The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-12 00:00:00

creased numbers who came up to vote for retention of
Church-rates last session, at the bidding of the
Archdeacons, but Mr. DISRAELI'S imprudent decla-
ration, that Church-rates must be the Tory political
cry of the session—that the clergy must therefore
work for him politically—and that the easiest way
to collect Church-rates would be to take them for
the poor-rates, have all combined to rouse the friends
of religious liberty to renewed exertion. Mr.
DISRAELI called for numberless petitions. The
opposite party intends not to petition this year.
They say that "after the decisive demonstration of
last session, when 610,877 persons petitioned for
the entire abolition of the exaction, and but 197,687
for its retention, it is thought that Parliament has
already had evidence of the direction of public
opinion as decisive as petitioning is likely to afford,
and that the whole strength of the Abolitionists
should now be reserved for action of a kind better
adapted to the present state of the contest."
This is fair and practical. If Parliament will be
moved by petitioning at all, it will be moved by
these figures, especially when it is remembered that
the smaller number was the result of months of
hard work, through a clerical agent in every parish,
while the larger was the spontaneous outburst of
two or three weeks, after the trick attempted to be
played was known.
Hence the meeting of today. The earlier part,
at which only we could be present, was spirited
enough; and the principal resolutions expounding
its views were, as might be expected, well sup-
ported and enthusiastically cheered. The nume-
rous attendance represented all parts the
country, and witnesses to the vast extent to which a
spirit of antagonism to rating men for worship and
houses of worship at all—and still more to rating
them for worship they did not, and generally could
not, conscientiously use—is diffused through the
country. It was impossible to look on such a meet-
ing—to see the class of men who composed it—the
class who are the very backbone of the Liberal
constituencies, and the working men in election
committees of Liberal members of Parliament—
to hear their strong yet cool and decided language,
and not feel that they were destined, as they were
determined, to conquer. They, and their sons
even, if they should not gain the battle in their own
days, may be reckoned en as a thorn in the side
of the Establishment, and of any Liberal Govern-
ment, too, which does not take up their cause, for
any length of time. They are not the class of
men whom the whimsical fashion of the hour can
woo by blandishments or discourage by contempt.
They will fight against ecclesiastical exactions and
domination till they rid the country of the badge
they detest ; and the longer they are resisted, and
the oftener they are worsted, the more deter-
minedly will they fight.
There was a very fair attendance of members of
Parliament. Mr. SCIEOLEFIELD took the chair, and
was heartily supported by Sir C. DOUGLAS, Sir
JOHN SHELLEY, and others, in proposing the reso-
lutions. The first of these gives a very clear view
of the present position and intentions of abolition-
ists ; it followed a paper giving an admirable
summary of the history of the Church Rate conflict
from its commencement to the close of last session,
and was as follows :
" That, in reviewing the Parliamentary struggle for the
abolition of church• rates, this Conference finds that, during
a period of nearly 30 years, there has been continuous and
growing hostility to the exaction, as violating the principles
of justice ; as being repugnant to conscientious convictions,
and as occasioning the bitterest social feeling. That suc-
cessive Governments have admitted the present law to be
indefensible, and that successive Parliaments have affirmed
the principle of entire abolition, as the only practi-
cable mode of settling the question. That the
upholders of the impost have never been, and are not at
this hour, agreed upon any measure by which the law
may be amended, with any prospect of overcoming the
strong antipathy with which it is regarded. Meanwhile,
opposition to church-rates is constantly extending over a
wider area, and is diminishing the revenue, which is the
object of contention, while the steadily increasing liberality
of Episcopalians is supplying the funds required for the
maintenance of their religions edifices and worship. That,
in view of these facts, the members of this Conference, in
the interests of peace, of justice, and of religion, pledge
themselves resolutely to adhere to the demand for the total
extinction of church-rates, and appeal to abolitionists of
every class to press that demand with a determination
which will convince the Legislature of the absolute
necessity for passing Sir John Trelawny's bill."
Mr. DISRAELI, as we have already hinted, gave
a pretty good fillip to the agitation by his proposal
to collect church rates with poor rates, thus to
remove them from the hazard of vestry conflicts,
and to render them permanent, while he at the same
time asked the clergy for once, though he owns he
almost blushed in doing it, to descend into the
political arena and canvass the dubious and Tory
members that they might gain votes for church
rates. The meeting seem to thank him for teaching
it that trick. They express themselves thus in' the
second resolution : •
" That, it being the declared purpose of the leader of the
Conservative party in the House of Commons, to defeat
the bill for abolition, in order to carry a measure by which
Church-rates will not only be perpetuated, but be levied for
the support of numerous additional churches, and be also
removed from popular control, this Conference specially
urges upon electors the paramount importance of frustrat -
ing this retrograde policy by making such representations to
their members as will secure their votes for the bill on every
division."

And, from the numerous speeches which fol-
lowed we gathered that the gentlemen present did
not intend to leave town without favouring their
representatives with their personal advice on the
subject, and letting them understand, as one delegate
expressed himself, " that though they had worked
hard for them in the borough election committee,
and were still disposed to do so, yet that with
them this was such a deeply interesting subject
that unless gentlemen could give their vote for
Sir JOHN TRELAWNY on the first division, and on
the second division, and the third division tool
they were not the men for them."

We cannot blame them. The members present
who spoke, declared that it was the general feeling
of the Liberal members that the question was a
settled one, and ought to be considered as such.

They adverted to the tricks by which a large attend-

ance of Tories' had been obtained last session to

diminish the relative majorities, when all knew that

the real opposition was as strong as ever, and ex-

pressed their opinion that cleCision now would be

most advantageous to the Church of England. Of
that we never had a doubt ; as a Church, she can only
injure herself by compulsory exactions in the name

of religion, especially when the thing is not only
bad itself, but peculiarly antagonistic to the spirit
of the age.

The latter fact even the Bishop of EXETER recog-
nises ; and it is a rather singular coincidence, that
on the day this great meeting assembled, the
Bishop should, as it were, form one of the "confer-
ence" by furnishing it with hiis opinion in print.
That opinion is, that Churchmen can easily meet
the current expenses of their worship, and that
these, in the present state of opinion especially,
ought not to be charged o a Church-rates—the

_ .......
holy bread and wine emphel.ically not. But that
to exhibit the anion betwct )11 Church and State

and "the nation's faith alness to GOD," the

parishes should be compelle d to keep the churches

in repair! Such a propoe al, unfortunately, only
elicits a
very profane lau&A from Dissenters. They