245

LIFE OF COBUHN,

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1842. not going by dozens or by scores to teach the people of
Zin. 38. other countries the work they have learnt—they are goiv8
in hundreds and thousands to those states to open work®
against our own machines, and to bring this country to's
worse state than it is now in. There is nothing to atone fof
a system which leads to this; and if I were to seek for ®
parallel, it would be only in the Revocation of the Bdict of
Nantes by Louis XIV., or the decree of Alva in Belgiu®
where the best men were banished from their country.”
Cobden gave additional strength to his appeal by showit8
that its eagerness was not due to a merely official partiss?”
ship. He saw no reason, he declared, why they should no
take good measures from Sir Robert Peel, or why they should
prefer those of Lord John Russell. “The noble Lord 1®
called the leader on this side of the House, and I confes®
that when I first came into the House I was inclined to 100%
apon him as a leader ; but from what I have seen, I belieV®
the right hon. Baronet to be as liberal as the noble Lord. I
the noble lord ig my leader, I can only say that I believ®
that in four out of five divisions I have voted against him
He must be an odd kind of leader who thus votes against
those he leads. I will take measures of relief from the right
hon. Baronet as well as from the noble Lord, but upon som?
measure of relief I will insist. . ... I give the Prim®
Minister credit for the difficulties of his situation; but this
question must be met, and met fully; it must not be
quibbled away ; it must not be looked upon as a Manchester
question ; the whole condition of the country must be Jooked
ab and faced, and it must be done before we separate thi®
session.”
Three nights later (July 11), Sir Robert Peel took occs”
sion to deal with some of Cobden’s economic proposition
especially an assertion that in prosperous times improvement?
in machinery do not tend to throw labourers ont of employ”