The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-08 00:00:00

4*,trottb;i'llitton

SUN OFFICE Three o'Cluck.

The Herald of this morning, in an article denunciatory
of Mr. Sergvant MURPHY'S motion for repealing so much
of the old municipal law• of Ireland as regulates the tem-
poralities of the Established Church of that country,
,ibservei with more than Grandame prudence and saga-
:

The Church of Ireland has alr,ady suffered too much in its
emvoralities ; and any further appropriation or deprivation of
its revenues, whether propos•?d by Governmest or the Opposi-
tion, must be resolutely opposed by all who desire to ensure the
continuance of the Establishment either in England or Ireland.
The formdation then of the Established Church of
England and Ireland is money—is the Mammon of Ini-
quity. Only destroy the temporalities of the Church,
admits the pious and venerable Herald, and the spiri-
tutlities all disappear. The ten persecutions of the
Christians under the Roman Emperors assisted so much
towards the propagation of the faith, that it passed into
a proverb among the early Fathers that the " blood of
the martyrs was the seed of the Church." Had these
wicked Emperors, according to the reasoning of the
Herald, instead of cutting off the heads of Chris-
tian ecclesiastics or casting them alive into amphi-
thieatres to be devoured by wild beasts, only con-
trived to take away their stipends, the Christian
religion would have long since disappeared from the
world. Cease to tax the Roman Catholics of Ireland
for the maintenance of the Protestant Church, and from
that moment, quoth the Herald, it ceases to exist. The
entire staff of the Ritablishment, consisting of arch-
sh ups, Lishc.ps, deans, rectors, curates, chaunters,
clerks, pew-openers, and grave-diggers, dies of inanition
the instant it is left to subsist on the charities of pure
Peotostants. No penny, no paternoster. But the worst
of the business is the pa,terAoster must be paid for by the
person for whom it is not offered as a prayer but as a

Now we protest entirely against this doctrine. We
contend that the burdens imposed upon the Irish Catho-
lics far the maintenance of the Protestant Church have
destroyed the influence of that Church in Ireland. No
thing can prosper long which has dishonesty for its basis.
Now the Protestant Church in Ireland was founded
in fraud, in violence, in oppression, and in open and
avowed robbery. It has not prospered, and it never can
prover while this system continues. Bishops, indeed,
may fatten, and rectors grow rosy in the gills, but there
will be no increase of the flock. The State shepherds
moy pipe it merrily, but their starveling herds will dis-
'Dery in search of other pastures and pen-folds. If it
b,. 0.11 more importance that there should be a
r:ch plies! hood than a believing people, then
the Irish Established Church, as it now exists,
ought by ail means to be supported, but not
otherwise. Were it left wholly to us to adopt measures
for extenling till reformed faith in Ireland, we would
begin with ab.dishing all compulsory payments by Ito-
man Catholics; Presbyterians, Quakers, and other Dis-
senters, towards the support of any religion in whose
tenets they (lid not believe. We would arm the minis-
ters of the Christian religion with the Gospel instead of
with a dragooning, robbery-enforcing Act of Parlia-
ment, and send them forth as missionaries of peace, and
love, and charity towards all, instead of, as vampires, to
feed upon the corpse of the Church of Rome.

uhf the evil complained of by Mr. Sergeant MURPHY
last night, is one so recently created that even
precedent cannot be pleaded for its continuance.
Before the passing of the Irish Municipal Reform
Bill, the Irish corporations were composed entirely
of Protestants, and they imposed what charges
they pleased upon the inhabitants of corporate towns
to maintain the Cturch. This was perfectly
justifiable, when the Act of 1675, which gave them that
power, was passed. The Catholics were then excluded
from residence in cm•porate towns, se that the imp,,st
was levied upon Protestants. Gradually the penal

statutes fell more or less into desuetude. The
Cathohos clustered round the outskirts of the towns,

gyadually gained a footing within them, and now

form the majority of the inhabitants. They,
therefore, naturally ask the House of Commons
to protect them against the injurious operation of a law
'which the framers never contemplated would affect them,
axd immediately a shout is raised of the •' Church in

danger." What surprisingly thick skulls those men
must have who scribble Church articles for Tory journals.

In the course of last night's important debate on Mr.
BnatEe.4AN's motion, Mr. WALLACE, after telling the
ministry eltly that want of confidence in their caring
for a famishing people Was an additional reason for his
suppertir , the motion, read some useful papers to the
„e.
House. One or these showed that it was by no means
uncommon to apply public mon:y to. execute great national
works, which, in fact, was employog those out of work
in a legitimate manner from the public purse. He
showed that with road-making, forming harbours, canals
docks, bridges, and a great many other'things, and,
among ether less worthy purposes, the building of
churches, where probably none were required, that np- •
wards of pine millions of money had been expended,
and that six or seven millions more had been lent on
Exchequer for similar purposes. And the Hon.
Member con ended that there never was a time when
grants of public money would be so thankfully received
and so well applied as now, for the execution of usefit
national improvemonts in any part of the empire. He
then quoted the fidlolving from a speech of " the Heaven-
born Minister," Mr. Pim It was on his seeing
a Deputatioe from Bolton respecting a law about wages;
that ME. PITT said, "Bat this law won't protect you
from being again visited by distress; whenever that shall
bappen., apply- to Parliaexent. If Parliament is not
sitting, it. must bo eorivened ; if it cannot give you relief;
its function are ar to end. Tell not me that Parliament is
tumble. Parliament is omnipotent to protect." "So I say,"
said Mr. WALLACE. Parliament is able to protect, and
must be made wilily-1;7. The lion. Member concluded
his very animated, through short, speech, by declaring
his willingness to bri; 7g- oft the repeal of the present
Corn-law in the pres era session, and to join in any
iwasure, even in that of stopping the supplies, unless
Ministers should make lit explicit declaration in the
to the measure mailer eon-
House that they would re of
sideration, or eibers, ratkr 4 lan allow the famishing mu_