CHAPTER VIII

COBDEN ENTERS PARLIAMENT——FIRST SESSION.

Tre dissolution of Parliament took place at Midsummer. El
The League went actively into the campaign, though not Ar. 37.
With that inflexibility in electoral policy which afterwards
marked their operations. They had to face the question
which always perplexes the thorongh-going advocates of any
political principle, when they come to deal with political
Practice. In all such cases a section springs up which is
Prepared to go half way. The Government had given to
bhis section a cry. They were not prepared for total and
immediate repeal, but they would go for a moderate fixed
duty, The proposal of a fixed duty furnished the com-Promisers
 with a comfortable halting-place. They could
thus claim to be Free Traders, without being suspected of
the deadly sin of being extreme. The Council of the League
were called upon to settle the proper attitude towards the
Wen of the middle course. Were they to offer a fanatical
resistance to the men of the middle party, thus shocking
timid but reasonable sympathizers, and forfeiting their own
character for prudence and discretion, qualities as essential
to success ag sincerity itself? They answered this question
2 might have been expected at that time. For themselves,
they held to their own demand for the entire liberation of
the provision trade. Wherever there was a constituency
pe for carrying a candidate of this colour, every exertion