The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-08-17 00:00:00

DANIEL O'COBDEN, ESQ., M.P,

The people of Liverpool may remember a small wiry-haired
looking personage, who enacted the part of chief spokesman
of a certain deputation from the Anti-Corn-Law League,
sent down, a few months ago, from Manchester to enlighten
us upon the-subject of cheap bread and free trade. The per-
sonage in question—Mr. Richard Cobden—is now, (thanks
to bludgeoneering influences,) M.P. for the borough of
Stockport; and on Friday last, in company with the erudite
Sir Thomas Potter, (the twin luminary of our own Sir
Joshua) and a host of other equally illustrious worthies, -at-
tended at the reform banquet, or some such thing, given in
celebration of the defeat of a very common-place person, Mr.
Joseph Kershaw, of Manchester, calico-printer and alder-
man (we believe), in his recent attempt to foist himself as a
philosopher upon the electors of Warrington ; and amongst
other achievements at the " banquet"—a half-crown or
eighteen-penny feed in :reality—but everything belonging to
reform is magnificent and magniloquent nowadays—the said
Mr. Richard Cobden made a speech, which we venture to
say is as good an imitation of the Irish Daniel as has been
heard of late.

Of course we do not allude to the manner of the speech in
question, or to the person of Mr. Richard Cobden, as at all
to be compared with his great prototype. The said Cobden
is no more fit to stand in the shoes of Daniel the elder, than
he is to play Falstaff without stuffing. It is in magnificence
and fertility of conception alone that any similarity exists ;-
in the graces of language and the warmth of colouring used
to place their ideas before an audience.

As a specimen of 11Ir. Richard Cobden we give the follow-
ing rhapsody, which we venture to say the reader will scarcely
belieye not to have been taken, totitem verbis, from some of
the recent harangues of the great agitator :

" Oh ! yes—we will have one great and sacred day in which
the people shall meet in every borough—in every town—and
in every village in the kingdom. There assembled together
under the constitutional authorities, if they will call them
together, and if they refuse the people must call themselves
logether"—(hear, hear, amidst which Sir Thomas Potter was
observed to look puzzled)—" and there and then, in one day,
throughout the length and breadth of the land, shall one
unanimous'appeal be made against that assertion of the land-
owners, that the people of England are in favour of dear
food !, (Thunders of applause, and several glasses broken
by the concussion.)
What, we ask, but the " hereditary bondsmen" at its
Commencement, and " first gim of the sea" at its termination
is wanting, to stamp this as the genuine issue of the " Blarney
Box" of Daniel himself ?

It is not, however, its eloquence which has attracted our
notice to this effusion, but the circumstances of the simulta-
neous meetings to be called together " throughout the length
and breadth" and all the rest of it, which has thrown a new
light upon the object of a meeting of reverend wiseacres at
this moment being held in Manchester. We were delibera-
ting within ourselves how the machinery of this extensive
agitation " in every- borough, town, and village" was to be
managed ; and the 0' Connellism of language suggested in a
moment 0' Connellism of management. The " ministers of
all religious denominations" are to be the bellmen upon these
occasions. The efforts of the Romish priesthoood in Ireland
are to be imitated by the preachers of dissent in England ;
and Richard Cobden, M.P., is to reign over the turbulent

spirits of democracy, on this side of the channel, by means
of the same influences which enable Daniel O'Connell, M.P.,
to sway the turbulent spirits of Popery in the sister island.
Oh, rare Richard Cobden ! Oh. virtuous and pious " mi-
nisters of all religious denominations! !"