The Express.
London, England, 1868-05-01 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

la the House of Loans yesterday, on the order
of the (lay
for going into committee on the Com-
pulsory Church Rates Bill,
Earl RussELL said the Earl of Malmesbury had
given notice of his intention to move that the bill
be referred to a select committee, and he should
not oppose the motion.
After a short conversation the bill was referred
to a select committee.
Several other bills were forwarded a stage, and
the house adjourned at a quarter to 6 o'clock.

In the Horse of COMMONS, on the order of the
day for going into committee on the Irish Church
Establishment,
Mr. livarEes moved that the oath taken by
Roman catholic members previous to its alteration
in 1866, be read by the clerk at the table.
Mr. BOU VERIE objected that the motion was not
in order, the oath having been repealed.
The SPEAKER said the oath was binding on those
who took it, but whether it should be read was a
question for the house to decide.
Mr. th.AosroNE (amid much cheering from the
opposition) said he should meet the motion with a
direct negative. It was made with a view of
stirring up the embers of political animosity.
Mr. DJSKAELI appealed to the hon. member to
withdraw the motion, and
Mr. SusrEEs withdrew it.
The house, however, refused to let it he with-
drawn, and it was, consequently, put and nega-

tired.
The adjourned debate was then resumed by Sir
M. IIEACH, who argued against disendowment—
thutigh he admitted the present distribution of the
revenues was not just—and against the disesta-
blishment, because the removal of the Irish church
would be a great gain to Roman catholicism.
Sir C. O'Cociii.rN regarded the resolution as es-
tablishing the principle that there should be no
ascendency on account of any particular form of
•

religious belief.
Sir W. HEATHrOTE argued against the resolu-
tion as an attack nut only on the Irish but the Eng-

- ,
lish church, and on vested rights.
Mr. W. eI,WPEK considered that one of the •
greatest torments in favour of the resolution
was that the Irish church was an offence against
the Illakrity of the population, who looked upon it
.tut a a religions but a political institution, planted
there by England. It was established to bind the
people to this country, but it was a new cause of
antagonism. The country was formed into two
hostile camp, the church being a fortress which
was to be defended by one party and attacked by

the other.
Mr. S. CAVE said the resolution enlisted those
parties who had no coherence or sympathy, Roman
catholics, ritualists, and protestant dissenters, and
also those who sought to displace the government.
He warned the house against giving a triumph to

Fenianistn.
Mr. W. E. 13.‘xrnit said the iinestion was be-
tween disendowment and indiscriminate endow-
ment ; but no proposition was more likely to light
up the tire of religious discord than the proposition
to endow all churches. He never knew so much
unanimity in Scotland since the latter days of the
agitation against the corn laws as existed in favour
of these resolutions.
The debate wa, continued by Mr. Inns, Lord C.
Hamilton, and Sir .1. Hay, against ; and by
Lord F. Cavendish, Mr. Reardon, and Mr. Young

in support of it.
Mr. WALPOLE stoutly defended the Irish church
from the attacks which had been made upon it,

and solemnly protested against breaking the com-
pact entered into for its maintenance by the act of
union. Those who wished to destroy the church
were bound to show that its destriction would re-
move discontent and disaffection, and that they
had nut done. The truth was that disaffection and
discontent were external to Ireland, was imported
from abroad, and was a foul conspiracy not against
the established church merely, but against all order
and law and government. Supposing the Irish
church disestablished, and there would then be two
churches in Ireland independent of the supremacy
of the crown, and he asked if that would tend to
maintain British rule. _ .

Lord EL. .1141 entered his protest against the time
and the manner, and against the thing that was
proposed to be done. This was proposed as an act
of atonement to Ireland, but for two generations
the policy of the house towards Ireland had been
a policy of conciliation and concession to a church
which would never be satisfied. He could not
follow Mr. Gladstone in this question, because
this was more than an Irish question. He denied
that the principle of religious equality was the
principle of our constitution. Logically the dis-
establishment of the church in Ireland meant
disestablishment in England and Scotland.
The question was about to be put witch
Mr. Gi.an,rost: rose and said the debate had
turned upon extraneous matters and not the Irish
church itself. It was said the Irish church had
existed for 300 years, and that was all that could
be said in its favour. It was all but universally
admitted that it had never fulfilled, and it was de-
monstrated that it never could fultil, the objects of
a state church. It was the church, not of a nation,
but of a fraction. It was admitted by the govern-
ment as well as by the opposition that the present
state of things could not continue. He should pass
over in silence the accusation of conspiracy made
against him and others by Mr. Disraeli, though it
was the reverse of truth. While he admitted no
conspiracy, he admitted that he and those who
acted with him were in spontaneous concurrence
with that party all over the world who were endea-
vouring to break down the system of religious
ascendency. There were two objections made to
the proposition, one was as to the effect it would
have on the church of England, and the
other as to the time it was made, and
to these objections he replied at some length.
He called on the house to inaugurate a policy for
Ireland similar to that which they had adopted in
the colonies, and the result of which was that they
had in them a British party-, not the small party of
former days, but the whole community, and so it
would be in Ireland. The right hon. gentleman
then referred to the language of the Earl of Derby in
the House of Lords in which the noble earl advised
the government not to resign, whatever might be
the opposition made to them. Fur one he gave
lair notice that in the discharge of those duties
which the constitution assigned to him he would
not, under any circumstances, consent to receive
from another place the word of command.
Mr. DISRAELI said the government objected to
the discstablishment of the Irish church, because it
would be injurious to Ireland. It was said that
they had not defended the church in Ireland, but
what they complained of was that those who
objected to it alleged nothing against it. They
objected to it also because it would endanger the
security of property.
Sir F. Nino:ars then withdrew his amendment,
and the committee divided on the first resolution,
which was carried by a majority of 63—the nun:
hers being 330 to 263.
Mr. DISRAELI said the resolution arrived at had
altered the relations between the government and
the present House of Commons, and he should
therefore move that the house at its rising adjourn
until Monday.
The other orders of the day were then gone
through, and the house adjourned until Monday
next.

ELECTION INTELLIGENCE.

EAST KENT..

--
This contest came off yesterday, and resulted in
the return of Mx. Pemberton, the conservative candidate,
by a majority, so far as could be asoertained at the time
our information was despatched, of 532. Both parties
were sanguine of success up to the day of polling, and the
first return issued by Mr. Tufton's central committee
showed a majority in his favour. Subsequent statements
represented him in the minority, and this was borne out
by the result :—Mr. Pemberton (Conservative), 3,699 ;
Mr. Teton (Liberal), 3,167 ; majority, 532.

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