The Sun. — 1867-07-19 (London, England)

BRIGHI AT BIRMINGHAM.  BIRMINGHAM, Thursday Night. A meeting called by the friends of Mr. Dixon, the candidate in the Liberal interest, was held in the Town-ball here to-night, the purpose being to hear an address from Mr. Bright. There was an immense assemblage ; not an available space was left. Mr. Bright entered afc w minutes after seven o'clock. He was accompanied by Mr. Alderman W iggin (who took the chair) and most of the leaders of the Liberal party in the borough. Mr. BRIGHT, who was received with many rounds of applause, commenced his speech by paying a graceful tribute to the character of Mr. Scholefield, lamenting the loss which he as well as the town bad sustained by his death. He expressed a hope that in relation to the coming contest no elector would shrink from showing his adherence to those principles of which Mr. Scholefield was so distinguished a representative. He reminded his audience that they were the sons of the men who had carried the bill of 1832, and urged the present constituency not to forsake the cause which had made the town famous. He discussed the circumstances connected with the various Reform Bills which had been introduced to Parliament. That of Lord Russell's Government, introduced by Mr. Gladstone, had been met by every form of personal animosity. Lord Derby came into power to stem the tide of democracy, and the result had been conversion from the tremendous perils of a .S 7 franchise to household suffrage. There was iything to equal that since the hnnqta were said to have entnmittted suicide to save themselves from slaughter. He described the Tory party as wrong, perverse, and intractable. Every good measure was opposed by them so long as it was safe to oppose it. When that position became no longer tenable all opposition suddenly collapsed. Such had been the case in respect to the Roman Catholic Emancipation of 1829, and of the repeal of the corn laws. They saw starvation staring a portion of the population iu the face, and a famine in Ireland ; but it was only after immense agitation that they discovered the corn laws were bad. The same Tory party had now passed a Reform Bill admitting working men to the suffrage in greater numbers than had ever been contemplated in any bill introduced to Parliament by any party. Hereafter the Tories would show the same persistent and unchangeable resistance to every improvement. When the Speaker the other night put the final question that the bill be read a third time, not one—the very faintest—cheer issued from the lips of one of those who sat on the Tory side. The bill was, in fact, the child—the offspring of the ambition of one man. He had never heard from that party one word of kindly sympathy for those to whom the bill proposed to give the franchise ; but, from what was rumoured in reference to the course about to be taken by the other branch of the Legislature, the bill was likely to become the law of the land. The whole question as to the amount of good it might bring about to the country depended on the future, and on whether constituencies like this exercised their powers with wisdom and fidelity. The voter must have the shelter of the ballot, and he recommended Reform Leagues to continue their organisation until that was obtained. The hon. gentleman discussed at length the Irish question and the Irish Church, and went on to remark that hitherto everything of a Liberal tendency that had been carried out had been done by the towns ; they had had little help, from the counties. That must be remedied by future legislation. Passing to the contest going on, he said Birmingham occupieda proud position in 1832, Manchester in 1846, Birmingham again in 1867. The town had again to speak, and must answer before many days were over. Let them now return the right man to Parliament, showing that the constituency was faithful to the principles it had ever pro. fessed. In allusion to the objections which had been raised to his taking a part in the contest, he said that his own interest in the result was direct and overwhelming. No man's was so great in the return of the Liberal candidate. They owed to him (he said) allegiance to their own principles, and for the manner in which he had endeavoured to enforce them. Was he to be only nominally their representative—was his authority to be struck down by yoking him to a colleague whose vote would destroy the force of his? Better far that he should cease to be their representative, or retire from Parliament, than that he should be content to sit, and speak, and vote with a divided and enfeebled authority. He gathered from their cheers what the verdiet of Birmingham would be in this contest, but he should indeed despair of his country if this town, which had so long held a foremost place among Liberal constituencies, should fall away from the principles itiliad so long professed. (Loud cheering.) He implored them to give him a colleague with whom he could act in harmony, as he did with Mr. Scholefield, for the welfare of that great community and the country, in the defence and maintenance of those principles which he believed to be inseparable from the happiness and grandeur of the country. The hon. gentleman, who spoke for an hour, sat down amid many rounds of applause. A vote was passed in favour of Mr. Dixon. The contest is becoming extremely hot, and the town is in an excited state.