Year: 1861

Mr.. John Bright on our Troubles and the
Cotton Question.


On the evening of August 1St, Mr.


John Bright spoke in RochdaIc on behalf


of Mr. Cheetham, the Liberal candidate


for Parliament His speech is reported


in the Manchester Guurdiun. In the


course of it he said With ut comp}i-
menting Mr. Chccthom, can tell you
that he is most active-l believe the
most active-mcmbcr of an association
formed in this district for the purpoS, of
promoting better 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 so short a time has elapsed since
its operations began, yet it has now sown


the seed, as it were, of production of
cotton IN very many part, Of the world


where that production probably would


never have been heard of, or thought Of,
| if it had not been for the labors of that


association. With regard to the supply


from India, ! may tell you this, that there


is no man from Lancashire of late who


has been more assiduous in his attend


ance in London whenever ANYTHING was


to be done with H." Minister from India,


or with the House Of Commons. with the


view to promote the opening Of the in-
dustrv of that vast country, so as to in.
crease the produ ton and export of cot
ton to this country. | think that, lust


now, you can find man who, on ques
tons of great State policy, agrees with
us, at the same time having a deep per.
sonal interest in this great cotton ques-
ton, and having paid so much attention
to 1t as Mr.. Chectham has, think there
Is double reason why be should receive
the votes and have the confidence of this


division of the county Ithc"rs Now,
Is tins cotton question Il great question


or not | met spinner to-day-he
does not live in Rochdalr, though | met
hlm here-and | asked him what he
thought about it, and Ec said: "Wen, |
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 you ask.
They know that in past times, when cot
ton has risen % or ~ 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, and when everybody said. "Thcre
would b. no cotton at Chrlstmas,.. there
proved very considerable stock at
Christmas. And SO they say now.
don in the least drnv that it will be so;
all | assert Is, that IuI- particular case is
new that we have never had "A war in
the United States between different sec
tons OF that country, affecting the pro-
ductlon Of cotton before and it is not
fair nor wise, but rather childish than
otherwise, to argue from past events,
which were not a bit like this, of the
event which Is ROW passing before our
eyes. They say, 1T 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
adc.' Now recollcct what breaking the
blockade means. 1t means war with the
United States and don't think myself
it would be cheap to break the blockade
at the cost of a war with the United
States think that the cost of war
with the United States would give, prob
ably, half wages, for very considerable
time, to those persons in Lancashire who !
would be out Of work if there was no cot
ton, to say nothing at all of the manifest
iriustcc and wrong against all interna-
tional law, that legal and effective
blockade should be nterfered with by
another country. 1t is not exactly the
business Of this meeting, but my opinion
is that the safety of the products on
which this country depends, rests far
more on the success Of the Washington
government than upon its failure; and |
believe nothing could be more monstrous
than for US, who are not very aversc to
war ourselves, to set up for critics
carping, caviling critics-of what the
Washington government is doing. saw
a letter the other day from an English
man, resident for twenty FIVE years in
Philadelphia, merchant there, and a
very prosperous merchant. He said 81
prefer the institutions Of this country
(the United Sates) very much to yours
in England :" but he says also, "If it be
once admitted that here we have no
country and no government, but that
any portion of these United States can
break off from the central government
whenever it pleases, then it is time for
me to pack up what l have, and to 60
somewhere where there is country and
a government


Well, that is the pith of this question.


Do you suppose that if Lancashire aud
Yorkshire thought that they would break