The Sun.
London, England, 1821-02-27 00:00:00

;14
4111

119 IL THE SUN.

POiATICAL ttEMAI'sKS,

ICotiOltd.:,,i from oar Pap,..r of T:stc.rtlay.l

Mn. Entrro it—l send the conclusion of the
remarks 1 extracted from a work published some
ytiars ago, and Crust that the addition made to them
will more directly point out. the. 'necessity of
niaintuining the present regulations with respect
to the admission of Metnbers of rariiftatent; to
the exclusion of the Catholics.
" Is it not essential to a gaot Romp CativAie to belim that-
his Priest hatit full power to absolve Lis -Tt4i.nly this is
impossible. To prove it unnecessary. O this principle may
he not perpetrate crimes, without l t or of cOliftience or anx-
iety as to consequenceS, since all the guilt incurred may be
expiated at no great expenCe. I gral.t• that he is ntrienable .to
fie law, and thattht furze of moral principle and terror of, the
laws-may Operate as a sahttarycheck upoa lesseT crimes. But
will Mt the influence of tiles,: moiives!be Much weakened;
when Connected with the certainty of abS'Aution, and when the
object of the crimeis the-ovorthrow of the, Protestant, and the
establishment of a Catholic succession.? • •

" Is it not essential M :a sound nom of., Catholic to practice
auricular confession ? The fact is.iradispett chi' By this Mighty
engine Catholic Priests acquire an exact kri:lWledge of the pre-
vailing inclinationi of their conftessingpenitts and the princi-
ples that govern their conduct. They became acquainted with
the most delicate and important secrets of indiv„iduals andefuni-
lies, theyare furnished wits facilities for tit: carrying on of sedi-
tious projects without opposition, and possess tfie means, of di.
recting the prejudices of their devotees to the furtherance of
their own designs, and of imposing the most profound secresy
upon all who are admitted into a cOnspiracy. Witness the re..
hellions and massacres in Ireland during two hundred years.—
In some of their. fatal conspiracies ninny hundred persons were
entrusted with the dreadful secret, and yet that secret was never
divulged till the appointed day, when die Protestants were to
be massacred, without regard to age, sex, rank, or relative con
neetions. Witness the conduct of the French Catholics on the
fatal eve of Ste Bartholomew. At a period when all ranks of
Protestants considered hostilities at an end, andwhen they were
engaged in celebrating the nuptials of a Protestant Prince and
Catholic Princess, they were surprised at midnight, by the
tolling of a bell in the Louvre, which was the signal for their
slaughter and for the extirpation of the Protestant • Faith-
thrOughout the French King's' Doniinions : seventy thousand
Protestants were slain, as the 'French King then boasted, within
a few days ; and before ti e'slauglifer closed, it is suppOsed that
300,009 Protestant Martyik Were sa:Crifiejd. Although t na-
ture of this sanguinary project, anti even the day for itS'yerpe-
tration, with the particular signal for the commencement of its
execution, were generally known among the Cadoilicsethey re-
tained the secret inviolate within their own; brests,:pAltr "01
assumed every epoesiblez 11y-lice to ""qui" -44"1511*
fidence of their devoted victims
".titte.h. was the fact, and it cannot .be contra.dietedata-That
there are virtuous men among the !atholics, is not to be denied,
but no amiableness of dietoosition in individuals can correct the
decrees of infallible Coon ifs. The Legislature of our nwn
country can recognise only official .documents of the Catholic
fait i ; and can reeptlete their opinion of its spirit and tendency
only by the effects it has produced in preceding ages.: Besides
no regular, nor authorised recantation. of their principles has
ever yet taken place ; nor.do the Catholics of the present day
pretend: to mohiply the decisions of former Councils. On
:the contrary, the opposition of the Catholic to all Other Chris-
tian associations, their union to the See of Rome, anti their ve-
neration for the authority of the -Pope, continue 'unaltered.—
These are not bare assertions. But the times; say the Atlocates
for Emancipation, are altered. New and more brilliant lights
haVe appeared" to dispel the glooin of intolerance, to elucidate
principles of civil and religious liberty; to lessen the supposed
importance of articles of faith, which the mist of past ages had
magnified, arid to diffuse a spirit of candOur; liberality; and be,
nevolenee amongst all denominations' of Cliristians. I would
ask these Gentlemen
.what. effects these
,lights, unknown to
former ages, have really produeed ;besides the scenes which
France has witnessed. Ilave these brilliant lights poured their
genial rays upon the Areitt nviSs of the Catholic population of Ire,
land ; bro:ten the fatal chariri of priestly infltience ; dissolved the
adamantine Chains of ancient infallible Councils, and raised
Os?. degraded millions of oar fellow-creatures to moral dignity
anti philosophical eminenee ? •
" But since we are told that times, and circumstances, and
men 'are changed, and that it is the wisdom of state policy to
change with them, let it be granted.—But no change of times,
circumstances, men, or mariners, can change decrees that arc
unalterable. What measures then are the English and Irish
Catholics to adopt in order to obtain complete Emancipation ?
The answer is plain and obvious. They must cancel by autho-
thOrity equal to that by which they wete established, or at least
by the highest authority of their Universal Church, convened
in Council, those Decreed of forhier Councils, which strike at
the very foundation of Peoteistant communities, for they must
separate theinselves from all obligation to those obnoxious te-
nets which, as long as they are held, must exclude'every con.:
sistent Catholic from poWer its the British Government ;" but
this they will not do.
Thus then, the cause which disqualifiei the Catholic from
becoming a gember of Parliament, is his refusal to take the
abjurathin-oath, the intent of which is well known and More-
over, the inenthers of thy Catholic. Church will not submit
that it should be in the same situation hi which the Established
Church is placed ; namely, miller the cOntroul of the civil go-
veinMent of this country. We will 'proceed to examine what
would be the consequences, • supposing the Catholic queition
was carried. The abjuration oath would no longer be admi-
nistered ;' consequently, in course Of time, the representatives
of the peopled England will be under the influence of a Fo.
reign Power, since the votes of the Catholic's would be guided
by 'the discretion of the Pope. It is. an important fact, and
should lie maturely considered, that the Catholics have a. mil-
lion and 'a half of personal estate,' lying at present unapplied
and accumulating ; with this the Catholics might purchase the
greater number of the seats in the Boroughs of the Kingdom,
since it is the highest price ensures them t the majority of the
Boroughs are in the possession of the PRESENT Whigs ; and
herein we may perceive the real principle of inducement to that
Party to advocate Catholic Emancipation; as it is m 951 erro.

•
*FA:
„

netattly.tleaihnini ted ;. for, thhit eateS tfaiehigh
„neeeiuses width eiht too ethedftildarhate tot eirjrca; *the
ecl:eitension thlitation to the Catholic's, heffeeteti; Wittld
furnish the 11 of • replaniShing aheint DIA :the only
' motive of that • Party, and- thus' they- wOuifi - teteriff eta -Pathnud
to personal interests. In few years, 'according 'le: the
-present -systeM maintained in tilt; BorOteffin, the majbrity of
them would be sold into the Catholic fainiliei,and ;; few
yeirs more their funds would be renewed, and tkia- would re-
turn, by the powerful bribe of money, the majority pt the
County Mernb.-r..i, tipeb. the pres...ut us tem,
,'lf' .an'taili
was talnainistei6ff tZ each returned representative, when la .cable
-1 e
to take his seat, -that neither directly ur indirectly, Lad he to
his knowledge procured his retnia h bribery or correption 6
any kind, and that he neither now doss ner is faiurc intialis
to reward the yoters by compensation of any sort, thrsi an ,oath
to that purpose would effectually remove the d in that Nint,
of view : the country would have men of genehte biota. naerit,
character, and property, for its reprt.sentativ,; ; far-theiridneea
meat now held out by bribery to voters to u vin II those who they
imagine will pay beat, would be withdrawn ; the people would
then choose tits man who in the County bore the highest charac.-
, ter, and possessed attfficientteal property i for, they would say,
wn
ttdteiyni stion'irniesl awi:nislsaaindtse,ialaane possessionsdotiouP hismt liswat rt
itt:on:joa:a -the
;:::::euxt•
promote our interests. The above oath
li
the County bribery, and the presentßorough st-ater else;- end
benefit the country ; then there could be noneedrplacemen;&e.
and however an ambition to exalted situatiohs Might infitteece
some, it is evident emolument could not he their object, ;end
therefore we migl tt expect reduction in the reilaries attached to
offices. It would be satisfactory even to the country, if a till
Were passed to inquire into the state of Borough towns, as to tLir
eleedve franchise; to curtail those that had illegally extended their
righti, and those that had by usurpation or negligence been de-
prived of them might have them reentered. This miel.t
be demonstrated in various. reasonings, too numenns
now to display ; but since there are large and popoleus
towns not represented, and others misrepusAtted, the
last plan of the immortal Pitt, and illustrious for an ha-
provement in the representative system, might plausibly be 2,1.
vanced, as most worthy of considefation at this time ; namely, to
destroy the distinct elective franchises in Boroughs, and to add
Knights in proportion, of those removed, to the counties. This
was the main feature, rind worthy of a Sincere, impartial; and
principled Reformer, if ;such a one is ia reality to be found
But I must return to the immediate subject now before me ; ti, a
Author to whose work I :an referring, says,. 'suavest that after
the Roman Catholics are athnitted to a share in the Legislature,
one of them, so admitted, gairte the esteetn and confidence of IAI
Sovereign, and is-chosen by him for his Prime Minister, and ee*
is admitted to rule the Councils of the Nations' ' Will not the
PrOtestants and Protestant Religinibe -Sortie dangell? Can
the most zealous advocate for the Romfai C:t.titetstWir No ?
I defy hien-IVA-hem helyhatte--hisaekwaseistsce prose far-
ther, what is not an impossible or improbable thine!) tliet a Rins-
in hoer, a (%atholiceaseende the Throw, and het such t King
has Roman Catholic .11Itenbers of tl• _A„.:11,11 liu
.wihl
havelis' confidence ? Who will guide his Cottail :.:and to
what end will they be directed ?''To the the
Ihoman Czttholie Religion, or that of Protestant ? Vet the_
Supporters of the Rmatin Catholics she: e Can thLiallitan that
the Roman Catholics will not be the faVonrites, and tqreornan
Catholic interests will not be preferred ? They cannon: Then
I affirm that a more extended toleration, bylhedlacioua
term Catholic Emancipation, is replete. with dauber,. and that it
is infatuation to grant it. . -•a • -
" But more than r have supposed may take place, for. not
only a ROman Catholic in heart may ascend the Throne, but a
Roman Catholic in professiOn too, for if you make lhornteh Ca-
tholic Legislators, will they not be able to alter nth Con oN A.
TION OATH ? Or, if they should not succeed in this, would
they not be almost in a, frenzy were the HeleApparent to, the
Throne to be debarred because he might have embraced their
religion ; and Should we not, on this account, be obliged to place
him on the Throne, though he-were a professedßoman-Catholic.
And when we had a Roman Catholic. King, and Roman Catho-
lic Members of the Legislature. what would hinder the Protes-
tant Establishment being destroyed, and a Roman entholie one
established on its ruins, and persecutiOns against Piiitcsttuits
being again conimenced ? An adyenturoits Woman Catholic
might easily do this. Is it asked how ? First, he would dis-
solve the Parliament and use the influence of the Crown in pro.
moting a return of Roman Catholic Members or favourers of
his scheme, and what he wanted here he wouldanake up by
bribery, set that he would procure a majority in the bus;.. of
Commons. Next, 'as to the House. of Lords, he could, and, no
doubt wotild, make Lords until he got a majority in that House,
provided he could get it by no other menea ; and let it be rernern.
tiered that the King cah legally make Lords at Iris pleasure, and
as many as he will. Now, having thus procured a- majority in
both Houses, what is to stop him in acceenplisliing his -designs ?
Let me ask the members of .the Established Church and the
Dissenters hoW they woald act ? Are you bad men or are
you good men ? If bad men, your only source is to rebel eif
good men, you have no resource, for a good man knows it is Lis
duty to submit to the powers that be., Now we may res:st the
endeavours of the Roman eathOlies without being rebels iivhich
thank God we may) but when they become the Constituted Au-
thorities, we cannot. Several Princes of the Blood are said to
be very zealous for Catholic Emancipation, and they Se.eiat ta
see no great difference between Popery and Protestantism,
though they are as opposite to each other as light and darkness,
fire and water. Now it' they do not conceive that there is inuea
difference in the two religions, they are not unlikely to make a
change ; and this applies in equal force to all the Members of
the Houses of Lords and Commons who think after this man.
nor. So that it is not at all improbable but that in a few years
after the Roman Catholics got into power, the majority of the
legislative body would beccime favourers of the Catholics, if
not of their religion ; and when the Roman Catholics shall
have got the ascendancy, the Protestants may tremble, and
justly so, for the Catholics never could have got the ascen-
dancy, so far as man can judge, but through the folly, the in-
fatuation of the Protestants.' •It is now rumoured that Mi-
nisters intend to concede every thing to the Catholics but a seat
in Parliament. If, however, they do concede them thus much,
they do in effect concede every thing,. fortevery thing else must
be conceded if thus Much is granted. Suppose a Roman ca_
tholie is appointed to a command in the Army or Navy, and he
is as successful an a Wellington or a Nelaou, and the Roman
Catholics then petition for a seat in Parliament. Will they not
obtain it ? Most certainly. Never then should any further con.
cessions be granted ; we have made concessions too many al.
ready, and they have never given satisfaction, but have only en.
couraged the Romanist& to make new demands. ~

Y... ~....... , ;77y .
,- lIT,,
...ttek.kr..., -- , ltt
.4'. -,lk;
...,:it
:" •'' % Orr , I,f• ti
; i ,
..._....
- ly." 4:1211-,b45N1
zt .