself that he is a patriot, and regretting only that his nefarious plot has failed. Desperadoes such as he are not, unfortunately, likely to take much account of the fact, stated in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening, that persons aiming at the life of the Irish Secretary in the manner described are likely to murder not him but a number of innocent underlings, who deal with his correspondence in the fitst place.  MR. BRADLAUGH AND THE OATH The House of Commons, on Tuesday evening, again decided that Mr. Bradlaugh should not be allowed to take the oath and his seat in Parliament. The Government supported the demand of the member for Northampton, and logical speeches were made in its favour by the Home Secretary and Mr. Gladstone, the latter of whom cogently contended that the House of Commons had no right to force its way into the court of conscience. But the Tories were, almost to a man, in their places, while many Liberals were lukewarm or hostile, no fewer than eighty taking no part in the division, and about half-a-dozen, not counting the Home Rulers, voting on the side of intolerance. The numbers were :—For Sir Stafford Northcote's motion, 286 ; against, 228; majority for the motion, 58. The Conservative speakers employed their usual stock arguments and made random appeals to bigotry and prejudice ; and the Home Ruler, Mr. O'Donnell, was most offensive, declaring that, " Catholic as he was, he would rather see England Protestant and the progress of Catholicism retarded for centuries than that the faith of Luther and calvin should end in the filthy abyss which was opene to them by the action ct Her Majesty's Government." Mr. Bradlaugh was in the House during the debate, and allowed to speak. He stated his case with a force which stung his opponents to the quick. Unfortunately, he did not keep his temper throughout; and once or twice adopted a style of rhetoric not of a high order. But he, no doubt, satisfied his many supporters, for he displayed the pluck, the audacity, the 'eloquence, the cutting logic, the grim and blighting humour, the fierce invecfive, and the readiness of retort which I have, to such a large extent, won for him their 41miration. The man may be disliked, feared, misrepresented; but Tuesday's performance alone was sufficient to prove that he was a genius of no common order. There are not, probably, ten men in England who could stand in the House of Commons, as he did, and, with undaunted fronts, wither with invective the compact mass bent on accomplishing their ruin. If Mr. Bradlaugh was passionate, be was also prudent. He ably pleaded for justice on the merits of his case, and he made an offer calculated to place Sir Stafford Northcote and his friends in a distinctly false position. It appears that those gentlemen would not object on abstract grounds to Atheists elected members of Parliament being given the right to affirm. But they decline to submit to any legislation which, in their opinion, has special reference to Mr. Bradlaugh. He meets them thus :—" Pass an Affirmation Bill, affecting present members of the House, and I will resign my seat for Northampton, so that I may not enjoy its benefits until Northampton or some other constituency has again elected me under the new condition of things." The challenge thus thrown down was referred to by Mr. Gladstone, who, on the strength of it, made a sort of appeal to Sir Stafford Northcote. But he would be a rash man who were to entam n the hope that the Conservatives will voluntarily avail themselves of the magnanimity of Mr. Bradlaugh or stir a step to break down the barriers of bigotry and prejudice. They would, perhaps, feel that their occupation was gone if there was not somebody for them to persecute. However, they are merely increasing the influence of Mr. Bradlaugh and hie puty, and, possibly, preparing the way for what they have not even pictured.  MR.