The Press.
London, England, 1856-03-01 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

put up Mr. VINCENT SCULLY, the relative and
intimate friend of JOHN SADLEIR; and Mr.
WILLIAm KEOGH went to Cork to advocate his
claims. A report of .11 those election pro-
ceedings is before tie, and we observe that it
was wits difficulty tbst Mr. WILLIAM KEOOM
could and a hearing. The Brass Band
sought to crush the claims of Mr. ALEXANDER
NPCARTRY, a kentlemaa of fortune and honour.
The friends of Ur. WCARTHY made serious
imputations on the political probity of the
new " leaders." It was then that Mr. \VrLLiAM
KEOGH made his awful declaration, " Until the
" demands of the universal people of Ireland
" 'Tenant Right and Religious Equality) be
" conceded, so help me God. I never will take
" Office." JOHN SADLEIR,Iso, was at that Cork
election, and canvassed in all directions fur
his kinsman Mr V. SCULLY, who had specu-
lated in land in that county, but was not con-
nected with it otherwise. The Brass Bund
succeeded. They boasted that one of them-
selves was M.P. for the county of Cork, and
they returned to the House of Commons more
arrogant and insolent than before.
In the meanwhile, it is right to state that
the greatest distrust was shown in Ireland
towards the Sadleir-Keogh connection. "Who
" was JOHN SADLEIR ?" was often asked; and
even to this day it is difficult to get any data
where SADLEIR came from. The name is not
Irish, and the Protestants of Tipperary dis-
claim any knowledge of the antecedents of his
race. In the Roman Catholic politics of Ire-
land, for the last forty years, neither the
name of SADLEIR nor KEOGH is seen. Neither
the Whig Romanists, nor Mr. O'CONNELL and
the Agitators, ever received help from them;
and it is not surprising that such persons were
often characterised in language which there
is no necessity for reprinting.
They had, however, up to a certain point
made a show of success, and nothing contri-
buted to advance them more than the fatal
patronage given to them by certain followers
of the late Sir Reeetrt PEEL. It was a public
calamity, and a grave political scandal, that
politicians of long experience should have
allowed themselves to be deceived by auda-
cious adventurers from Ireland. For it is
vain to deny the complicity of certain persons
with having given a most exaggerated Mau
ence to JOHN SADLEIE, EDMUND O'FLAHERTY,
and Mr. Wirusm KEOGH. Let us remind our
readers of what is proved before Parliamentary
committees to have actually taken place.
Lord DERBY had dissolved Parliament in the
summer of 1e52. So straitened even then for
pecuniary resources were these Irish leaders,
that EDMUND O'FLAHERTY had to write a "pri-
vate " circular letter to certain noblemen and
gentlemen, soliciting their subscriptions
towards the expenses of Mr. WILLIAM KEOGH'S
election fur the small borough of Athlone I It
was, indeed, a startling revelation of the credit
of the new Irish leaders that Mr. WILLIAM
KEOGH, a candidate for political office, could
not pay his own expenses. Still more start
hug is it that he should have selected En•
MUND O'FLAHECTY for his " Solicitor-General,"
for he was even then calculating how soon he
might become " her Majesty's " Second Law
Officer in Ireland !

At the general election JOHN SADLEIR and
Mr. WILLIAM KEOGH boasted loudly of their
influence " with high people in England," and
vilified the Whigs as much as Sir JAMES
GRAHAM could have desired. SADLEIR Was
returneti for Carlow borough, and he set up
his own brother for the county of Tipperary.
His relations, the Messrs. SCULLY, were also
chosen for the counties of Tipperary and Cork ;
and another of the fmily—Mr. ROBERT KEAT-
ING—was elected for the county of Waterford.
EDMUND O'FLAHERTY tried for Dungarvon, and,
luckily for the honour of the borough, it re•
jected him. With the aid of the English
money of his Peelite patrons Mr. WILLIAM
KEOGH was chosen for Athlone.

Still, even then. many of the Roman Catho-
lics of Ireland exhibited the greatest distrust
of JOHN SADI.EIR and his allies. Another
solemn declaration was Uxacted from them
The late Mr. FREDERICK LUCAS went to Athlone
specially to observe Mr KEOGH'S conduct
Then and there, in the summer of 1852, Mr.
WILLIAM KEOGH solemnly declared that, though
all those of his party were to turn Whigs, he

SATURDAY,

would never cross the floor of the House until
certain measures were made Cabinet ques-
tions. " I am perfectly satisfied nose," said
Mr. LUCAS. Little did be know with whom
he had to contend.
It here deserves special notice that JOHN
SADUEIH, at his election dieuer for Carlow, in
July, Wit threw out the Int hints of a Coali-
tion. He said that he believed that " from
" Irish popular member; an adequate official
" representation of Ireland could easily be
" secured." and he extolled the qualities of
some of his allies. Then, again, alarm was
taken by Roman Catholic prelates and priests,
who feared that they would be " sold," and
that the great " Irish Independent Party"
would be decomposed. Their fears were
laughed at. " Look," it was answered, "at
" the solemn oath of Mr. KEOGH at Cork, and
" his speech at Athlone, vowing that, he would
" never cross the House to the Whigs."
The hints of SADI.EIR, clearly expressed, are
of more importance, as it was put about at that
time that certain austere intriguers on this
side of the Channel were secretly planning a
coalition between the Peelites and the Whig
families. The Peelites had official expe•
rience, but few supporters. They resolved to
use "the Irish Independent Party" as a
reserve.

Nothing was, however, said in public until
Lord DERBY'S Parliament assembled, when it
was whispered that the Coalition was already
made between the Whigs, the Peelites, and
the Sadleir-Keogh party from Ireland How
it was possible to bring the latter into action
was a theme for wonder, until the official list
of Lord AsEnoEEs's Ministry was published.
JoHN SADLEIR, the second-lass Dublin
attorney, " whose professional reputation was
" none of the highest," was made the patronage
Lord of the Treasury. Mr. WILLIAM KEOGH,
who could not afford to pay his expenses at
Athlone, was appointed Solicitor-General for
Ireland, and EDMUND OTLAHERTY was ap-
pointed one of the two Income-tax Commis-
sioners for Ireland !

The annuls of political scandal contain
nothing like this simple record of facts,
stated without colour, or without distortion.
There is not a statement we have made that
can be traversed. We wish that we could
stop there.
When the news went forth that Jolts SAD-
LIEIR and Mr. WILLIAM liEoon had drawn such
splendid prizes, the astonishment was great.
" What reliance," it was asked indignantly,
" could be placed on the personal honour of
" men who broke every pledge, violated every
" assurance, and scoffed at every feeling of
" political honour?" When SADLEIR showed
himself at Carlow he was received with shouts
of execration. Gold was lavished in vain, and
the Roman Catholics chose in preference its
present Member, a Conservative and Protes-
tant. He then stood for Sligo, and was
returned in opposition to the nominee of
Lord PALMERSTON. the proprietor of the town.
"The Duke of NEWCASTLE'S candidate" won
but Lord PALMERSTON gave a graphic descrip-
tion of the means taken to insure success by
telling the House of Commons that the priest
canvassed for SADLEIR with a double-barrelled
gun and a great mob
There is one characteristic fact which
must not be omitted. The Peelites all
went out of office together; Lord St. GER-
MANS resigned, together with Sir JAMYS
GRAHAM, and Mr. BREWSTER gave up the
Attorney-Generalship of Ireland. Mr. IN ILLIAM
KEOGH, of "So help me God " notoriety,
vaulted into the Attorney-Generalship of Ire-
land; and if venerable Irish judges be removed
from the Bench, Mr. WILLIAM KEOGH IS to be
appointed one of the Queen's judges!
The fate of all these parties is singuln!'•
O'FLAHERTY was a shameless forger. and !f
caught would be a convict for life. SADLEIR
own pen has recorded to " what a depth "t
infamy" the Lord of the Treasury descended.
STONoR, a client of the Duke of NEWCASTLE,
was degraded from the AastraliAn Bench for
his bribery in the borough of Sligo, rePre:
rented by SADLEIR, and Mr. KEOGH still
aspires to a seat on the Irish Bench.
Such were the persons privileged to addresa,
confidentially" my dear Duke of Newcastle.
"my dear Sir James," and other eminent

MARCH 1, 1856•

rarsons. The madness of taking into council
-Dien of broken fortunes and tainted characters
was disgraceful, and the public fame of certain
British statesmen must be grievously tarnished
by the vile means used for overthrowing Lord
DERBY'S Cabinet.