The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-02 00:00:00

POLITICAL

'RATIONS.

DIRKENITEAD.—A Working Men's Liberal Association
for the borough of Birkenhead was inaugurated on Wednes-
day night at a numerously attended meeting, held in the

Workmen's Hall. The speakers included Captain Sherard
Osborn and Mr. Henry Mather Jackson, two gentlemen
well known as unsuccessful candidates for the represents,-

tion of the borough, and who expressed their opinions

upon the leading political questions which are at present

attracting attention.
MID-CHESHIRE.- The Conservatives of Mid-Cbcshire
have established a Constitutional Association, the inaugu-

ration of which, and the celebration at the same time of
the Conservative victory in Mid-Cheshire in the last
election was attended with considerable festivity, at
Winsford, on Tuesday last. The new association was
formed last Monday evening, and at a meeting of the
members which was then held Lord Delamere was

appointed the president.
STAFFORDSIIIRE.—On Wednesday a public dinner was
held at Burslein, to celebrate the opening of the reading-
room in connection with the Staffordshire Potteries Con-
stitutional Association. Sir Smith Child presided.

Viscount Sandon proposed the toast of "Church and State."

He did not think that the game was up because there was
a parliamentary majority against them. He desired that
the bill for the disestablishment of the Irish Church should

be opposed " tooth and nail," for it was impossible to
impose worse terms on the Church. Mr. Adderley, in
responding to the toast of the "Housesof Parliament,"

said that all honour was due to the House of Lords, and
we had to look to it just now as the support of our
national institutions. He believed that its treatment
of the Irish Church Bill would unravel many mys-
tifications, and shew how Mr. Gladstone had
been made the tool of the enemies of the Church. He
did not fear an open enemy so much as a smooth-tongued

person, who dared not assail an institution from without,
but, standing within, opened its doors, and said to its
enemies " Pray come in."
SALFORD.—On Wednesday evening a "monster consti-

tutional tea meeting," as it was termed on the tickets,
was held at Salford, to commemorate the return of Mr.

Cawley and Mr. Charley as members for the borough.

The room was crowded, a great proportion of the audience
being ladies, who displayed a profusion of blue favours.
The room was decorated with evergreens, mottoes, and
the names and portraits of Conservative leaders.
Mr. Cawley, M.P., was unable to attend the
meeting in consequence of the state of his health.
Referring to the question of the Irish Church,
Mr. Charley said he would do all he could to
oppose the object Mr. Gladstone desired to obtain, because
Mr. Gladstone sought to destroy his Church, which was
dearer to him than life. It was a question between Mr.
Gladstone and Lancashire, and between Mr. Gladstone
and the working men of Salford, and Mr. Glad-
stone must succeed in conquering their convictions
before he could succeed with this great question. He
felt far more strongly upon the question of disestablish-
meat than on the question of disendowment. On that
question he entirely agreed with Sir Roundel' Palmer,
who defined disendowment as making the State put into
the Exchequer property which was not previously there.
Mr. Charley went on to say that Mr. Gladstone was
playing into the hands of the Fenians. Mr. Gladstone had
released the Fenian prisoners, and much good might they
do him.
EAST WORCESTER.—On Wednesday night a great
demonstration was made on the part of the Conservatives
of the county of Worcester to celebrate the return of Mr.
R. P. Amphlett in the place of a Liberal member for the
East Division of Worcestershire. A grand banquet, to
which upwards of 500 noblemen and gentlemen sat down,
was given in the Shire Hall of the county town. The Earl
of Coventry presided. In responding to the toast of
the " House of Lords," Earl Shrewsbury spoke of the
passing of the Reform Bill, and thought we had gone a
little too far. We were told at the time it was a leap in
the dark, and, as a Conservative, looking at the general
result of the last election, he thought we had jumped a
little too far. He deprecated the policy of Mr. Disraeli
for going a little too far in the matter of that Reform Bill,
and he deprecated 111 r. Gladstone for going in for entire
destruction. He deprecated any Prime Minister, whether
Conservative or Liberal, or Whig or Tory, who,
in bidding for power, failed to manifest any distinct
Policy- Sir John Pakington responded to the
toast of "The Health of the Conservative leaders."
Statesmen of all parties (he said) through a long
series of years had been agreed that Ireland should
be governed with liberality, with firmness, and with
justice. Under the late Government Ireland was
governed wish liberality, firmness, and justice. It
devolved upon the late Government to deal with the
Fenian conspiracy, which originated with that section
of the Irish people which had never yet been, and he
feared never would be, contented. That conspiracy was
subdued, both in England and Ireland, with firmness and
moderation, and without exceeding the bounds of justice
or transgressing the powers given by law. Under the late
Government the general prosperity of Ireland was unin-
terrupted and increasing. The only liberality shewn by
the present Government in dealing with Ireland was
liberality with other peop'x's money. Instead of firmness,
they had been guilty of one of the most culpable acts of
weakness that ever disgraced a Government—in dismiss-
ing the Fenian prisoners— an indiscretion which, by
creating a false and mischievous impression in Ireland,
might lead to future outbreaks. For justice, the. present
Government substituted the spoliation and plunder
of the Protestant Church. The statesman who formerly
published a book in which he said he considered it a
" high and glorious duty" to be called to the defence of
the Protestant Church in Ireland, now said that Church
was a noxious plant, poisoning the ground upon which
it stood. He who in that book declared that the
party who then desired the separation of Church and State
were influenced by " the most wretch e 1 infatuation," was
the man who had exercised all his rower to sever the con-
nection between 'Church and State, and destroy the supre-
macy of the Crown in Ireland. The two main principles
of the bill wereutterly inconsistent with sound policy and
true religion. He would never be a party to the adoption
of the voluntary principle in religious matters. It esta-
blished a false and dangerous relation between the poor
man and the pastor who was to instruct him. The
pastor ought to be independent of the charitable feelings
of those to whom he ministered. There was not
throughout Europe a single instance in which a nation
entrusted the religious instruction of the people to the
voluntary principle. rut there were two examples of the
kind—one was presented by the Roman Catholics in Ire-
land, and the other by the United States. lie submitted
that in neither case were the results such as to make it
desirable for this country to follow the example. With
regard to the secularisation of Church property, it was
utterly unjustifiable, and would be a disgrace to Par-
liament and the country. If financial equality was
desirable, it might be worth while to consider, having
regard to the present crisis, whether it might not be better
to make grants to the Roman Catholics to enable them
to conduct their religious duties properly and respectably,
rather than despoil the Protestant Church, and throw the
whole into one mass of confusion. Every statesman of
eminence from the time of Pitt, and every writer of
ability at present, proposed this as the mode of overcoming
the difficulties of the question. He feared the proposal of
Mr. Gladstone would irritate and alienate the Irish Pro-
testants ; while, with regard to the Roman Catholics, the
year since the proposal was made had been marked
by a revival of the Fenian conspiracy, and a return to
those dreadful agrarian murders which had long been the
disgrace of the Irish people and the greatest stain upon
them and the religion they professed. He hoped that if
the councils of the Conservative party were guided by
wisdom and prudence, it was still possible to avert the
national disgrace of adopting the sacrilegious proposal of
the Government.

The petition against the return of Mr. Meyrick for
Pembroke was appointed to be tried on Thursday before
Baron Martin, who bad announced his intention to sit at 10
o'clock. Notice of an intention to withdraw the petition had
been given ; but as it was expected the application would In
made in court the public attended at the appointed hour.
The mayor, however, titer waiting an hour, withdrew.
The parish church at Pontefract, after uudergoing
alteration and repair, was reopened on Wednesday by the
Archbishop of Yolk. There was luncheon afterwards at the
Town Hall. In replying for " the House of Lords," Lord
Wharncliffe adverted to the Irish Church question
and sug-
gested that whatever the vote came to in the Upper House
this year it must not bo supposed to have been influenced by
that of last year. Mr. Childers acknowledged the toast of
the "Army and Navy."

On Thursday the Act of last session requiring that a
means of communication should be provided between the pas-
senger and guard of railway trains came into force. Hence-
forth, every train travelling more than 20 miles without stop-
ping is to be provided with an flickilickut mcaos of communi-
cation between the passengers awl the servants of the com-
pany in charge of the train. Any company omitting to pro-
vide such communication is liable to a penalty of £lO, and
" any passenger who makes use of the said means of com-
munication without reasonable and sullicient cause, shall be
liable to a penalty not exceeding £5."

A meeting of the Irish Railway Committee, peers
and members, has just taken place at the Marquis of Clanri-
carde's, when it was resolved to solicit the signatures of the
peers connected by property with Ireland, and the Irish
M.P.'s to the document, impressing upon her Majesty's Govern-
ment the importance of intro, acing a measure on the basis
of the Second Report of the Irish Railway Commission, with
a view to obtaining in the case of Irish railways sulstantial
reduction of fares, increased accommodation, and unity of
management. Eighty membeysi of Parliament havp
.already
&geed the memorial.

LATEST INTELLLGE

(REU-ER'S TELEGRAMS.)

HOMEWARD BOMBAY (HEAVY) MAIL.
GIBRALTAR, March 30.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
the Massilia left this morning for Southampton,
where she may be looked for about the night of
the 3d April. Experienced strong head winds.
All well.