Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire Shropshire and North Wales Register

uae the word obstruction. He put the milder term. and he boldly asserted that the cause of the non-fulfilment of the promise of the Liberal party was the determined opposition of the Tories and the Irish party. (Applause.) The rules of procedure had been of immense benefit. They bad not been actually put in force, but like Damocles' sword, they had been suspended over their heads. There was not, however, even now freedom enough, and if obstruction reared its rampant head again the House would be forced into making such stringent rules that the wortc of the country would be able to be performed. It was almost impossible for human beings to sit longer than members now did, and they deserved thanks for the physical labor they underwent in discharging their functions. He liked to take an opportunity when he could of returning thanks to the Liberal members for the kind manner in which they responded to the fcalls he had to make upon them, as he knew the loss of health and time it entailed upon them. But obstruction must be put an end to. The Liberal party had already once grasped the subject, and no doubt, if necessary, they would again assert the right of the House of Commons to do the work for which they were sent there by the people. (Cheers.) The Liberal party deserved their confidence, as they placed more con- 6dence in the people than the Conservatives ever thought of doing. (Cheers.) The tendency of the Conservative party was to withdraw confidence from the people, and the tendency of the Liberal party was to show their confidence in the people. (Cheers.) He asked them in the future to show the same faith and the same confidence, and to send to the House of Commons men who were determined to do their duty to the Liberal party, and men who would support Liberal measures carried by a Liberal Government. (Cheers.) The resolution was carried unanimously. Mr Stuart Rendel, M.P., moved That this meeting is of opinion that the question of interme- diate and higher education ir Wales deserves the immediate attention of the Government, in order to complete the system of which the North and South Wales Colleges form only a part." Mr R. Davies, M.P., seconded the resolution. Mr Osborne Morgan, who was received with cheers, said—Your chairman has asked me to say a few words in support of the resolution, and I think the best use I can make of the opportunity is to tell you that the subject of Welsh intermediate education has already received the careful attention which you ask for it. The bill is already drawn, and will be introduced next session; and, being in a certain sense responsible for it, and familiar with its contents, I think I may say that it will be found a just and comprehensive and truly Liberal measure. We have already attacked the two ends of the educational problem in Wales, and I think-I allude particularly to what took place at Bangor on Saturday-we have begun well. It will be for this bill to fill up the intervening gap. (Hear, hear.) All I ask you is to suspend your judgment until the scheme is before you as a whole. And now, as it will be impossible for me, without a breach of confidence, to enter into the details of a Government bill before it has been laid on the table of the House, t have asked your chairman to allow me to say a few words upon another subject—an event of recent and special interest to us to-night—I mean the Con- servative demonstration of last Monday. (Laughter.) Now, I will say at once that I think we. as Liberals, ought to feel very grateful to its promoters. Why, if it had not been for that meeting we should not have had the counties demonstration of to-night. Besides, I am sure that you will all agree that it is far better that the Conservative leaders, if they must be doing something, should be knocking their heads against the stone walls of Carnarvon Castle, which is a comparatively harmless amuse- ment, than that they should be stirring theblood of Ulstermen," as they called it, on the other side of the Channel. (" Hear, hear," and laughter.) I think, too, great credit is due to the gentlemen who organised that meeting. It was got up. as the playbills say, "regardless of expense." (Laughter.) They covered nearly every gate in North Wales with posters. They scoured the country until there was scarcely an able- bodied Conservative left at home in Carnarvonshire. (Laughter.) They provided entertainment in which the sweet oil of Sir Stafford Northcote was judiciously mixed with the vinegar of Mr Raikes—(laughter)— who, in his speech at Bangor next day, permitted himself to speak of our great Prime Minister in language which I should be ashamed to use to the humblest of my political opponents. (" Hear, hear," and applause.) In one respect, too, the interest of the meeting was absolutely unique, for surely never within the memory of man were so many defeated candidates gathered together under the same roof. (Hear, hear.) No doubt Sir Stafford Northcote expressed a hope that the next election would turn all these defeated candidates into members for Welsh constituencies—(laughter)—but in the meantime we are the men in possession, and I think it will be found that this is a case in which possession is nine-tenths of the law. And let me ask, on what is that hope based ? Sir S. Northcote said many pleasant things, and he said them, as he says everything, in a very pleasant way, and in perfect good taste. (Hear, hear.) He declared himself an ardent admirer of Eisteddvodau, and regretted, almost with tears in his eyes, that he had not been taught I Welsh when a boy. (Lau-hter.) After that. gentle- men, I should not be surprised to hear of Lord Salis- bury reciting an Eng'yn at the next Liverpool Eistedd- vod. (Laughter.) But a great party leader does not come all the way to Carnarvon to tell 8,000 people that Wales is the cradle of the British empire, and that a Welshman won the battle of Agincourt. (Laughter.) He had to face the disagreeable fact that out of twelve members for North Wales he could only tind one Con- servative—my respected colleague, who I think I may without meaning any offence, say is returned to Parlia- ment not so much because he is a Conservative, as because he is Sir Watkin. But when he sets himself to work, and explains this fact, how does he do so ? He tells us that his visit to Wales has taught him two things-tirst, that the Conservative leaders are out of sympathy with the masses of the people and secondly, that the masses of the people are out of sympathy with th., Conservative leaders. (Cheers.) Surely that is a very natural and satisfactory solution of a not very difficult problem. (Hear, hear.) And now mark what is to be the remedy. As far as I can gather from his Bangor speech, it is this—that you should all give up reading the Barter and Herald Cymiraeg, and take in the Gwalia. (Laughter.) The mountain won't come to Mahomet, and therefore poor Mahomet must go to the mountain. (Laughter.) Now, we know that there is a faith which removes mountains, but I look in vain for a trace of that faith in the mila and apologetic strains of the Conservative chief, and so far from believing in his prophecies, I am rather disposed to believe in another prophesy, uttered by another gentlemen at a Liberal meeting at Coedpoeth a week or two ago. (Hear, hear.) One of the speakers was saying that all the Conserva- tive members of Wales in the present Parliament could go down to the House in a one-horse gig. when some one in the crowd cried out, 16 Next time he will go down on a bicycle." (Laughter and cheers.) But let us leave prophecies and come down to facts. I will admit at once that it would be strange if any Government could be three years and a half in office without incurring a certain amount of hostile criticism more or less just, especially when they in. herited such a legacy of troubles as we did. (Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, there is no one I pity more than the executor of an encumbered estate, and that is the position which we were called upon to fill. Sir S. Northcote says that we have spent more money than our predecessors, but how much of that expen- diture was devoted to paying off their post obits f (Hear, hear.) Has he forgotton his chronic deficits, the Transvaal annexation, and the Afghan war, which alone cost twenty millions, and which we are now paying fully off ? (Hear, hear.) He said, too, that during the last 50 years the Liberals had made more wars than tie Conservatives, but he forgot that during that time the Liberals had been in office three times as long as the Conservatives. (Hear, hear.) I really think that at this point Sir Stafford! must have got into one of those Snowdon mists of which he re- tained so vivid a recollection. (Cheers and laughter.) After all trivialities, the, policies of the two great parties of the State are matters of comparison and is there a single Conservative here who, however much he may denounce our Irish policy, would in his heart wish to exchange the wise and firm rule of Lord Spencer and Mr Trevelyan for the fiery fang of the Duke of Abercorn and the harum scarum eccentrici- ties of Mr Jim" Lowthar ? (Hear, hear.) It may be said, no doubt, that we have not carried all our domestic measures, though that is not again j our fault. But what have the Tories to show on the other side'! Sir Stafford Northcote spoke in just and even generous terms of the spread of elementary education in Wales. Some thank him for it, but who gave us the measure without which Welsh education would have been standing still exactly where it was twelve years ago ? He could not say enough of the noble efforts which have led to the establishment of our two Welsh colleges. But who furnished the sinews of war, the J Government grant, without which those colleges could not have existed ? Sir S. Northcote was for six vears keener of the public purse. Did he ever give kg,000, or if you come to that, 8,000 pence to any Welsh college ? (Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, these are things which I would commend to your attention at the next general election. (Hear,, hear.) But I am not here to wrangle over the dry bones of the past. I do not want to go back with Sir Stafford Northcote to the battle of Agincourt, or even with Lord Salisbury to the policy of the year 1782. (Laughter.) The difference between us and our opponents, stated broadly, is that the future belongs to us. The key- ¡ note of the next session, as you have been told, has been struck at that great gathering in Leeds at which some of them were present, and let me add, it is I pretty clear what the response of our opponents will be. The Bill for the extension of the franchise will not be directly opposed—it will be indirectly obstructed. If, therefore, it is to be carried safely into port. it must be floated upon the full and flowinii tide of national enthusiasm. (Cheers.) And that brings me to another point upon which, if I have not detained you too long, I would wish to say a few words. I read your papers carefully, and very admir- able leaders of public opinion they are, in Welsh as well as English. I am not sure that I read the Gwalia. Perhaps that is the reason why I have not yet turned Conservative, and I have noticed in certain quarters a demand for what are called Independent candidates, and a cry of 64 Wales for the Welsh." Now, as to the first uoint, recollect that an independent candidate, if, it mean any change in the representation, means a Conservative member. (Laughter.) So much for that. As for the second point, I think I may call myself a Cymro Glan '—(cheers)—from one side at least; I have not a single drop of Saxon blood in my veins. (Cheers.) I have always held that we Welsh members were bound to look after the special interests of the Princip lity but I emphatically deny that we have not done so. (Hear. hear.) I believe that there is not a single subject in which Wales has been directly or indirectly inteiested in which the voice of Wales has not been heard in the House of Commons during the last fifteen years. Let me in- stance the Welsh Sunday Closing Bill, the grants to the Welsh Colleges, the appointment of Welsh County Court judges, the University Tests Bill, the Elementary Education Bill, the Burials Bill—(cheers) —the Cemeteries Bill. and at least half a dozen, other j questions which I could mention if I had time. But I will give you a case which will come home to you. Until very lately the Rev. Sydney Boucher was the principal of the training college in this town—a most estimable gentleman, I believe, but with rather peculiar views on baptisimal regeneration. [wiU not dwell upon a somewhat disagreeable episode which is known to you all, but I shall never forget the scathing I terms in which my friend Mr Henry Richard, who is ) a Welshman indeed—(cheers)—exposed that episode; and with what result ? Why, the Rev. S. Boucher is j now no longer principal of Carnarvon Training College. (Hear, hear.) But, gentlemen, having said this much, I wish also to say that I believe the forma- tion of a Welsh national part} upon the model of the Irish national party, which, I suppose, is what is meant, would be one of the greatest misfortunes which could befall either Wales or England. (Cheers.) Welshmen have shown in times past that our patriotism, however ardent and pure, is perfectly com- patible with loyalty to the Queen, and a strong sense of our duties and responsibilities as citizens of this great and united empire. (Hear.) If I may use a cant expression of the day, we have been feeders and | not merely "suckers" in the imperial system, but I beyond and above alt this, we have nonKhttodh- sociate ourselves from the onward march of contem- porary thought and action. The place of Liberal Wales, of Nonconformist Wales-aye. if yua like. ofl Radical Wales—(cheers)—is in the van and not in the neck of the political movement. (Cheers.) We have already—thanks to my friend Mr John Roberts- shown our English colleagues the way over um- gap in the parliamentary fence; and it may he that we shall one day give them a lead over another. Meantime we should be guilty of something like treason to our brethren in arms on the other side of the Dee if we refused them the aid of that robust Liberalism, the hardy product of a mountain soil, which is unworthily, no doubt, but I trust not altogether unfaithfuily, re- presented upon this platform. (Cheers.) I am sure I am speaking the sentiments of all my colleagues as well as my own when I say that while we are quite able to take care of ourselves, while we have no need of foreign auxiliaries," we yield to no man—no not to Sir Stafford Northcote himself—in our desire aiul determination to maintain and promote, to the best of our lights, the glory and happiness of our common country. (Loud cheers.) The resolution was carried unanimously. Mr John Roberts, M. P., who was loudly cheered, next proposed-" That this meeting, fully recognising the importance of the County Franchise Bill, the Local Government Bill, and a Bill for intermediate and hieher education in Wales, desires to express its entire confidence in the Government as to the order in which these measures shall be submitted to the consideration of Parliament." There were three points which formed that preamble of that resolution. There was a feeling throughout the country that the county franchise ought to be and must be dealt with by the present Parliament. (Cheers.) They desired also to have a County Government Bill, and hoped that the expectation that it would lie brought in next session would prove true. Mr Osborne Morgan spoke with caution, and he (Mr Roberts), who had no confidence to reveal and nothing to conceal, said that it would be brought in. Then there was a Higher Education Bill, which would require and ought to command the support of all lovers of education, to whatever party they belonged. The resolution was practically a vote of confidence in Mr Gladstone, and as such it needed no commendation to that meeting. (Cheers.) He desired to add his testimony to the esteem in which all held Sir Stafford Northcote for his personal good qualities, <I," he would not unwittingly say an unkind word of any one. Sir Stafford, however, told them that the Welsh wen1 terribly misled. Well, had he converted anyone to his opinion. (" No, no.") He did not expect -•<>, for there was depression running through his speeches which made them melancholy reading. One question had been alluded to—the burials question and Mr Morgan; could tell them for how many years they in Wales fought for the Burials Bill, that act of simple justice, which Sir Stafford and his followers had opposed year after year. (Cheers.) They in Wales were Liberal; and they would continue Liberals—not because they had been persuaded by blatant Radicalism or deluded by a Liberal press, but because they believed in liberty for th*tnsci • es, and desired to spread it for others. (Cheers.) had everv faith in the Government and every faith in Mr (Gladstone —(cheers)—who they hoped would be spared for many years to lead them on to greater prosperity and more perfect freedom. (Applause.) The resolution, having been econded by Mr Rathbone, M.P., and supported by Mr .\lorgan Lloyd, M.P., was carried unanimously. The proceedings terminated with x vote of thanks to the chairman, proposed by Mr S. Holland, M.P.