The Sun.
London, England, 1821-04-16 00:00:00

CATHOLIC, ENSLAVEMENT BILL.

[From the CalAolie ddaecate.]

" The opposition to this Bill, we are happy to
aee, increases every day in Ireland. The Ca-
tholic Clergy of Waterford, Carlow, Cork, Ar-
tlagh, Clonfert, Cloync and Ross, Killaloe,
Aabeau, and
.Prozhedal have met and. denounc-
ed the restriction clauses as injurious and sub-
versive of the free exercise of their religion. _

*`,An aggregate meeting of -the Catholics of the
county of Kerry Was held at Tralee on the 31st
tit. when resoletions protesting against the Veto-
istical clauses were entered into. On Monday
the 2d instant, a meeting of the Catholics of the
county- and city of Cork was held. in Care7's-
lane chapel, and exceeded in numbers and re-
spectability any thing of the kind which took
place• in Cork for some years. In one of the re-
solutions passed by this assembly they say—
' We do for ourselves and our children protest
against that bill passing into a law, as it would
be more oppressive, penal, and afflictive to con-
science and religion, than any statute in force in
Ireland during the blackest days of persecution
and bigotry.' We are also glad to see this meet-
in take the measure up as infringing their civil'
-rights; and affecting those of their Protestant
Countrymen, an:l retarding the progress of the
great national Cause of Parliamentary Reform.
On this subject the meeting came to the follow-
ing resolution : •

"Tat we deem it a duty 10-ich we owe to our Protestant
Fellow-coantryrnen, as well as to ourselves, to declare our firm
and decided opposition to the said intercourse Bill, inasmuch
'as we deem it a meas7ro calculated to increase the already
overgrown influence of the Crown, and to gic.e to Ministers the
-patronage of another Church, and thereby to aggravate all the
evils of the Fesmt systzrn, and accumulate fresh difficulties in
the way of necessary reform and rational liberty."

" Previous to moving the resolutions, Counsel-
lor Coppinger addressed the meeting in a speech
replete with eloquence, spirit, and forcible rea-
soning. After describing in glowing terms the
insult offered to the people of Ireland, by Mr.
Plunkett, in attempting to sully the fair fame of
the successors of St. Patrick, by providing
vouchers for their I)eaceable conduct, when they
are, by their sacred office, the harbingers of peace;
and noticing the outrageous injustice of this
Learned Gentleman, who would prevent ' the
Catholic youths of Ireland from obtaining the re-
-wards of honourable ambition in their native uni-
versity, and carefully exclude Catholics from an v
voice in parish vestries, or even from voting at
the election of a churchwarden,' yet would, at
the same time,.' place the entire government of
their church, the appointment of their bishops
and deans, for the power given by the bill vir-
tually amounts to this., and even their private
communications with the see of Rome, under the
controul of a body of Protestants,' as a prac-
tical measure' to satisfy and conciliate all parties,
Mr. Coppinger goes on,—

" It has been said that the provisions of Mr. Plunkett's
Bill only affect the clergy, and that they alone are called upon
todnteriere : but surely any measure which strikes at the purity
and stability of a religion, of Which they are but the ministers,
meet rouse the feelings of every sincere member of that religion,
andonake him raise his voice while there is yet time in its sacred
defence ; the Catholic prelates and the clergy of Irelend braved
perse.eution in its fiercest shape, and never abandoned their
Locks in the. worst of times ; and shall we, at a crisis like the
;resent, when the trumpet of alarm hes been sounded, stand
aloof from the danger, and suffer - this venerable body to sus-
tain the whole brunt of the battle.l--(Applause, and cries of
nerer, never.)--Has the noble, high minded character of our
et:a:nary been entirely changed ? I-ks the spirit of her children
at length evaporated, away a And must Irishmen upon all oc-
casions be actuated by no higher of worthier motives, than a
low, -sordid, calculating policy? Must the tenderest ties that
bind satiety together, must even religion itself, too, be made a
subject of trafh.c ? And must all considerations now be sacri-
eed to the sordid desire of wealth, and place, and polder ?
(lf ear, hear !)-But 1 know my Cathciic countrymen too well,
to fear that they will Dever barter their venerable religion for
any temporal advantages whatsoever. This religion is doubly
. deer to us at the present moment, both as Irishmen, and as Ca-
friars', it, is the only remaining monument of Ireland's former
. greatness and prosperity;. it is the only existing record to tell us
that we were once a nation.—(Loud applause.) •
" The genius of Universal Emancipation is now abroad ;
already, with the rapidity of lightning, is she spreading her
benign, influence over the Nations of the 'World ;—and shall the
Catholic people cf Ireland, at sad) a crisis, think of surrendering
the last remnant of their country's liberty without remonstrance?
Is tale the moment to enter into a disgraceful compromise, and
for a few temporal-privileges to disregard the interests of our holy
religion, and hand over our clergy, bound hands and feet, to the
.runes ter of the dey?—(Loud cries of we never will.)—Better,
far better, to end our days in slavery; than accept Einancipa-
. ton under the degrading conditions in Mr. P.'s bill of pains and
penalties.; and, for my own part, I would sooner,see the Penal
Cede re-enacted, than become a consenting party .to the
passing of this Bill—(Cheers),—convinced as I am that it would.
be the' death-blow not only to the Catholic religion in Ire-
land,•,bot to the remaining -liberties.of -the. country; it would
besides materially strengthen the forces of corruption, by in-
creasing, the already overgrown influence of the. Crown—and
the mere passing of such a Mlle should •it unfortunately be-
come alaw, must prove the necessity of a REAL REFORM in
Pa:liarnent.; for without this measure, it is in vain for the
4l,tholica of Ireland to look for any thing like satisfactory re-
It is to h. RF.FORTALD PARLIAM.T.;4I. it.LOSE they may
ape wieh confident prospecte of success, and with a certainty
et beingreStored to the full and 'unrestricted enjoyment of their
• long withheld rights.
1.4'4 11§. by our resolutions this day go hand in hand with
crir ele'rgy, iJ eraeating the prograeas of measures, the melan-
..a.liely- coesequeeces of•which it is. painful to contemplate; and
while- we would gratefully bail any relaxation of our civil dis-
abilities, unaccompanied by religious restrictions let us prove
to the World, that freedom haa no. allurement; sufficient to make
ue reel-like our religion fez its attainment ; this religion, like
is lit;:..-. :-Teeven, guided. our forefathers through the dark
a'=.ea; of persecution ; .to ttensmit this proud
, eel 7 and-unimpaired-to the: posterity, they nobly
teve-lfecee.. .! eould be dear to man, even life itself; to pre-
veeeelane depoeit inviolate, is a solemn duty we owe our
Blvd, our country, ourselves, and posterity; and whether the
glorious Sun of lailierty is about to appearoabove our horizon,
cr the dark night of Slavery is still to hang over our country,
/et us at least endeavour to preserve from danger the purity and
independence of the Catholic Church in Ireland."
" Oh ! *hat a contrast have we here between
the'noble sentiments of this truly patriotic and
independent friend to his country and liberty,
and the grovelling language of the poor things
who call themselves the Catholic board. and who
boast of their high pedigree and descent from the
barons of Runnymede. These latter creatures,
for we cannot term them men, have fawningly
thanked the two factions of the Lower,House for
haring passed a bill which must consign their
clergy to chains and probably to dungeons, should
it ultimately become a law. So far as A PART of
the ENGLISH clergy are concerned, we think they
deserve no pity, as they have shown themselves
too read!' to lend their aid in favour of the macui-
vutions of their betrayer's, and support the system
which is- bent upon TUNIR. destruction. However,
*e trust, the time is not far distant when they
-will discover their folly, and retract their errors
before it is too late."' .