The Sun.
London, England, 1835-02-03 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

A west of Ireland paper, quoted in the Times of
yesterday, states that Dr. IVl'Hale, the Romish Arch-
bishop of Tuam, has been heard to boast, that on the
next election, if he chooses, he will return "two cow-
boys for the county," and we little question that the
*sifluence of the priesthood, upheld as it is by methods
latterly resorted to on the part of those spiritual poten-
tates, will, so long as it ministers to the discontents
and the turbulent and malignant passions of the mul-
titude, carry the government of the country on its
shoulders, and ere long obliterate all traces of every
authority but its own. There is not a county, contest
t(be named in Ireland which has not exhibited proofs
ithe terrific power exercised by the Popish clergy,
and of the unholy and atrocious means by which they
have enforced it. All civil relations, ties, and cons
nexions, dissolve before its touch—those of landlord
and tenant, neighbour and neighbour, magistrate and
citizen, sovereign and subject, are trampled under foot
by this intrusive tyranny, which disregards all the
sanctions and cementing principles that hold society
together, and introduces other sanctions of reward and
punishment, neither guided, restrained, nor in any
degree or manner administered, with reference to
human law, liberty, or justice. This vicious and ruin-
ous course of action, in which the Romish priesthood
of Ireland have been for years past invariably engaged,
is partly the direct consequence of their humiliating
position, which, in making them dependent on the will
of the multitude for their bread, compels them to bid
for popular favour by indefinite indulgence to all its
caprices and iniquities, and partly the indirect conse-
quence, by urging them to seek from other sources a
more fixed, legitimate, and liberal provision, which
would enure to them in the character of property, not
of bounty, and render them a recognized body in the
State. We have no hesitation in expressing our be-
lief that the present aim of the Popish hierarchy in Ire-
land, and of the parochial priesthood, is to regain posses-
sion of that immense church property which was wrested,
from the Papists of former times, and which the agita-
tion of these five or six years, alternately assaulting and
undermining the Established Church, has had for
one of its objects to give back to the parties who were
then deprived of it, however subversive of all civilized
government should be the result of its restoration to the
Papists. Indeed, the re-conquest of the property seized
in past centuries frossi the church of Rome in Ireland
would extend much furtLer than to any lands or tithes
(or commuted tithes)which Protestant Church has
at any age enjoyed. In a coun::v where the Popish
hierarchy would exercise such imms:2lse and para-
mount sway as in Ireland, after throwis:„
off the
British connexion, it is certain enough the pziest-
hood would never be content without enforcing in
its own favour the ancient and favourite maxim of
nulluin tempus, but would reclaim, on the ground
of indefeasible right, every shilling's worth of
lay impropriation, or of alienated land, to which an
ecclesiastical title could be traced, no matter at how
remote a period. It is not with the 600 and odd
thousand pounds of tithe paid annually to the paro-
chial clergy, or with that and the Protestarl4, Bishops
and Dean and Chapter lands together, that the
M'Hales, and other samples of Maynooth piety and
gentleness, and contempt for lucre, would be satisfied.
They would insist on all such possessions as we have
enumerated, plus the whole of what had been seized by
the Crown, and regranted to lay-proprietors. The
landholders of Ireland may be shocked at this. The
Catholic tenants under ancient leases for long terms of
years, or lives renewable for ever, may smile at such a
prospect. But let both these classes of our fellow-sub-
jects assure themselves that it will be realized in any
case which favours the supercession of the Protestant
church of Ireland by the Romish ; and towards such a
consummation the grand avenue is a repeal of the Union.
But what, let us ask, is to prevent the execution of
M'Hale's threat, which meditates the same final issue
as to O'Connell's head and cross bones ? What is to
prevent this Popish Bishop from returning as many
" cowboys" as he may think fit to the Imperial Parlia-
ment ? The power of these incendiaries is augmenting
every minute. What mode of legislation can stop
or retard their career before they get into their own
hands the entire representation of Ireland ? There
arc but two expedients : either deprive them of the
power to turn the constituency of Ireland against the
State, or of the disposition to do so. The power of
the priests over the electors admits, even in theory, of
no more than two means of diminution-1. Educate
the people of Ireland out of their evil spirit towards
the State, out of their proneness to those criminal
schemes of which the priest, when he encourages them,
is always the ablest abettor, and oil!. of their super-
stitious bondage—a process which perhaps might be
effectual after 40 or 50 years. Or, 2dly, deprive of
their right of voting that class of electors who are i2ost
liable to be intimidated or duped by the malpractices of
their ghostly counsellors, an experiment which we appre-
hend would be to the full as impracticable as the former one
would to-all present uses be found deplorably inefficient.
The electoral qualification of no class of the King's sub-
jects can now be raised without raising that of the people,
and, such a change is out of the question—but there
is, fortunately, another alternative remaining : act
upon the disposition of the Catholic priesthood—let
the State afford them, without trouble, crime, degra-
dation, or uncertainty, as good an income as that out
of which they have hitherto begged, or bullied, or
swindled (vide Croly) the Catholic people and each
other. Enable them to exchange a dependence on the
ignorant and wretched rabble for one upon the Legis-
lature of the kingdom. Bring them into bonds of an
alliance of interest and authority to the State itself,
by finding in it a willing and liberal supporter, and
they will prefer to receive from it, in peace and secu-
rity, even a fifth part of what the indifference of the
State towards them and their well being, now forces
them to seek through the precarious and desperate ex-
pedient of civil war. We shall in a day or two present
the reader with some remarks from other sources upon
this most important question, which must never be
lost sight of by those who would prefer to govern Ire-
land by a civilizing policy, rather than an everlasting
recourse to the bayonet and sabes.—Times.
We demolished yesterday, if we mistake not, the
economical pretence set up by the Tory party on be-
half of Sir Charles Manners Sutton, as the person
who ought to be elected as Speaker of the House of
Commons ; and we should now proceed to compare
the respective merits—if a comparison could be insti-
tuted between two such men as Mr. Abercromby and
Sir Charles Manner; Sutton—were it not that we
have strong reasons to believe that no contest will en-
sue—that the Tory Admin:
_stration is already beaten
—that Sir George Murray has been kicked out of
the Cabinet—that Lord Lyndhurst :.'as signified his
intention to resign, for reasons best kuawn to him-
self—that the Church and the Ministry a 1,7 in the
position of yard arm and yard arm—and, in a N:Prd,
that a few days will suffice to seal its dissolution. We
do not authenticate these matters. We are not in al
position to do so. We are not, and wish not to be, in
the confidence of the Carlton Club ; but this much,
we think, we may very fairly state—namely—that Sir
George Murray is out, and that the late Speaker has
all but signified his determination not to contest the
Chair with such an able opponent as Mr. Abercromby.
Let our friends, however, who are the friends of
Reform, not rely too much upon the " sayings of
the day." We think that we have authority for
what we have stated ; but let every Reformer
judge of our statements as false. At the present mo-
ment every lure is thrown out to gain the waverers—
every deceit practised to throw the Reformers off their
guard; but having gained the victory in the elections, are
we to be beaten by a straw? Reformers, be at your
posts on the 19th—vote as you have spoken—act as
you have pledged yourselves—and the Tories are for
ever beaten ! Of an illustrious personage we say no-
thing. He has, if we are not misinformed, been grossly
deceived—and being deceived, has signified his anger
in no very moderate terms. The Court party, how-
ever, can speak more satisfactorily on this subject than
either ourselves or Sir R. Peel.—Morning Advertiser.
Next to the liberty of the Press, which was com-
pared to nothing short of the vital air, there is no sub-
ject on which the Whigs, when out of office, used to
be so eloquently horror-struck as at the interference of
the Peers or Clergy in elections. Towards any one
of the latter, unless he happened to be Norfolk