The Sun.
London, England, 1831-03-11 00:00:00

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IRELAND.

Dlr. O'Connell has addre,sed the following letter " To
the People of Ireland," on the Reform measure now be-
fore the House of Commons

TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND.

aiel;an, March &
FRI./Am ConNTR.VMEN,—I respectfully solicit your attention to
he great measure of Parliamentary Reform brought forward by
he Ministry, and now in progress through the House of
Commons.
It is a measure of stupendous importance, and deserves the
cai e boroughs,decidedrt,lsentaed support of every friend of rational liberty.
It annihilates, at one blow, all the rotten boroughs, all the
and destroys in all towns and cities the odious
cor,,orate monopoly, which hitherto usurped the rights of the
people.
For example—in Dublin the Corporation have now the return
of both Members ; they accord ugly excluded the son of Henry
Grattan—himself one of the firmest anti boldest friends of Ire-
land. This power of the Corporation will be destroyed for ever.
All non-resident voters will be done away with—none but re-
sidents can vote.
Every householder in Dublin, whose house is worth ten pounds
a-year, will have a vote. It is not by the profit rent hat this
vote is to be calculated—it is simply by the value of the house.
Any house for which ten pounds a-year rent is paid, orcoul dbe
paid, gives a vote tip the resident householder.
The present registered freeholders are to be allowed their votes
during their lives—that is, all freeholders who were registered
prior to the Ist of January last.
,The present resident freemen are to be allowed their votes
during their lives, provided they continue to reside in Dublin.
That is, all such as were free oo the Ist of January last.
0 future freeman is to vote for a Member of Parliament as
such freeman—but, of course, he may vote ae a ten-pound
householder.
A similar change takes place in all the other towns and cities
in Ireland. There will not be a single close or proprietary bo-
l'inn'itsktonni—engrL9rd
mugh. The Doke of Devonshire will no longer nominate to
Youghal—Sir E. Denny will no longer nominate to Tralee—Lord
Charleville will no longer nominate to Carlow—Lord Enniskillen
Portaington will
Sligo--and iLeall other boroughs. The resident
no longer nominate ,
of
:=l,e.ittoli
householders, in houses worth ten pounds a
otortaEri
the voters.
year, will be
th 40s freeholdersare •el the counties, . retained
In England,
large class, are to be allowed to vote—persons
—copyholders, a
501. a year rent, having leases of twenty-one hears, and paying
will no longer nominatetop
' titled to vote. thus, in the English counties, the
are to cc en
les. freeholders are to be retained, and two new classes—two
c
large new lasses—are to be introduced. Happy England, which
has a resident' Parliament giving it the full benefit of every tm-
provement
In Scotland, the 'number of voters is to be enormously in-
creased. At present the right to vote is almost purely fictitious
and ludicrously small. In the county of Sutherland, which is
represented by Lerd F. L Gower, there are at present but 24
voters—theY will probably exceed I,oeo. I say this, because
there are to be two new classes of voters created in Scotland—
that is, a class of of freeholders and a class of leaseholders. It
is not only the freeholders, but every man who has a lease for
to scars in Scotland, may be entitled.
This, then, is a great measure as it relates to England and to
Scotland ; and as it also relates to the corporations and close and
rotten cities, towns, and boroughs in Ireland, it deserves so far
the most unequivocal support.
But, as one might have expected durieg the administration of
Lord Anglesea and of Stanley, it refuses to the counties in Ire-
land what it gives to English and Scotch counties—that is, it re-
fuses any extension of franchise whatsoever.
Why should the leaseholders for terms of years vote in Eng.
lid, and Scotch counties, and not be allowed in Irish counties ?
_Let the administration of Lord Anglesea and Stanley answer
that question.
Bet they shall not have it all their own way. I will press on
the. House this cruel injustice. If the House establishes so much
justice in England and Scotland, surely they cannot refuse to ex-
tend to Ireland a similar act of justice.
Rally with me, my Countrymen—rally with me in support of
principle o
the f this measure. Allow me to entreat that every
county, city, town, and parish in Ireland will meet te'petition.
for Parliamentary Reform. Let your Petitions, ihr the sake of.
unanimity, be confined to the measure of Parliamentary Reform
alone. Understand do net mean to advise you to aliatelon
or postpone the question—the vital, the life or death yurstipn,
of the ltepeal of the Union. But I4g decidedly, nnequivoeally,
and most earnestly advise yqu to hold separate and distinct
meetings to petition Mr Reform. Let nothing but Reform be-
the Wine of those meetings. Keep to Reform alone at Reform
Meetings- Let us combine every friend to freedom at every
meeting to support the great measure of destroying the rotten
and close boroughs, together with the Corporation monopoly In
Ireland.
Call loudly, unanimously, and vigorously f-a* the extension of
the franchise in our counties. Remind the House oe the crue,
and base injustice of destroying the forty-shilling freeholders 'in
Ireland. Call for the right of Irish leaseholders to vote in coun-
ties as well as those of England and Scotland..
Let me implore my countrymen, of every sect and persuasion,
to rally roond the British Ministry on this occasion.
l'he Reform
measure may not be as extensive as many true lovers of liberty
may desire. It is not as extensive as I could and do wish. Above
all, it does not include voting by ballot. But it does include a
great, a substantial, a:powerful Reform of the most gross and
prominent abuses. It is a great constitutional experiment. Let
us support it It will, if carried into effbct, either demonstrate
that more is not twee"
11
It will facilitate every ar d i_y, SC) etantent a reasonable wee, or
p ovement, and render spy further Ite-
Ram which May ee de In r
moestrated to lie necessary not only safe
and secure, bet also certain. • •
This? in short, is the first payment of the great national debt of

redress and power, which are due to the people by the Aristo-
cracy. It is the first instalment, which the people may and will
generously accept in full, if it works well, and secures individual
rights and national prosperity and liberty. But if the balance of
the account becomes wanting, it will give strength and elasticity
to enable the people to insist on the remainder.
Permit me, then, to entreat that there may be no cavilling at
any details which may here,fter be remedied. The Tories, the
Etoroughmongers are coming together fast—the immense mass of
persons interested in the present corruptors, abuses, and vile
oppressions are combining and organising—the Ministry want
support to carry this measure—they want the open, undimi-
nished, entire support of the people.
Let us forget or postpone all private or public feuds—let us now,
one and all, rally in support of this death-blow to oligarchical
power.

From north to south, from west to east,--let us meet, agitate,
petition. Petition in language plain, strong, energetic. The
principles of popular liberty are about to be recognized. Let us
and them progress and give our unanimous assistance to those
who would promote them.
Rally to procure this blessing for England and Scotland—
rally, one and all, that it may be extended to Ireland.
I have the honour to be, your devoted servant,
DANIEL O'CONNELL.