The National Register. — London, England, 1815-06-11 00:00:00

JUNE 11. preicple, as much generosity, frankness and since rity in Catholics, as in any others. What Protestant, -who knows him, does not respect in Sir John Throgmor ton, every quality, that dignifies the gentleman and adorns the man ? The Protestant landlord, farmer, merchant, and tradesman, finds the Catholic as fair, as punctual and as honest as the Protestant in his dealing. The criminal actions of Dublin, for the most part a Catholic city, are to those of London, for the most part a Protestant city, bat as one to thirty, though the population is as one to fi re . Now the fullest Catholic emancipation would not a l te r the criminal laws of the country, and of course would not make the Catholics an atom less under the re straint of those laws. Then, as the conduct of the Ca tholics, the third security from them towards their fellow sehjects.. is such as has been described, even under their present jealousies and exasperations, is it in the least reasonable to suppose that it would be at all worst When those jealousies and exasperatiens would. be done away by the removal of their exclusions and disabilities ? Now let us see how the necessity of additional secu rities towards the government stands. What are the only real securities towards a government, and who gives them ? Why, it is government themselves give their own securities ; and the only real security for any government, is the love or fear of the governed. Oath of allegiance, test oaths and such like resources have never been found of any avail. Protestant sub jects broke them to Protestant. Kings, and Catholic subjects to Catholic Kings. Ofir Charles the First was a Protestant King, and had oaths of allegiance from Protestant subjects w •' and yet by those seine Pro testant subjects as he beheaded. The late King of Sweden was a Protestant King, and had oaths of allegiance from Frotestant subjects ; and yet, by those same Pro testant subjects - was he driven from his throne. We see at present in France the strength of oaths of allegiance. Beonaparte and Louis had oaths of allegiance in turn from thesaw people, yet they both in turn lost the throne of that same people. ikonaparte will be again trying the same se curities, and he w 14.1 again, in all probability, if they be his dependence, find the same security from them. Fear is a real security for a government, while it has no formidable external enemy, and can keep the governed in such a state of awe as will overcome every other sentiment and passion. But as fear is never produced but by a sense of comparative weakness, if the go verned cannot be always kept so fully impressed with their own want of strength, as to preclude every im pulse of the sanguineness .of hope and the madness o detperstion, and if there is not a certainty of not having a formidable external enemy, fear, at best a secu rity of feebleness, is no longer a security at all. Every moinent threatens it with destruction. The most acci dental circumstance; the most unlooked for occurrence, every gust of passion, every impulse of hope, anger, vengeance, disgust or hatred, menaces its dissolution. Love, always the best, is then the only security ; and, of coeuse, the greater or the less the love, the stronger or the weaker the security. But jealous restraints and nn steces,ary securities; are the very worst means of either increasing or obtaining love. On the contrary they are the surest . means of nliennting it, where it before ex isted. The hushaad is never so near the wife's infidelity, as when he his her see that Le :suspects her. 'Suspicion begets suspicion, and disgust or hatred soon follows. The only sure means for a goner hares:{ to gain ami rte. % r ~fl G 3141 LTIIINAL RIP.CISTER. serve the love of the governed . is by shewing then, - Mit their interest is its predominant object, and maid therm happy. Those are the only real securities of a govern ment, and it is government itself gives those securities. The fewer then of those suspicious securities the' art' required of the Catholics, the stronger will be the real security : the more of them that are demanded, the V.isakrr • will be that security. If government wishes tlor its' concessions to the Catholics should be of the greatest valor, e t to itself, that they should bring vital heat, and health and strength into its own bosom, it will not chill them bc those - refrigerents, by those icy restrictions, those freezing securities. It is the greatest of all absurdities tt> thiok• that the Catholics will be more disshtisfied and disaffected when they shall have no cause to complain, thee they are now when they have. That was a wise saying of the Roman Generals, imperiunt longe. stabil s.s.itnuns est, quo obedientes gaudent; "that is by far the most firm government with which the governed are pleased." Will anyone of the least reflection say, of FOUR OR FIVE mir.t.koNs'of men, " they are very little dangeron•; while dissatisfied; if satisfied, they would be greatly dangerous; their discontent is our security; their content would be our danger." What then, will it be asked, is government to have no se-, entity from the Catholics-for emancipation ? Yes ; I answer; the best security—love and their own interest. It wilt also have as securities from • the Catholics the moral prie-, ciples of their religion, the criminal laws of their country, and their passed and present conduct. But how, if it does not grant them this emancipation, from which instead of anger there would result nothing but security, how call it expect as much attachment from them as from the Pro testants ? Can the parent think that the ill-treated child. will be as attached to him as the well-treated one ? can, he is indeed the silly parent. And yet sillier is he% if he expects to win the affections of the alienated child by a continuation of what alienated him. When the Pro testants thought that James 11. intended to depress them below the Catholics, they . drove him from the throne lit spite ofall their oaths of allegiance. Should not goveremvot fear that even the Protestants would attribute to NVIOIi 4 ; motives the witholding what there is no danger in vale ing ? When the Protestants see that there must be ac ways, even in times of peace, an army of. r)0 or 60.() men maintained in Ireland to keep i r'land down, vt hett they see that they themselves as well as the Catholie4 must pay taxes to support this army, when they sec that while they call on Government for Catholic oppreFsiw, Government will be furnished both with the pretext and power for taxing and oppressing themseves as well as f!!1 Catholics, when they see that Catholic emancipate , :!:, • would remove all this, will they net naturally wish 107 tit. emancipation, and imagine that the long oppositioe to that measure proceedfli from the motive of command.'ng, of robbing the one and cheatieg the ether„ and of extracting films both to the .last peso.) , ? This is • what the Protestants will naturally suspect, and het ~ rer groundless the suspicion, what will the Government hare ;'been to depend on ? The Protestaetc. enree ' ed from think ing themselves so long duped ; the Catholics alienated from feeling themselves solong oppressed. It will not have even as much as the unfortunate James had to fly ie. But, Sir, let us hope that the time of cperiliotion is rm. yet passed, and that another am -in I.will ethane"... ua in 1.) mays of safety.---_-_.(JeMC p, 16i3.) b. t 01401Marom