The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-18 00:00:00

TO TIIE EDITOR OF THE SOUTHERN REPORTER.

Sir—Not having the fear of the Conscience Court
before me, in refusing, I think since August last, to
pay Minister's money to the Rev. Mr. Neligan, of St.
Mary Shandon Parish, subjected me to the power pos-
sessed by the gentlemen of that misnamed Court,
which they exercised in my regard, by issuing a war-
rant to incarcerate my person for thirteen days, if I
did not submit to pay.. This I still declined doing,
but Mrs. Murphy, in order to get rid of the annoyance
of his man Love, and a bailiff, coming about my do-
tnicile, sent on the 21st December, and paid the sum
in question, notwithstanding which, I was arrested the
next day by a common bailiff for this same money.

Feeling naturally indignant at such treatment,
waited on the Reverend Gentleman and represented
to him the conduct of his man Love, who, after
forcing► from me my money, would not take the
trouble to get the warrant cancelled. He expressed
much regret at the occurrence, which he termed un-
pleasant, and the morning following wrote me a note, by
way of confirming that regret. I, however, not being
over satisfied with an empty expression of regret, wrote
him a letter, owning receipt of his note, is which I
stated, candidly and plainly, my views on the subject of
Minister's Money, and as he did not reply to that letter,
now ten days in his possession, I take for granted he
considers its contents to be true. If so, I should hope
the Rev. Gentleman and his Protestant parishioners may
adopt the suggestion conveyed to him therein, and re-
lieve Catholics and Dissenters, in his parish, Pram the
impost. . _

Enclosed you have his note to me, and a copy of
mine to him in reply, which, if not out of course, be so
kind as to give a place to in your invaluable paper,
through which, if a call was made to the Catholic and
Dissenting parishioners generally of the city, to meet
and get up petitions to Parliament against this unjust
impost, it would have the best effect.—l am, Mr.
Editor, your obedient servant,
Sunday's-well, Jan, 4, 1841.

E. MURPHY.

Sunday's Well, Cork, Dec. 2.4, 1840.
Rev. Sir,—l received your note of yesterday morn-
ing, in which you say " I regret exceedingly the cir-
cumstance which took place yesterday, and beg to as-
sure you most solemnly that I was wholly unconnected
with it, and that it was done without either my sanction
or knowledge." The circumstance to which you refer
was the arrest of my person by one of the Court of No
ConFciencel3ailiffs, at your suit, for Bs. Ministers' Money
and 3s. 31ti. costs, incurred in resisting so oppressive a
demand, and that arrest, recollect, after Mrs. Murphy
sent to and paid your man, Love. lf, however, that

" regret and solemn declaration," so expressed in your
note, had been accompanied by an assurance that for
the future I should not be called upon for the pay-
ment of what I, as a Roman Catholic, consider to be
unjust in principle and oppressive in exaction, I
could then give you credit for that degree of Chris-
tian charity which ought to make you do unto others
as you wish others should do unto you. As you
have not done so, I must withhold from you - that
credit, for I can well imagine your feelings as a Pro-
testant Clergyman (who, if report be true, has taken so
much pains to vilify the religion to which I belong),
being forced to psy towards the support of a clergy-
man of that religion. Your outcry against such a pro-
ceeding would, I am sure, be loud and long, and justly
S 3. You must be aware Roman Catholics have a repug-,
nonce to the payment of Minister's Money, and feel it a
hardship, and ought not y our Protestant parishioners
of Parliament ? or
feel degraded in suffering you to harass their Roman
of England, in rela-
iCi
.utapat
omth
nheaorylbiocybunogpe
uithttbeir
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ttuyearndr
tofsobt riynaa
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:post: your income, though
the principle acted
tion to Church-rate, when in VESTRY they refuse to grant
one, but like honest men make up the amount amongst
tph
iesns tosoetl
res from
s , thereby
them honestly the difficulty your man Love has in col-
lecting this money from Roman Catholics ; state bow
much of your income is forced from the members of a
tho r
o freeing;te,r English Catholics and
In God's name, then, get
your Protestant parishioners together, represent to
religion you so much decry, to whom you give no
value in return, and I cannot for a moment bring my
mind to believe they are so lost to every sense of
sleame ui not to follow the good example thus set them
by their English Protestant brethren. By so doing you
will at once put an end to the heart-burnings so gene-
rally engendered by the exaction of this impost. You
will, I dare say, say that you are entitled to it by law ;
but I tell you plainly, that a law which gives you,
by your man Love, to whom you told me you let the
parish), the power to force from me my money, without
a particle of value for it in return, and which money
would be more usefully laid out in the purchase of shoes
for my children, is an iniquitous law, and one in which
there would be more credit in the breach than the ob-
servance. In defending this claim before three Alder-
men, I inquired whether their's was a Court of Equity
or Law ? One of them, I think Alderman Newsom,
said, " strictly a Court of Equity." Then I said, if so
consider the equity of the case ; I have got no value
from the Rev. Mr. Ncligan, and ask you to put your
hands on your consciences as honest men, and say wile.,
thcr I ought not to be exempt from this claim ; but I
may as well have appealed to the winds ; they threw
equity overboard, and stuck to the law ; they, however,
unanimously gave me the consolation of admitting