Search -
Speeches of John Bright, M.P., On the American Question
Speeches of John Bright MP On the American Question Author:Frank Moore, John Bright Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SPEECH AT A DINNER AT ROCHDALE, DECEMBER 4, 1861. Delivered during the Excitement caused by the Seizure of Mason and Slidell on Board the " Trent" Steamer.... more » Mr. Bright, who was received with tumultuous cheering and waving of handkerchiefs, rose and said: — When the gentlemen who invited me to this dinner called upon me, I felt their kindness very sensibly, and now I am deeply grateful to my friends around me, and to you all, for the abundant manifestations of kindness with which I have been received to-night I am, as you all know, surrounded at this moment by my neighbors and friends, (Hear! Hear!) and I may say with the utmost truth, that I value the good opinions of those who now hear my voice far beyond the opinions of any equal number of the inhabitants of thiscountry selected from any other portion of it You have, by this act of kindness that you have shown me, given proof that in the main you do not disapprove of my course and labors, — (Cheers,) — that at least you are willing to express an opinion that the motives by which I have been actuated have been honest and honorable to myself, and that that course has not been entirely without service to my country. (Applause.) Coming to this meeting, or to any similar meeting, I always find that the subjects for discussion appear too many, and far more than it is possible to treat In these times in which we live, by the influence of the telegraph, and the steamboat, and the railroad, and the multiplication of newspapers, we seem continually to stand as on the top of an exceeding high mountain, from which we behold all the kingdoms of the earth and all the glory of them, — unhappily, also, not only their glory, but their crimes, and their follies, and their calamities. Seven years ago, our eyes were turned with anxiou...« less