Alston Herald, and East Cumberland Advertiser. — 1875-11-27 (Alston, Cumbria, England)

MORPETH.  Oa Wednesday night, Mr Burt, MP., for Morpeth, adaressed a meeting of his oonstituents in the Assembly Booms, Collingwood Gardens, Morpeth, Mr John Dixon occupied the chair. Mr Burt said that when he was first elected he laid it down as a principle to visit his oonstitnente at least (aloe a year in order to lay before them some of the [nee...urea passed during the previous Session. They bad had episodes of a rather dvely character. They had had incidents somewhat Henn, tioual if not of a dramatic kind ; but he thought that legislation on the whole had been of a somewhat tame and oommon•place coaraeter. It certainly had not been a dull session as regards the number of bills passed, the number of divisions which had taken place, the length of the sittings, and the apparent interest taken in the measures before the Rouse ; but many of the measures had not been ota very robust character. We had had a great deal of Permissive legislation; and we had certainly had on the part of the present Government, certain measures passed of a very important social nature, and he was very glad to say so. As bug as it was the will of the electors of tmgland that a Tory Gcvernment should wield power • it was much more desirable that they should deal with these social questions than that theyishould touch great CollBtl. tutional and political questions; and if a Tory Government had to be in power it was very desirable not only that they should-do as much good as possible, but also that they should do as little harm as possible. It was not desirable that they sould pass retrogressive measure. Proceeding to mention measures "tbina had been before Parliament during t-A past Session, he referred to the Friendly Societies Bill, connected with which was the question of pauperism, which was of incalculable importance, and would have to be dealt with at no distant day. It must be dealt with by firm and tender hands, and by men who have feelings of humanity in their hearts. The question of the land opened out several very wide and deep questions. Those who knew anything about the history of the land were aware that there had been a complete system—to put it in its very mildest possible form—of fraud and rObery practised upon the people of this country. It was perhaps not at all advisable to dig deep into foundations of this sort, because it was very like digging down to the foundatious of some of our stately edifices; there was a great danger of bringing them toppling down about your ears and burying everybody under their ruins. The question at some future time must be handled by some very drastic and powerful legislation. He would not utter a single word to make the rights of property leas sacred than they are at the present time; because the acknowledgment of the rights of property is the very corner stone of all economy; it lies at the very foundation of our national well-being; it was of the utmost importance not only to the well-being of the wealthy man but to the poor man, that he should be able to enjoy in peace the comfort and the fruits of his industry; and any man who attempted to strike a blow at the rights of property was striking a blow at the well-being of his country. But it had always seemed to him that this question of the land was somewhat different from other things; it was not the fruits of a man's industry; it was the gift of a kind Providence to the human family, and if the people are not entitled to take it back from those who have deprived them of it in the past, still they were entitled to ask those who held the laud, and held the bread of the people in their hands—they Were entitled to ask those parties not to use their laud for their own selfish luxury and for their own pastime and pleasure, but that they should use it to produce as much food as possible for the people. The question of the waste laud and other questions of this kind would have to be dealt with by some firmer hands; and they could not expect that the oonutry squires and lauded proprietors of the country who were now in power ; it would be unreasonable to expect them to pass any I very strong, not to say revolutionary, measures affecting the land. On the motion of the Rev D. YOUNG, seconded by Mr GRAHLM, a vote of oonfidenoe in Mr Burt was carried unanimously. A vote of thanks to the Mayor then concluded the meeting.  William Hughes, a young man living at Mold, has hung himself because, when driving a pony, he ran over two little girls, who, however, were not seriously hurt.  At Wonersh, Sussex, on Monday night, a young gentleman named Lenten was examining a gun, wl,en it went off and shot nis sweetnoart, Lacy Bird, in the neck.  A bronze statute of Cromwell, costing about £1,600, and presented by Mrs Abol Heywood, hag been erected in Manchester.  A. young woman, named Mary Vickers, 20 years of age, employed as a domestic servant at York, committed suicide by partaking of some "Vermin Killer," on Saturday, the apparent cause of the rash act being a threat by her mistress to give her into custody on account of some theft of which she had been guilty.