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    power that lie and those who act with him were sincere and honest in their past professions—believing that they intended to reverse the principles of Free-trade , which I Lad hoped were for ever , permanently and for ever , established—knowing the handle that would have been made of my resignation of the West Riding—knowing right well what use would have been made of it in Devonshire and Dorsetshire , where the farmers , who have been abundantly deluded already , would have been again practised upon by the cry that * Richard Cobden has run away from the West Riding , and Protection shall be restored again ' knowing all these things , I came down here to Leeds for without

    without stipulating any support , asking any one to pay a single shilling towards the contest . I came down here the moment Lord Derby was installed in power , and threw down the gauntlet on Free-trade principles , and challenged all comers to meet me here on the widest and noblest arena that the political divisions of this country presents ( cheers ) ; and I nave reason to know that the course which I took on that occasion had a very great tendency indeed , and went very far with the present administration , and all parties who were wavering on the subject , to decide that Free-trade was irrevocably estab lished . ( Loud cheers . )"

    And he stated as the reason which had determined him to relinquish the West Riding , that Free-trade being , as he thought , settled , and the occasion when his name , as the watchword of Free-trade , having passed away , the constituency had a right to elect a Yorkshireman , and he had no doubt whatever that on all questions , and for many elections to come , Yorkshiremen would seek Yorkshiremen to represent their interests jn Parliament . ( ' Hear , hear , ' and cheers from Mr . Denison ' s side of the hustings . ) Mr . Cobden then proceeded : — " Gentlemen , we are met here to-day to pronounce again upon that one great question—Free-trade or protection ( cheers , and cries of ' No , no , ' followed by loud cries of ? Yes , yes . ' ) I thought I heard the gentlemen in the other

    booth both avow that an understanding existed between both sides that the blue and the orange were , on this occasion , not to come into collision with each other . ( Cheers . ) I understood you had agreed for once , and I believe it is a unique instance in your political history , to twine the blue and the orange into one wreath ( loud cheers ) in support of the principles of Free-trade . ( Continued cheering . ) We read in history of two armies which stood motionless and quiescent under the influence—the awful and startling influence—of a great convulsion of nature ; and here we see two political parties that never made peace before , and hter

    never even enjoyed a truce ( cheers and laug ) , we find them now suspending their hostilities in the presence of a great and beneficent principle , from the carrying out of which , I trust , all parties will derive equal advantages ( Loud cheers ) . Having met under those circumstances , I will not be the individual to trespass upon any forbidden or unnecessary topic . I should not be here were it not for the purpose of again giving my decisive and emphatic protest against protection . ( Cheers . ) Gentlemen , I meet you all here as Free-traders . Is there any dissentient ? ( Loud and repeated cheers , and criea of ' No , no , no . ' ) Then we are all Free-traders . "

    But were they sure they knew what Free-trade meant ? It ought to be known that the West Riding of Yorkshire not only agreed to oppose protection , as such , but protection under all sinister guises ; for whether Mr . Disraeli wished to take their money out of their bread-bankets or their pockets , made no difference to thorn . Therefore , let it be understood that there should be no shifting of taxation by which those who have got properly in land should put their burdens on the shoulders of those who have got no property but their labour . ( Cheers . ) It was difficult to know where they had their dexterous Chancellor of the Exchequer .

    " I always thought , from the year 1840 down to last y ear , und even up to the beginning of this year , that the leader of the Protectionist party in the House of Commons was n Protectionist . ( Loud cries of 'Hear , hear . ' ) I thought ho meant by ' protection , ' not merely a tax upon corn for the protection of the agriculturist ; 1 thought he meant protection to all interests in the country— protection to shipping , protection to manufactures , protection to sugnr , protection to the colonies . ( Hear , hear . ) That was what I understood by the principle of protection . I thought as a Free-trader I had been opposing a party who had a principle , and Hint that principle was opposed to Free-trade . ( Hear , hear . ) Hut , 1 see the tone altogether changed now ( hear , hour ) , und chunged in a way to exthe solfishiions

    pose , i think , the HellishncsH , undisguised , of the party who are now advocating a change of taxation for the benefit of particular intercuts . ( Hear , hear . ) For what do I find r No scheme for protecting manufacturers , no plan for protecting the shipowners , no plan for protecting the colonies ; 1 ml . I find I here ; is a scheme for transferring the taxes which press upon land to the shoulders of somebody else . I do not see how that , is to benefit the Hhipowner I do not we how that is to benefit ; the manufacturers— I do not see how that is to benefit the colonies the men' transferring of the taxation now paid by the land to the shoulders of those who have no land at , all . ( Hear , hear . ) It seems to me ( hut when you come ( o bring ' protection , ' us it is called , into this new form , it is 10 , 000 limn in its former aspect (

    times loss tenable . Hear . hear . ) I could respeelmy opponents when I thought I hey held a princip le- the principle of protect ion . ( II car , hear . ) I thought them wrong , I endeavoured fo prove . I hem wrong ( hear , heur ) ; but when a part v or an individual endeavours to shifl . from the principle oi" protection- the ground of general protection and to lake up the interests of the landowners , and say , ' We must transfer the taxes which they pay to tho shoulders of thoMt who have ,, o land , and we must do that , as a . subs ! ilule for protection , tund a compensation for Kree-lriide , ' then , I usk that party wjiat becomes of all their fonner prctensionH of being nnxioiiH to benefit the whole eoiniuunity , necking to protect Jubour , wiohinir to include tho ui « w uluctiuoi'tt ? ( Ucur ,

    hear . ) Why , I say , the thing is not tenable for a moment . ( Cheers . )" Then he pointed out how , if the manufacturers had freetrade in corn , the agriculturists had free-trade in cotton and woollen , and printed and stuff goods ; and how Sir Robert Peel withdrew protection from the latter before he withdrew it from the former . Before Mr . Disraeli could shift taxation from the landlord to the labourer , he would have to show that the land paid more than its share of the general taxation . " But there is another question which must be met upon this topic . The landowners will have to show how the farmers are interested in this transference of the burdens from land . ( Hear , hear . ) Why , this is the coolest thing

    I ever met with in my life ; the people who own the land of this country tell the tenant farmers who own the floating capital employed upon it , ' We will go into partnership to get a remission of taxation ; and while we leave you , the farmers , to pay your probate and legacy duty upon all the property you inherit in the shape of movable capital invested upon the surface of the land , we will pay no probate or legacy duty upon the land itself . ' ( Hear , hear . ) That is the beginning of their compact ; but what do they say next ? ' We propose to take off the heavy burdens that fall upon the soil , and to transfer them to the consolidated fund . ' ( ' Hear , hear , ' and laughter . ) Now , the consolidated fund means the income derived from tea and sugar and coffee , and the rest of our indirect taxation ; and the proposal is coolly this—that the landlords will take off the taxation which they pay themselves , and put it upon that which you and the farmers pay . ( Hear , hear . ) That is

    rather cool , I think . ( Cheers . ) Is it not very odd that there should be any tenant-farmer , any real tenant-farmer , found to join in such a partnership as that ? ( Hear , hear . ) I can only account for it in this way : —I think I see a farmer there before me , and I will watch whether my interpretation touches him or not . ( A laugh . ) I sometimes account for it in this way : —farmers think , no doubt , that it is a very proud distinction that they should be united with the great aristocratic party as one interest ( laughter ); that , when the Duke of Richmond goes into Chichester , he should go in with a party of fariner 3 to maintain one great and common cause—protection to native industry . ( Laughter and cheers . ) I have no doubt whatever , that the farmers of this country have been considerably blinded to their own interests by this appeal to their vanity . ( Hear , hear . ) My friend the farmer , there , is rubbing his face as if he felt ' it . ( Laughter . " )

    He illustrated their case by two humorous fables ; one about a dwarf , who fought for a giant , and suffered very much personally , receiving in return great praise as a " jolly little fellow to go at them ; " and only found out , when nearly cut to pieces , that he had been humbugged ; and another about the' chickens who would dance with a donkey . They were kicked and wounded , and found they were paying clear for the indulgence of their vanity . ( Some exclamations of " Question , " answered by cheers , and cries of " Go on , " "It touches them . ") I will confine myself strictly to the question , but if there is any gentleman here , after all , who is a Protectionist (" Yes ! " ) , have your eye upon him . ( " There is . " ) Well , he has no business to bo here at all , for we are all Free-traders . ( Laughter and cheers . )

    They had to deal with a Government which had shifted its ground , and , having led tho farmer a precious dance after the phantom of Protection , was now going to lead them in quest of that still more unattainable phantomre-distribution of taxation . " Now , I think we have to deal with the Government in the first place as a Protectionist Government ; and I hope not forty-eight hours will elapse after the meeting of Parliament before the present , Government , and the party that belongs to the present Government , are brought fairly to issue upon the question of Free-trade , or Protection . ( Loud cries of ' Hear , hear . ' ) Let ; us have it—ay or no—¦ are they Free-traders or are they Protectionists ? ( Cheers . ) jf they are Free-traders— if they really and honestly recant , ( he opinions they have been expressin g in opposition ( hear , heur)—well , then , I don't , know that it . would bo my

    business as a Free-trader to molest them , even if they occupied the side to tho right ; of the Speaker ' s chair in Parliament . ( A laugh . ) But if J were a Protectionist—if I were one of the fanning class that believed in Protection , and if I found my party , who hud gone to that land of promise , the Treasury benches , by means of professing Protectionist , principles ( hear , hear ) , recanting their opinions the moment they got . into power ( hear , hoar , ) 1 should be disposed to say to them , ' Gentlemen , if you have to recant , and repent , you must , do it in Nuckcloth and ashes , not . on the Treasury bench . ' ( Laughter and cheers . ) Therefore . I am afraid the present , Government , if their friends in the country do them justice , must not , expect to remain long in oflice . (' Hear , hear , ' and cheers . ) But that will be no matter of regret , to anybody hero , because we are all Free-traders here . ( Laughter and cheers . )"

    lie wound up by expressing his high sense of the honour conferred on him , pledged und determined to defend mid extend Free-trade , and to prevent anybody , no unifier how dexterous he may be , by any juggling device , from taking away Mm benefits which the legislation of Sir Itobert IVel hud secured for them . Mr . Cobden was " eroHK-exiiiniiifd" by Mr . Kielden and Mr . . laekson . In reply ( , othe former , Mr . ( 7 ohdc . ii said Unit , ( he , county ineniberH wem to blunie if llm taxation was higher Minn before the . Itc . forni Act ; that lie was opposed to the mall , fax and hop duly ; thai , be was in favour of direct property tax ; « ud Mmt he would not pledge himself to lake off Mm half hour which bad been added to the Ten Hours Hill of 1 H 47 . Mr . Jackson was a miller , and an old Leaguer , who complained of the admission of flour duty free . ! Tim speech of Mr . Denison was a remarkable , tribute to tho ritfl'tiulucwH of Frcc-trudc . lie defended lua

    conversion , and vindicated his " inconsistency" in adopting Free-trade . He Lad . lost many friends , but now Protection , he . said , is dead and gone at last , he wanted to appeal to his agricultural friends . This appeal consisted in showing that they were as much interested as anybody in the reduction of taxes upon the necessaries of life . And he adopted a form of argument which , went home , by asking whether their wives told them sugar was too cheap , and tea at too low a price ? " Do you think , " he exclaimed , " that Her Majesty is anxious that her sugar should cost her lOd . per pound

    when she may get it for 5 d . ? " And upon this question of the reduction of duties , he went so far as to say , seeing the elasticity of the revenue , that if the duty on tea were reduced one-half in three or four years , as large a revenue would be returned ; and if he had an opportunity , he would vote for that reduction . ( Cheers from Mr . Cobden ' s friends . ) " I cannot help observingthat these remarks excite more approbation on my left than on my right , but I do not believe there is a gentleman on my right who does not agree with them . ' *" As to the reduction of taxation , he was for the reduc

    tion of taxation—who was not ? " The real truth is— - you may depend on this—that the corn laws beingabolished , it will be a race between parties as to who shall go furthest in reduction of taxation . And whether my right honourable friend ( Sir Charles Wood ) , or anybody else , be the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the day , he will have a very miserable and hard time of it , ( Laughter . ) He would not join in any attempt to > shift the burden of taxation from one class to another . He begged and prayed of the agriculturists not to look back , but forward . He was in favour of national education , on strictly religious principles . He had voted against the Maynooth grant , but he would not pledge himself to vote for its withdrawal , until he had heard . both sides . At the end of the proceedings , swords were girded , on Mr . Denison and Mr . Cobden , who had to stand a fire of jokes about " peace . " Sir Charles Wood was called , and spoke , but like an old soldier , lie stuck to the Free-trade question , and said nothing new .

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    A dinner was afterwards given to Mr . Cobden , and Sir Charles Wood proposed his health . In reply , Mr . Cobden pointed out how , now that Free-trade was settled , something must be done to inspire fresh enthusiasm by and bye , in the country ( cheers ) , on behalf of the old Liberal party . ( Renewed cheers . ) Then he spoke for some time on the question of bribery and intimidation . The franchise , at present , he showed , was rather a curse than a blessing to the Liberal electors . Then followed a tremendous attack on Mr . Disraeli .

    "He had no doubt that when Parliament met an attempt would bo made by tho party now in power to wriggle out of their professions , and occupy some new ground , and escape the responsibility of their past Protectionist proceedings . He was not bound to be their executioner . If they did recant , it would be for their ' own party to deal with them ( hear , hear ); if they did not . —and some of them seemed to say they would not—then the very first business oUthe Free-trade party in the House of Commons would be to got rid of the present Government . ( Cheers . ) Ho did not think that tho annals :, the political annals , of this country , presented anything more / ba . so or contemptible than tho conduct which had

    beompursued by this so-called Protectionist Government-( Hear , hear . ) Wo used to hear something about ' nn > organized hypocrisy ; ' why , this was a re-organized hypocrisy (' hear , hour , ' and laughter ) , and ono which was tho less justifiable when we considered the parties by whom this fresh performance of that hypocrisy was attempted ,. ( Hear , hoar . ) Ho ( Mr . Cobden ) sometimes wondered at people ' s assurance , that they could attempt to play such parts ; he could not think how they could do it ana keep ' their countenances ( hear , hear ) ; it was such a bold and impudent appeal to our credulity to hear these people get . up and nay that they nover woro Protectionists , or that they never contemplated going back to protection . ( Hear ,, hear . ) Wo hoard something from their leading men in

    the house HOinetimcH , and not , unfrequontly , about tho Manchester school of politicians ; and they woro called revolutionists , republicans , and all sorts of things . ( A laugh . ) Tho individual who was so fond of taunting tho men of the Manchester school '—the Free-traders—would do wisely not to throw stones ; he lived in a glass house . ( ' Hear , heur , ' and a laugh . ) If there wan a man in this country— -a politician who had suddenly jumped to an elevation which Uio ( Mr . Cobden ) predicted he would not sustain ( hear , lie \ ir )•— who might bo called ( as wo understood Mr . Cobden ) ii dangerous revolutionist , if he had tho opportunity- surely it was ( hat , individual who was ho fond , of ( browing these charges against tho Fren-lradi *

    party . ( Hear , hear . ) ' Revolutionists ! The strangest revolution ho ( Mr . Cobden ) had seen was when lie found ' tho great territorial party declaring intellectual bankruptcy ^ and proclaiming political suicide , by naming Mr . Honjarniit Disraeli us their chief ( cheers ); iind if there was not iu steadying , ballasting power about , tho great , body of the people of this country , and whoso feelings and wishes lmcf been eminently represented and concentrated by those who > had been called 'tho Manchester school' of late ( hear , hear ) if it , woro not , for that steady ing ballasting principle , and which would prevent jugglers , and mountebanks , ancf unscrupulous incendiary adventurers from playing tricks in ( hit ) country ( great cheering ) , there wtu > no man who would

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    egg ^ THE LEADER , [ Saturbav ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), July 24, 1852, page 698, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1944/page/6/