JOHN BRIGHT.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 143, 3 July 1880, Page 3

JOHN BRIGHT.

There is only one English statesman who is familiarly spoken of by his Christian name wherever his c.oimtrymen are found. That statesman is the great Quaker orator John Bright, lie is the eldest son of a substantial IWhdale manufacturer, and is the senior partner of the firm of John Bright and Druthers, cotton spinners and manufacturers. Ho was horn in b'-11. lie received a sound English education, and at an early age took part in local movements of asocial and political nature.

By the assistance of his brothers he has been untroubled by the details of business, while he has been engaged in his groat political labours, and he lias been placed ill a position of comfort almost approaching a Mi u once. John Bright was drawn into political life hv the force, of his convictions o;i political subjects. He saw the people around him starving for bread owing to the com duties,- which prevented foreign nations sending their surplus supplies For the consumption of tin masses rf (treat Britain, lie ».ir, too, trade everywhere fettered l.v minors designed to'be protective but in' reality nest harmful. Vie rciiis: d .that tic more commodities a conntrv em ;■■!■:■■ from foreign nafio.is the _i- -1:. i- .; quantity of products will bclakai in exchange. The doctrines of free trade he took up as a political gospel, whirl, would deliver his fellow - countrymen from mne'n oopicssi in ; and with his nohli! colleague. Ri:iiard (Aibden, and many able eo-i lititnrs, lie set himself t'i er.nt iu-c the . itcturs of sir. la r•; n..Tlie history of the Corn Law L:agitc is known to every one. first it convinced the masses.'even working partial

conviction ujion the minds of tlu> tm-m-rs, ami iimillv, with tho aid of famine, ii convinced" the jri-ml Minister who th--u directed fliuiK-sti:ii.-s of the rhnpira-Sir Hubert ]WI. Mr. Bright \ra.s iirst 10-tm-nocl In I'.-u-'iiaat'-nt as sin-mher for Idirham in IS].!. In ISJ-7 1m was elected for Maiu-hcstor. mid held tinsent until IS")", when u.vin,' to illness I absence, ami his i.|.i».Mtio!i to the Russian win- and i In- V'-'li'-v of L-ir.l i. In wis i-j..--t.-d. Within .1 IVIW Illo..ths Mi- WHS l-.-t.tlll-.l I'll- I'ilniiue.hain. nuil fr twenty-flu-ei ycar.luis tuj. i" ■•: cd l:n capital of til" mi !• lauds. 'l'm- e ;<■ er tm- it of In lia inhi. ii phi -ii .1 i-< -tiy hii.lit t'i-j i'l-ovn, rhi- i hn-ch of It laud Im- l-ecn di-si-stab-ii.-Mi-d. titiii-s Imvi.. lic-n utiiiiiiiiili..l in K :■/. in I. .ml ih ■ universities lun'o li-.-n llimivii n| .-ii |.. Xoi.i-onfuniiUts, mid more i;iili;:hti-i i'd vi -us of our relations with f.-i-riLLi. r-ltitos Imvi' made-leiidi' progress. The -iva- ch:i::-„'f t!i it has taken pl.u-u has larp-lv ai'feeted Mr. 1.5 rl:,'ht>-position. In his earlier il::vs ho v. a- simplv the tru-'-.l leader nl the' Ua licnl party/anil he wis denounced hv the Cmservativcs in the most unsparing terms. 1 1.- was charged with dislnvaltv, and t route. I as though ho were lit for lit: 1., hotter than the gallows, f.li-adniillv he has bcio-iiu one of the chiofs

of the great Liberal party, nail his consistency, his far-seeing wisdom, and his great an I w.mlerful gift< of ur.itory, have enabled him to command and retain the confidence not imly of his own constituents, le.it, also, it may lie truly said, nf tho great musses of the people of England! Mr. Height's energy lias hcea directed chiolly towards reform in Hie representation of thn pep!', th.j amelioration of the condition of Ireland, to the establishment of good government in India, to the removal of religious disabilities in all parts of the Empire, and to the miihitenaii if n paeifl" foreign policy. In each of (lies- departments of politic* his name is "writ Inrge" in the amiala it' his time. Il.'has had the gold loituiv to see gradually nlniost all that ie; has advocated nmbodiiil in the milieu >:■

Uliwritfcul laws lit' his iMinfry. i'ln: working men of the towns hjoieo in tlin i-hs/toriil fvunehise, nusiMiros of justice liavo been mctcd out I') livland, liis calm floniiouco has won tlin revpoct of nil intelligent men, nnil the conll loncn of tho vuat majority of his fellow-countrymen, In 1808 ho' became u mouther ot ITor Majesty's Government, ami was received by tho Queen at Windsor in his plain Quaker dress, for through his life hj" has elun« ti) tlin faith of liis fat hois, and has avoiil"d all ostentatious corouionial. Ilia tenure of olßcowaa interrupted by ithiuoa, and for the. neeowl tlma in Ids lire, he was compelled to give up everything, even reading tlio papers. With his Hy-rotl in Ilia hiiml hi! fished tho, rivoffl of Scotland, and in such healthy anil quint recreation Ids strength of niiiul nnil i"dv returned, LlorojniiiwttlioOlivtiiltiiiuMiiiMtryaliortly Iwfoiii Its full, and in rijipmilthni his voice i,., iwmmled with denunciations of the p iHuy hi t,l.i ■ Conservative Ministry. He boa onca m >ro taken otHco with Mr. OI(ul> stone us Chancellor of the D.ucby of Lancaster, nit offlec which requires no

Withdnt doubt lie is the greatest popuj l«r orator of I he age, probably the greatest I ni' ni"\dcrn'daysC tu lac tiuu--* of tha A:itiCorn LavT'ljeagiiehc could so appeal tii l.airdioncQf that; tin' woulil'-lWve followed "him jt liif bade them take ui> anus, or ilo . i .'iiv oik<|; wild thMg. They' were- spelt''elOfpiaiif*'; .In J(s!r* days his stylo has • mid weighty; ami • leas nt trains bring ■>" crow** to-'lieiCr bhiiijrbm <listant cities, n}itP , "ltstuiv breathlessly for the majestic silvery Tones with which he pours out his thoughts on public affairs. VVlioii he denounces what he conceives to bo great wrongs his style is artloihrtly grand, and , when he brings ridicule to bear upon a , person he demolishes his victim with n I delicacy which would hardly be expected i from so robust au orator. The most | famous specimen of his humour is the I speech which he delivered .on Mr. tflotlj stone's Reform Bill of 1.8(50, wlion Mr. I twwo and Jlr. llmsman deserted the ' ; Liberal party. He s|i:)ke of the latter 1 J gathering into a (.lave of Adiillam the I I discontented spirits, and ehaifed thosii • ; two gentlemen—'' so amiable and so discreet," —with forming a political party ' | of their own, in which the only objection ! I was that it was like a Scotch terrier—- !. you could not tell which was the head 'laud which was the tail. Ha than r>r„ cceded thus to chaff Mr. Lowe, who wns lat that lime the ;:,!>. r for Oahi". a 'pocket borough in the hailrin of the. ; Marijiiis of Lausilownc. ! "The right lioii.iMi'mherfoikOalho'tohl | us that he had some peon! iar.etycfinTv experiences. These are the'-m-h who mclce discord wh"rever th-v rMi'mnV. • Th" ?'"'\* lion. gentleman i■■•• ;n!i!g d-'wn to TCi 1-' jworkiu-r >"<■■■. V'hm the right ho-i member went down there he found a I (:■•!.. .U. even lllnw n-rcr -v.-.led {;],-,„ :,! Thov did not 1,,-eak lpy heid. '.ntthev did something that in the evn of the law w a * much ffnw, For Miev *ho( un the nolle" in Mm Town Hall, nod the little mob of (he l.'nn-had (he who!" .'amefo (1 i""'ves. The riebt hon. .?"•,- H.inen ! ild n« of th- ■■ ilvnne whi"h tike? i its colour Fmm the -o.V: in which it live; and he said some hon. n,eml>ei-s take tlv.jr e-.lme-s from Hie'r e nstihi'-iv-o-s Th- eonsfifuercv.wlech the right hen , o-entlemnn ' consists of 17-|. hut Up i-ea' constituent of (he riffhf hon. | . r „„i1.„.,.„. •;.: ~ ~,,..„1„ Mie other 1 foueo ' of Parliament, and hj« mnH e-nd in his I 'ell r Ids groom instead o? the risrht I V«i. ~-,-,H..-,,.,., to represent th" Wnt'l. T think, i" one sons re"aivliii»(lievi..rht lion "enfl ia«aniu«..H,.,.fmd "-la.li-.tov i„ (Ids U"0s" -we nv„ n,.:el| bid"'.' -d fo it'.-Mnrooi, of I.ansdnwuethnthedidno: i ,b I'.-' " Mr nr:.oifi«t!v'-isi.oiallv?r.V"nnd I earnest, Ihou-h rcl:ew| !>■• th-. ■ flashes jof humonr. He ~i ivs to raise whnl e-er sul.i-el I." touches tea higher level. ■,r.,\ noiv-als to not',.,- p.-ineinies than those bv whieh political action is n<uallv r... r ,!:,!-.,1. As a speeimen oF l.is noMe mill vet xiinol ■• nor nations, whieh remain in th" mind-: of nil hearers, never lob-'"••C-otl"", we will .oi .*.. Hie pon-ln«ion of ' i speech on the TvUli Church I'.ill. and wnonote it (l.nmoieve-1-liK-ns it contains n lesson for N'ow South U.ilcs as -ell as a me«n-rp of iioace for rveland. '• We eve. after nil. of one roliyioii. r inia'dne that, (here will conic „ time in (ho hi'tovv of th" world when men will lie nstonish-d that (Vhi'hM »nd Vrofestnnts have had so nVieh inimo«'tv n<rnip«t, n'vl siHnicion of eieh other. T the belief in a <rvand russa"". •v'n'nh I onec •net, with in Mi" wr : th>'« of (hn ilhisli-ioue foniv'or ofVennsvlvnnia. I'e eavs thai 'Th" hood.!". no„,] c mnreifnl. inst. pious. n"d devout sou's are p.-p r ,-ivhereof one Hi«in... rvl wh-n ,1 ,„th has taken o" |(t„, ~,.,,1, (l,„ v ..,;!! know one another, thonn-'. O" i;.....,...., lj, ;, s fl,„ v w„ n .. '..-. ma'-e th .in .:l|-tl '.' Vow. mav T •(-•!■ |1 ■■ honse !••, act in this spirit, and f1,.-,,, ~„■ t-.sk will he m,sv. Thcnol.'e i |oi-l !..w,-ls Hi • .o o-'-ido., of hie oneeeh Look, of the elond whi.-h ,-ste a* rreeout Lv-r To' 1. r . Is n dark and lmnw I fp'Vi'e.' -s o'f '.eo'i'n nil „,•■(, oftheTh ; ' ; -'i | Kmnii-. Hi! ■' ; . isolation wh!-li \,\,J aol '-o-l. and nrnr,hof, Ins left n« n-oi-.H- whieh are o-.t onlv the e\nr"".einn of n f-i"t, lint which we may take as the Utterance of a prophecy, Tie >avs ; 'To the npvi.dit there ni'ieetll light ill darkne:.!' T.'t ns try in Cis matter to lie in.ri"'>t- Let ns t.rv to be inst. That cloud will ho dispelled, The dano-ers whi"h siirmnnd us will vanish, and we may y«"l have the happiness of Icavintf to our children Ihn hevtlntro of nn lionourahl" cillw>ll»h!p in a united and pi-oipernus (inipir■••"—Town and ('nnntry .Toiirnal.