The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-19 00:00:00

THE HOUSE OF KEYS.

We copy the following curious article from the
Mona Herald of Wednesday, showing that the Manx
people also want a change in their representative
system :
" The enemies of legislative reform are busy in
conjuring up the falsehood, that the late demonstra-
tions here made, in favour of free trade and legislative
reform, are some how or other connected with Irish
Repeal agitations. This may gull some stupid block-
heads, whose eyes are still half covered with old Tory
scales; but to men of sense and reason, such trash
cannot go down. There is not the least connexion,
nor even remote relationship between the two subjects.
Ireland is struggling to obtain the repeal of a com-
pact of union entered into 1800, and ratified by Act
of Parliament, by which the two islands:became the
United Kingdom of Great Britain. She seeks to
restore an Irish Parliament, which she surrendered in
that compact, so that she shall again enjoy a domestic
or local legislature. Now whether this struggle is
just in itself, or whether Irish oppressions have
rendered such a demonstration as has been witnessed
in Ireland, for the year past justifiable or not, has no
connexion with Manx reform. We have freely ex-
pressed our opinion of Irish wrongs, and may do it
again ; but whether that opinion is well founded or
otherwise, it has nothing to do with a reform in the
House of Keys in the Isle of Man. We have never en•
tered into a compact with the British Government to
merge our local legislature into the British Parliament;
neither have we ever been concerned in an Act of Parlia-
ment which dissolved our House of Keys, or deprived
us of being fully represented in that House. Again
observe, the contest in Ireland is with the Home Go-
vernment, struggling for something which that Go-
vernment opposes. Not so with the Isle of Man.
Thank God, we have no contest with the Home Go-
vernment ; we are struggling for nothing but what
that Government approves, and to grant which that
Government stands ready to put forth its sovereign
power, whenever we shall ask her constitutionally to
interfere. It is apparent, then, as there is no con-
nexion between the two subjects, there can be no
general sympathy between Reformers here and re-
pealers there. To test this question still further—
suppose the Isle of Man were sunk in the ocean to-.
day, would it directly or indirectly affect Irish re-
peal ? Or if, on the other hand, Ireland were sunk
to-day, and the Isle of Man remaining, would not her
rights to a representative government remain the same
as they now are ? and would she not pursue and pro-
secute those rights by the same means, and in the
same demonstration that she now does ?

Again, these quibblers tell us that this recent move-
ment on the island for an elective House of Keys is
but the effervescence of the moment, produced by the
arrival of the "Radical Dr. Bowring' on our shores,
who, seizing the hour of his epherperal popularity, has
roused up the elements of commotion, and set society
in a blaze. We indignantly deny this as a base per-
version of fact, and fling it' back with contempt to
the promoters and fosterers of our degraded evils.
That the Manx people are grateful to Dr. Bowring
for the efficient and effectual aid he has given them,
in redeeming them in part from the galling fetters of
the license system is true. That they would be thank-
ful to any one who should interest himself in their
favour, to tear off any of their shackles, is
not denied. But we are bold to maintain,
and we challenge refutation, that if Dr. Bowring
had done nothing for this island, but had
merely come here, proposing to aid the people
in the recovery of their rights to a free and re-
presentative government, the very cause which he
proposed to advocate, laying so near the hearts of
our people, they would have come forward in the en-
thusiasm of demonstration and hailed him as he ap-
proached our shores, as the coming benefactor of the
Manx people.