Mr. Thomas Hughes, M.P., addressed his constituents at Frome on
Tuesday, in a meeting of a turbulent character, of which some very erroneous reports have gained currency. The newspapers have, by implication at least, accused the Disestablishment party, ;.e., the Dissenters, of breaking up the meeting. The statement was evidently apocryphal, as Dissenters of the rowdy class are not a known species, and indeed Dissenters always listen, though when their turn comes they may sometimes scold. As a matter of fact, the disturbance was traceable to a very natural and normal cause of disturbance, drink. But Mr. Hughes had already said all he had to say, both on Co-operation and on Disestablishment, before the noisy faction prevailed, and the whole annoyance was due to a deliberate circulation of private handbills among the lowest section of labourers, encouraging them to assert the right to drink after eleven o'clock at night, and of course to hiss Mr. Hughes for his support of the Licensing Bill. There were four leading Nonconformist Ministers behind Mr. Hughes ; nor did they blame him personally at all for his consistently liberal support of the Establishment, though of course they did not con- cur in his view. The uproar was one contrived not to support the complete Disestablishment of the Church, but to oppose the partial Disestablishment of Beer.
Previous page
