The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-09 00:00:00

-~~

INFLUENCE OF THE IRISH MEMBERS

IN TILE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The annual festival of the Hull Loyal Orange-
men's Association took place on Tuesday evening,
thefith of November, when there were present Mr.
Whalley, M.P. for Peterborough, Mr. Somes, M.P.
for Hull, &c.

Mr. WHALLEY, in the course of a very forcible
speech, said that the influence of the Roman Catho-
lic members of the House of Commons was so great
that Parliament had condescended not only to efface
from the Prayer-book the services appointed to be
used in commemoration of the sth of Nov., but, that
the feelings of Roman Catholics might not be hurt,
had even made it penal for persons to sell fireworks
to any one under a certain age. Alluding to the
Catholic Emancipation Act, he said that the pre-
dictions of Lord Ellenborough with regard to the
measure had been most strikingly verified. Lord
Ellenborough said that it would be impossible to
carry on any Government with any degree of cer-
tainty if Roman Catholics were admitted into Par-
liament, because if they were true to themselves,
honourable and consistent men, they would set
aside, when once admitted within the sacred pale
of the constitution, all other principles, and vote
with the Government, and in the way which
would best promote the interests of the Pope ;
and so it was found now, each Government
in turn was supported by the Roman Catholic
members, without the_ slightest regard to any
public question. If the question were whether
Louis Napoleon should succeed Queen Victoria on
the throne of England, for that they would vote if
by so doing they thought the interests of their
church would be promoted. Our own-House of
Commons was the only platform in Protestant Eng-
land where such atrocities as had lately been heard.
of at Palermo and other places could be vindicated.
Such, however, was done; and there was no put-
ting of the Irish members down, as there was of
Protestant members of the house. No, they ob-
tained a patient and respectful hearing; and so ba-
lanced were parties always in the house that in the
hands of this 30 or 40 Roman Catholic members.
lay the destinies of Governments and the policy of
the empire. Nunneries, monkeries, and Romish in-
stitutions were found springing up throughout the
country, and they were carried on with more secrecy
and less supervision on the part of the Government
than was the case with all other institutions of the
country, yet he believed that there might be greater
atrocities enacted within the walls of these Romish
institutions in this country than, he believed, any
other country in Europe, excepting only Rome
itself. in 1829, when the Catholic Emancipation
Act was passed, men's minds were convulsed with.
alarms and terrors at what had been done. Men
had been admitted into Parliament who by their
oath, by their affection to their God, and their con-
sciences were bound to do all they could to over-
turn the constitution. In 1845 they saw the in-
fluence of these men brought to bear upon the Go-
vernment of the day so far that the grant to
l'ilaynooth, which was up to that time under the
control of the House of Commons, was taken from.
the control of that body by being put into an Act of
Parliament; so at the present day this grant stood
distinguishable from all other public grants. They
witnessed the effects of that measure. From 1845
to nearly 1851 Ireland was in a state of chronic re-
bellion, and then came that great agitation through-
out the country, greater than anything of the kind
since 1829, when Cardinal Wiseman came
from Rome with a portfolio of episcopal ap-
pointments, and declared that the Pope had.
not only a co-ordinate jurisdiction with Queen
Victoria, but that his laws were to be en-
forced in this country to the full extent of the
power of the Roman Catholic priests to enforce
them, and that they were to be supreme over all 2
temporal laws ; and what had happened since then -
Why, that they had been supreme. One of thei
iebs lsei
oann
was
as practicalby
one
osfp
mostt
he last n se
who said, " What can you mean keeping
Titl upon
your etbecehelsrisdhelmivinireubdersn,
1. Bishops front
assuming
which prohibits Roman a
assuming these titles ? How can you, a Govern-
your statute-book the Ecclesiasticalcthoby
ment, dare to keep that upon your statute-book,
and thus by an Act of Parliament acknowledge the
impotence of Parliament in comparison with the
power of the Pope ?" They openly defied the power
of Parliament in every possible way, and Romish
institutions had increased throughout the country
during the last 10 years some threefold what they
had done in any similar period. It was high time
the Protestant people considered these things
seriously. He understood there was in one school
in Hull 700 children, every one of whom would be
taught to be disloyal to Queen Victoria, and sub-
, servient to the teachings of the Pope. He would
ask, how long was England to be degraded in the
eyes of Europe by abetting and pampering this
Romish power ? how long were the people to be
silent, and when were they to arouse themselves if
not now ? The Mayneuth grant was merely a
fraction of the money taken from the pockets of the
people for Romish purposes. The object Sir
Peel had in putting tlrat grant into an Acdt tr
annually
liament—viz., to prevent discussion—had
failed, as the matter would be
discussed
nischu6sielext session
until the Act was repealed.
He
att eAct, in order
would ask Parliament to repeal
IT entirely
once more have
that the House of Commons g
going to agitate this
grants. It was known thatnd
some people had said to
question in the houbse,
and peaceful state
thea happy
the control over the grantaisinleitney had over other
him, ,g why diebtutr
is deemed:a needless agitation ?
of Ireland
was,.
by
w thata peace, which depended upon
of this grant to Maynooth, could
not be sound and substantial—thatthe men who
would turn their ploughshares into spears if
this grant were withdrawn were not worthy
tHaeisqureieptlyretentron
to be trusted with the additional power it
conferred, and that nothing could be more
cperintcoipleps"soenf t ricgabset
adnisdgracterfaunlqutihnainty to
thsaocsreifi.
and truth which were the very foundation of eivi,
and inttionca independence.