Year: 1861

On the lst of August, public election meeting


was held at Rochdale, (Eng.) at which Mr.. Bright


made speech. Wequote so much refers to the


cotton supply


Mr.. Cheetham has referred to another question,


and to which should like to say one or two words


before | sit down, and that is with regard to the


perilous position in which this country placed in


consequence of the unhappy transactions which are


now happening on the other side of the Atlantic
Mr.. Cheetham did not tell you what can tell you


ii paid me some compliments which, as | am not
a candidate will not be of much service to me just
now !; hut without complimenting Mr.. Cheetham,


| can tell you that he is a most active-l believe
the most active-member of an association formed
in this district for the purpose Of promoting bet


ter supply Of cotton not from India alone but from
all parts of the world where cotton can be grown !;
and although perhaps it would be too much to say
that that association had been able to produce any
great results, because Sd short time had been
elapsed since its operations began, yet it has now
sown the seed as it were of production of cotton
in many parts of the world where that production
probably would never have been heard or thought
of if it had not been for the abOrs of that assOca
tiOn.


With regard to the supply from India, | may tell
you this, that there is no man from Lancashire OF


late who has been more assidious in his attendance
in LONDON whenever anything was to be done with
the Minister for India, or with the House of Com
mons with the view to promote the opening the
industry of that vast country to increase the
production and export of cotton to this country.
| think that just now, if you can find q man who, on
questions of great State policy agree with u.s. at the
same time having deep personal interest IN this
great cotton question and having paid so muehatten-
ton to it as Mr.. Cheetham has, think there is Il
double reason why he should receive the votes and
have the confidence of this division OF the county.
| ICheers. Now is this cotton question great
! question or not met spinner to-day-he does
not live at ROchdale, though met him here-and
asked him what he thought about it, and he said
90 Well, | think cotton will come somehow"
| Laughter.


And find that there is that kind of answer to
be had from three out of four of all the spinners
ask. They know that III past times, when cotton
had risen so 80 per cent, or some extravagant
rise, something has cOme-the rate Of interest was
raised, or there has been commercial panic from
some cause or other, and down the price has gone
amp when everybody said ''There would be no cot
ton at Christmas" there proved a very considera-
| bic stock at Christmas. And so they say now. L
don't in the least deny that it will be and all
assert is that this particular case is new that we
have never had q war in the United States between
different sections of that country affecting the pro-
ducon of cotton before and ii is not fair nor wse
but rather childish than otherwise, to argue from
past events, which were not n bit like this, OF the
event which is now passing before our eyes. They
saw at is quite true there is civil war in America
but it will blow over there will be a compromise,
or the English Government will break the block
ade.''


Now, recolleet what breaking the blockade
means. 1t means with the United States,
and don't think myself that it would be cheap to
break the blockade at the cost of war with the
United States. | think that the cost of a war with
the United States would give, probably, half wages
for a very considerable time, to those persons in
Lancashire who would be out of work if there was
no cotton say nothing at all OF the manifest in


Justice and wrong against all international law, that
a legal and effective blockade should be interfered
with by another country. 1t is not exactly the
business of this meeting, but my opinion is that the
safety of the products which this country de-
ponds rests far more on the success of the Wash
ingtOn Government than upon Its failure; and
believe that nothing could be more mOnstrOus than
for u.s. who not very ayerse to war ourselves, to
set up for critcs-carpng caviling critics-of what
the Washington Government is doing.


| saw letter th0Other day, from an Engllshman,
resident for % years in Philadelphia, a merchant
there, and very prosperous merchant. He said
50 | prefer the institutions of this country (tlA
United States) very much to yours IN England
but he saws, also If it be once admitted tha
here we have no country and no Government, but ,
that anv portion Of these United States can break
offfrom the central Government whenever it peases,
then it is time for me to pack up what have and
to 90 somewhere where there is country and a
government" Well that is the pith of this ques-
ton. Do you suppose that If Lancashire and
Yorkshire thought that they would break off from
the United Kingdom, that those newspapers who
are now preaching every kind of moderation to the
Government at Washington would advise the Gov
ernment in London to allow these two counties to
set up a special Government for themselves When
the people of Ireland asked that they should Sc
cede, was it proposed in London that they should
be allowed to secede peaceably!


Nothing of the kind. | am not going to defend
what is taking place in a country that is well able
to defend itself. But | advise you, and advise
the people of England, to abstain from applying
to the United States doctrines and principles which
we never apply to our own case. At any rate,
they have never fought for 'the balance of power
in Europe. They have never fought to keep up a
decaying empire. They have never squandered
the money of their people in such phantom expedi-
tions as we have been engaged in. And now, at
this moment, when you are told that they are go
ing to be ruined by their vast expenditure, why
the sum that they going to raise in the at
emergency of this grievous war is no greater than
what we raise every year during time of peace
loud cheers.l They say that they not now
going to liberate slaves. No; the object of the
Washington Government is to maintain their con-
stitution, and to act legally, it permits and re-
quires.


No man is more in favor of peace than am. no
man has denounced war more than have probably
in this country, few in their public life have
suffered more obloquy-I had almost said more in
dignity-in consequence of it: but l cannot, for
the life of me. see upon any of those principles
upon which States governed nOw-I say moth
ing of the literal word Of the New TestamentI
cannot see how the state of AFFAIRS in America, with
regard to the United States Government. could
have been different from what it is at this moment
We had heptarchy in this country, and it was
thought to be good thing to get rid of it and to
have a united nation II the 33 or "a States of the
American Union can break off whenever they like,
can see nothing but disaster and confusion
throughout the whole of that continent. L say
that the war; be it successful not be it Christian
or not, he it wise or not, is war to sustain the