“The only thing which Adams could think of when I asked him what he had to propose in reference to the Alabama was that the Government should declare their disapproval of the fitting out of such ships of war to prey on American commerce.

“Now, as the fitting out and escape of the Alabama and Oreto was clearly an evasion of our law, I think you can have no difficulty in declaring this evening that the Government disapprove of all such attempts to elude our law with a view to assist one of the belligerents[997].”

But the tone of parliamentary debate did not bear out the hopeful view of the American Minister.  It was, as Bright wrote to Sumner, “badly managed and told against us[998],” and Bright himself participated in this “bad management.”  For over a year he had been advocating the cause of the North in public speeches and everywhere pointing out to unenfranchised England that the victory of the North was essential to democracy in all Europe.  Always an orator of power he used freely vigorous language and nowhere more so than in a great public meeting of the Trades Unions of London in St. James’ Hall, on March 26, the evening before the parliamentary debate.  The purpose of this meeting was to bring public pressure on the Government in favour of the North, and the pith of Bright’s speech was to contrast the democratic instincts of working men with the aristocratic inclinations of the Government[999].  Reviewing “aristocratic” attitude toward the Civil War, Bright said: 

“Privilege thinks it has a great interest in this contest, and every morning, with blatant voice, it comes into your streets and curses the American Republic.  Privilege has beheld an afflicting spectacle for many years past.  It has beheld thirty millions of men, happy and prosperous, without emperor, without king, without the surroundings of a court, without nobles, except such as are made by eminence in intellect and virtue, without State bishops and State priests.

     “‘Sole venders of the lore which works salvation,’ without
     great armies and great navies, without great debt and without
     great taxes.

* * * * *

“You wish the freedom of your country.  You wish it for yourselves....  Do not then give the hand of fellowship to the worst foes of freedom that the world has ever seen....  You will not do this.  I have faith in you.  Impartial history will tell that, when your statesmen were hostile or coldly neutral, when many of your rich men were corrupt, when your press—­which ought to have instructed and defended—­was mainly written to betray, the fate of a Continent and of its vast population being in peril, you clung to freedom with an unfailing trust that God in his infinite mercy will yet make it the heritage of all His children[1000].”

The public meeting of March 26 was the most notable