The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-24 00:00:00

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-11f.VrCIRTOMISTEIrTORMCI
IRISH CRURCH.I

At a meeting held at Midsomer Norton, for the promo.,
tion of the return of Colonel Pinner and Captain Ilayter
for East Somerset, the chair was taken by the Right Hon.
Chichester Fortescue. After describing the position of
the Church, the right hon. gentleman went on to notice
the objections which had been made against its disesta.
blishment. The two principal reasons (he said), or,
rather the two principal cries, which were used
against them he might describe as the " No-Popery"
cry and the " Church in danger" cry. As to the
" No-Popery" cry., he wanted to know what it
meant. If it meant that we ourselves were devoted to
the principles of the Reformation, and would maintain
those principles for ourselves by all due and proper means,
then he bad not a word to say against the cry, and he
would join in it himself. But it meant no such a thing,
in the mouth of our political opponents. (gear hear.) If
it meant, again, that we were determined to maintain our
just rights of every kind, and the just rights of our Protes•
tent fellow-countrymen in Ireland, he was ready to
join in maintaining those just rights against any quarter,
whether Papal or otherwise. But he did not mean that,
and it was difficult to see any rational way of interpreting
the meaning of it. It, however, meant that we must
not do justice to our fellow-countrymen in Ireland because
they were Roman Catholics. It meant nothing but a blind
and unreasoning prejudice, closing men's eyes to the truth,
and preventing them from seeing the facts of the case as
they really were, and faithfully discharging their duty. Ail
to their cry of " Church in danger," he was inclined to
take exception to it, and he made a protest against the cry.
from the very first. He ventured to say in their presence
that, whether the Church was in danger or not, they had
no right to defend it by such means. He said they had
no right in the fancied interests of their Establish-
ment to impose upon what was in fact another
country an Establishment which they repudiate&
The question was not whether we were to have an Esta-
blishment here ; that question did not arise at all. The,
question was whether there was to be an Establishment in
a separate though a sister nation, viz., Ireland—an Esta-
blishment which was maintained there contrary to the
wishes and feelings of the great majority of its people.
He wished every voter to remember, when he:came to give:
his vote on this great question, that the question for him
to decide was not whether he would have an established
religion in his own country, but whether he should'
impose an Establishment on another country contrary to-
the wishes and feelings of the people. Let every voter,,
every one who heard him that night, every one whom his
words could reach—he did not care how ardent a friend,
and adherent of the Established Church he might be—let:
him weigh the matter in this way, and do to Ireland "as,
he would be done by," and if there were danger to the
Established Church here in this controversy, the friends of
the Church might be assured that that danger would be
seriously increased by prolonging a controversy like the
present, by refusing to do justice to the people of Ireland,
and by throwing upon the English Church the responsi•
bility of an Establishment which was totally different
from her own, and whatever danger there might be would
be best removed by a just and complete settlement of the
Irish question.