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

THE PRESS.

of his individual sphere, and, in virtue of that
citizenship of the world which he recognises
as his part for the present in the scheme of
Providence, to cast in his lot with the political
fortunes of the country in which he is resi-
dent. If the sympathies of the Jewish com-
munity have a wider range, they are extended
to kindred and race, not to political influences;
and perhaps in this way, by acting as the
threads which cement and bind together
European society, they play a powerful though
not conspicuous part in preventing any mighty
rupture of international relations.
It is urged that while the Legislature is
professedly Christian, a great principle is
maintained, To impair the sanctity of the
national creed would be an evil superior in mag-
nitude to any which can result from uphold.
ing it. While the words "On the true faith of
a Christian " present themselves as a passport
to admission to the Senate, it cannot be con-
tended that all regard to religious principle has
been abolished.

On the other side, it is argued that a Senate
can be but representive of a nation, and that
two or three Jews among some hundred mem-
bers in the Commons House can no more im-
pair its Christian character than two or three
thousand Jews in a population of millions
can impair the Christian character of the
country. While the question of admitting the
Jew to a participation in legislative power has
been in debate, he has in reality been ad•
mitted to a share in executive power. He is
eligible, according to his social position, for
all offices of civil magistracy, and is thought
worthy of carrying out laws which he is ex-
cluded from all part in enacting. His good
faith is made his bar to legislative power. No
one doubts that there may be in the Senate
greater infidels than the Jew; but our system
accords to hypocrisy privileges which it re-
fuses to conscience.

The practical embarrassment is greater
than the difficulty of principle. Baron ROTHS-
CHILD has been a Member for the City of
London for the last nine years. The House
of Commons—with great moderation, but with
great fairness and constancy—has declared
for his admission; while the House of Peers
has refused to sanction any measure for the
purpose, This antagonism is unseemly—it is
unconstitutional. Those absolute powers
which any order possesses, and which are
necessary to its independence, are not to be
wantonly exercised. When they come into
collision with the powers of another order
equally independent, the grounds on which a
stand is made must be carefully scrutinised.
In this particular case it can hardly be alleged
that the House of Peers is a better judge of
what members should be admitted into the
Commons House than the Commons them-
selves.

How is the collision to end ? In quiet times
it may subsist without danger, but should any
political excitement arise, the popular party
might insist on the admission of Baron
ROTHSCHILD, as essential to the validity of the
representative principle, and the Lords might
see fit to yield to pressure what it denied to
reason. While the City of London persists in
its choice, and while the House of Commons
supports it, there can be no other way of re-
moving the inconvenient antagonism between
the two branches of the Legislature, than for
the Upper House to concede the principle in
dispute.
That the question may come fairly before
the Legislature, it is of importance that it
should be debated on its own merits. The
point is not whether it is expedient to alter the
existing system of legislative oaths, but whe-
ther it is expedient to admit Jews into Parlia-
ment? The special issue raised demands a
special decision. The case should be argued
and judged on its own extremely narrow
ground ; and we imagine the discussion would
be most conveniently raised by a short Bill
setting forth a particular affirmation, or oath,
binding on the Jewish conscience, which
would entitle any member of the Jewish
faith, duly elected and otherwise qualified, to
take his seat in Parliament.