The Sun.
London, England, 1813-07-21 00:00:00

CATHOLIC APPLICATION-TO THE CORTES

An excellent and well-conducted Pratincial
Newqthper, the LIVERPOOL Cowmen., in calling
C:e attention of the Public to this 'mischievous
aiteinpt at sowing
.dissensions between the 'Go-
vernment of Great Britain and.Spainrin its publi-
cation of Wednesday last, after stating th‘e resolu-
tion come to by the Aggregate Meeting, haS of-
fered the following sensible and constitutional
rerparks

This Resolution speaks volumes to the ear of
every Protestant, and as the intemperate abuse of
Mr. Grattan's hill by the CathdlicS of Ireland was
011-e means of putting the friends'of that Bill into
minority, by &MOON; many persons from their
cause who had before been favourable 'to it, so
we'doubt not but this resolution will, ill.. a similar
manner, lessen the number of their remaining
friends, and paralyse the efforts of their advocates.
It seems, indeed to .be the fate of.the Catholics to
open the eyes of those drowsy politicians to the
evil of concessions, .who have. refused to attend to
the cry of danger when sounded.by the friends of
Protestantism. We shall not surely now hear of
the meek, suffering, and moderate Catholic:—
Popery, encouraged by the countenance given to..
it by- the state and feelings of political parties,
begins already to shift off its modern guise and to
assume its ancient dress—the insolence, the Via-
knee, and the headlong activitvf foimer ages.
"-Before we notice the. reprehensiblepart crf
this resolution, May advert to what• is ridicu-
lous in it, and scarcely any but a body of Catho-
lics to whom absurdity is an article of faith, could
have so solemnly placed themselves in so ridieu-
lotis a situation. In full possession of religious
liberty, and enjoying every civil advantage in 'com-
mon with the Protestant, except 'the right to fill
the chief offices of state, they apply to the Cortes
of Spain for their good offices to induce the Go-
vernnient of this country to concede such offices
without any condition whatever._ But'who are the
Cortes of Spain ? Dottbtless a body of men fa-
vourable to religious liberty, or they would not
be made the patrons of the cause of what is desig-
nated religious liberty ; men; too, who have had
to yew model the'Government of Spain, anti may,
therefore, be, supposed to,have rejected the prin-
ciple of excluding persous,.on a religious account,
from civil offices as a relic of ancient bigotry, and
unworthy of.the nineteenth century ; and least of
all might, we expect .to find them a body of states...
men who advocate and recognize in their capacity
of legislators, the doctrines of persecution for 're-
ligion. Yet, unfortunately fur the consistency of
the Catholics, -not only not one of these can 'be
affirmed of the Spanisti Cortes but the contrary
of all.—The men whom the Catholics. of Ireland
have elected the patrons of their:cause are the
avowed enemieS of religious liberty 'in new mo-
delling the Government they hare displayed their
Catholicism at full length by making it •R funda-
mental principle of the new constitution, that no
religion shall be allowed in Spain but Popery ;
and, by making this a legislative act, theyitave
bound themselves to put down every Other by pains
and penalties, and have tans become virtual per-
secutors. Are these men, then, who will not per-
.rait a»g other than the established religion to be
eitvi4salteisiines(l-11413:il:o,)(.e:stpsei letetols:b,oBenfpeoafitirliol"):l:isi:l:l7ilio) algtsi:'e;ter4rr:e:rei:t et;)fe::titeirt'ne::ll., :;..t'abrnil
.
to xtend protection to profession of that re-
ligion, for that is done already, but to open the
~Senate,and even the Throne to the Catholics If
the grossness of such a conveption did not startle
the Aggregate,i‘leeting, we-will,however, veriture
•to predict, that it would be laughed out of the
Cortes, and that that body, all Catholic HS 'they
arc, have not so completely separated their • zeal
from their modesty as to place their Ambassador
at the British Court in so awkward a predicament
as to move the subject. We should; indeed, be
gratified to hear the reply of the Representative
of the. Cortes to a British MiniSter who illOl.ll
thus address bins. Your GovernMent asks the
adosissiOn of the Catholics of Ireland into offices.
Of state ; but before' you require so- large a con.
cession from its, you ought, At least, to keep pace
with sts in religious tolerance. Put yourselves
upon equal termi. with us -grant the freedom of
the press to religious.diseussions, allow the Jews.
and secret -.Protestants' amongst yo», to erect.
places' of worship, abolish yisur persecutiisglaws,
:and satietion the instraction Hof your people—do
all this, and then we can converse upon the sub—
ject delegated to you by the Catholic Board of
Ireland.' What would the Catholic Board instruct
his Excellency to reply to this ?. The true Catho-
lic, and indeed the Only consistent answer would
be —that the:Catholic,Religion has a right to per-
secute ; but the protestant Religion has no right
• to defend itself, and consequently, that Catholics
have a right to 'fill offices of state in a Protestant
Country ; .but Protestants have no right even to
toleration in a Catholic one !

" Leaving it, however, to the catholic board and
the Cortes, to settle the propriety of the intole-
rant and perSeeliting:legislators of Spain, being
made the . orgaii*,of a request that . the Catholics
'of Ireland may ~he put ita possession. of political,
pewee' in' England,:lhe Resolution of -the 4ggre7
gate Meeting is to be considered in /Amore serious
view'. it is not enough that the Catholics should
have their representative body, their Congress or
COuveution,- and thus erect a kind of dis ttinc go-
vernment within this realm ; but it must also send
out its foreign,.anwhassaders, - form foreign a-
lianees, and fulfil all the acts of. an . independent
government. -Let those who have treate.ti the
Change Clubs with #0 1.11116 severit V think on this,
and if: their warnith against those associations
froly'Sprung from .public.and cnnstitution:Al mo
tives, if they Viekved. them rather as dangerons to
the state, than obstructions. to their own fawn-
lite let this ionperium iMperio be as-
sailed with equal boldness and energy. The case
is at 'cast equally strong ; though perhaps' some
of due seo.,atorkt so watchful over the Constitu-
tion hen the Orange Clubs were in- qiiet.Con,
can sec nothing uneo.istitutional here. Is it then
nothing that the Catholics of Ireinnd,have dele-
gated their interests to body of Men systemati-
cally 6rgauized, not to convey. their wishes- to
Parliament by petition, but to 611 the functions of
giivernment; to' act in the name and by the au-
thority of the 'Catholics of Ireland ; to be the de-