The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-02-12 00:00:00

the body which affects to act for then, thet are cettai
unjustiliable,—auch are their attempts to direct the public m'nd
on all political autiita.a, and to point out to them how they
ought to act—the holili g an inquisition on their exercise of the
elective franchi.e." One would almost give him ( Mr. P.) credit
foe foresight in anticipating the very pmceedinp which the House
were now called upon to restrain. (Hear. hear.) This inquisition
was exercised under the bane of their displeasure; and pennons
were induced to desert their frie A, and abandon their plighted
engagements. This was insofferaLle, and the more so as coming
from persons wh s were themselves the advocates of unbounded
f.cedom, and as daimine the most extended toleration. They
were to be found carrying an unparleving tyranny into the domes-
tic arrangements of every family. This I do not defend or palli.
ate. lam not the apologist of their violence, nor do I approve of
many of their printed publications. To this tone, which is inde-
fensible, I hope to see that the legislature will never yield ; but as
indecent clamour should induce them not to yield to any thing that
was nut reasonable, so it ought not to induce the legislature to with..
hold from others that which is jest Now if be (Mr. P.) wished
to have his sentiments precisely laid before the House, as to the
present measure, this is the very patagraph which he would employ
the lion. and beamed Member for Lincoln to read, for the purpose
of exhibiting his views and opinions, which were the same now as
then. (Hear, hear.) There was a growing disposition in favour'
of the measure throughout the country; and he could not be in.
duced to coincide with his Right lion. Friend (Mr. Canning) in
the apprehension that there was an indisposition in the minds of the
people of this country towards granting the concessions which the,
Catholics sought to attain. They turned their more serious thoughts
to the situation of the country ; they saw that the game of govern.
ing Ireland otherwise than by conciliatory measures was hopeless.: .
they saw that if pernicious means were not resorted to, to intercept and
blight the blessings of Providence. Ireland would become a source of
strength, of security, anti of vigour. to the empire. As to the se-
paration of the two conntries, he believed it was not a serious idea
entertained by any person; it was an empty and an (die threat,
which did not deserve the character even of a rational menace. In
the vicissitudes to which, In the progress of revolving ages, nations
were subject, this mighty empire might fall, yet Ireland most .fall
with her—her interest and her fate were bound with England—they
were the same and inseparable. But, however that idle threat was
to be itespised„-thcre was a donsideratren which the people of this
country should not despise. In the event of a war England might,
lie was satisfied, reiy on the exertions of the Roman Catholics:—'
no doubt might be entertained of their fidelity—but a suspicion of
the soundness of that part of the empire might induce a nation to
make a demand, and dictate insolent tenni, which it would not
otherwise think of. This mischief would be best arrested by
doing to that country an act of justice in the time of peace.—
Oa whatever terms, or whenever the measure of emancipation
was conceded, it must be conceded and obtained by the force
and influence of the reason of the measure, of the right of it,
of the justice of it. On these points the Roman Catholics were
invulnerable. but on these grounds, and on these alone, should
they rely. It was, therefore, that lie deprecated the mischief of
their relying less nn the support that sound sense gave their cause,
than on the display of their physical strength, to which this coun-
try would never yield. Their demand, when it came in that shape,
was insufferable (cheers); to such a tone Parliament never would,
or ought to lend itself. They who may wish to use the Catholics
for their own views may give a different counsel front this ; for his
part, he deprecated the doctrine, and would anxiously dissuade the
Catholics from it; he was satisfied they would give him credit
for the sincerity of his advice, for the measure of their eman-
cipation was only important to hint as it was useful and bene-
ficial to them. (Hear, hear.) It had been said that the Catholic
Association spoke the sentiments of the Roman Catholics. so far as
it expressed a desire of admission into the blessings of the Consti-
tution. He believed they did speak the sentiments of the Roman
Catholic population, but if it were further meant that they adopted
all the excesses of that body, that was a propositioe he was prepared
to deny. Many Roman Catholics were disgusted at those excesses,
and his Right honourable Friend did no; state too much when he
said that they would be glad to be relieved of the influence of this
Association, which sat like an incubus on the heart of the society
of the country. The Clergy would scion become jealous of having all
their influence transferred to this body; the Roman Catholic gentry
would become jealous of seeing new adhesion arise in society, and
would be glad to he restored to that natural place and station in so-
ciety to which it was the object of the present measure to bring
them bask. (Hear, hear.) Of that Association and of the mem-
bers of it, it was far from his intention to speak in terms of disre-
spect. With the leader of it, Mr. O'Connell, he had only a pro-
fessional acquaintance; he stood eminent—deservedly eminent, in
: his profession, and was, indeed, as high in it as the laws would al_
. lowa member of his religious persuasion to be. (Hear, hear.) In
the relations of father, husband, and in all the private relations of
life, his conduct and character were marked by the most perfect
• propriety ; he had only to find fault with him for the wildness of his
politics. Ile believed that that gentleman would not enter into a
pettifogging attntipt to evade the provisions of the Bill should it
, pass into a law, but that he would rather, together with Lords Fin-
, gal and Gormanstown, and the many other most respectable mein-
ben of that body, submit to what the law imposed rather than enter
into an unworthy task of endeavouring how they might best elude
It. To very many Catholics the measure, he was satisfied, would
be highly acceptable, as it would laird them an honourable excuse
for relieving themselves from an influence of which they were tired,
and of which they disapproved—the influence of the Catholic Asso-
c ation. (Cheers.)
Mr. TIERNEr said, that he felt he rune under great disadvan-
tage in following the very powerful speech or the Riht Hon. Gen-
Semen.
House, Semen. Although he had sat alloy year(-in that he had
not on the many occasions that that question had been discussed in
• Parliament, onened his lips. He felt that on those occasions the
question had little need of the support of any argument from him,
nor would he on the present occasion offer himself to the
• attention of the House upon this subject, but that he con-
• ceived the present moment to be one of a critical crisis, and
danger to the Empire. (Hear. hear, hear.) The Right Honourable
Gentleman had said that this most objectionable measure might be
! avoided by tile more gracious one of Catholic emancipation, and
that he would be glad to see it substituted for it. On their own
: showing, then, it was a measure that the adoption of a better mea-
-1 sure would render unnecessary. It was not a little extraordinary,
that when the object of a measure was to abridge the liberty of the
s subject, the Ministers pulled remarkalily well together—they only
• disagreed when the object was to extend it. (Cheers.) In sup-
porting the Catholics now, as he had done on former mea-
-1 sions, he did not do so in consequence of any partiality
he entertained towards them as Catholics, but from a convic-
, tion that it was a measure rendered requisite by the general
policy of the country. He was by habit, education, and con-
viction, attached to the Established Church, though he was not
• blind to its errors. He was reconciled to the Catholic question,
because all the dangers which might reasonably be expected to
flow from it, had long ceased. The Protestant religion was esta-
blished on a secure basis; no apprehension was now to be entertained
from a Popish Sovereign ; there was no Pretender now to bring
• forward ; and as the liberties of England, and the interests of the
Church were safe, he saw no danger to be apprehended from the
• measure of Emancipation. The. Right Hon. Gentleman thought
that one way of arriving at Emancipation was by a Committee on
this Bill, theobject of which was to abridge the privileges they al-
' ready enjoyed...
Mr. PLUNKETT thought that some facts might transpire in
the Committee favoutable to the measure.

:tin TIERNEY resumed. This was an extraordinary expec-
tation to form ; the more partic.ilarly as they were to go into a
Committee without having any facts whatever laid before them.
(Hear, hear.) This was one of his principal objections to the
measure. We say give us information, but this is withheld, and
then we are told faits are everything, and the greatest advantage
will flow from them, though none will be given. (Hear. hear.)
The mere assertion of the Right Honourable Gentleman was
all that was placed before them, on which they were to legis-
late. The Right Honourable Gentleman in his speech, which so
delighted them, had said that he regretted the shape this Associa-
tion had assumed. Ile (Mr. Tierney) had not regularly read all
the proceedings of that body, but, as far as he had observed, they
had only undertaken and entered upon topics which were fair matter
for discussion. They had discussions relative to the Union, the
Church, and other measures of legitimate inquiry. If the Right
Hon. Gentleman supposed there was anything mischievous at the
bottom of this Association he should have awed it, and afforded
the House an opportunity to judge of it. This Association was
not composed of a little knot of men—managin the affairs of a
people; they consisted of six millions of persons.—(hear, hear—
six millions of men united to promote the same views and ob-
jects—was a- formidable body ; it was a fearful consideration
to legislate for such a body complaining of grievances; the
more particularly when it was admitted, even by those who in-
troduced it, that it was a measure not calculated to afford
any relief even on the 'hewing of those who introduced it. The
Right lion. Gentleman spoke of a new adhesion, and of an ad-
hesion of the people from compulsion. Now there was no evidence
that there was this compulsion used to create adhesions to
this body. Neither did it appear from any evidence what-
ever, or proof before the House, that this Association acted
as a Parliament, and assumed • jurisdiction in the country.
The right honourable gentleman had complained much of the
omission of part of his speech by his honourable and learned friend,
the member for Lincoln, (Mr. J. Williams); but while this com-
plaint was made by the right honourable gentleman, lie himselt
whs doing a thing not very unlike it ; for he did not read out all
the paper from which he lia4 quoted ; he did not read all that passed
at the trial ; he forgot to give that part of it in which the account is
given of what Mr. Blackburn and the magistrates said of the man-
ner is which the prosecution was conducted. (Cheers.) This part
the right honourable gentleman forgot; perhaps he remembered to I
forget it. (a laugh.) The house were told nothing of the address
of Mr. Blackburn, in which he thanked Mr. O'Gorman for the
temperate manner in which the prosecution was conducted by him.
(Cheers.) The whole of these proceedings give no proof of party
violence or spleen. The whole of the paper should have been
reed (hear. hear;) and from that specimen the house would see
there were no severe hardships imposed on those prosecuted by the
association. No man was more averse than he was to publie pro-
secutions : bnt it they were never worse carried on than in the pre-
sent instance, there would not be much to complain of. The right
honourable gentleman (Mr. Plunket) hail taken pains to state all
the proceedings of the association : he said they had an " army un-
armed." The last word," unarmed" he put into a parenthesis.
(cheers. and much laughter.) He told us, they had devoted to
the n no less than an army of 30.000 collectors: and how were
these soldiers armed ? oh ! very formidably, no doubt. Why, each
with a leathern bag (laughter,) and a slate to take down the names.
(laughter.) These were headed by 2300 priests : and why should
they not collect this money ? It was a miserable subscription, and
though very general, it did not amount as vet to more than ten
thousand pounde. He (Mr. Tierney) did not amderstand the Right