The Sun.
London, England, 1825-01-13 00:00:00

CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION.

At the Meeting of the Mociation in Dublin,
on Saturday last, after some Resolutions condemnatory of the
prosecution against Mr. O'Connell had been passed, that Gen-
tleman presented himself to the Meeting.

Mr. O'CosrstELL spoke nearly to the following effect :—lt
is impossible for me to be silent on the present occasion : the
sensations which I at this moment feel are of Alt description ;
they oblige me to declare that I have no faculty to give utter-
ance to them.—(Hear, hear !)—The late prosecution has sug-
gested two reflections to my mind ; the first one of a painful
and bitter nature : it is, that this prosecution evinces an active
and vigilant disposition to look out for opportunities to pro-
ceed against the Association. It is certainly unpleasant that
there is not some generous sympathy evinced towards us.—
But, however I may regret the prosecution for these consi-
derations, yet there is another reflection that induces me to
be very glad of it. lam glad of it because it furnishes
proof of this--that Government has watched us, and we
have it on their own confession, that they could not find any
thing illegal in us.—(Applause.)—This, then, is the triumph of
which the Association may well be proud. We stand here
fearless of the charge of having violated any existing law. Let
it be shown to us that we have done so, and the whole Associa-
tion shall disperse as quietly as an individual. Having said so
much of the Association, allow me to say a word of myself.
Oh, that Government would but be wise; that it would but
avail themselves of this opportunity ; that from their high
places they would remind the Catholics of the occasion, for real
occasion now presents itself, that they would say to the Catho-
lics, " See, a Protestant Jury says to you, we will do you jus-
tice."—(Applause.)—Let, then, Catholic and Protestant meet
and embrace; let this be the commencement of a new era ; let
all that has occurred before the 20th of December be forgotten ;
and let this day be the first date of a rivalry who shall act most
kindly and justly towards each other.—(Hear, hear, hear!)—
As to myself, I deny that sedition can be fairly imputed to
me. This leads me to a protestation of my principles—prin-
ciples which ought to be well known, but which, from re-
cent circumstances, I am desirous to repeat,—(Much ap-
plause.)—ln the first place, I am attached to an hereditary,
monarchy, as a wholesome security for public property, pub-
lic peace, and individual happiness. For the King, who
now fills the throne, I entertain an affectionate attachment—
he was the first Monarch who ever visited Ireland for
the purposes of benefiting it. I saw his eyes glisten with
affection towards its people—l saw him confiding in their un-
armed attendance, without officers or guards, and treating us
with confidence and kindness, as if we had known him, and
he had known us, from his childhood. It is, therefore, that
I say, from my heart, May God bless him !—Nor is it for
this alone, but because I have also perceived, that when un-
encumbered by party connection or servile interests of lac-
don, he has had an opportunity of acting by himself, and on
his own suggestion, he has acted conformably to the dignity
of his station, to the feelings of humanity, and the dictates of
Christianity. As an instance and specimen of this, take a
passage from a late pi oclamation to the Hanoverians. It is to
the following effect :—" The difference of the Christian reli-
gious communities cannot lead to any difference in the enjoy-
ment of civil and political rights, in the countries composing
the Germanic Confederation." I could wish that the Germanic
Confederation would extend to this country.—(A laugh.)—
" We are induced to issue the following declaration and or-
dinance :—The several professors of the Christian faith enjoy
a perfect equality of civil and political rights in this kingdom;
and, in conformity with the said article, the notion of a predomi-
nant and a merely tolerated church is entirely abolished."—
Oh ! I could wish we were Hanoverians. Here is an act
worthy of a Monarch—a man—and am Ito be branded with
sedition who rays this tribute of grateful admiration to the
noble mind ot my beloved Sovereign—who, when left to
die play of his own generous feelings, put forth a proclama-
tion with such a sentiment as this? For this noble declara-
tion, again I say (said Mr. O'Connell emphatically), my be-
loved
Sovereign, may God bless you !—(Loud eheers.)—You,
Sir, would consider toleration in religion to be an insult—
you
would regard the man who would say that he would tole-
rate you in your behalf, as a tyrant and a persecutor, and you
concur with me in feeling that no man has a right to interpose
his authority between man's conscience and his God.—(Ap-.1
plause.)—l am not desirous of saying much of the wisdom of
hereditary Peerage, but I am not insensible of the advantages
when ancient family unites with virtue. It constitutes the
grace of human life, and renders high life doubly useful, by the
splendour of its exam*, and by the effect of its wide-spread-
mg influence. It is that grace and link of society which makes
liberty valuable, and which gives security to the connection be-
tween the King and the people. The next part of the Constitu-
tion to which my attachment is strong and ardent, is the represen-
tation of the people ; on that subject my opinion is, that every
man who is affected by the law has a right to a vote in theappoint-
ment of those who are to take a part in the enactment of the
law.—This was established on a recurrence to the first prin-
ciples of the Constitution. Not to act upon it was only to con-
tinue a system which deluded by words, but which was not
conformable to the real and substantial principles of the Con-
stitution. This opinion has not, however, influenced my
duct in the Association further than I have thought political
regeneration, could not be effected while sectarian dissensions
distracted the land. It is not my wish to pull down the domi-
nant party from any station of emolument they may occupy ;
but lam anxious that the country should not be torn by dis-
sensions; but there should be no longer a faction on one side,
and the people on the other; but that the faction should mix
with the people, and swell the current of national prosperity,
contributing utility to this country, and augm.enting. the strength
of the United Empire. With these principles it is not na-
tural to suppose I should join in any idle speculation, or che-
rish any seditious. sentiments. lam not now young enough
(were I even inclined) to lend myself to any idle project.—
Besides, 1 have attained the object of my legitimate ambition.
As my friend Mr. Shell has said, I have given seven hostages to
my country. My children have grown into manhood about
me; my profession yields me more wealth than I could have
expected from it; I have property, which I may say, Avitlsout
my profession, would have left me independent. So situated,
I should be the most absurd and drivelling dotard in the world,
to entertain any other sentiments or principles than those which
I am convinced are best calculated to lead to the establishment
of tranquillity and peace—to promote a re-union of sentiment,
to see commerce and manufactures advance, and flourish, so
as to see this beautiful country, from being a part of the weak-
ness, become- a portion of the strength and greatness of this
empire.—( Much applause.)—lt is our duty, as it is our in-
terest, to seek relief only through legitimate and constitu-
tional means. It would be madness—the very excess of in-
sanity—to presume to beard the English nation, to contrast
ourselves with England in all its pomp of strength, to put
in competition, for a moment, our bare-headed peasantry
with her organized armies, and, if necessary, with the united
armies of Europe. But although this were not, as it is, our in-
terest and advantage, yet we should, as our ancestors before
us, from a sense of duty, submit to a code which, although we
disliked it, yet we would endure, rather than shed one drop of
,blood to embitter and disturb the happiness which is invariably
to be found in the peace and tranquillity of a nation. Such
is the spirit in which the Association was formed, and such is
the spirit in which it was acted. We have done nothing that
the law considers wrong, and we defy anat.iiaasan acing to find
any part of our conduct which hai net been directed, and di-
rected successfully, to promote the peace of the country, to lay
before the Legislature uur ints respectfully, but firmly,
and to continue and persevere, until we shall have obtained
these legitimate objects of legal and just demand.—(Applause.)
—lt was but lately that I saw two resolutions adopted at a
public meeting, at which Mr. Cropper took an active part.—
The first declared that the peasantry wanted food, fire, and
clothing ; and the second declared that the habitations of the
Irish peasantry were unfit for human beings to live in. Now,
one would naturally think that this came from some dema-
gogue, who wished to inflame the passions of the people, to
stimulate them to disturbance, and to induce them to turn out,
by awakening them to a sense of their wretchedness. But I find
it is signed by Drury Jones, Lord Mayor. What, then,would
the Legislature say, that a country capable of yielding food and
firing, and clothing, and every other article necessary for hu-
man sustenance, should be in so wretched a state as to fail in the
supply of them, and should be without habitations for human
creatures to live in ?—(Hear, hear !)—We shall go before Par-
liament; we shall lay before them the causes of this misery,
and we shall endeavour to have it investigated and redress-
ed. We shall say to the Legislator; " You have failed in
converting
.us—will you then exterminate us ; and if you do
not exterminate us, will you exterminate our speech ? Are you
determined that we shall feel the lash, and not dare to cry ?'
(Cheers.)—Are the chains to manacle our limbs, and are we to
be prohibited from making the declaration that they are not
silken ?—(Loud cheers.)—Has the iron so entered our souls,
that with a prostitution of language we are to utter the accents
of content ? or rather will you not render this act of justice
that we ask at your hands, and in return we tender you the
splendid offering of a "holy alliance" in our affectionate loy-
alty, our gratitude, and fraternal attachment ; a bond of union
which no casuality can shake—which the power of no nation,
nor even the combined power of civilized Europe, can ever
weaken or disturb.
[Mr. O'Connell sat down amid the loud cheering of the
Meeting, which continued for several minutes.]