The Express.
London, England, 1868-06-25 00:00:00

SHE BOUSS OF LORDS.

Observing that the centre of political interest
is now transferred to the House of Lords, the Daily News
proceeds to represent the opposite schemes of policy which
come before the hours to-night to be all the prin-
cipal churches be endowed and established in Ireland, or
shall those that are now supported by the state he left to
their own voluntary efforts ? Shall the lion's share of the
ecclesiastical revenues of Ireland be given to the Roman
catholic church; or shall those revenues, saving veged
interests, be applied to secular purposes?' This is the ulti-
mate question—a question which Lord Cairns and the
spokesmen of the government will do their be,t to keep
out of right. But the country cannot too clearly apprehend
it. The majority against the Suspensory Bill—if a majority
record their votes against it—will consist in no small
degree of men who are in favour of endowing and esta-
blishing the Roman catholic church in Ireland, side by style
with the church of England and the Presbyterian church.
Practically, this is the cause in which the peers are blindly
risking a collision with the House of Commons, in which
the pot of porcelain must fare worse than the pot of iron.
damning that the upper house will vote down the Sus-
pensory Bill with confidence, the Times argues that by so
doing it will be obtaining a momentary gratification at a
substantial and enduring cost. It is about to commit itself
beforehand against the great measure which will necessa-
rily engage the very first attention of the new House of
Commons ; for, unless her Majesty's address contain the
unmistakeable announcement of • measure in the full
spirit of this bill, government will immediately have to
fight for dear life upon that matter alone. The new house
under a new government will then address itself to the din-
establishment of the church in Ireland, while still resenting
a contradiction and &defeat inflicted by the House of Lords.
In the opinion of the Times this will be • very bud begin-
ning, and the most fruitful precedent that could possibly
be set. The wisest course would certainly be so to deal
with this measure as to leave the new parliament abso-
lutely free to deal with the Irish establishment as it thinks
best.

The Trlrgreph will not be surprised to see a majority of
a good round hundred against the Suspensory Bill. Never-
thelews that result willcause deep regret to the best friends
of the upper house. England has, to a great extent.
been raved from class polities by the wisdom of the
nobility ; but that will he an evil day in which
lines of political demarcation shall coincide even roughly
with social distinctions—when the Commons of Haglund
shall take one side and the• Peers the other. No one wool.'
doubt the result; bei it is hard to say what queer paths
we might have to travel before it could he aehievA.
The Star hopes that those peers who think with Lord
Mode:4oJc will not spend too much time upon the
An and saerileg,e phase of the controversy, hut will
calmly discuss the practical question of how Ireland is to
be governed. Here is a nation of five or six millions of
Roman catholics whom we will not let go, and whom we
therefore must govern somehow. Is that government to
be one of justice or one of brute force