The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-27 00:00:00

Proposed Cobden Memorial at Stockport.

Last evening a town's meeting was held in the Court
House, Stockport, to consider the propriety of erecting a
memorial to thelate Richard Cobden. The Mayor (W. L.
Eskrigge, Esq.) occupied the chair. There was a crowded
meeting.
The MAYOR said that, when a memorial was presented
to him requesting him to call that meeting, he felt that he
could do nothing but cordially assent to it. Personally, he
should be exceedingly glad, with his fellow townsmen, to
contribute his quota to do honour to the memory of such
a great and good man as Richard Cobden, who had con-
ferred great benefits upon the commercial community.
(Applause)
A telegram was read from Mr. Watkin, M.P., apologising
for his unavoidable absence.
Mr. Alderman WILLIAMSON moved the first resolution,
which was as follows :

"That the inhabitants of Stockport, in public meeting
assembled, desire to express and record their deep sorrow
on account of the death of the late Richard Cobden, Esq.,
M.P. His disinterested patriotism, virtue, energy, and elo-
quence enabled him to lead and effect some of the greatest
commercial reformations of the age. That borough having
afforded him the first opportunity of expounding in Parlia-
ment, and carrying into law, the principle of his political
economy, always took a special interest in his life and mea-
sures, and the inhabitants now desire to join in the national
sorrow at his decease ; and at the same time to express grati-
tude for the great works which he was enabled to achieve."
He (Mr. Williamson) remembered well Mr. Cobden's early
career. His name was almost unknown until 1837, when
he first sought election as a member of Parliament for
Stockport. The inhabitants, at that time, however, did
not honour the man who wished to honour them, for Mr.
Cobden was rejected by a majority of about fifty Votes,
the result of the polling being that Major Moreland re-
ceived 467 votes, Henry Moreland 467, and Cobden 412.
During the four years which elapsed between the election
of 1837 and that of 1841, Mr. Cobden was by no means idle,
for, with his friend Mr. Bright, he scoured the country,
enunciating, in the manufacturing and agricultural districts,
the propriety, justice, and honesty of the free trade prin-
ciples of which they were the great advocates. In 1841
Mr. Cobden again presented himself as a candidate for the
representation of Stockport, and the inhabitants on that
occasion did honour to themselves and to the matt whom
they returned to Parliament. The late Mr. Andrew was the
mayor of Stockport at that time, and the late Sir Ralph
Pendlebury, with Mr. W. Nelstrop, were the proposer and
seconder of Mr. Cobden. In the conduct of that good
man there were many characteristics which every one
could not but admire. His replies to those who opposed
the principles of which he was so great an advocate
were, perhaps, the most withering ever uttered by any
man. Like many other great men, he was much calum-
niated, greatly misrepresented, and grossly abused.
That was the period (in 1841) when the Chartist agita-
tion prevailed, when the country was in continual ter-
ror and confusion. Those misguided men on all occa-
sions opposed free trade, and one of the most success-
ful persons in replying to their arguments and refut-
ing their assertions was Richard Cobden. (Applause.)
His success in the House of Commons all would remem-
ber.

Although the principles he advocated first met

with derision, ho won the respect of the house, and was
eventually listened to with the greatest attention. His
greatest achievement was the conversion of Sir Robert
Peel; and he (Mr. Williamson) had often wondered which
of those two great men was most honoured—the Prime
Minister of the day, who acknowledged that he was in-
debted to Mr. Cobden for his conversion, or for the change
which took place in his views on commercial questions and
free trade, or Mr. Cobden, who had been tho means of
securing that conversion. While he lived, in his day and
generation, Mr. Cobden did his duty ; and it was hoped
that the inhabitants of Stockport would feel bound to do
their duty. (Applause.)
Mr. E. WALMSLEY, in seconding the resolution, said tho
great men of the present day were those who rectified the
mistakes of their predecessors. Richard Cobden had been
one of those—a man who had created his own fame, and

the inhabitants of Stockport might well feel proud of the
honour of having first sent such a man to represent them
in Parliament. (Applause.)
Mr. J. B. SMITH, M.P., said that, inasmuch as they Lad re-
turned to the House of Commons Richard Cobden, and
thereby introduced him into that sphere of usefulness which
achieved for him such great renown, and conferred such
great benefits upon the country, it was peculiarly fitting
that the inhabitants of that borough should raise a monu-
ment to his memory—(applause)—for the name of Cobden
would be for ever associated with Stockport. (Applause.)
Twenty-eight years had elapsed since ho (Mr. Smith) had
first the pleasure of Mr. Cobden's acquaintance, when ho
first connected himself with the anti-corn law agitatioh.
When Mr. Cobden became a total repealer, ho adopted as
his motto, " A fixed duty is a fixed injustice." An Anti-
Corn-law Association was fonned in Manchester, of which
he (Mr. Smith) had the honour to be chairman. He invited
Mr. Cobden to join that Association. Mr. Cobden did so,
and from that time things took a new turn. Devoting a
very long portion of his attention to the question, Mr. Cob-
den infused into the Association that energy from which
sprung an agitation that lasted from seven to eight years,
and resulted so successfully, One of the first
g•teps taken by
Mr. Cobden with respect to the corn-law quest::.°ll was to
invite the co-operation of neighbouring towns. Ho eZta-
blished a journal, called the Anti-Corn Law Journal, which
was first published once a fortnight, and subsequently
once a week. He spent months in traversing from town to
town, both in England and Scotland, especially in the
agricultural districts. He thus created a sensation through-
out the country, and prepared the inhabitants of large
towns for that great organisation, the League. His gentle-
ness, extreme kindness of manner, earnestness, and love of
truth won all hearts, and created confidence wherever he