The North Cumberland Reformer. — 1891-02-26 (Carlisle, Cumbria, England)

UNIONIST BANQUET AT BRAMPTON.  The combined Conservative and Liberal Unionist Asroeiation of the Brampton district held their first annual banquet on Friday evening at the White Lion Hotel. A large company assembled, some fifty gentlemen sitting down to the excellent meal provided by Mr and Mrs Moffat. Mr F. P. Johnson, Castlesteads, was in the chair, and was supported by Mr S I'. Foster (Conservative candidate for Carlisle). Mr Thomas Foster, and Mr William Milburn, Brampton, and Mr S. D. Cooper (Conservative agent). Mr T. W. Riddell, Moss House, was in the vice-chair, and among those present were the Rev. W. Dacre, Glebe; Messrs John Charlton, Denton House; Robert Watson, Stone House; T. A. Riddell, Devlin, Low Row; Leonard Potts, Swainsteads ; T. Forster and Forrester, Walton ; R. G. Graham, Sandysike ; J. Horsley, Naworth ; J. Jefferson; Irthing House; R. Mounsey, Ridge House; R. H. Law, Irthington ; Isaac Harrison, Dovecote; Brad. well, Irthingtm ; J. Lee. Unity ; G. Burton, J. Reay, Tom Harrison, R. Milburn, Thomas Lawson, Joseph Cameron, Shipley, A. M. Walton, D. S. Phillips, J. Beaty, City and District Bank; F. J. Tucker, V. S. ; W. Armstrong ; Thomas Bell, Howard Arms; Arthur Hetherington: J. Nixon; NV. Robertson, New Brewery ; John Blaylock; G. Bell; A. Currie ; John Mark; A. English; T. A. Bell, Milton Hall Lodge; Bayley, Moss Hill; James Bell ; R. A. Noble, Byegill ; Matthew Bell, Joseph Hutchinson, James Moffatt, H. G. Thompson, and others. At the conclusion of the dinner a short toast-list was gone through. The toast of the evening, "The Unionist Cause," was submitted by the Vice-Chairmaa. Mr FOSTER, who replied, said that when a man tried to commit suicide and did not quite succeed in doing so he wat genetally taken up by a policeman, and probably got sentenced to a lot of hard labour, and lie thought No. 15 Committee Room, next door to the House of Commons, which was now a Parliamentary zoological garden—(laughter)—nearly succeeded in committing suicide. Those two grand resuscitators, Messrs Gladstone and Morley, had been engaged in bringing what was very nearly a corpse to life again. (Laughter.) The establishment of an Irish Parliament would undoubtedly end in the greatest Protection they had ever heard of, and what could they think of Mr Gladstone and Mr Morley, two Anti-Protectionists, coming forward to advocate it. Speaking on labour disputes he said he would not like to see this country entirely governed by the masses for the resson that they were unfortunately easily led away, and had not the time to read for themselves. Let them have government by all, for all, and in the interests of all, when the mot real good would result. Whilst on the subject of the masses he might tell them that he read some verses about them in no less a periodical than the "Brayton Blossoms," which he was afraid they did not seem to appreciate in Brampton—" Brayton Blossonis," though edited at Brayton, had no politics, and they would think the verse he would quote an appropriate one to finish with :  If horseflesh won't suffice to feed the masses, The next resource will certainly be asses; Heaven only knows where that will end, Some people won't have left a single friend. (Laughter.) He concluded by appealing to them to do all they could to return Mr Howard as member for North Cumberland to assist the present Government.  Other toasts followed, and several songs were sung during the evening.