The Sun.
London, England, 1828-10-25 00:00:00

but he felt bound to deny that the Catholics of the
present day entertained such feelings ; they no
longer entertained hostility to civil and religious li-
berty. (Cries of " they do.") One point he must
draw their attention to. It had been said that Eman-
cipation would be dangeroes to the Constitution, but
he knew something of Ireland, and he would ask
the meeting, if there was no danger in driving the
Catholics to madness ? Was it not more dangerous
to do that than to adopt a measure by which pas_
haps one half dozen (certainly not more) of Peers
would be admitted to the House of Lords, and
about ten or twenty Members to the House of Com-
mons. Allusion had been made to the power exer-
cised by the Catholic Association, and by the Ca-
tholic Priesthood ; but lie would ask, why it was
that the Catholic Association and the priests pos-
sessed ibis power ? (Cheers.) Because they had
raised resources more to obtain a renewal of their
civil rights. (Cheers.) It was the people led the
priests, and not the priests the people. (Cheering.)
Let the people then be restored to their rights, and
property would resume its natural sway, if they were
admitted with a good grace; but if they coveted un-
til they were compelled to restore them, the conse-
quences might be very different. He was persuaded
that the Catholics could not abuse the power that
would be granted them if they would, and he was
(pally persuaded they would not if they could.(Cheers)
Ireland was now quiet, and why was it so ? It was
because of the exertions of that very Association
which they had vainly attempted to put down. He
told the Members of the Legislature if the griev-
ances of Ireland were not speedily settled, they
would have to conquer Ireland again, and then they
must look to their pockets. The Noble Earl ap-
pealed, not to their fears, but to their justice. The
Roman Catholics asked for rights to which they were
entitled. (Cries of " No, no.") Those who were
in Ireland in 1822 would know that Government
pledged themselves to remove the complaints of
Ireland, six months after Dumourier invaded
Holland, and The Catholics enabled the Duke of
York to oppose him. A freeholder had told him
there was danger in making concessions to Ireland,
but was there a man in his senses that could believe
that to be the fact ? England and Ireland united
might defy the world. (" So we can now.") The
Noble Lord said he was in the discharge of an
important duty, and he should. say that it was dis-
graceful to those who set on foot these unfortunate
Clubs, for so -he must call theado •He gave his
Noble Friend credit for the purity of his motives;
but he thought that the Constitution would be beet
preserved by giving civil and religious libertine. His
hope was that the mooting would consider well what
w as asked—(Cries of, we have ! we have !)—Wheie
did these Brunswick Clubs take their origin. From
e Jacobins of France.—(For shame my Lord.)—
The Noble Duke at the head of his illajesty'e.Go-
vernintant would act wisely in conceding the claims
made by his Irish countrymen.
Lord WINCHELSEA presented himself amid loud
cheers.
Mr. SatEL presented himself at the same time,
and was also greatly cheered by his friends.
After the contest of cheering'! 1 d for sometime
continued, the Under-Sheriff address the meeting
and said the High-Sheriff begged him to state, that
lord Winchelsea had first been observed by. him.
Mr. Shiel immediately retired, and Lord Win-
chelsea proceeded to address the meeting—Men
of Kent and brother Freeholders, I stand before you
this day in the avowed character of a Freeholder
.. of Kent, a county that I will boldly assert, notwith-
standing the illiberality which has been imputed to
it, stands second .to none in high-minded principles
and liberal feelings—a county which I trust will this
day prove that, as it was the last to surrender its
• liberty to a foreign monarch,it will be the first to sup-
port that Protestant Constitution which is insepa-
rably united with civil and religious liberty. In
offering a few observations to the Meeting, he
begged to state, that in withholding his support from
the measure which would give to Catholics the
power to legislate for the Constitution and religioni
they were bound to destroy,—he was influenced-by
no feelings of personal hostility. With many Cu-
tholica he lived on terms cf the sincerest anti warmest
friendship, which he 'trusted would not be dimi.
flushed by the part he conscientiously felt himself
bound to take in the proceedings in the present
question. His hostility was not to the members but to
the principles of the Catholic Church. A church
which doomed to its votaries the right of judgment
must for ever militate against civil and- religious
liberty, and to the last hour of his life he would en-
deavour to prevent the votaries of such a church
from legislating for the Protestant Constitution of
this empire,—(Cheers.) • He would not waste the
time of the meeting in tracing through history the
proofs of the intolerant principles. which governed
that church, nor harrow up their feelings by reciting
the melancholy scenes that ware to be found in the
pages of the history
of our own country, when-
ever power was in possession of its members.
There were sufficient proofs in the events that
took place between the periods of the Reformation
and the Revolution, 1688, that the power of the
Church of Rome was inconsistent with the safety
of our Protestant Institutions, and it became neces-
sary for their security to exclude the House of
Stiiarts from the throne, and to place the sceptre
on the heads of the Sovereign of the house of
Brunswick, who, he trusted, would never abandon
the principles they had pledged themselves on
the altar of God to support. (Loud cheers.)
They had been accused of endeavouring by
means of a club to dictate to the Government. He
denied the accusation. All the club had said was
that they admired and loved, and would support the
Protestant Constitution, which made a Protestant
Government the protectors of the country in every
Blass of its inhabitants. If h were said that political
power wan the right of every one, he would deny
the position, he would gy that the
apersons exercis-
ing the powers of the Constitution in every coun-
try were justified in enacting laws necessary for
its support, and if any man refused to • conform
to their laws, they were justly to be excluded
from possessing the powers of Government, • The
Roman Catholics are in full enjoyment of th-ir
opinion and their property, and if tiny law aiasasoas
posed to deprive
.them of those henetitaa he e would
be the first to stand up to oppose it.--(Cheers.)--
I never have shown, condoned his Lordship, and I
hope never shall show, myself intolerant. (Cheers.)
All she people who may live under me have, lairai
sure, no reason to complain on this account ; and,
"
in any little favour it may be in my power to bestow,
I never make any difference between persons of dif-
ferent religious persuasions. It is because I am
a
friend to civil and-religious liberty, that I oppose the
admission of the Catholics to political power.—that
I oppose all further concessions to them, and shall
oppose all such concessions, till they openly abjure
the principles which are the distinguishing charac-
teristic of 'their Church—till they are liberated from
that spiritual thrafdom under which they now labonr,
and which atlecti all their conduct, both spiritual
ond temporal ;—tilt that time,. I shall give my
conscientious, vote to support the law as it now
stands. (Cheers;) This was the ground•on whieh
he stood forward on every occasion. Let no one
imagine the principles of that religion had changed,
let them 100 to the state of Spain and Portugal,
where persecution existed in its most frighful form,
and to the state of thraldom in which the
peasantry
of Ireland were placed. They should not be de-
ceived. Those who said that the Catholic religion
had undergone a change should take the period when
it took place, and prove the reality of the changes
by its effects, otherwise the assertion must be rr..
garded as an attempt to impose on the under-
standings of Protestants. (Applause and loud cheers.)
Let those who enjoy the interest of the soil ill'lreo
land pay in their purse for the disturbance they oc-
casion in Ireland. A petition was sent to bun, cira
culated in Drogheda, which was sO. intolerant . to.
wards Protestants, that he would give it to the'rneete
ing. The names of Protestants were posted.up, nnd
all Catholics were precluded from trading whh them.
This proved the tolerant spirit of the Roman Cm