South Canterbury Times. TUESDAY, JULY 18, 1882.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2905, 18 July 1882, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. TUESDAY, JULY 18, 1882.

The retirement of the Right Hon. John Bright from the Cabinet is a notable circumstance, although, perhaps, not a matter for regret. Mr Bright has always been a prominent figure in the political group of England ; his prominence being due as much to his peculiar views and his consistency in advocating them, as to his matchless eloquence. Many of our readers know very little of the career of the right honorable gentleman, and it maynot be out of place .here to state shortly that he is a member of the Society of Friends, and also of a wealthy family in the manufacturing districts; that he has for many years represented Birmingham in the British Parliament ; that he belongs to the “ Manchester School,” or the “ peace-at-any-price party” in politics; that from the commencement of his political career he has been the consistent and strenuous opponent of war. His peculiar idiosymjraby'- has always kept him from attaining that commanding position in the Empire for which bis talents and eloquence undoubtedly fit him. It has probably never been given to any man of modern times to hold the masses before him in such breathless admiring silence as this remarkable man has done; certainly from no lips in England ever flowed such an even stream of vigorous Saxon eloquence. With all his great talent, he was obstinately consistent and singularly destitute of ambition. Areal lover of politics, he loved the sport for itscjlf, and cared nothing for rewards. It is, perhaps, hardly understood by the majority of Englishmen how lofty a character is that of this great tribune of the people, A liberal, but never a demagogue; a politician, but always a philosopher and philanthropist; one who holding the masses of England spell-bound, never used his vast power to direct them wrong, or to gain a position for himself; the unswerving advocate of a peace policy, invincible in his integrity. John Bright’s career is almost unique in its consistency and blamelessnese. Although attached to the Liberal government it isi doubtful whether Mr Bright has ever quite satisfied the Radical party. For his utterances have never been those of a revolutionist. He has always striven to guide, never to excite public feeling, and this mode of action is a little too slow and commonplace for radicals generally. While most enlightened Englishmen have no sympathy whatever with jingoism, it is all but universally agreed that taking into consideration the vasinest* of our

interests, and the attitude of ‘’other powers, not less than the interests of mankind generally, it seems sometimes to be the direct and bounden duty of England to gird on the sword and join issue with some other power. A timely blow, vigorously struck, may be the only means of averting a reign of terror or protracted bloodshed, of clearing away obstacles that threaten to impede commercial progress, of of preserving a community from disaster. So uncompromising a man tis John Bright, however, would never hear of war under any provocation whatever. But the man is a Quaker philosopher, and the meekest of Englishmen could never submit to be ruled by Quaker philosophy. Mr Bright looks upon everybody as amenable to reason, and would, we verily believe, invite the Fenian head centres, Nihilist leaders, or any such gentry, the German Emperor, and the Russian Czar, to a friendly conference; whereat, after prayer, things might all be satisfactorily arranged and the several parties go back to their respective positions full of pious and charitable deterrainaton. He quite left out of his count, the fierce elements that civilization so thinly .veils, he would hear nothing of the “ balance of power,” or the integrity of the Empire. His ceaseless cry is Peace! Peace! The consequence, for himself, is that he goes out of office. So high-minded a man could not hold up his hand in approval of a course against which his heart revolted. England will not regret his secession from the Ministry at the present juncture ; but she will never cease to value the great and good man who, in good and ill times alike has been always her faithful and dutiful son ; mistaken often, but incorruptibly honest always. Nor will those of the people of England who have heard him address a multitude ou some subject in which his heart was engaged, ever forget his grand, strong eloquence. Take John Bright for all in all, we shall probably—so far as his ability and honesty as a statesman are concerned-— 1 “ never look upon his like again.”