The National Register. — London, England, 1812-04-26 00:00:00

-,---- : .. 1 THE NATIONAL REGISTER. I Our 'king, Conotitution, anti 37..a1331. PRINTID AND PUBLISHED AT NO. 5, PICKETT-STREET, STRAND. ..kit TEMPLE BAR. N°. €226. POLITICAL DThQUISMON. No. 212. CATHOLIC QUESTION. The claims of. the Roman Catholics have once more been discusssed in Parliament, and have met with a fresh overthrow. It cannot be denied even by the warmest supporters of Emancipation, that this is to be considered, not as a partial miscarriage, but as a grand and decided defeat. Every exertion had been made on their part to obtain a majority. Due notice had been served on the fr;ends of the Opposition to attend in their places. Recruiting parties had been sent forth to sound the.: Opinions of others, and, if possible, to draw strength and assistance from the very ranks of Ministers, whose fall was represented as certain, if they should fail in pro curing a majority on this important question. But all the stratagems and activity of party were displayed in vain. Notwithstanding these extraordinary exertions ; notwith standing the petitions procured in behalf of Catholic Emancipation, the advocates for this measure were, on Friday night, overpowered by a majotity of eighty-five, in one of the largest divisions known in Parliamentary history. That they should have been able to collect 215 votes, on a question which they expected would prove their stepping-stone to power, is not astonishing, espe cially if, as it is reported, they held out hopes of office. But the very magnitude of their numbers is a powerful argument against the proposed concessions to the Catlio : for if, in their pretended state of political incapacity, they can command such a number of votes in the British Senate, it is evident that were they admitted within its bosom, they would instantly obtain a majority, and grow able to carry their plans of Catholic Supremacy into ex ecution. On this important subject we shall quote the Opinion of a late writer, who, in a work fraught with elegance of style, candour, and solidity of argument, has calmly, but clearly demonstrated the dangers to which Catholic Emancipation, such 3s it is now rraposed, would expose both Church and State. " The question, Whether the principle of the Test-Laws shall be abandoned or maintained, is now breught to issue by the claims of the Irish Roman Catholics ; v•hich directly attack that principle, since their object is the re moval of every disability and disqualification, ln account of religion, from the persons by whom they are ;.rel-rn2J. But if the principle of the Test-Laws were to be given 14p in favour of one description of non-conformists, it would be diecult to find reasons for retaining it with regard to others. If that principle be no longer necessary for the ction of the church, it should be abandoned attoge /. V. V. STTNDAY, APRIL 26, 1812. Prucr 94. they, and on that very ground, as a sacrifice to all classes of non-conformists ; but if it he s-ill a nee , Ksary bulwark of the establishment, it should not be relinquished in fa. your of any. From this dilemma it is presumed there is no escape. " But if we would consult the safety of the Established Church, of all descriptions of non-conformists, the Ro man Catholics are the last in whose favour such a sacrifice should be made. •• We have seen that the necessity of excluding non-con formists from power, with a view to the above object, is founded upon the supposition, or rather the certainty, that power in such hands would be employed against the establishment. The motive which would lead any non conformists so to employ it, is not pure hostility to the Established Religion (if indeed it were, Roman Catho lics could not be expected to be behind any other separat ists in such hostility to the rffordied ; but the de sire by which mankind, whenever religion excites an lute. rest in their minds, are invariably actuated—to promote the ascendancy of their own peculiar worship. This mo tive must be expected 'to operate more powerfully on the adherents to the See of Rome, than on any other description of religionists ; because they are distinguished from all others by zeal for the propagation of their religion. As, indeed, it is one of the maxims of their church, that out of its pale there is no salvation, it would be strange if they were not actuated by an extraor dinary degree of solicitude to promote the universal ascen dancy of such a church. Feelings of common humanity must, in their breasts, co-operate with devout attachment to their relgion, in producing that effect. The strongest motives must ever operate the most forcibly upon the hu man mind, when duly sensible of their forces and what motive can act so powerfully on man. social being, as the good of a church, which he loo1:s upon as the only guide to eternal life. The r• a.bers of such a church, if they be sincere in their profession,—that is to say, if they be honest men,—cannot fail to be actuated by the most ar dent zeal to promulgate their faith, and to promote the ascendancy of their religion. And this is the character by • which they are universally distinguished. " But there is another characteristic of the church of Rome, which renders political power, in the hands of its members, peculiar dangerous to a Protestant Establish. menu Those members, wherever situated, acknowledge a foreign Sovereign, to whom they look up with supersti tious veneration, and to whom every Ecclesiastic among them takes an oath of obedience. They allege, indeed, that it is a temporal and civil, but merely an ecclesi astical and spiritual jurisdiction, which they acknowledge in the Pop(:. Lut, while the soul governs the bcdy— ...-..-- WNW. i for: