The Sun.
London, England, 1826-06-05 00:00:00

TUE. LONDON JOURNALS.

DAILY EXTRACTS FROM THE MORNING PAPRRS,

JUNR 5, 1826.

[Pus: Tisik,s.]
The Irish Catholics, through their leaders, have
often so behaVed, as to discourage or distrust a large
proportion of the friends:who were pledged in support'
of their emancipation ; and in the same degree to
animate their numerous enemies with the hope of
extinguishing a just cause, or of retarding inde-
finitely any measures by which it might be assisted.
But it is not wise to look at emancipation as a
personal favour, to be granted or withheld as one
clasi, or even a generation of men, much less as a few
individuals out of millions, may conductl themselves
at certain periods. National measures: must be decided
,
on grounds that are general and enduring. Phut
Government would at once degenerate into a faction,
which suffered itself to be swayed out of a Oven
course of policy, by each or any, of the minor factions
which 'might grow Hite, ephemeral importance under
it, or which deemed worthy of listing resentment the
freaks of levity, intemperance, or virulence, which
wounded vanity or mortified ambition may suggest to
the passing demagogue of the hour. But, whatever
are, or ought to be, the views of a Government in its
deliberate policy, violence always infects those who
form no part of the Government, whether individuals
or communities, oti every side of great public
(itiestions. The State may act upon fixed prin-
ciples—the nation almost invariably on it feelings.—
The Catholic Question is that, unfortunately, on
which the mind of Englishmen has for two years past
been most susceptible of strong excitement. We say
unfortunately, because so much evil has ever been
occasioned, by quarrels of which religious difference
forined an essential part ; and because, so serious are
the accidental difficulties which beset the present mat-
, ter in dispute, we can scarcely venture to anticipate
. that it wilt not be of long duration. Very worthy and
respectable men have addressed the country on this
great subject of universal interest, and are struggling
hard in all 9.l..!Fters to extend their own opinions of
W its merits. hatever we are justified in imputing to
Irish politicians, as time real character of the motives
which have usually stimulated them to oppose the
emancipation ofthe Catholics, we are thoroughly satisfied
that where such hostility to the cause exists among the
educated portion: of English society, it is a strictly
honest and conscientious opposition—built, indeed, as
we sire bound by our own convictions to believe, upon
prejudice not thoroughly sifted, upon history Unskil-
fully resorted to, and a gradual and general change of
seasons disregarded—but still a reluctance to remodify
the constitution, closely allied with sound attachment
to the principles of civil and. religious liberty, and with
salutary recollections of the dangers which those paris
mount blessings have in former times escaped. In
this spirit we have looked over a pamphlet pub-
lished by Sergeant Cross, entitled, " Papal Supre-
" wary, and manifestly desined to produM an
effect unfriendly to the cause of our Catholic fellow-
subjects on the, electors of England now about to
choose their representatives. This pamphlet is written
with :clearness, ;111(1 the author states his argument,
such as it is, (and if no better argument be fortheorn-
big, the fault is in the subject, not in him), with suf-
ficient fairness and cogency. lie traces the history of
the Pspal usurpation, and assigns its limits, or rather,
indeed, endeavours to prove that it has none, tit least
that there are none to its encroachments, where an oppor-
tunity oilers for extending them, This is sane by treat-
ing of the influence exhibited of the See of Rome at dif-
ferent periods, as before the Reformation, during that
great change, and since; the _attempts for its restora-
tion, in the time of Philip and Mary ; in that of
James ; with time present condition of the Papal power
in frplaiul.' The various questions arising out of the
several branches of the subject are not new ; in our
,041,gineni, we have a right to say that they have been
over and over settled, so far as argument could quiet
then), but in a sense directly opposite to that adopted
by Sergeant Cross. There appears to us, in tact,
nothing new with respect either to the matter of this
gentleman's work or to the arrangement of it. Both,
however, aswelins the station, the talents, and inten-
tions of the. ..writer, entitle him to be considered with
respeet. If the Popish prieStbood be ambitious, and
orasying, and dangerous, our short answer to all these
te'roporltions is, deprive them of the laity for instru-
mento, lq giving the latter a stake and interest in the
monarchy too 'chop to be tampered with by the priest-
hood. Between exterminating the Catholics, which
Cromwell fitiled of afrecti»g—unhappily, perhaps, for
the present generation—and making them our friends,
there is no sane alternative.