The Sun.
London, England, 1837-10-09 00:00:00

PIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

Of all the senseless charges that have been advanced
againt the present Administration, that of being ac-
tuated by a Popish spirit is the most preposterous.
The truth is, that the present is the first British Mi-
nistry that ever pursued an Irish policy thoroughly at
variance with the interests of Popery. This is the
first British Ministry that ever set the Protestant faith
before the eyes of the Catholics of Ireland in an en-
gaging aspect,—that ever vindicated its sacred cha-
racter from the foul reproach of being incompatible
with the liberties of the people. We need only glance
at the enormous preponderance at this hour of the
Catholics over the Protestants of Ireland to be satis-
fied of the gross absurdity of expecting the Reforma-
tion to make any progress in that country under a
Tory sway. The reformed faith has no enemies more
inveterate than the Tories, whether we look to the
principles they maintain, or revert to the effects which
their Administrations have produced. Call not those
Protestants who protest in reality only against the free-
dom and happiness of the people. Call not those Pro-
testants who hold popular enlightenment and national
improvement irreconcilable with the Protestant religion.
Call not those Protestants who maintain that to secure
the Protestant interest the mass of the community must
remain poor, ignorant, miserable, and degraded. Call
not those Protestants under whose blig,hting influence
Protestantism has well-nigh disappeared. In sad
truth, Protestantism has no foes so bitter as the men
who monopolize that glorious appellation. Never'
was assumption so audacious. 'The party that would
fain be thought excellently, nay exclusively Protestant,
is the self-same party whose odious principles and de-
testable conduct have rooted that religion almost to its
last fibre out of Ireland. Fain would they now com-
plete its extirpation. Their principles are unchanged ;
illev avow it. Were they to-morrow to resume office
they would tread precisely in their former footsteps ;
tiiey proclaim it. Not content with the frightful
havoc which they have made already in the fold, they
ale ,-;rasping at power to finish the work of devastation.
The question is, shall the Tories be suffered utterly
to de- Protestantize Ireland ? This is the question
for Protestant England to ask herself. Let every
ti ril:ins Englishinan ask himself whether there
he ilny imaginable way of retrieving the Protestant
can-e in Ireland than by excluding from power the fac-
tion that has so depressed it. and be retracting the dis-
a,ittous step that have occasioned that depression?
What is it that has checked the growth of Protest-
amis.n, which is truth, while the votaries of Popery.
which is error, have inultipi;ed so exceedingly ? Is
error mightier than truth ? Is the pure relilion of the
Apostles and Evangelists less captivating than tire ad-
d ions and inventions of Popes and Councils ? No ;
but we have pursued a polies' in Ireland which has
rn eft the pure religion repulsive, by associating it with
corrupt interests, oppressive laws and institutions, pro-
d. ~,te desins, and atrotions actions. while we have
lied the impure inventions will] false graces and at-
tr-:tions, conneetin, them with the glory of resistance
the pride of suffcrin; for opinion. W.,: have made
!;:r look like truth, and truth loop like error; we have
porstied a course of. Legislation and Government than
which the Vatican itself could not have devi!;ed a more
t iFectual plan for exalting Popery above Protestantism.
Most readily do we allow that the mainteuance and
edvanoement of Protestantism should he one of the
fils objects of our p&ieF iii Irel:titd and we have few
son,er reasons for supporting the present A dini nis: ra-
tie:: then because in our conscience we believe its con-
tinuancc in office essential to the Protestant welfare.
Tlas true Protestant policy is the policy that makes
Pr:testantism popular ; that vindicates it from
the reproach of being at varince with liberty arid
education ; that withdraws it i'rren the odious position
or xi) imped;trimt to tire national interests ; that in-
stead of resting its defence upon bayonets and Coer-
cion Acts, depends Upon the intrinsic excellence of its
principles, and is sufficiently impregnated with its spi-
rit to revolt from the idea of even advancing a righ-
teous; cause by unjust and immoral means. Were it
ever so certain that the principles and ineaures of the
Tories were those best calculated to further the Pro-
testant cause, we should not be justified in supporting
them. Assured as we arc of the truth of our religion,
we are not more sure of it than we are of the vice and
rottenness of Toryism ; and evil is not to be done or
countenauced that good may come of it. Burke has
an observation exactly to the point. " The Protes-
tant religioa," he says, " speak it with reve-
rence), the truth of our common Christianity, is not so
clear as this proposition—that all men, at least the ma-
jority of men in any society, ought to enjoy the common
advantages of it." But Toryism is to the interests of
Protestantism what the wolf is to the sheep-fold. The
tyranny of the Tories has made it odious. With the
name of that religion upon their lips they have commit•
tsd greater atrocities in Ireland than are to be found
in the history of any other country in the world. But
why do we speak of the past ? In the same sacred
name, at this moment, what enormities do we not daily
see perpetrated by this hypocritical faction ! How
creditable to Protestantism are their practices ! In
every rank and capacity, how vast is the honour they
reflect upon their religion and their church ! As land-
lords, oppressing the consciences of their tenants—as
magistrates, fomenting discord instead of distributing
justice—as parsons, inflaming the worst passions of
cur nature, instead of quenching them with holy doc-
trine and the exhibition of divine example. See them
at their drunken revels, triumphing in the remembrance
of scenes revolting to humanity, and holding up to imita-
tion the bloodiest deeds on record, even in their own
disgraceful annals. Sec them openly confederating to
rob the people of their franchises, or by systematic in-
timidation render the free exercise of the suffrage ruin-
ous or impossible. See them opposing, thwarting, and
eounteracting, by every means, and with industry and
zeal such as the world has never before seen exhibited
in a cause so profligate, a Government which has
committed no crime but its benign endeavour to im-
prove the condition of the people, and make the
country better than they found it. See them not only
railing at this Government in terms the most indecent,
venting their rage against it in savage execrations too
foul to pollute the pa es of a decent journal, but ac-
tively and criminally engaged in daily and nightly
exertions to discredit and overthrow it. y Witness their
proceedings in Sligo, where the lower classes of the
panty, misled by their wicked leaders, have lately com-
mitted crimes of so dark a die, and at length precipi-
tated themselves into the grasp of justice. Such is
the Protestantism of this party ; such the evidences of
their reverence for the Church ; such the practices by
which they have hitherto proved their zeal for the
Reformation, and by which, on a larger scale, they
would continue to evince it, were they restored to
power.—Morning Chronicle.
It delights us to pay well-merited homage to the
ability of our brethren of the Ministerial press as often
as circumstances admit of our performing that gene-
rous and grateful duty. Nor does the acknowledged
• frequency of such demands upon our heroism damp in
any wise the pleasure, or abate the pride, with which
we exercise it. No Liberal enemy, for example, could
refrain from noticing the admirable display of genuine
and reckless devotedness to a cause in all respects
worthy of such services which was made on Saturday
morning last by that ancient practitioner (that patri-
arch indeed) of whatever belongs to the jobbery, the
dirty-workery, and fish-faegery, of Whig-Rump Re-
form. This champion ofllowning-street, being much
irate at the threatened winding up of a certain dozen or
two of petitions against retnrus of fabricated members
of Parliament from Ireland, proclaimed energeti-
eai:,v that the main support of such Conservatives
as had stood at the last election was in the ter-
ror whicii had taken possession of tradesmen, anti
forced them under menaces of loss of custom to
vote, in the teeth of their own wishes and afrec-
forts, fur the Tory candidates. The proposition was
clear and broad enongin There was no mistaking
n
it. Neither was there any geeetying an affirmation so

exceedingly pos:.t.:ve, provided out that the reader had
snfficient faith in the veracity of hun who made it.

There the case rested.

The tradosmen in the metro-

pohs and elsewhere were detertad from voting as

!I;ed, by thveats that thcv would lose their ims-
t,n7rs." Now, who is the cfitorner, the real, valu-

tO•le, profitable customer, of any class of tradesmen
.hy, that one grand cuusuincr, called the "public„
public"
W
c;her words, the bulk of the community. It is