The Sun.
London, England, 1852-07-19 00:00:00

controversy, but a political strife. And what is it, after all,
that is contended for, by these political firebrands who are
to appal the stout heart of the House of Commons? Is it
liberty of conscience? That is already conceded. Is it
civil rights? They are not withheld. Is it freedom from
taxes to support the Established Church? They are
aheady free. Is it exemption from church-rates? That
can easily be effected. It will only be necessary for them
to pay a higher rent for their land, or a longer price for their
leases, and a short Act of Parliament could make the
amount recoverable from the first proprietor, on whom, un-
doubtedly, in theory, the rate is intended to fall. For con-
venience of collection, property is let subject to church-
rates, but it is the owner, and not the occupier, who
really pays. So far, then, the claim for exemption is
' absurd, when set up by occupiers only ; and when
preferred by owners, is not less unreasonable, since
the liability to chhich-rates entered, of course, into
the calculations by which the purchase of the proper, y was
determined. In this way, the argument is carried back till
we arrive at the first imposition of a rate, and the equity of
the, statute empowering it. And here it is a simple matter
of quid pro quo. For convenience of jurisdiction, England is
mapped out into parishes. It is necessary to provide for
every person the means of procuring Christian baptism, in-
struction, marriage, and sepulture.. For this purpose the
State uses the Church which it finds existing and pervading
the country, but which is intrinsically quite a separate cor-
poration—adopted by the State, but by it neither created
nor endowed. It imposes upon the clergy the duty, under
penalty, of ministering'these necessary offices to the inhabi-
tants of the parish—and it imposes upon the parishioners
the simple duty of keeping in decent repair and preservation
the church where they are baptized, married, and taught;
and the churchyard where their families lie buried. If
this be a hardship, if this offend any man's conscience,
if this will justify a class of men who dissent from the
Church, because it is not good enough for them, in breaking
through every rule of Christian charity, simple honesty, and
good faith, then the sooner we throw history, logic, common
sense, and plain Aealing to the winds, the better. What is
it then that these rabid broth-eaters really desire? It is the
simple subversion of the Church of England. A modest
object truly. And why? Because they are jealous— jealous
of the endowments which piety more self-denying than their
own has bequeathed to her—jealous of the influence she pos-
sesses through the country— jealous of her learning and
moral standing—jealous of her.universities and public schools
—jealous of her large though bardly-earned share of the
education grant—and jealous of her conserving influence upon
those institutions which their own unscrupulous liberalism
seeks to overthrow. This is political dissent, at which Bax-
ter would have blushed, and Wesley hid his head, but which
their degenerate descendants laud to the skies as the charac-
teristics of a golden age.'
ADVERTISER.—We yesterday made a passing allusion,
the claims-on our spacenot admitting of our doing more. to
the ferocious address delivered from toe altar, by the Popish
priest of Tralee, 'against those who meant to vote for the
Protestant candidate. We venture to say that anything in
the shape of ecclesiastical cursing, which could be at all
compared with this concentration of demoniacal malignity,
has not been witnessed since the time of the notable priestly
curse recorded by Sterne, in which the powers of language
seemed to be exhausted, in invoking vengeance on the de-
voted head of the man who was the object of that unparal-
leled piece of priestly malevolence. Let us recall attention
to this extraordinary effusion •of Popish hatred and rage. It
is well that the Pro! esteer s of Great Britain should keep their
eye fixed on these developments of the spirit which animates
the Church of Rome towards all who differ from her, as
they are, incidentally made -from time to time. It is of
importance not to forget that the fiendish display of the
Tralee priest, is 'but a fair specimen of the spirit by which
the adherents of Popery are everywhere actuated, though
the priest's generally are too good tacticians to express them-
selves in the same out-spoken and energetic manner as the
priest of Tralee, and those other priests to whom we are
about to allude, have done. Let ns cull a few flowers of
rhetoric from this priestly exhibition of meekness, love, and
Christian charity. f hey deserve to have all the prominence
which our columns can confer upon them. Take as the first
specimen of the spirit by which the Tralee priest is animated,
the opening sentences of his address, delivered, be it remem-
bered, from that altar which is professedly consecrated to the
most sacred rites of the Roman Catholic religion : —"lf there
be," says this Rev. John Maine, "if there be one amongst
you who still clings to; and gloats over, his sin, let him not
show his face. I will be on the hustings, and watch the per-
jured wretch who dares comes forward, and, for a paltry
bribe, register his vote for Kinderlev. I'll mark him."
Again—" If there be a Catholic elector-of this borough who
will dare to go forward and register his vote for the English
enemy, pass him by with scorn and contempt. Do not be
seen to walk with him, .to talk to him, or associate with
him. Let him fester in his corruption ; be not you contami-
nated by. any contact with a wretch. so base and degraded.
Despise him. If you meet him on the high road,
.pass over
to the other side. Have no dealing with him." This must
be formidable enough to any Roman Catholic. To be treated
as if the 'nark of Cain'wereW on his forehead, or as the lepers
hweersenopfp
oold,se d : vhhoemonf oitsOsnifesasultiolidenat toppr deteroachw osunlyd, itR mightoman
Catholic from voting in any other way than this priestly
dictator thought fit to prescribe. But what follows would, to
most Roman Catholics, be more terrible still. There is nothing
in this world which would more alarm and appal a Roman
Catholic, than to be denied the presence of his priest, and the
last rites of his religion, on his deathbed. Yet that most
dreadful doom is held in terrorem over the heads of those who
might dare to vote in any other way than the priest of Tralee
thought proper to prescribe. " For my part," he says, " I'll
confess to you what my, feelings are with respect to those
wretched and corrupt Catholics. Lei me suppose one of
those wretches prostrated by sickness. Suppose the hand of
death heavy upon him, and that a messenger comes to me to
attend him in his dying 'moments. If there were no other
priest in the way, I would be bound to go. I dare not re-
fuse to attend him. But I confess to you that I would be
sorry from my heart to be called upon to attend the death-
bed of such a being.—(Great sensation.) I would go to at-
tend, sach aewretch with. a heavy heart—without much hope,
because I would feel that I was going to administer sacra-
ments to one whose conecience was so seared, and whose heart
was so rotted at the core, that I could not have much expectation
of effecting 'a
conversion. Overpowered with the impression
that I was about to visit a perjured wretch who, for a miser-
able bribe; had betrayed 'the dearest interests of his country
and his religion, and borne down with the harrowing re-
flection that God, in hisiuct 'angers might leave such a
wretch to die in his sins—(Sensation)-1 would fear that my
mission would be fruitless—that I could have no hope of
converting a heart so hardened, so lost to every sense of
duty and religion, as to vote in support of those who would
trample on the Lord of .Hosts.—(Sensation.)" We offer no
comments on language like this. It needs none. Aey re-
marks of ours would only weaken the effect which it cannot
landlord
this? dictation
This
lde l od
with
'w
hatlandlord dictation could com-
ppriest is, in reality, the
man who returns the Member for Tralee. The Pro-
testant candidate felt compelled to retire from the con-
test, when lie found hitiaself confronted by odds so tremen-
dous against him. The Rev. Mr. illaine is much more of a
boroughmonger than ever the' late'Duke of Newcastle was,
or than anynob:eman or gentleman in England now is. It
is a mockery to say that the Roman. Catholic constituency of
Tralee possesses the elective franchise. They possess it only
in name. In reality, and in effect, the Rev. Mr. Maine is the
sole depository of the electoral- qualification, so far as regards
the Roman Catholic portion of the constituency in that bo-
rough.
Mr, Maurice O'Connell, the candidate who was re-
turned, is the representative of this Popish priest, and of him
alone—not of the constituency. But the borough of Tralee is
not the only borough in Ireland which can rejoice in a priest
of the chafacter we have Sotaght*th describ,e merely by
quoting his ' own words. There are otherßeverend Mr.
Maines in the sister island. The crop, indeed, is rather
abundant. There is one whose' name is not given us by our
correspondent, who rejoices in' being located in the King's
County, who is in every respect worthy of his brother in
Tralee. " I received,"- says oar communication, " a letter,
yesterday,-stating that- such a - system of intimidation had
been organized by the priests in the King's County, that he
feared lives would be lost in getting the men to the poll;
and that, on last Sunday, at Tullaghmore, the officiating
priest, in the course of a most furious tirade, delivered against
the Conservative candidate, declared that every man who
voted,for him would go to hell and the devil. This was said
in the presence of an offiaer of 'the regiment' quartered there,
who 'had accompanied •his men to divine service at the
chapel." Another and another still. Listen to the lan-
guage of two priests. of Holy Mother Church, spoken
from the altar on Sunday last:—" You will have
w
some idea," says the writer, "of the part the priests
are taking, when I quote for you the language used from two
differentwon would
se
sl. altarsnpt onhe
mouths Sunday
of.
every
One priestee e ef told
dhi s
hfloo flock
attempted
to vote against their Church;
.and another, who preached at
ogfr eha
ist lengthu
ruspe on
ie
3tphree
scar ue
dc iufipxeino n,
his several
et i
tmb east iann they
of course
them
whowould vote for Fitzpatrick, who had assisted in passing
such an Act against-their Church as the Ecclesiastical Titles
Act, would make himself a *participator in shedding the
blood of our Saviour." This, we presume, oar readers will
allow to be bad enough; yet, bad as it-is, worse remains be-
hind. The following is a piece of priestly eloquence;— '
"HELL BROKE LOOSE I •
England. Blood-
shed,"The demon of persecution is up in
ed the Reign of
chapels commenced
encbeen demolished ;
sacrilege, and fire have com
Terror. Roman Catholic
those, who worshipped. there hav
of Redemption—the
more horrible than all, the Sacrament
been violated and
chapels
leave
butchered ; but
Hell has opened and belched forth
trampled iri t .he mud I- .
deseoiate arid murder. This is the work
armies of devils to
body and blood a the Saviour—ham
Orange landlord,
' f Christianity, and who; 'lf
altare o
one of them in these United Kingdone
o f th a Der b y . Government,
no wwthi who drew
frotehrwecabals
s wgooerrtd
powereudagainst
two thehdon
. so. will not' leave.
Who would
Up, Irishmen, for the. Old. Faith ! Link your strengthf around
the sanctuary. This is
while, the Holy God of Heaven. spreads forth his arms to
would place his hopes in the smiles of an
shelter
support
jo o
eflayi faithful f uol t
w a , tdefendershe supporter
his
iwearY7thaatnwdanhtiss
- Who would vote for Jocelyn-0-
of the htoeng-ockteow Parliament to help in the destr '
Sop never let him
Ca-
tholic Church ? The traitor who wryill do goy
memory of Judas. Keep from him, for thel
enter a chapel door. Let his memo
_, to you like the
evils of hell are
his companions, and no saint in heaven u
duty to God.and man, and trust in Him al'loinle
his dying hour. Vote for Scully andwrhao fcoornhdiemfenidn
Sadleir. Do your
you—who can wither in a
moment the hand that would
attempt to . strike you n
Brigade !" . Persecution. Harrah for the
i
This is a specimen of the priestly
in the far-famed countyflourishes in
which take place in the
of. Tipperary. spirit, as it
? Again, we ,Elyi; int
and doings th Veriest mockeriespresence of these horrible sayings
priests priests, and they alone, Are not elections
parts of Ireland, where le who return the Members
the o . .
Catholic voters. Wh ere is. a preponderance Act of the
Legislature, place y not, then, by a positive. those
representation of the Popish boroughs
and counties directly ? Will any
in the hands of the priests
. of Roman
man who reads the
same time remembeextractsrsinstancepriestlywhich that in every
has been completely
successful in l.we have referred,tant
and insuring the
exc uding the Protestant given, and who at the
electionof the 11 any man
Popish candidate—will
ought
not this, stilltell
ballot - not necessary, and
usthat the is . who reflects
No one
than folly to waste a word in the way of argument. .
not to be granted? With' such' a man it would be worse
can peruse the which we have given the
above samples, without feeling tha
who incur their displeasure,
Yoke so dreadful a doom on thoser oftthemen who could in-
priestly effusions
Would if they had the power,
by
the score to the scaffold.
If these Popish
field, and consign Protestants kindle the flames of
without the the slightest hesitation,
fcetgoodwill, doom those who voted
and with so much
wishesmanifest
to
an anonymous place, we surely
contrary to their
• when we assume, that if Popery were
do them no injustice
England, the man who dared to act ac-
cording
priests.
in the ascendant in t or to call his soul his o jeagmen , yen
to his own
committed to the flames, or have b.'
would be forthwith
Isis body on the scaffold. This is the Is
d- from
head severe
• h all those who in any way abet p
of things which
seeking to bring about' in opery in
this country? are England, Do not
e have adverted as ha •
the facts to which w having occurred in
Ireland more than justify all we have ever said
as to the
Church of. R
aims and objects of the ? . oine.with regard to civil
as well. as religious matter s . Popery. ;
Ls not content with
• •tual power ; it invariably mina at political ou
spatl4ol4lacy as
. . .