DEATH OF MR BRIGHT. ENGLAND'S GREATEST ORATOR. PERSONAL REMINISCENCES BY A FRIEND.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 355, 30 March 1889, Page 5

DEATH OF MR BRIGHT. ENGLAND'S GREATEST ORATOR. PERSONAL REMINISCENCES BY A FRIEND.

The Right Hon. John Bright, M.P., orator and statesman, is dead, and his demise will cause a deep-seated feeling of regret throughout the British Empire, if not the whole civilised world. Mr Bright was bora at Greenbank, near Rochdale, on November 16th, 1811, and his career has been so notable, that the following interview between a Star represen* tative and a personal friend of the great politician, who is at present on a visit to this city, will no doubt be read with considerable interest. Mr Win, Jones, referred to, came from London for the benefit of his health, and is delivering lectures in connection with the subject of " International Arbitration.'' Mr Jones was formerly Hon. Commissioner of the War Victims' Fund duriug the FrancoGerman and Russo-Turkish Wars, and his efforts in the interests of the Peace Society had the sympathy and interest of Mr Bright. Mr Jones, by the way. is to deliver a lecture on. the subject of "International Arbitration" at the V.M.C.A. Buildings to-morrow evening, when Sir George Grey will preside, and as there is no charge for admission he will probably bo favoured with a very large audience. "I enjoyei the personal friendship of Mr Bright," said Mr Jones, "and had numerous opportunities of discussing with him subjects of mutual interest." " When did he first enter public life as a speaker ?" ~ " Hi« entrance into public life as a speaker waa as an advocate in the temperance cause. Mr Bright would then have been a young man of about twenty years of age. He was a teetotaller then, and has been so ever since. The temperance cause was, as you know, rery unpopular about that time." "He was also very enthusiastic on the abolition of the Corn Laws, was he not ?" " It was not until after the death of his first wife that Mr Bright really distinguished himself in political life. He was induced by his friend, Mr Richard Cobd6n, to enter upon a campaign for the abolition of the Corn Laws, and prior to this he had not taken an active part in politics, although he had manifested a great interest therein." '• Was Mr Bright also interested in business affairs at the time ?" " Yes, he was then following the business of cotton spinner and manufacturer at Rochedale, in Lancashire, he and his brothers having inherited the business from their father, Jacob Bright, who established the factory many years before on a small scale. The brothers increased the business and greatly enlarged it, trading under the style of Jacob Bright and Sons." Since his entrance into public life Mr John Bright had never taken any part whatever in the details of the business with which he was connected, leaving the management chiefly in the hands of his brother Thomas, who has the reputation of a most effective, thorough-going business man." " What success had Mr Bright as an advocate for abolition of the Corn Laws '{" "Mr Bright and Mr Cobden traversed the whole of England and Scotland, advocating the abolition of the Corn Laws, and the establishment of free trade, and MiBright has ever since been at the head of the free trade party." . ** When did he enter Parliament ?" " He did not enter Parliament until 1543, when he was elected a representative of the city of Durham, maintaining that seat until 1847, when he was returned for Manchester. His powers as an orator were immediately acknowledged in the House, and be at once assumed a very high position as a public speaker." " In what public matters did Mr Bright take great interest V ** In addition to the Corn Laws, he was intimately associated with the question of reform of the franchise, and he opposed the Factory Act as being an interference with the liberty of both manufacturers and the people. I would not dwell upon that, however, because Mr Bright was not a very strong advocate either way. His idea was rather to allow masters and workmen to settle any difficulties that existed between themselves, than that there should be any interference on the part of the Government." •'Mr Bright was also a peace advocate, was he not ?" " Yes. Mr Bright has always been a peace advocate. His last great speech, | which was delivered at Westminster two years ago, was at one of my meeting's, over which he presided, and which I addressed as lecturer. There was an immense audience. Mr Bright said to me, " You must not shorten your lecture," and I replied that that great crowd of people had not come there to listen to me, and therefore I made way for Mr Bright at a early stage. Mr Bright spoke for fifty minutes with great fervour on the peace question, and in opposition to the Government policy of war in the Soudan. His speech was reported by the whole of the London papers, and traversed the civilised world. This was Mr Bright's last great speech— indeed, his last speech in public." "Mr Bright appears to have taken a great interest in your mission, Mr Jones." "Yes, he did. I had a very valuable autograph letter from him before proceeding to America to visit President Cleveland, in 1887." The letter referred to is dated *' London, August 9th, 1887," and reads as follows : , *' Dear friend, Williams Jones, —I am glad to hear you are going to the United States, on what I may term a peace mission. You will find many friends of peace on the other side of the Atlantic, more, perhaps, than you will leave on this side, for our people have seen nothing of war among them during this century. They know something of the taxes, the result of war, but have seen nothing of the bloodshed in war. There was talk of a permanent arbitration treaty between England and the United States. The project is a, reasonable one, and discussion on both sides may bring it about. I think if the Government of the States were willing, and were in any way to signify their willingness to become party to such a treaty, there ib a force of good men with us sufficient to induce our Goverment to consent to it. If this can be done, it will be a grand step in the world's march, and would be followed at some not distant time by some other nations willing to escape from the burdens of their military armaments. You will doubtless see many intelligent and leading men in the States, and will learn something of their feelings in that matter. They may receive you as a trustworthy representative of the moral and peace loving people in England, and I hope your interviews may do something in the direction that you and I so greatly desire. I find that nearly two hundred members of our House of Commons are addressing a memorial to the Government of Washington to"" suggest an arbitration treaty such as I have described. More, far more, I hope than this number will be ready to urge the ac-

ceptance of such a treaty upon our Government if the action of Washington should meet with any favour and success. England and the States will remain two nations, but they will always be regarded as one people. An arbitration treaty honestly made and adhered to would tend much to this blessed result. I wish you a pleasant voyage, and some pood results of your labour. — I am, always sincerely yours, John" Bright." "I think I may mention," added Mr Jones, " wbat President Cleveland said to me about Mr Bright in a private interview." "Certainly; that would be rather interesbing " "President Cleveland asked": 'When is your friend Mr Bright coming to see us? We will give him a hearty welcome 1' I replied that I had heard Mr Bright say, yearer ago, that he did not like public demonstrations, and that it was therefore unlikely that he would ever go to America. On my repeating this anecdote to Mr Bright at his dinner table he remarked, " Yes, that is quite true, and you might have told him further 'and he does not like the sea.' >: "What position did Mr Bright hold in relation to the Peace Society ?" "Mr Bright never personally identified himself with any Peace Society, but he was an ardent peace advocate. This was well-known in the House of Commons, and probably he did nob wish his influence to be handicapped by the idea of his being a member of the Peace Society. On all occasions he advocated the settlement of each dispute peacefully upon its own merits. He considered the question of every war upon its own merits." " Are you acquainted with the cause of Mr Brighb's retiremenb from the Gladstone Cabinet ?" " He retired from the Gladstone Cabinet on account of his differences, or disputes, with them, because of the bombardment of Alexandra, which he maintained was a great mistake." " Do you think Mr Bright grew more Conservative as he grew older ?" " Yes, I think so, and the members of his own family think so 100, although he never identified „ himself with the Conservative party in any way. He was not a man to pander to any party, and no doubt, had he chosen, he might have had any honours that he desired." " What was Mr Blight's peculiar characteristic as an orator ?" "Mr Bright's principal power as an orator was his great moral earnestness, and because, on every question on which he spoke, he spoke from heartfelt conviction, and clothed his ideas in simple but powerful English." " Was he very fluent?" "He did nob speak with rapidity, bub slowly, and every word told." " Do you think he prepared his addresses carefully, or spoke extemiiore ?" \ "On great occasions he prepared his speeches carefully, but he never wrote out his speeches. He thought them out carefully* beforehand, and &poke from a few heads of his discourse. Possibly he may have written parts of &ome of his great perorations, but I have no knowledge of his having done so." " Was his style impassioned?" " Yes ; more especially so in the earJy and middle part of his career as a public speaker. In his old age he was more calm and quiet." " Did he appear to be very much carried away by bis speech ?" "I should say he was always self-pos-sessed, bub always conveyed the impression that he was speaking from Bincere conviction. He never spoke for the sake of effect." 4 ' You have heard Mr Gladstone, of course ? "I have.'' " And how would you compare the two men as orators ?"' "Mr Gladstone's style of speech is more involved, and more difficult bo follow in order to obtain the sense, than Mr Brighb's style, which was perfectly simple and straightforward. Every sentence was complete and effective, and conveyed the full and sincere impressions of the orator. Gladstone is much more flowery and brings in more illustrations than did Mr Bright, but, on the other hand, Mr Bright introduced. most humorous illustrations which usually proved very effective." " Which of the two men do you think moved an audience most ?" " Tbat is a difficult question to answer. Gladstone had an immense prestige, or mana, a3 you would call it in New Zealand 5 in England, but still, Mr Bright, as an orator, was more effective in moving the hearts of the people. I have seen an audience of seven thousand people in Birmingham standing before Bright and swaying like a corn n'old swayed by the wind, under the power of his immense oratory." " His death will no doubt be a great sorrow to many ?" Mr Bright will be greatly missed. He was immedsely respected by the whole of the middle classes and the artisan classes at home, and also throughout America for having been so true a friend to the North. He kept England steadfast to the Northern cause during the Civil War." " Does Mr Bright's business continue ?" "Yes; it has now grown into a very large concern, and is at present under the managemenb of his son JotmAlbert ßright." The interview concluded with acknowledgments bo Mr Jones for the information so courteously given.