The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 2811, 21 February 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1872.

A good deal has been written in the Colonies respecting Sir Charles Dilke, his attack on the Queen, and the Republican tendencies of the people of Great Britain, and some who assume to be authorities conclude that monarchy is doomed to die out with the Queen. We have looked over the files of English papers, and read the reports of Sir Charles Dilke’s speeches, and the comments of the leading papers, hut see no reason whatever to imagine that republicanism is in very high favor. We have many times listened to far more violent attacks on the throne than Sir Charles Dilke has made. In fact there seems to he at Home as in the Colonies a want of something to excite, and so people are amusing themselves with speculating on constitutional changes. The facts adduced in support of his theory by Sir Charles Dilke, are not disclosed for the first time. For the last fifty years there has been published in England a book, termed the Black Book, in which are detailed the names of the recipients of every pension, and its amount, with a detail of the services or no-services for which it is granted : the name of every military and naval officer, every officer of the Queen’s household, and in fact a minute analysis of the pension, civil and military lists. This Black Book was the offspring of republican societies, which

are no new thing at Home, but have been more or less strong in numbers since the American War of Independence, if not earlier. The Black Book was for many years published secretly, and sold by stealth. Attempts are understood to have been made by different Ministries to suppress it; but as time ■went on, it was sold openly, and as statistics became the- fashion, its disclosures were republished without the offensive comments by the Liverpool Financial Reform Association, which has now been in existence we suppose some twenty years. lo the statistical account published by that Association Sir Charles Dilke refers for confirmation of his statements of the cost of Royalty. We do not suppose anyone will deny the truth of what he states, and we are quite ready to imagine that, with a reformed House of Commons, there will be increased watchfulness over the expenditure of public money. This was one result of the extension of the franchise under William the Fourth, and it will no doubt be carried still further by the present constituencies ; but to suppose because a large meeting at Newcastle, another at Leeds, and another at Bristol, assembled to hear republicanisin preached by a baronet, that monarchy is to cease is rather a hasty conclusion from so small a matter. Changes are not made at railroad speed at Home. Even when an idea is well founded, it generally requires twenty to twenty-live yeais often very much more—before it becomes adopted. For more than twice that period, voting by ballot has been advocated in the House of Commons, but it has not yet become law ; and it will require a much longer time to convince intelligent Britain that a form of Government which experience has proved is sufficiently elastic to admit all necessary changes shall be abolished, when it is quite plain all its advantages may be retained, while its abuses may be rectified. This republican movement, however, is a pleasant recreation to many at Home, and for the amusement of our readers we append a few extracts from a Mr ConIxgsby’s description of his visit to “ The Republican Head Quarters,” the Hole in the Wall, London, published in the Times :—

A public meeting: had been called to consider Sir Charles Dilke’s Newcastle speech, and many eminent preachers of the new political gospel were expected to attend, so that, to use one of my friends phrases, it was tolerably clear the “pow-wow” would be one of uo ordinary interest. So it turned out. As a wigwam the Hole-in-the Wall can scarcely be considered a success. It is a dingy, sawdusty, dimly-lit tavern, which the unlearned might easily mistake for a beershop, and wonder how the deuce blinds became so faded even in that. We passed the liar, where some of the orators of the evening were busy taking “ nips,” and were directed upstairs to the fust door as” we “come to,” which, having reaeue,d we entered the room.

The room was tolerably full of men and women, and intolerably of a white choking mist, for, as if to hurl defiance at the memory of the late Koyal author of the “ Counterblast,” the Republicans j resent seemed to puff tobacco smoke even more persistently than they did Sir Charles Dilkc. Beer was on the tables and the waiter in the room. The chairman, horrible to relate, sat under a canopy of state and upon a throne, and as we entered was despotically ruling a poor speaker out of order for merely having deC'ared, with some emphasis, that the Prince of Wales was a “thief, a blackguard, ai\d wuss.” The “ wuss” was the straw which broke the less advanced camels’ backs, so a gentleman rose to order, with the result that freedom of speech was curtailed in the manner stated. The people present wore neither more nor loss than average English working folk. Thdr faces had the usual clean slatelike want of expression so characteristic .of our race ; the repose of feature which is the infallible sign of energy held in reserve, instead of being allowed to waste itself on the perpetual figuring of sums, merely to wipe them out again and begin all over afresh. So anti-conspirator likc were these meu and women that it is doubtful whether the whole GO or 70 present could have raised a really evil wish between them for any Government on earth. ’ * * *

The only earnest Republican is Mr (Eiger, who mentioned that he was commissioned by a rich gentleman, whose name be did not mention, to purchase the first bouse ho could Hud suitable for meetings.

The most applauded, and moderate, but by uo moans the best speech of the evening, was made by a gentleman who opposed the Republicans. lie frankly pleaded, guilty to having saved a thousand pounds, and by a train of reasoning which must have been even more satisfactory to himself than his audience, he concluded that this sum under a republic would be worth exactly five hundred pounds sterling. But, although slightly illogical, he was an awkward customer to jeer at, as poor Mr Odger soon found ; for in answer to a goodnatured but meaning laugh from the latter, which plainly meant, “ I’ll take the ghost’s word for a thousand pounds,'” the speaker turned upon the interrupter, and made fie one brilliant hit of the evening. “ Yes, Mr Odger may laugh,” said the man of property, “ but when 1 mention one fact, which I challenge him to deny, the laugh will he on the other side of the mouth. You say,” he continued,” that yon are rapidly educating che people of England up to Republicanism. Good ! You have had a newspaper preaching that doctrine for nearly a yeai‘, and you have made so many converts that you are not able to bring the next number out without getting up a raffle for a blanket. This sally (which was true) was greeted with roars and screams of laughter, in which Mr Odger joined, until I saw the tears running down his good-humored face. The great speech of the Republicans was, of course, Mr Odgcr’s, and a capital speech it was—neat, to the point, moderate, and

without statistics, on which sharp rocks all the others had been dashed to pieces. I cannot help wishing that Charles Dilke had paid a. visit to the Hole-m-the-Wall before going to Newcastle, iheievity rollicking fun, and impartiality ot la>t night’s assembly, the vagueness of the speakers, and indifference of those who listened were enough to convince any man playing for a less stake than the 1 residency of Cheater Britain” that Britons never, never, never will become crotchctinongcrs, or go in for the Great Symmetrical Untried even to please a clever, high-spirited, and well-meanmg gentleman who, with aiault ing amhtion to serve his countrymen, has tins time clearly overh-apt himself.