The National Register.
London, England, 1821-04-22 00:00:00

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9
THE NATIONAL REGISTER

Oniverial Varliament.

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HOUSE OF LORDS,
MONDAY. APRIL In.
Petitions against the Roman Catholic bill were pre-
sented from the cleft of Eath—ltristill—Norfoil.—
Wothistoek—and the Gostiati Catholics of Limerick.
Eat! GREY presented Iwo petitions from the Houten
Catholics of Englatill—one declaritig that his Majesty's
right to the throne was indisputable, and that they never
would it. mit the interposition of any foe eign influence to
shake their loyalty and attachment. 'The second petition
was from Lords :slier wsbut y, Petre, Arundel, and other
Roman Catholic pros. Both wet e in f.t.:ostr of the
The petitivon met e read, and laiJ on the table.
The LAI! of DON OUGH MORE then ro. e, on the order
of the day for the second 'lading of the bill, and cons-
invoiced his speech by observing, that the Pommel Catholics
of Ireland had suffered under serene intolerance up to
1;93. when they were admitted by the legislature to the
tight of elective franchise, and promotion in the army and
navy. Concessions had bee n previously spoken of, but iii
fact no concessions were made. In tile present instance
a bill of mei cy and grace had come np from the other
house. It, however, uo sooner passed tile threshold of the
Arose, than the noble lord on the woolsack, and the noble
lord at the head of the treasuryoletiounced it. He trusted
he shouts hear, in the (muse of the debate, the pi hiciples
on which those 'wide lords had taken as, lie considered,
'an et roneons view of the subject. Would the lords not
condescend to give elite consideration to a hill which in
the oilier house of pat Lament had confetti; onglt the of deal
of live weeks debate? Alter the deliberate 'ewe of the
other house, taken upon the measure.. what could the
-house do but give a bill °ranch vital intemicastee, at least
that discussion the ebbject was mottled to? He .as the
mute surprised at the opposition of the two noble lords,
because it was nut usual to express 011110Siliali to Ille prin-
ciple of a hill befine the second reading. Upon the
authority of the other house of parliament, lie asked the
lords to discuss this subject. Four millions of Irish Ca..
'holies, containing in that n iiiii ber the attest respectable
names, requested to be heard. sad not sent away trout
parliament. Under the sanction of oaths, his Majesty's
Homan Catholic subjects had abjured disloyalty. They
had nut done so by one oath, bitt a all( ceission of oaths.
They had takeu oaths, and proved themselves mist-
worthy. When the act of 179.1 passed, it had the fall
approbation of his Majesty's ministeis. They considered
the Catholics trust-worthy. They had been in possession
of the elective franchise 28 years. That act said in plain
terms, " We will try you, and hereafter open to you the
doors of the constitution." Ile did not speak disrespect.
fed of the constitution as A Protestant constitution. It
was the object of Isis eructation, but he wished ail the
members eat it to leave participation in all its ptivilegee.
The doors should be opened to the Catholics to enjoy
moat rights, and at the time the aIIIIIiNSIOII was allowed,
the Cutlielic should not be instilled we tfie subject of his
religion. The noble earl read a document proving the
alteration the Pope bad made in the oath to be taken by
the Roman Catholic bishops. Weeds wet e lent out for
the purpose of inserting °filers, %Melt state that nothing
iu the said oath is to slake the fidelity such bishop owed
to the king and germ' iiiii mit under wbielt he is placed.—
There never was a MN in pas lianient discussed with more
moderation and temperance 'han this bill liael been in the
Commons. The bill, hi fact, gave ne.hing—it only restored
those constitutional rights of which the Catholics had been
deprived, but which no man could soy ought to be now
withheld. 'lde Protestant establislimeut was undoubtedly
entitled to support; but the bill, if it passed, would slut
present the king holding those safeguards which the
constitution required. A Protestant king would never
peter R au Catholic comi•ellors. Conecivhig the Ro-
man Catholics were trust-wen-illy, he could not consider
the second part of the bill iii•cessary. lie could not con-
sider the Catholics suspicious. They had heel, in posses-
sion edited eh efts', tranchise 28 years, 4011 the good use
they had made of it was secusity for future good conduct.
He visited 'bereft:he the second, of re-whist e part of the
bill, expunged. They winded no fresh securities. They
were told they had a diseffected bsdy of elm gylllell—lie
knew that the revere of that character be longed to the
Catholic clergy. He had too much respect foi those who
introthiced the secutitics, not to think they lead a good
opietun of the Roman clergy. They mast have supposed
those secutities were not wanted, hut tire' OW II 0111 as a tub
to the whale. It was too much to expose a respectable
body of the clergy to the odium and cl of the mul-
titude.—The noble e ail then observed that it would, per-
haps, hate been more reasunable to reserve his chojections
to the restrictions till the bill came bet ore II committee,
but as he it'd not bear from the noble lot ds ti at they
noun; permit tae bill to go to a e immiitre, he could too
ithhoid his opinion suspecting tile alteration. The first
clause imposed the penalty of an male. lie did not like
the imposition of an oath. At tile eon iiiii ateement of the
Ferucis revolottion a compulsory oath was taken by cler-
gs mem 'They took it to avousi deportation. opinion
of all sensible men since that pet god lied been, that the
meth ought never to have been inforced. oath in the
bill berme the house was to be taken, or the party wood
be liable to prosecution tor a misdemeanor. lie objected
to it because it was wholly 'Et sAll y to cat ry into
effect the anaeltinety of the hill—alit tiler the Homan Ca-
tholic clergyman wet sworn or nut, lie would not resent-
mend city pre to be a bishop or sheen unless he knew
that pet soil to be a loyal person. 'The other test tic ti iiii s
also came ler the Millie call's observation, and lie con-
tended dial theme was Illiglound for any result:6osls. 'tile
Catholic's wet e nut allSpicioub ;seism's, cuusequently they
might not to be is ca,cti will; suspicious. He did nut be-
here any ittelividtticis wets' so be found more ready thati
Homan Catholic; Co Ju Heck duty. At the Sallie time he
was each to Ma), he did not wish the Catholics to t tinny!'
over the Pi Westing's est this occasion. lie thought they
utit4l.l to gise some equivalent, some satistaction to suoth
the pi epidice of P. ut estants. He pledged I self, how-
esi s, to 1101Itit.g of that salt. He considered the secterthes
leftists Cil
call 011 any body of men to give them. The want of the
veto required by the bill could never, in his opinion, pro-
dace the least danger. '1 he noble cart Concluded a speech
of considerable itaglia by Ilaoltig the St coma readies; ul
the 1011.

Lord MA\SI•IELI) said, the bill divided had two oh-
j part admitted Catholics to the privileges of the
•latc—llie When imposed iestilettotb. With respect to
Iltose tialricUoua,hisc.peiiutee led him to believe that
Uis Itutuiul Catholics ut Irclaud w)uld uercr be witiatittl