Pa wy I a2:
LIE OF QOBDEN. i
1846, even drew upon him remonstrances from some of his 0%
allies. “What are the old Whig party,” he asked impatiently !
“going to do for us in North Notts?* There is a divisio?
with under 4000 voters, and a strong Liberal party. It was
considered Whig until the base selfishness of the landlord?
of that party led them to desert their colours there and '°
every other county upon the bread question. My old friend)
Bean, of Nottingham, reckoned the Liberal party safe upo®
the last register, and it is improved upon the present 00%
But he, honest man, has been reckoning all Whigs a8 Free
Traders, Now, however, Peel’s plunge must have prough?
over some of the Tories to Free Trade, and if there were 847
disposition on the part of the Whig proprietors to bring i #
repealer, they could do it with the aid or neutrality of the
Peclites. I look to the conduct of the Whigs in the countie®
88 the test of their honesty on our question. Hitherto they
have done nothing except to revile and oppose us, Not
county has been gained to Free Trade but by League money
and at a terrible cost of labour to the Leaguers. I invaded
the West Riding, in November, 1844, and held public mee”
ings in all the great towns to rouse them to qualify 2000
votes. Lord Fitzwilliam wrote me advising me not to com
as I should do more harm than good! Had I followed B®
advice, Lord Morpeth might still have been rusticating 6
Castle Howard.” You will perhaps tell me, that the leado™
of the Whig party can’t control their old friends in tb
counties upon the Corn question. True. But then, what
* Beat vacated by Lord Lincoln. Sve above, p. 848 n. .
I Lord Wharneliffe, who held the office of President of the Oonnoil, died
mddenly in the midst of the ministerial crisis. Mr. Stuart Wortley?
consequent elevation to the peerage vacated the seat for the West Ridi®8’
“Yon know,”——go Cobden told the story three years later— that the west
Riding of Yorkshire is considered the gruat index of pablie opinion in hi?
country. In that great division, at present containing 87,000 voters, Lord
Morpeth was defeated on the question of Free Trade, and two Protectioni®®
were returned. I went into the West Riding with this 40s. freehold PIS™
I stated in every borough and distriot that wo mast Lave 5000 analifiestion?
