Page:Eminent English liberals in and out of Parliament.djvu/61

 If the blood of an innocent man had been shed by republican hands, what a howl for vengeance would there not have been heard! At Reading, the late Mr. George Odger, than whom a more able and upright politician never lived, was within an ace of meeting the fate of Scofield.

The leading organ of the "party of order," "The Standard," threatened the representative of Chelsea with physical violence. "The attachment of Englishmen for the royal family," it said, "may take an unpleasantly practical form if Sir Charles Dilke should ever insult a party of gentlemen by repeating in their presence calumnies such as he was permitted to utter with impunity before the 'roughs' of Newcastle." It is here worth putting on record the worst that Sir Charles did say in the famous address alluded to. The meeting was held in November, 1871; Mr. Joseph Cowen in the chair. This was the head and front of his offending: "There is a widespread belief that a republic here is only a matter of education and time.

It is said that some day a commonwealth will be our form of government. Now, history and experience show that you cannot have a republic without you possess at the same time the republican virtues; but you answer, Have we not public spirit? have we not the practice of self-government? are not we gaining general education? "Well, if you can show me a fair chance that a republic here will be free from the political corruption that hangs about a monarchy, I say for my part,—and I believe that the middle classes in general will say,—Let it come."

The answer should have been. We Englishmen have not public spirit; we have not the practice of self-gov-