The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-28 00:00:00

HUDDERSFIELD.

The nomination for this borough took place yesterday.
The candidates proposed were Mr. W. Akroyd and Mr.
R. Cobden.
Mr. T. B. CEOSLAND proposed Mr. W. Akroyd ; and
Mr. J. HAIGH seconded the nomination.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS proposed Mr. Cobden, and Mr. W.
MELLOR seconded the nomination.
Mr. AILROYD having addeessed the meeting,
Mr. COBDEN rose and was very warmly applauded.
He spoke for upwards of an hour. He commenced by
saying that, although his friends had unduly alarmed
themselves about his state of health, he was not in the
best possible condition for addressing such a large audi-
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was not going into the question of the Russian war ;
but he begged to remind his hearers that he had never
offered any opposition to the Government in carrying
on that war, or to the House of Commons in voting
the money which was required. The money had been
raised without any opposition from him ; the taxes had
been laid on, and he had never divided the house upon
the subject. (A. laugh.) It was well known that the
Government spent all the money as fast as they could,
and they did not makea very good use of it. The result
of that war he honestly believed had not been to make
any human being on the face of the earth either happier,
or wiser, or better. (A. Voice—" Some a deal wiser than
they were.") He was attending a meeting at Paddock
the other day, and upon somebody raising a cry of " the
Russian war," a working man, whom he now saw before
him, got up and said, "We are not going to war again,
I hope ; we want something doing in the time of peace."
(Applause and laughter.) There was another question
which had been thrown in his face ; the question of the
Chinese war. At all events this country did cot expect
to get either honour or glory out of that war. There
was something to be got, if the Government had known
how to go about it, in fair stand-up fight with such an
enemy as Russia, but they managed so to conduct that
war that precious little share of either honour or glory
fell to our share in it. But in this Chinese war, if this
oountry did its, utmost, they would get no more honour
or glory in the eyes of the world ;than if they were to
go into a sheep market and fire all their cannon and
musketry against so many sheep. 'But he wai, told he
was in favour of dishonouring the English flag. He had
faith in the power and might of Englishmen to defend
their flag against all corners in a just cause. (Applause.)
All the world in arms could not disgrace the British flag
if it had right and justice on its side. (Cheers.) The
only men who could dishonour the flag of this country
were those who were entrusted with power abroad, and
who committed the country to an inglorious and unjust
' aggression upon a defenceless people. (Applause and
disapprobation.) It had ben said by his opponent
that, with regard to the Chinese war, the wisest
heads in England differed as to the legality of
our proceedings. Mr. Akroyd had said truly that
Lord Lyndhurst, the highest legal authority in Eng-
land, was on one side, and the Attorney (not the Solici-
tor) General was on .he other. Yes, but one man was a
man of 80 years of age, crowned with laurels, and who
had nothing to hope for from the patronage of the Go-
vernmeut ; the other was a man in the Government, and
the crowning hope of his ambition was some day to be
made Lord Chancellor. But, if the wisest lawyers in
England had differed as to the right and justice of this
country on the China question, was it consistent with
right and justice that our representative abroad should
have taken the law into his own hands—(applause)—and,
without giving opportunity to either the Queen or Par-
liament to have a voice in the matter, commenced at

once, upon such doubtful grounds as these, acts of hosti-
lity and outrage against a commercial city, covering the
site of that city with ruins, inflicting untold mi-chief
upon innocent men, women, and children ? Why, a wan
was not allowed to be convicted in England, even upon
a charge of petty larceny, without the judge first toiling
the jury, ' If you have any doubt upon the question,
give the doubt in favour of the accused." (A. Voice,
We have none," and applause.) Mr. Cobden next re-
marked that he believed the vote given upon the motion
which he had brought forward was one of the moat
honourable acts which the British Parliament ever ac-
complished. (Hear, and cries of "No, no 1") It was
a motion made without concert, without previous com-
munication ; and, whatever might be alleged against
others who had voted on that question, it was a very
curious fact that no one had ever accused the mover with
having any sinister or dishonest object. (Cries of "No,
no I" and " Yes, yes 1") He challenged those gentlemen
who said "No" to produce any responsible person, or
writer of any authority, who had publicly stated that he
was a party to the " conspiracy." Mr. Cobden then
reiterated the assertion which he had made in a previous
address—that if Lord Palmerston had announced the
intention of the Government to send out an ambassador
to China the division in the 4.llouse of Commons
would never have taken place, and that Lord
Palmerston had intentionally avoided doing so, in
order that he might have a pretence of dissolving Par.
'lament upon some cry about China, well knowing that
he had no domestic policy with which to go to the coun-
try, and knowing that he had no credit with Reformers.
(" Hear," "No 1" and applause.) The hon. gentleman
next reminded the assembly that the electors of Hudders•
field were about to select a candidate to represent theca
in Parliament for seven years, and he hoped that the
China question would be all settled and pretty nearly
forgotten in less than two years. He believed that the
electors of Huddersfield would think about somethii:'g
else in choosing their representative. His friend Mr.
Akroydl had told them in rather a misty and hazy man
uer what his politics were, but unfortunately he (Mr.
Cobden) could not put himself behind a veil like that.
Elis politics were known by his votes, and he did not
come there to make a new profession of faith, or to tell
them that he was going to alter his opinion in any rL-
spect. He then glanced at several of the most impori:-ant
measures which he had advocated since the repeal of the
corn laws, enumerating the imposition of a tax upon the
succession to real property, the abolition of the adver-
tisement duty and the stamp upon newspapers ; and
several measures which he had supported by his vote,
and sometimes by his voice, some of which had been
successful, and the remainder he would still continue to
fight for. He expressed his well known opinions in
favour of household suffrage and the ballot, taking the
opportunity to contradict the erroneous statement that
the ballot in Melbourne was permissive, and not com-
pulsory, On this latter subject he said that he spoke