The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1879-07-05 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

CRADLEY HEATH. MR. H. B. SHERIDAN, M.P., AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.  The local committee of the Dudley Liberal Association made arrangements for Mr. Sheridan to address the electors of Cradley Heath—a part of the Parliamentary borough—in the Primitive Methodist Schools, at Five Ways, on Monday. At Netherton, Old Hill, and Five Ways large crowds of people lined the streets, and frequent cheers were given for the member, who bowed his acknowledgments. At Five Ways more than 10,000 people had assembled. The school room was densely packed, and a move was made to hold the meeting therein, but the immense crowd insisted on an open-air meeting, and this was agreed upon. Mr. Charles Cochrane (the president of the Liberal Association) took the chair in a large field near I Cradley station. He was supported by Mr. Green, Mi. Homer, and many leading Liberals of the district, together with a few from Dudley. There were at least 5,000 persons present to hear the member. After a few words from the Chairman, Mr. Sheridan, who was received with loud applause, complimented the electors upon the fact that the Liberal Association had been so successful in the time it had existed. Such an association was absolutely necessary, because the borough was so large that it was most expensive to contest. The Tories knowing that put up a so-called candidate at every election with the idea of tiring out the Liberals. (Oh, oh.) But, with a good working Libeial Association, nearly all the expense could be saved by the voters declaring their intention beforehand, and so giving no chance for a Tory to be returned. (Applause.) Then the Liberal working men could return such men as Mr. Burt and Mr. Macdonald to the House of Commons. (Applause.) Mr. Sheridan then characterised the Tory politics as retrograde, and cautioned Liberals to be united and watchful of a sudden dissolution. The Tories could never win in England, if the Liberals did cot split themselves into sections. In the presence of the foe it was suicide to talk about altering regimental facings. (Laughter.) If the Tories should win a majority after the general election— (" They never will ")—it would be but a small one, and then, with the bye-elections and the Tory native political blindness and foreign war proclivities, the majority would melt, and they would be out of power for the long term of years to which their narrow-minded views essentially fitted them. (Loud laughter.) One question particularly affected that district, and that was the truck question. (" Hear, hear." and applause.) He had asked questions in the House of Commons about it, as they all knew, and he learned that the poor people who had to work very hard at the Workhouse had half in money and half in kind. (Shame.) That was unsatisfactory, for he had heard that some of the food was very indifferent. As to the local chainmakers, rivetmakers, and nailers, he felt their difficulty. (‘‘ We hate truck") Mr. Sheridan then quoted his question to Mr. Sclater Booth and Mr. Cross's ansiver, and said that if those who suffered from truck in that district would write to him, saying they were oppressed, he would pursue the enquiry to the end. (`• Down with truck.") Well, let them remember that the Home Secretary had said that he had instructed the factory inspectors to look closely after the matter, and perhaps that would guide his hearers as to how they should proceed. (Hear, hear," and laughter.) Mr. Sheridan then expressed his unbounded confidence in the honour, temperance, and integrity of English working men, and held that they should have the right to record their votes after working hours. One Conservative member had said that the working men should give up something for their vote, but he (Mr. Sheridan), as a Liberal, did not believe that, for they were free-born Englishmen, and their vote was their birthright by the Constitution. That being so, they should have every right to exercise it without cost to themselves. (Loud and continued applause.) The same Tory said working men were Politically idle, venal, and vacillating, and that was a taste of Tory views towards working men, however they might pat them on the back. (Hear, hear," and that's right.") Therefore he wished them at the next general election to say to the Tories: "We have had enough of you, with your distrust of us and your foreign policy. You are responsible for a great amount of the distress in the country by your meddlesome wars, which have inspired Europe with distrust and increased our taxation. You have in a time like this made war for rectification of frontier; and now we will have Gladstone—(applause)—and Hartington to govern the country on truly Liberal principles." (Loud cheering, several times renewed.  Mr. George Green then proposed a resolution thanking Mr. H. B. Sheridan for his address, and pledging the meeting to use all lekitimate means to secure his triumphant re-election. This was seconded, and carried with loud and continued applause.