THE LATE JOHN BRIGHT ON WAR.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTAT011.1
SIR,—I have been reading in the Spectator of March 24th a letter from an "Old Liberal" on what he supposes would have been my father's views on the present war. By the by, when did my father say, " There are some things worse than war "? I should like to have the reference. I have seen this remark attributed to many people, but never before to him. He had nothing to do with the American War, but as a spectator, and seeing that one side was fighting for the dismemberment of a great nation and for the permanent establishment of slavery, he naturally sympathised with the other side, which seemed to him to be most in the right. Does " Old Liberal " pretend that we are now fighting against slavery ? I gather so from his ex- pression, " The victory of the Boers would mean slavery and disunion." This is quite a new plea. Is there anything to show that the natives in the Transvaal were more in bondage than those in Rhodesia or Kimberley ? What had the term of qualification for naturalisation, about which this war arose, to do with this question? It seems to we that for an anonymous " Liberal " to contend that my rather would have held views in favour of this war, when all his family feel sure that just the opposite would have been the case, savours somewhat of presumption. He was abused, insulted, and turned out of Parliament because of his opposi- tion to the Crimean War, when a war passion prevailed in the country very similar to that which now rages. He left the Government on account of the bombardment of the Alexan- drian forts. His opposition to war was lifelong, and to say that he would have approved of the present war is about as sensible as it would be to contend, for example, that if Father Mathew were now living, he would advise his flock to drink plenty of whisky, or that if George Fox were still here, he would be the leader of the advanced Ritualists. A cause must be a bad one which needs bolstering up by speculations as to the supposed opinions which would have been held by the departed, and especially so where all those nearest to them in relationship, and who knew them best, feel quite convinced that the contrary would have been the
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