The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-06-19 00:00:00

were sympathetic and how far mei ely curious is more
than usually difficult to say, from the peculiarity of the
-dace itself.
The following series of resolutions was passed as
proposed from each of the eight platforms, and in
almost every iustance with scarcely a hand held up in
opposition :
"That we view the obligation Imposed by the Coronation
Oath upon every Sovereign of these realms since MS not as
a mere compact between the Sovereign and people, re-
vocable at pleasure, but as a most solemn pledge to the
Almighty, from which the Legislature has no power to re-
lease; and any attempt to fume on the Sovereign an act
incoraistent ith such pledge, on the plea that the nation
is willitig t forego the obligation, we deetu to be an insult
to the Sovereign, and an assumption of the power of aspen-
ition which, as Protestants, we most ever repudiate. That
the Lill for the Diseatatili.htnent and Diseudowment of the
Irish branch of the United Churcli of England and Ireland
will, if it become law, destroy the Protestant Constitution of
this Protestant kingdom, lead to Papal supremacy in Ireland
and shake the rights of property. And that we, therefore,
call upon the House of Lords to reject the Bill.
'' That we protest against the confiscation of the property
of the Church in Ireland, and against the proposal to hand
over a large portion of such property to the Boman Catholics.
That we feel grateful to our brother Protestants in Ireland
for their firm and temperate stand against the combined
forces of Popery, Infidelity, Radicalism, and Revolution.
That we heartily join with them in declaring our determina-
tion to uphold the Legislative I Mon between Great Britain
and Ireland as long as the spirit of the International compact
is respected as d held inviolate by the British Parliament ;
brt that should the sth Article of the Treaty of Union, which is
expressed to be essential, fundamental, and perpetual, be
repealed, we shell lie forced to regard the I. Mon as virtually
dissolved. And that we strongly condemn the conduct
of the Government in releasing the Fenian prisoners, sod
thereby giving encouragement to Fenianism, the existence
of which is made tte pretext for despoiling the Church in
Ireland.
"fuit a petition embodying the above resolutions he
signed by the chairman on behalf of this meeting, and for-
warded to the Earl of Derby for presentation to the House of
Lords on Monday next."
At the principal platform the following "rider" to the
second resolution was also adopted, on the motion of
Sir J. Eardley Wilmot, who mid he had been asked to
propose it
that we particulary request the torts Spiritual of the
Kingdom, and especially the Archbishop of York and the
Bishops of the United Kingdom, to take part with the House
of Lords in rejecting the Bill."
In other respects the proceedings at all the platforms
were identical, and the chairman of each read a denial
that the Carlton Club had either contributed or been
asked to contribute a farthing to promote this meeting.
Each organization had borne its own expense, and the
total amount subscribed to meet so large an expenditure
is under £350.
It is impossible in any reasonable space or time to
give a fair summary of the twenty columns of utter-
ances from the hundred speakers during three houre,
nor could one auditor move from one platform to
another so rapidly as to revise by personal observation
the concurring reports from others that the sort of
language used at the principal tribune, and to by far
the lareest of the divisions of hearers, was paralleled
at each of the others.. The pervading topic of the
speeches was the " nefarious " policy of the Premier.
and after exhausting the current epithets of "robber,"
"traitor." "sacrilegious spoliator, ' and the like, there
were orators who did not forbear to abuse even the
personal appearance of the object of their denuncia-
tion, and while at different places he was compared to
Judas Iscariot in wickedness, it was reserved for one
speaker to pronounce him even worse because unre-
pentant.
At the principal platform, on the motion of Mr.
Sowler, Q.C., Mr. Hutchinson, of Blackburn, took the
chair.
Mr. Mitchell, of Newchurch, the mover of the first
resolution, charged Mr. Gladst me with giving £380,000
as a permanent endowment to the Roman Catholics,
after having said in Lancashire that he would never
appropriate the funds of the Irish Church to any
religious body. At the same time he gave almost eight
millions of money to what he termed lunatic asylums,
the managers and inmates of which were prob ably all
Roman Catholics. The speaker likened the House of
Commons to a well-trained f10.,k of sheep following the
recreant steps of a great sacrilegious bell-wether. (Loud
applause, and a voice, "That's a calker.")
The Rev. Dr. Foley, Prebendary of Cashel, was the
next speaker. He described the policy and conduct of
the Government as a combination of cursed Quakerism
and concealed Romanian against the property and the
religion of the nation. He 960 accused it of destroying
the English language, by perverting the names of
liborty and justice to a scheme of making men slaves
to Rome, and endowing Catholics out of the robbery
of Protestants.
Lord C. J. Hamilton, who was received with many
rounds of cheering on presenting himself, said Mr.
Gladstone's avowed reason for endowing Maynooth
with a sum so extraordinary was the rich endowment
of Trinity College. But (continued his Lordship) within
a week after Mr. Gladstone gave that excuse, with
that grim, horrible countenance of his—(laughter)—
that sinister expression which overshadows his counte-
nance whenever he alludes to any of the Protestant in-
stitutions of this country—he stated that when once
the question of the Established Church of Ireland was
settled it would be his turn to deal with the endow-
ments of Trinity College.
A subsequent speaker, the Rev. C. H. Wainwright,
of Blackpool, was more argumentative in his tone than
most of his colleagues on the platform. He asked, why
should it be, if the Protestants were to be disendowed
in Ireland because they were a minority, that the
Catholics in England should not be disendowed also as
a minority bore, if all were to be treated with
" equality?" (Great applause.) The rev, gentleman's
peroration was an impassioned picture of the House of
Lords regarded by posterity as the safeguard of the
State, while the name of Gladstone was handed down
as the name of a traitor, "unwept, unhonoured, and
unsung."
The Earl of Carrick was then announced as "from
the south of Ireland." He observed that he was only
an Irish peer, but were he a member of the House of
Lords he would go on voting against the bill, even if
he was the only opponent left. (Cheers.) It would
hand over Ireland to the Catholic hierarchy and the
political and religious supremacy of Rome, culminating
in the accession of a Roman Caliolic Sovereign of that
country. Ile characterised the measure as a great
national sin, the separation if the State from religion,
the alienation of propeity which has been devoted to
the service of God, and the giving it over to set up
Popery and idolatry.
Sir J. Eardley Wilmott, in moving his addition to
the resolutions, looked for ward to the speedy return of
a Conservative Government to power, in which event
he advised the people to echo the exclamation of
Nelson, when his ship was running aground, "Anchor,
Hardy!" They should call upon the Conservative
statesman of that name to anchor, not upon the quick-
sands of democracy, nor on the reefs of revolution but
upon the firm and safe bed of the British Constitution.
(Cheers.)
The next speaker was the Rev. Dr. Massingham,
who concurred in a previous reference to Mr. Glad'
stone's physiognomy r-e" If we look at his face, we
cannot wonder at the description. If we could only
clothe him in a Roman Catholic garb, he would make
a very good Papist, and then he would appear before
us in his true colours. He is doing the work of a
Jesuit, why does not he avow it?" Referring to Mr.
Gladstone appropriation of the surplus "for the benefit
of criminals, idiots, and lunatics," the rev, doctor re-
marked, "It was prophesied that Mr. Gladstone would
end his days in a lunatic asylum, and he wants to make
a very handsome provision for his brethren." The
speech concluded amid great cheering upon the arrival
of the rear-guard of the procession, which was composed
entirely of the Orange societies or lodges.
Mr. Harper, Grand Master of the Orange Insti-
tution, Mr. Booth Marion, and other Orange dignitaries,
now made their appearance in front of the platform,
sporting a variety of showy decorations, a sword held
erect, a framed image of William ILL, and a number
of symbols spoken of as "The Regalia."
Mr. Booth Mason was called upon to second the
adoption of the petition to the Lords. He said the
time was gone by for petitioning the most despicable
House of Commons ever elected. He advised all Pro-
testants to join the Orange organization, as the only
power able to cope with Popery. A gigantic conspiracy
was concocted against the liberty of the people. Glad-
stone was turning Papist; john Bright was no better;
and, more than that, the people would have to "light
for their civil and religious liberties physically." In
the House of Commons the opinions of the Englieh
people were swamped by the representatives of the
Scotch—Sir Pertinax Mat:sycophant and his brethren ;
and of the Irish, who had not souls of their own, for
the man who gave his soul to the priest was little better
than a brute beast.
Mr. Wood, secretary of the Manchester and Salford
Trades' Council, made a long speech, in the course of
which he said that Mr. Gladstone bad been likened to
all that was vile and loathsome in history. (Cries of
Iscariot.") Judas Iscariot was a good man to him,
he reeented himself of the sin he committed, but this
man had no signs of repentance in him, he gloried in
his shame.
Besides the gentlemen whose names have been
already mentioned, the attendance included Lord
James W. Butler, Major-General Beattie, the Rev.
IL Henderson, Dublin; Sir. Robert Baxter, Mr. A.
Goldschiniii (London), Mr. A. Egerton, M.P., Mr.
Birley, M. P., Mr. J. W. Maclure, and a great number
of magistrates and clergy.
The proceedings at the platforms concluded with
votes of thanks to the chainuan, "God Save the
Queen," and cheers for local favourites, Mr. Charley,
H. P., having the greatest share. Cheers were also
given particularly for Mr. Touchstone as a chief
- I
year organizer of the demonstration.
s'