The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-26 00:00:00

THE VETO QUESTION.

(From the Times.)
The clergy of Scotland, with half-a-dozen insignificant
exceptions, are Conservatives to a man. But upon the
veto question, which at present agitates their Church,
they are grievously divided. In favour of the veto, or
something equivalent to it, there is a large clerical ma-
jority, led by Alexander Dunlop, Esq., and supported by
a considerable body of lay adherents on both sides of po-
litics. Opposed to the veto, but not opposed to the
principle of non-intrusion provided it can he secured
and regulated in a legal way, we find a respectable
minority of the clergy, backed by an overwhelming pre-
ponderance of the Scotch nobility and gentry, as well
as by a powerful section of the middle classes, both
Conservatives and Whigs. Latterly, the ecclesiasti-
cal question which divides these parties has acquired
such supreme importance in their estimation, as dis-
poses them to look with indifference opon every other.
chus a certain constitutional newspaper in Edinburgh,
though zealous in reprobating the general policy of the
Whigs, advises its readers to oppose every Parliamentary
candidate who declines to go all lengths in supporting
the ultra non-intrusionists. In Aberdeen, on the other
hand, the divided Conservatives, whose union would
have secured Mr. Lindsay's election, have placed that
gentleman in some jeopardy, because he is disinclined to
become the fettered slave of either party ; and so high
does this controversy run in the county of East Lothian,
that nearly 30 of the parochial clergy, who voted for
Lord Ramsay at the last general election, have ex-
pressed a hasty determination to oppose any candidate,
no matter what be his civil politics, who will not gulp
the non-intrusion pledge insisted on by Mr. Alexander
Dunlop. That these unhappy differences among our
Scotch friends, if they be not wisely and seasonably
cast into abeyance, will do considerable injury to the
Conservative cause, which is pre-eminently the cause of
the Church, must be apparent to everybody. Her Ma-
jesty's Ministers know this well ; and accordingly, in-
stead of propounding a plan whereby the spiritual juris-
diction
of the Ecclesiastical Courts may be harmonized
with the legal rights of patrons, they permit such irre-
sponsible understrappers as Mr. Fox Maule and the
Lord Advocate to make all manner of delusive promises
—promises which they are perfectly aware the present
temper of Parliament will not permit them to realize.
For our own part, we have given a decided opinion
in opposition to the veto ; but, provided a candidate
were unexceptionable in other respects, we should never
dream of denying him our support simply on the ground
that on that particular question his views are contrary
so our own ; nor can we hesitate, under existing circum-
stances, to implore our Conservative friends in Scot-
land, if not to lay aside their ruinous and unavailing
dissensions, at least to refrain from endangering the
success of constitutional candidates at the next election,
by subjecting theta to en ecclesiastical shibboleth, which,
without implying or involving a particle of good for
either side of the Church, is merely enabling the com-
mon enemy to destroy the hopeful promise of the recent
Scottish registratisms.
Considering the unequivocal deliverance which J oseph.
Hume gave upon this question, as the mouth-yiece of
the ultra-Liberals ; and considering the explicit decla-
tion of Sir Robert Peel as indicating the general senti-
ments of his Parliamentary supporters on the same sub-
ject. the Whigs are manifestly acting on the presumption
that, as the extreme views ()idle NOII-Mitt'u6,:uai ms stau(i
no possible chance of being carried, promises in their