The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-20 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 20 1839.

TIPPERARY ELECTION.

TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF THE RIGHT
HON. R. L. SHIEL.
Monday having been fixed for electing a representa-
tive in the room of the Right Honourable R. L. Shied,
who had accepted office, the court-house of Clonmel
was, at twelve o'clock, crowded to excess by .the friends
of the Right Honourable Gentleman.
At a quarter to one o'clock, the High Sheriff, Count
d'Alton, made proclamation in the usual form, when
The Hon. Cornelius O'Callaghan noteiaated, and
Archdeacon Laffan seconded, the Right Honourable
Richard Lalor Shiel as a fit and proper person to re-
present the county in Parliament.,
There being no other candidate, the Sheriff declared
the Right Hon. Richard Lalor Shiel duly elected, amidst
enthusiastic acclamations.
Mr. SHIEL said-1 have been proposed by Mr.
O'Callaghan, the Member for Dungarvon, and the re-
presentetit e of the great possessions of that excellent
Noblemen who has, to the credit of the Government,
e'en enrolled in the imperial peerage, and who in the
House of Lords will never fail to evince that devoted soli-
etude for the interests of this country by which he has
been uniformly distinguished. It Mr. O'Callaghan were
t person of less station, yet his individual merits as a
oolitician would render me proud of his good opinion ;
but the support which I derive from him and front his
;mole father derives additional weight from the high poei-
don which they occupy in society. They refute the
unfounded allegation, that I am returned to Parliament
ey the illegitimate excitement of the popular masses,
Ind that the entire property of the county is opposed
-0 me. I might readily disprove this exceedingly
it is
erro-
aeous statement by going into details ; but
elottedi for mle to advert to the fact, that am stren.
Jowly and zealously sustained by the proprietor of an
;estate in which there are registered more than one-
third of the numbers to which the Tory constituency,
ey the utmost efforts, have been raised. The Tories,
n the chief contest in this county, could not poll five
leandred votes. In this county the population exceeds
live hundred thousand. What a fact is this ? Oat of
t population of five hundred thousand, the Tories
could not poll five hundred men. (Cries of ‘' Hear,
hear.") I do not advert to this circumstence.for the
purpose of idle vaunt, but because it affords evidence
,ef the condition to which that party, once so powerful,
's reduced. This county is, perhaps, the most important,
in several regards, in Ireland. It is of great extent, sur-
passsing fertility, augmenting affluence, and its population
is not less remarkable for the megnitude of its numbers,
then for the attributes by which the energetic and high-
spirited peasantry are distinguished. The representa-
tion of this county is, in a political - view, of incalcula-
ele consequence ; yet the Tories, when they put their
strength to the test, could not poll half one thousand
votes ; and now; after a great deal of idle bustling, have
shrunk from an encounter. Their abstinence from a
useless contest does them some credit, and shows that
they are less disposed than they formerly were to disturb
the peace of the county. Hating been proposed by the
Hon. Mr. O'Callaghan, I have been seconded, at my
special request, by my valuable and Reverend Friend,
Archdeacon Laffan, who, from the first moment at
ehich I became your Representative, has been my
zealous and powerful supporter. I appeared in the out-
set of my political career in this county, sustained by that
moister at the altar of the people, who holds a high
oa which- he reflects more honour than it im-
parts, and now, raised myself to a position of some
oolitical consequence, I revert with grateful pride to
tiro, to whom, under far different circumstances. I wile
so deeply indebted, and found my claims to your confl.
fence in the evidence of strong reliance in my fidelity to
your interests, which has been evinced by my admirable
friend.—( Hear.) I account myself the representative
of the people of Tipperary—of that powerful body
which has proved itself irresistible in the struggles with
.vhich Toryism rashly entered with its might—and,
being the, representative of the people, I stand forward
with that man as my auxiliary, who, from his personal
character and his professional station, exercises so just
Hid natural an influence on the great community with
Aid) lam associated. You have beard Archdeacon
Laffan with that just assent to all that he has said
which his character is sure to command—but, if there
was one topic beyond every other, which deserved your
approbation, it was that on which he dwelt so power-
ally expressing the necessity of making allowance
for the difficulties with which the Melbourne Govern-
alma have had to struggle.—(Hear.) There are many
measures for the benefit of Ireland which the Ministers
ire most anxious to carry, but which the state of par-
, ies has unhappily retarded. Archdeacon Laffan tells
you that you ought not to condemn the Government for
not achieving what it is out of their power to accora-
elish. There is one other subject to which Archdeacon
Laffan adverted, and to which I think it right that
eour attention should be called.—(Hear, hear.) He
lees spoken in terms of natural and well deserved con-
demnation of the course pursued by the Tory faction in
the House of Lords—and, while he has expressed a
hope that no one of the ancient constitutional institu-
tions of this country should be swept away, lie has inti-
mated his apprehensions that the rashness of faction may
so far prevail in the House of Lords that, under the
influence of a just resentment, the people of England
[nay at least conceive ;that House to be worse than
surplusage in the Constitution. For my part, strongly
as I reprobate the factious proceedings adopted by the
predominating factions in the House of Lords, I am
convinced that that assembly will, ultimately, give way
to the imperative demands of the Irish people ; and that
whatever resistance they may hitherto have offered, thy
will yield, as they before have yielded, whenever the
will of the country, co-operating with a constitutional
exercise of the prerogative, shall have expressed itself
in a peremptory and decisive manner.—(Loud cheer-
tity)liflie'eett:htbreacteciouuesneitereyl7-1 e
e(tH. In htheearl.
cheer-
ing.) Remember what befel on the passing of
the Reform Bill, and with what facility the House of
Lords was coerced into an acquiescence with the demands
Post-officetb
emeas
popularure wasfe2i
edge
inioe denounced nheeeedn byeee
q theev
unequivocally
recent, far less important, indeed, but still exceedingly
last t Session ne ern et
Parliament,more
ory
party, with the Duke of Wellington at its head ; and
manifested, yet, after a great deal of idle protestation,
the House of Lords succumbed to the necessity which
had been imposed upon them. But what need have we
to refer to events in which the conduct of the Lords is
to he referred to the operation of public opinion in Eng-
land, when we may appeal to the extortion of our own
great emancipation, from the sense of dire necessity
. which we awakened in that party who have always pre-
dominated in the Upper House of Parliament. As we
then succeeded, so shall we hereafter prevail ; and bear
in mind that we bring additional means of success in the
vast and augmenting power with which the people of
Ireland have been invested. Thhrefore it is that I think
the circumstances adverted to by Archdeacon Laffeo
are not likely to arise, and that we may look to a feeling
of self-preservation on the part of their Lordships es the
means -of obtaining what their sense of justice ought to
have induced them long since to have conceded to the '
Irish people. But to those who conceive that sterner mea-
sures of enforcement must at last be resorted to with re-
ference to the House of Lords, I beg to suggest that
even now they exercise no strong practical control over
the Government, and that, although they may thwart
the MiniAers in the passing of' useful measures, eel
the Ministers are not affected in their retention of office
by any proceeding of the House of Lords. Although
it is to be lamented that the House of Lords have
taken the steps which they have adopted, yet one wood
fruit has resulted from those rash proceedings.--(hear,
hear.) They have proved their own weakness and in.
significance with regard to the constitution.of the exe-
cutive. They passed resolutions respecting the state
of Ireland, and appointed their celebrated Committee.
—( Hear, hear.) Had such a proceeding been taken
in the Commons the Government could not have lasted
one hcur ; but how have the proceedings in the Lords
effected the stability of the Administration ?—(Cheers.)
On the education question they made a similar mani-
festation of their evil feeling toerards the Government ;
but, in despite of their Lordships' pleasure, the Mi-
tdsters have persevered, end have not been in the least
disturbed in their .possession of power. It thus ap-
pears that a majority of only two in the House of
Commons, is of infinitely more practical consequence
than a majority of one letutdred in the House of
Lords. I have thought it right thus far to refer to tin'
observations of Archdeacon Laffan, in order to prove to
him, that it is not probable that any necessity will arise of
r. sorting to
such stern proceedings as those of which he
reluctantly anticipates the need. I pass with great sa-
tisfaction from this topic to another, in which Arch-
deacon Leftist) has, with a glowing eloquence so power-
fully expatiated—l allude to the forceable terms in
which lie declared that the present Government was
in the enjoyment of the full, unqualified confidence of
the people of Ireland. His testimony is of great value
upon this momentous fact.--(Hear, hear.) Yes, the
Government are in the, full enjoyment of the confidence
and the gratitude of the Irish people ;—and wherefore
should they not? Did they not give us Normanby as
a Lord Lieutenant?—(Great and long continued
cheering.) I rejoice to witness the enthusiasm, and,
I mav say, the affection with which the utterance of a
name that will be dear to us as long as we have hearts
in our bosoms, has been received by you ; nor is this
feeling confined to the locality in which I am at this
moment speaking. In no part of Ireland could ten men,
deserving of the name of Irishmen, be collected together,
who, at the utterance of the name of Normanby, would
not feel as you do. He it was who first introduced that wise
and salutary policy which has won the heart of Ireland.
His magnanimous and elevated charactermade him symp.F•
thiee most deeply in our wrongs,and while the generosity of
his disposition prompted him to take part with the Irish
people, his sagacity taught Urn that he should best con-
sult the interests of England by asserting Irish rights.
--e(Fleur, hear.) He determined on carrying Emanci-
pation into ful practical effect, and between all el:l:sees
of Irishmen be abolished all religious tfstinctionse.VO
man on account of .his peculiar sect found favour in his
eyes—but no man, on the other hand, was disqualify d
in his judgment by the religion which he professed.—
(Hear, hear.) It is a calumny, never was there a fouler