Year: 1866

Of keeping the peace. Neither the other hand could
special constables from the Trades be sworn I'M for TO
give the necessary locus sdndt for swearing IN special
constables somebody must swear that they feared
breach of the Queens peace. How could this be done
when Her Majesty's Government wero convinced oil
the intense loyalty and peaceabe intentions 0 every
one connected with this interesting movement The
leaders of the Trades could not of course take any
such profane Oaths. Meantime, as the men declined
Primrose Hll it was difficult TO suggest where the
meeting could be held. SO the Government balanced
and swayed backward and forward. Taking example
by them, the enterprsing owner of Cremorne Gardehs


smart man Of business, of conservative prochyltles
quietly backed out Of his agreement to allow the
gathering in his gardens of questionable repute
Really the situation was becoming embarrassing TO
courteous Cabinet Ministers at their wits end how to
SIT gracefully on the fence and Trades Union leaders
puzzled at finding themselves in these unwOnted rela
tions with Right Honorabes. To the cynical or dis.
interested lookeron the whole spectacle had sort OF
numbering humOr about it, while the rest Of the public
half angry and halffrighened but desiring above
oil things TO one side or other


Some sharp purpose midst the twitter'


The question of meeting place was solved at the
eleventh hour, by Lord Ranelagb, an Irish Peer,
Tory of the Tories the Colonel of the Fourth Middle
Volunteers, and lessee in that capacity of largo
battle-ground and rifle range just outside of the fashion
able suburb of South Kcnsngton. This ground be
offered to the Trades, thereby emitting himself at least
Gas folks say) TO step in the Peeragc and an English
corone for having delivered his leaders from an en-
barraSsing dilemma. London rep0sed in comparative
peace on Advent Sunday The morning of Monday,
the Sd, rose fine enough and the weather held up till
noon. Then slight drizzle set in, which got worse
and worse as the afternoon advanced, and ended III
steady drenching rain Taking this fact into consid-
eraton and also remembering that the organizers OF
the demonstration not the trusted and acknowl'
edged leaders OF the Trades Unions, but only men who
are ambitious of becoming so, and who seize every
chance othrustng themselves forward IN the hope Oi
obtaining their ends by persistent Seassertion the
procession and meeting may perhaps DO considered as


success. SO at any rate 1t strikes observers as IN
telligent as NJ. Louis Banc whose letter TO The
Temps has been republished here. He makes light
Of the fact that not more than some 26 600 took part
in the procession, dwells the excellent splnt that
animated the men, "their moderation, their longan-
unity their love of order" All this, of course, IS per-
fectly true, but no sane Engshman expected any
thing else; and the fact that large body of our
artizans gathered and dispersed without making or
causing breach of the peace, threatening to over
throw established ORDER is not enough to satisfy u.s.
Again, NJ Louis Blanc's enthusiasm over his expert
ences in the crowd which gathered all along the line
Of march are most natural in Frenchman, longing
these many years in exile for the chance OF seeing
such a state OF things in his own fair land. Not
soldier TO be seen, of course" he says. VIII
you believe it had at first some difficulty to dls
cover policeman which, for curioSitys Sake tired
to do. However, by dnt Of searching, l
perceived here and there one or two, lost
among the crowd. They looked on at the
procession with much interest. They were evidently
there only as spectators. refrain from all comment
and from all comparison. There are certain facts
which speak for Themselves" This repeat, IL just
the tone which would be prepared for in for
eigner Of liberal principles, filled with the remem-
brance of the gendarmes and other orderpreserying
machinery of bis own country but it cannot DC reck-
oned for much among any English speaking people.
And in good truth if we can just say that the demon
straon was success ii Is much rs the facts will
allow. The promoters talked so confidently oil
million, half million, 250,OOO, that when the last


figure came to be divided by TO- the party Of order"
peeped out of their holes and soon began to become
patronizng and thought contemptuous. Had the
Trades Unions been in earnest beyond question
they could have turned out the quarter OF million
with ease but there heart IN the business With
the majority Of them. The old and sound doctrine
not to allow their machinery to be used for political
purposes under the shadow OF which they
have added One-third, at least, to the average
rate of wages, too strong 10 give way
suddenly, under the genuine and strong desire
for reform which now seriously doubts to exist
IN the class So, on the whole, for one am almost
sorry that the open-ar demonstration was pressed on
at this time of year, and the next nights meeting In
St. Jamess Hall, at which Mr.. Bright made one OF
his great speeches. was not 50 good a 10 turn
the scale TO any satisfactory extent There we're no
crowds unable TO get in, and drfted away into the
smaller halls or quiet corners of the neighboring
streets to hear speeches from smaller guns, as thero
was room for them TO hear the great one, as Tor





the North in 1861. The Hall was full, but not
crowded uncomfortaby. Mr.. Bright, of course, re-
ceiyed most cordial welcome, and warmed up his
audience till they sprang to their feet TO cheer more
heartily time after time. Nor can l see that the
speech is at all more dangerous than many which he
and other less eminent have been making IN the
past Autumn without causing any particular alarm.
Half the old fogies of the Clubs prang, day after
day and night after night Of the fnghtfuy dangerous
condition of political and social life. Nobody
much for than IL bplpVeg that they
can see anything but shams through their old spec
taces; but let Mr.. Bright say are living on the
slopes of volcano (Which is, by the way, no more
true in his mouth than in that Of the foges and the
whole Platocratic press shreks Look he is stirring
the crater" and the ogies join in chorus, and open
their stores Of bilngsgate upon the head OF great
man who has been singing their own song. However,
| don't believe Mr. Bright cares one straw for the
whirwind Of abuse and scurrlty and why should any
one else


He made notable example Of AyrtOn, the member
for the Tower Hamets toward the end of the meeting
That gentleman, who has been nOtOriously depre-
eating reform during the past session. though voting
with Government, and who has not neglected OppOr-
tunities of giving Bright the most slipperk kind of
backing for time past. came into the meeting,
and beng called on TO speak, had the bad taste TO
attack the Queen for not having up TO BuckiDg
ingham Palace TO encourage the trades. he referred
sneerDgly 10 her prolonged mourning, and this fairly
reused the member for Birmingham who is, in private


life one Of the tenderes hearted and domestic OF men,
unless report lies. lie has strong liking for the
Queen, grounded, probably, on her very desoiatiOn
and inability to face the tnse conventional side of her
own old life again as a widow, and he burst out upon
the member for the Tower Hamlets with repreo the
words of which must have dropped like hot sealing
wax on the somewhat thick mental cutlce oil that
honorable gentleman. Those who heard it say that
Bright was never finer moro powerful and TINS little
incident will probably do much to counteract the
nonic real or feiSned which polite society has been