The Sun.
London, England, 1833-07-29 00:00:00

MR. O'CONNELL AND HIS ATTACK ON

THE NEWSPAPERS.

To explain the original cause of the present quarrel, it
is only necessary to say there was a meeting on Saturday
se'nnight, at the Eyre Arms Tavern, St. John's Wood,
at which Mr. O'Connell presided. It was given in
honour of the memory of Major Cartwright.
We copy from the organ supposed to be under his con-
trol what he said upon the occasion :
" But why did he talk of newspapers 2—it was all vain for
the public to expect from newspapers, as they were then con-
stituted and managed, anything like honesty. No; they
would nave nothing but the distillation of individual malig
nity, and the concentration of private hate, through thosefou/
mediums. What did the newspapers do but evil ? People
might talk of them as they liked ; but he maintained that,
constituted and managed as they were, they did nothing but
evil. Such atrocious proceedings on the part of the news-
paper press were unparalleled. It was in vain to think that
they would grow better. The Times, the mighty Times, had
had during all that period the worst reports of these proceed-
ings; the very worst, because they were designedly bad. The
Chronicle, once the friend of the people,—now how fallen !
had them equally bad, because with the same intentions. But
both were in the hands of Ministers, and that fully explained
the matter. Complaints were making daily and hourly by
Members of Parliament, of the infamous reports of their sen-
timents which appeared in the Morning Papers; private com-
plaints, he admitted. Perhaps they had their own reasons for
not making them public, but he had none. He knew well
that there was no enemy more feared by a public man than a
newspaper; but he was not afraid of them at all; he de-
fied their utmost power and ingenuity."
This was the original attack, and the best answer which
can be given to those Members of Parliament who fairy
the present proceeding on the part of the gentlemen con-
nected with the newspapers have reference to any thing
said in the House of Commons, is to be found in the

- - - _
fact that the speech was delivered " out of doors," when
no privilege of the House was or could be concerned. At
this meeting Mr. O'Connell thus spoke of the House of
Commons itself :
" But what was the first act of the treacherous representa-
tives of the people in a reform Parliament ? It was to assist
this wretched Government in crushing constitutional liberty

in Ireland, and substituting military license in its stead. The
Whigs and the reform Parliament might, by possibility, forgive
themselves, and forgive one another for this nefarious act; but
as long as the breath of lite animated him, he would notforgive
either the injuries they had inflicted on his country. They
had, in fact, now that the end of the session was at hand,
done nothing of good for the country during all its protracted
sittings; but they had filled her cup of evil to the very brim."
In proposing the health of the Member for Oldham, he
prefaced it thus:—
" As there was a sort of slang every where, and St. Ste-
phen's had its full share of it as well as any other place, and
as his friend beside him (Mr. Cobbett) was there designated as
the Hon. Member for Oldham, he would take the liberty of
proposing his health."
Now, at the time all this abuse of the House of Com-
mons was uttered, there were three Hon. Members pre-
sent (Mr. Hume, Mr. Cobbett, and Mr. Gillon), none of
whom spoke a word against this abuse of " privilege."