The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-19 00:00:00

MR. COBDEN 'P3.

(Front the Daily News.)
•
The great meeting at Leeds, on 'We(' needay, was one
of which the inhabitants of that Wiper least centre of in-
dustrial activity may well be proud. The attendance
was so numerous that an adjournment to -the Cloth Hall
Yard was found to be necessary. T be extraordinary
exertions made by those who call them selves the friends
of peace, to convert it into a deneoni oration in favour
of their peculiar views, had been' so i 'ndefatigable as to
excite a strong spirit of opposition. Y et the proceedings
of this crowded and heterogeneous as isembly were cha-
racterised by an absence of headatror tg passion; and a
calm, dispassionate, judicial. dignity, that were worthy
of a senate. Mr. Cobden was listened -to with patience
and respect. He was treated -by the:sp eskers opposed to
him with that deference which his fore wr great services
deserve. But the almost unanimous division against
him showed that the judgment of the men of Leeds is
not to be biassed or seduced ley person Si respect or plau-
sible sophistry. They have set a wort) iy example to the
Legislature and the nation at large. ' rieey have shown
that Englishmen know how to court rine unrestricted
-freedom of discussion with dignified set f-respect. If the
Russian Government possess any intelli Bence, they must
be taught by the proceedings of Weds teaday, at Leeds,
that the English people listen to all be foz•e they resolve,
but are inflexible in their resolution win ence it is taken.
The appearance made by Mr. Cobdei t is inexpressibly
painful for those who cherish the recoil ,action of what he
was when acting as the animating and directing spirit of
the Anti-Corn Lew League, Then he , was inspired by
a great idea which he fully comprehOyelli; and which he
struggled to realise by a rare mixture of -uncompromising
firmness, unsurpassed tact, and unit stermitting good.
temper. His views were broad and cos reprehensive; his
arguments lucid, honourable, and strai ehtforward. But
his Wednesday's speech was thrall& ;flout sophistical,
shuffling, and low to its moral tone. Speaking of that
small section of public opinion whit is denounces all
war indiscriminately, Mr. Cobden said f :—"These gen-
tlemen themselves have never attempted to press
their opinions upon the policy of this. country ; and I
-must here state that they have been ere first 'to tell me
to disavow participation in their do ctrines. I have
been told by members of the Society cif Friends to dis-
avow their opinions, because they knew- I should lose all
influence, by advocating their opinim as, on the public.
mind." It is not true that these gentlemen have ab-
stained from pressing their opinions upon the policy of
the country. Addresses have been circulated by them,
sent .by post to almost every male adult of the United
Kingdom. • We ourselves have received innumerable
communications from them, threatening us with pecu-
niary loss if we persisted in the course we have pursued
with regard to the war. They have desired Mr. Cobden
to disavow their opinions, in order that he might retain
his influence on the public mind, and accomplish their
ends for them while pretending to aim for something
else. And he has condescended to play their game ; en-
deavouring to persuade the nation to abstain from all
war, under all circumstances, while affecting to recog-
nise that some wars might be justifiable. This is shuf-
fling, both on his part and on the part of the Society
of Friends. Again, the unvaried tenour of Mr. Cob-
den's argisments against the war is based upon its
being expeneiee. He fancies that if he can persuade the
people that it will cost them much, he has said enough
to induce them to desist from it. He appears to be in-
capable of conceiving that men can make pecuniary
sacrifices for what they conceive to be just and honour-
able. This is sordid. Lastly, he unscrupulously per-
verted facts ; and, by mutilated quotations; attributed
to others sentiments and opinions which they never en-
tertained or expressed. This is sophistical. Had Mr.
Cobden retired from public life when the repeal of the
Corn-laws was achieved, he would have carried with him
the respect of all—even of opponents. He has lingered
on the stage only to add one more illustration of the
truth, that a man may be a successful agitator and yet
totally disqualified for acting- as a legislator or states.
man. We write in sorrow, net in anger. We write of
a man whom we have loved, honoured, laboured for, as
we have done for no other. We will endeavour hence-
forth to recollect only the Richard Cobden of the Anti-
Vorn-law League, and forget what imperfectly-informed
dogmatism and wayward vanity have reduced him to be.
We are grateful for the good he has done ; we can for-
get and forgive the evil he has failed to do. Henceforth
he is innocuous.

We revert to a more pleasing subject —the general
tone of the meeting. Mr. Baines said "He agreed that
attack upon Sebastopol had been made by too small
an army, and he thought the Government ought to have
bad more information upon the subject than they seemed
to have possessed." In this Mr. Baines spoke the
versal sense of the country. We have not feared to run
the risk of misconstruction in advccating mutual tole-
rance and national unity in the prosecution of the war.
And this led us to demur to the earlier proposals for a
change or rccomstruction of Ministry. But-""time has
shown that if tho war is to be prosecattrair honour-
able and beneficial termination, the risk of a reconstruc-
tion of the Ministry must be run. The same short-sighted
indifferent spirit, that caused the war to be commenced
in a trifling poo•curaute manner, still prevails among
certain members of the administration. They are
dallying with an earnest and perilous undertaking.
The indulgence they have met with has only con-
firmed them in their faineantise. They asked and ob-
tained permission to raise and organise foreign levies,
as the readiest manner to obtai▪ n seasoned soldiers for
immediate service, and within these few days they had
not made up their minds as to the section of the war de-
partment upon which the carrying that permission into
effect should devolve. No effective steps have been
taken to improve the organisati▪
on of the army and its
auxiliary services. Nay worse, they are looking about
for individuals in subordinate stations upon whom they
may throw the blame of failure, and thus avert it from
themselves. Yesterday the Times proceeded t 3 the
practical application of its recent pertinacious attacks
upon Lord Raglan by declaring that the attempt to
shield the generals by attacking the Ministers is simply
ridiculous ;" and if well-vouched for reports be true, Sir
C. Napier has been superseded. hi the command of the
Baltic fleet. In its present state of information, the
country will hesitate to come to a final judgment on the
'powers which he was invested, and the
questions whether Sir Charles Napier has accomplished
d under his orders enabled him to do ? or
fiwalehleetttilhpaetirateLhee with
ord Raglan possesses the qualities of a Com-
mander-in-Chief, or, as some military authorities main-
tain, only those of a General of Division ? The country
will demand proof ot the assertions to the disparage-
ment of these leaders before it credits them ; and even
when convinced, it will say that these men were selected
; that the former was
Government throughout the
aermp tpoian g m
and
is &till retained in com-
mand. Government is responsible for the deficiencies
of the agents by whom it chooses to work, as well as
fckoena, dby
command
that the
ey
thetlleGovernment other
for its own obstinate perseverance in a policy of " much
bea reconstructed; and that by
apt
to do about nothing." It is not enough that a Minister
meanh we
well, he is unfit for his
t°ffiecaeecTseslhilon if
Cabinethe cannot
must
of men who have not, while formerly in
11 not be the less tasty in arriving at
office, given the country lamentable proofs of their in-
henrost,
wbean ei
un-
wavering in its assertion now that. experience has
proved
its justice. If we do not urge it in inflated language,
or by personal vituperation, we trust that our words
tcharsaccoitLuslifonweashaovte.
will not have the less weight for being free from those
questionable peculiarities.