1837.
At. 33.

116

LIFE OF CORDEN. [onal

bo shorten the hours of labour without the aid of Parliament
but to infant labour, as he had suid before, he would afford
the utmost possible protection. He laughed at the mock
philanthropy of the Tory landowners, who took so lively 8”
interest in the welfare of the factory population, and ye
declined to suffer the slightest relaxation of the corn laws
though these did more to degrade and pauperize the labour
ing classes, by doubling the price of food and limiting
employment, than any other evil of which they had
complain.
Whether these views alienated any of those who would
otherwise have supported him, we do not know. Probably
the most effective argument against Cobden’s candidature
was the fact that he was a stranger to the borough. O08
the day of election he was found to be at the bottom of
the poll®* He wrote to his uncle, Mr. Cole, explaining hi
defeat :—
“The cause of failure was that there was too much con
fidence on the part of the reformers. We were too satisfied:
and neglected those means of insuring the election which
the Tories used, and by their activity at Stockport as else’
where they gained the victory. If the battle had to be
fought again to-morrow, I could win. To revenge then
selves for the loss of their man, the Radicals have sinc?
the election adopted a system of exclusive dealing (no!
countenanced by me), and those publicans and shopkeeper®
who voted for the Major now find their counters deserted
The consequence is that the Reformers place printed
placards over their shops, Voted for Cobden, inscribed ir
large characters, and the butchers and greeugrocers in the
market-place cry ont from their stalls, Cobden beef, Cobder
potatoes, ete. So you see I have not lost ground, by mJ

é Henry Marsland (Reformer) 480; Major Maraland (T Teicher
Cobden (Reformer) 418. (Tory) 471: Rich