The Sun.
London, England, 1812-04-22 00:00:00

Quarter Session, ought never to he allowed to be-
come a. Judge ,on the Bench. It lay, on them to
stew, why he who was allowed to elect Members of
Parliament, ought never to be allowed to sit him-
self as Legislator. He took his great stand on the
Ad of 1793. The enactments of that Act, by
which important c'oncessions had been made to the
Catholics, were in themselves proofs of the title of
the Catholics to the concessions that remained to
be made—they were proofs of the strongest assur-
ance on the part of the Legislature of the fidelity of
the Catholics to the Protestant Government. • No
o,e, he trusted,Would contend that the disabilities of
the Catholics were so engrafted on the Constitution
as ado illy to make a part of the Constitution. No
one, he trusted, would contend that what he called a
mighty evil was one of the our works of.t Ire Constitu-
tion. There was an argument that had frequently
been urged, to which he would now advert. It had
been said, " What ! would you admit the Catholics
into political power ?" Were not they already the
electors of a majority of the Irish Representatives ?
And yet sonic people affetted to fear giving theth
political power. Another strong argument in their
favour-was the manner in which the case was argued
on the proposition fur granting to the Irish Catholics
the elect we franchise. It had been contended by one
of the ablest opponents of that proposition in the Irish
Par liarnew,, that if the Catholics obtained the elective
franchise, they could not be afterwards jr stly refused
the privilege of sitting' in Parliament. Unquestion-
ably, that was the great and master object of their
minds. To the cry, therefore, not to admit the Ca-
tholics into the State, he would reply that they had
already been aicliiitted by the acquisition of the elec-
tive' franchise, and by the number
,of offices to
hich Parliament had rendered them eligible.—
The claims must be granted, not as a boon, but
as an acknowledged right, or Ireland would never
be tranquilisede Let men of every persuasion be
acknowledged to have a right to unite in the see-
vices of the -State, .withput the distinEtion of
churches. He declared, that he would notsaccept
a part of the claims of the Catholics as a boon to
them. They claimed, on the ground of right, to
be relieved brim exclusions, which, however, they
might belastified by former necessity, were.not re-
qiesie at present. The Catholics hadea right to
comflain of the want of -feeling towards them, on
the part of the Legislature ; but against Ministers
they had a complaint of a still heavier nature. Mi-
nisters had added insult to injury, in the manner in
which they had resisted all concession to the Catho--
lies. They had itritated the Cathdlic mind in
every possible way. In the other House of Parlia-
meet, amidst the most profuse expenditure on other
aubjeels, when a person wished to add four thousand
pounds to the grant for the education of the whole
Catholic priesthood of Ireland, one of the Seere-
- tariessof State had the indecency to say, that he
was sorry in his heart there had ever been such a
place as the Col:ege of Maynooth !.-4 t,3001. was
given on the same night to the Protestant Charter
Schools; 12,0001. to that small body, the Dissenting
Ministers in Ireland; bur when it was proposed to
'add 4,0001. to the 8,000 I: granted for the edUca-
tioo of the whole Catholic priesthood of Ireland,
the proposition was scouted and refused. Those
by whom it had been refused forgot that one of
the strongest arguments which they had urged for
denying the claims of the Catholics, Was, that they
were illiterate savages. , Who made them savages
Who withheld from them the means of education ?
Government complained of their own ea., They
first tarbarised the Catholic population, b% denriv-
-ing them of the means of civilization, and they then
accused them of being barbarians. An 'apposite
itory Fay it was conceived) was quoted from Gil Blas
for the purpose of Rutting the Catholics down. It
had been said, that in 1793 the Catholics were sa-
tisfied with what they bad .got; but that now they
came forward, like the beggar in Gil Blas, with a
.nsosket at the breast of him whom he petitioned..
He entreated the House to consider that these never
was a time which called more loudly on them to
evince their liberality. or their discretion, or what-
ever it Might be called, than the present., If they
abstained tram granting to-the Catholics their claims
ai the present period, a time of peril would come,
which eould make it a matter of absolute necessity
to grant them, aqd which would therefore do away
all the effect which a free Act of Grace might other-
. wise produce on the Catholic mind. He adverted
to an extraordinary declaration, which he understood
had been made for the purpose of intimidating the
Catholics. It certainly had trot proceeded from one
of his Majesty's Ministets, but it was supposed
to in ye come from an individual of great
weight. If it had proceeded from the Throne
itself, he should have had no right to corn.
mot on it, but it -was understood to have
proceeded from behind the Throne. It had been
spoken of in that House, and in various Clubs.
Thi,s declaration was neither more nor less than that
it would be expedient to send a battalion or Iwo of
bis. Majesty's Guards to Ireland, with a certain illus-
trious person at their head. That it seemed was the
sort of answer to be given to the Catholics. It was
intelligible enough to be sure, and so lie trusted, if
it were made, would be the rejoinder.; for his coon-
trytnen were sufficiently aware of the value of their
constitutional rights, and of the best mode of de-
fending them. Such a proposition, let it proceed
from whence it might, deserved the utmost con-
tempt and indignation, and he was persuaded, that
the person who was capable of making it would be
mere disposed to create hostility than to take his
pia,:e in the front of the battle. However high
might be his rank ; however near he might be to
the person of the Regent, he (Lord D.) thought it
necessary, in the fulfilment of his duty in Parlia-
Inept, to mark such conduct with the most decided
reprobation. From the commencement of the pre-
sent reign, to no event did the Catholics of Ireland
look with more confidence and hope, than to that
auspicious period when the Heir Apparent
should assume the uncontrouled exercise of
the Sovereign authority. In him they thought
they saw 'he messenger. of peace—the pro-
mised gusrdian 'of the ptnple's rights—the indig-:
narir spectate,- of the discords fomented under his
tat her's Government—the plighted friend of the
oppressed Catholics of Ireland. They recoLected that
trey lino p;cuhar churn on biteconerderation—they
re, that on the first occurrence of the sus-
peosion of the regal outhorits,. Ireland mairitaieed
sucse%stully the cause of the Prince of Wales, !elide
iu Ern lanes that cause was defeated. His contidink
couutormen had humbly trusted that they had bound