The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-23 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

A Court of Common Council was held yesterday
at Guildhall—The Lord Mayor presiding.

MILCOBDEN AND TILE COMMERCIAL TREATY.

Mr.,W. CONNELL, according to notice, submitted
the following resolution, viz. :—" That the freedom
of this City, ins. box of the value of 50 guineas, be
presented to Richard Cobden, Esq., M.P. in recog-
nition of his long and eminent services in liberating
commerce from the shackles which prevented the
development of the industrial enterprise of this
country; and also for, his voluntary and patriotic
exertions in negotiating the recent treaty with
France." In support of the resolution the hon.
member said he regarded it as one of those motions
which must be particularly acceptable to the Court,
and which must be necessarily adopted• by a very
large majority. (Cheers.) The gentleman to whom
it referred was of humble origin,, being the son of
an honest and respectable 'tenant farmer ; but,' like,
most men of capacity and industry, he found such a
sphere too limited, and, coming to the great metro-
polis, he
subordinate entered
capacity, and,
commercial
after
risingestablishment t
o a
highin a
very
position there, he commenced his career as a manu-
facturer and public man. (Hear.) He was active in
the agitation connected with the first Reform Bill
—a measure which had.tended to raise England to
her present proud position. (Cheers.) Subsequently .
he took an active part in the agitation for the Muni-
cipal Corporations Reform Bill, and after Manchester
becaine a borough, he was one of its aldermen.
(Hear.) Then he was connected with the Anti-
Corn-law League—in fact, known as its ohief and
its head—and who, in that Court at all events,
could entertain a doubt of the great advantages
reaped by England from the repeal of the corn
laws ? The years that had elapsed since that repeal
were pre-eminent abov'e all former times for the
commercial prosperity of the country, as well as
for the loyalty happiness, and comfort of all the
people. (Cheers.) Ever since then the life of Mr.
Cobden bad been devoted to then extension of com-
merce and its liberation from all the shackles that
pressed upon its freedom. Latest of all, he had been.
the prime mover in contracting the commercial
treaty between this country and France, and if he
recognition
acthrocaeedao
command
,aop,
nnawderti nt
efhordoot
of
the
his
neitigshi
esa
services extraordinary
Nc, than
had
iode
ueCourt
stas
surely
asr to
pyu bhdbr
direct
public
indeai
budget
man. a bring
dt
sufficient bo
(cut that
whichl ie
e hadrsubstantialst.
)
The treaty was to be recognised and applauded,
not alone on commercial grounds • it must have the
effccb of lessening theprobab'ility of war be-
tween the two countries, one of its objects, as de-
clared in its preamble, being to draw closer the ties
ofH epaeraseNaunddetaibuitittyhebreetzelen the two countries.
.e some. who objected
to the treaty, that its
ifrecnielan'tocibtT was all on one
also in France ; ajnreeic()ltaitotliinve did .exist
shiedree.,
it(tlxeaisrt.e)d
cry on one side of the Charm;
arrayd the in-
(Cheers.)
p aßr
toitehs
Housesfluence ofof
,haartl
uomne theut
despiteother other. h
and the clamour of political conflicts, had accepted
the treaty ; and for the corporation of the great
City of London to condemn it would surely be de-
rogatery to them
ialesgtiaocoaion of * h
commercial and
denmligr.htecnoebd-
body. (Hear, hear.) From the vommercial
treaty, in the
Cob-
den had been so actively engaged, vast
benefits must accrue both to England and
France, and the best mode of exhibiting their ap-
preciation of his great services would be for that
Court to rank him, amongst themselves, by voting
to him the freedom of the City of London. (Loud
applause.)
Mr. Alderman MEcm, in cordially seconding the
motion, addressed himself principally to the ser-
vices rendered by Mr. Cobden in connection with
tbielenerfiep tse a of the
hl
ad resulted
corn laws--asserting
landlords,assernt g that
farmers, great
and
labourers, and that England would henceforth al-
ways be able to compete with any nation in the
world in the production of human food.
amendment Alr. Tiros. 3
ThatAn t
this v posed
rt is thefop fuoilolo
n Wtighnat
the constant presentation of the freedom of the City
detracts from the honour and usefulness of the same,
and, in the present position of the corporation, is
ill-timed and uncalled-for." No man had a higher
Opinion of Mr. Cobden than he (Mr. Barkley), and
yet he could not support the motion, which, if
brought forward at all, ought to have been brought
forward after the repeal of the corn laws. It had
been said Mr. Gladstone approved of Mr. Cobden's
conduct in connection with the treaty ; but then
Mr. Gladstone was a party concerned—(hear, hear)
—and he (Mr. Barkley) would not stop to give the
opinion of Mr. Disraeli—(derisive laughter)—be-
cause it might be said that Mr. Disraeli was no
friend to Mr. Cobden. (Hear.) But there was
Lord Overstono, to whom that objection could not
apply, and who had said that Mr. Cobden was not
the person to whom the negotiations should have
been entrusted while the general opinion of those
well noquainted with such matters was that the re-
ciprocity of the treaty was all on one side. (Hear,
and oh, oh.) It was, a most unpleasant task to op.