The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-07-17 00:00:00

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efje citoarbriby Obserber,

SATUIWAY, .1134 Y 17, 1889.

THE IRISH CHURCH BILL.

The Trials Church Bill, to which the attention
f the euahivy be new fur ea long a pei nut been
drawn; end which line diverted the public mind
from almost every ether aulipct, lite low arrived
at a tno4 critical stage. It Iva paiaeil the Home
of Lords, and their lordship's amendments here
to undergo critical et:min:tattoo at the Imola of
the Lower House. The change' which hare
been etreaed in the le.easiire up to the present
time arc a great nuid co iiei.ortaut, that it only
be well to glauee at the principal alterations that
have been elicettil in the ineaenre, for the time
at Icaht, by the Howie of P 4:erg.
Tt had been docidcd by the Commons th it the
. L. . . . .

_ Church should he, disestablished is.
endowed from and after the IA of January. 1871.
At first the Lords pootpoiled this huportaut
change till thd lit of January. 1372, lett sahse.
quentiy it Wll4 altered to the I it of M ty. 1971.
The COIIIOIOII3 tell &CAA that the Irish arch•
bishops and bishops should not have seats in the
Upper Bennie, but the Lords it first reveroed this
dacision and decided that the existing Irish lords
spiritual should retain their seats for life ; but
at the lAA niOnwiit, on the motion of the Earl
of Devon, their lordships canto to the conclu-
sion that on the bill taking effeet no arelibishop
or bishop should continue to sit in the Howie of
Peers. 'rho (20111111011 S had decided that the
Church Body should pay nirthe building charges
or pnrchase the sites of the !Nue ; but the
Lords have so amended the provicion that the
glebe Louses are to be given free of all charge
to tie Church Body. As the bill left the Coln-
moos the idea of concurrent endowment bowl
no favour, but just as the bill Wag passing their
lordship's house, an arieudeueut by Lord Stan-
hope was adopted whieli, among other alters-
Cons, enables the Church Body to pros he
"suitable houses of residence, with lands of ac-
commodution annexed thereto as glebe lands,
for any archbishop, bishop, or clergyman of the
Irish Protestant Church or of the Roman Catho-
lic Church, or for any clergyman or minister of
the Presbyterian Church. The Connuotie
scheme for computing life interests at years'
purchase has been altered by the Lords to 14
years' purchase, sulding i 11,200,000 to the origi-
nal commutation. This Commons deprived the
Irish Church, on certain conditions, of the Ul.
ster glebe amongst others; the Lords have
given these glebes, to the value of £900,000, to
the Church. The House of Lords has also mo-
dified the origival scheme in respect to the in-
come tax of the rlslt Protestant clergy, giving
them in etreet souse £100,00.1. As the Bill left
the COIOIIIOII4 it Was provided that, after curtail,
arrangements were effeeled, the aurplus shonl.l
go to charitable 04jects unconnected with roll.
gious estehlial.inente ; but the Lords have
agreed to defer the applielition of the anrplus
revenues for subsequent mullein( ntary arrange:-
Mont. Many other minor alterations have been
Made, hut the allow are all that may be regarded
as absolutely important aid It will readily be
admitted that the changes effeetell are suttl•
elently great. The queatloo how arises whether
the House of C 31111110114 will he disposed to agree
to their lordship's ainceidineuts.
On the whole we millet but think that the
Lower House vault do wail to *coop& the inoii.
;[ lkations that have been Wooled by the tipper
i House. None of them eau be regarded as it.
I solutelv unjust to existiug interests, considering
that the country seems to have made up its
mind to diarstaldish sad disendow the Irish
Church. We are sorry that the proposal Was
ever made at ail, and believe that the whole
scheme was merely proposed for party purposes:,
but as it has been carried so far it will be well to
modify the viohnice of the changes ai much as
possible. The alteration of the date from which
the measure is to take effect, for exoniple, can-
not be matter of much importance. It is only
right that %hen the property of a Church is
team' away by Act of Parliament the arrange-
ments should be as liberal as possible. There
has been a great deal of fuss about concurrent
endowments, but we must bear in mind that the
very same principle which has now been adop-
ted by the Lords in providing houses and glebes
for Roman Catholics and Presbyterians has long
been existent in respect to the Maynooth grant
and the Begium Dolmen. And as to the dispo-
sal of the surplus, the Lords have finally de-
cided nothing, but have merely remitted the
final decision to Parliament, that will be better
able to treat that surplus when they know what
it will be. The Lords have shown a spirit of
concession ; it is now the duty of the COOllllOllB
to be equally considerate of the views of a co-
ordinate House of Parliament.