The Sun.
London, England, 1829-03-06 00:00:00

Mr. Perceval died : it is asserted by some that if he
had lived the Government opposed to concession !night
still be continued ; but, Sir, 1 doubt that assertion.--
After his Government it is to be rememlasred that the re-
strictions upon the Regene.v etril'tti, and one month
after that the Parlittaeft't 'expired, and the new Pa,lia•
trient decided, by 'a majority of 139. to take the ques-
tion it't.O.etinsidefation. If Mr. Pereeval's Government had
t*ta established upon principles of map:lined and perwa-
tient opposition. Lord Castlerea4h and Mr. Canning would
never have been Members of his Cabinet. Since the year
1812, the Catholic Question has been a neutral question, each
man being allowed to take his own course, and to vote
tecoreling- to his own pleasure upon it. During the
course of that time the Cabinet hoi been tea*try rtV ided
1111,1 the question. Sometimes 'there haVe been seven to
eitt in favour of ElrlaYlci t id4l.flnrti aometitnes only six to seven
bis been arrant I.le proportion, but the Cabinet ha,
alilys'eit,en equally or nearly so divided. Thus have we
lii going on with divided Goverianents, with Lord 1.-eras
tenants, and with Attornics' and Selicitors'-Genera!',
tainiug different views upon aquestion tift'aetitat importance,
to the country, for the matt 'a'w‘itiell they were govern-
ing, and for the r. ease of which they were responsible.
' The oottaT'tle'nce of all this was that hououtahle men were
d—end pu ties were formed using the names on either
side without the wish or sanction of those persons to whom
I allude. The result of all this Ills been that it
want of energy has been introduced into the admi-
nistration of affairs in Ireland, And this is one
reason for attempting finally Yo fettle that question.—
Lei: oft ask, Sir, what I‘ai "Otssed with respect to the divi-
altins in this House? The House of Commons has re-
peatedly sn the question for the last ten years,
I and as t have alre sly said from out of five of the divisions
tit the House of Commons the last five Parliaments
have been in favour of the Catholic Question.—(Cheers. )
It is ti toa Sir, th it one Parliament did resist this mea-
sure, but they did so by a m:ijority of 243 to 241—(Hear,
hear.)—and this forms the single exception to the rule.
When the Question was brought forward in 1819, there
was a majority of two against it. In 1821, there was
a Majority of six in its favour ; and in 1824 also, a Bill
actually passed by a majority of nineteen. In 1822,
a Bit 413,, passed Fay a majority of fire. In 1824,
the . question was not brought forward.—(Hear.)—
In 1825 it was carried by a majority of 21. In 1826 a
new Parliament was elected ; and in 1827 that Parlia-
ment decided against the consideration of the Catho-
lic Claims by a majority of four. In 1828, how-
ever, the same Parliament decided in favour of
taking those claims into consideration by a majority of
six. What but injurious consequence* to the Government
could result from thus having a divided Cabinet—the
House of Lords dividing against the House of Commons,
and the House of Commons itself so equally divided,
and the strength of each party so nicely balanced, that
neither could do otherwise than paralyse the efforts of
the other? (Cheers.) With respect to the present
House of Commons, it was elected in 1826, and
I ask, Sir, is this House of Commons an unfair
representation of the people with respect to the
Catholic Question?---(Great cheers.)—Was it elected at
a time when public opinion was ant alive to the carrying
of this question.—(lmmense cheering.)—lt was elected
in the year 1825, after its predecessor twice car-
, ried Bills through the House for the relief of the
Roman Catholics. The evils, too, of the Roman Catholic
Association had been felt at the time, and their proceedings
were so well known through the country and in this House
that Bills had been pissed for its suppression. It is
clear then, that public attention had been called to this
question, and if a general desire existed to prevent the Ca-
tholics front sharing the benefits of the Constitution,
then was the tune for the public voice to have made
itself heard.—(Hear, hear.)—lt is hard to fight the con-
stant battle of opposition without the materials for
doing it. It is hard to be compelled ta tarry on the Go-
vernment of Ireland, with the House of Lords opposed
to the House of Commona, and the Commons divided
against itst-b.—and at the same time to be held respon-
sible for withholding so very important a measore.—
I ask your, Sir, to look at the returns of Menalsera of
Parliament to this House, and when I am told that the
Eelinga of the country are unanimous in direct op-
position to this Question, I answer by reference to
the repeated divisions in this House. If the feeling
is unanimous against Emancipation, why has it not
manifested itaelf, not by petitions from various parts of
the country ; but in the proper way, by the Elective Fran-
chise, sir as to paralyse all resistance.—(Cheers.)---I asked
Sir, the day before yesterday an Hon. Friend of mine,
`to select fifteen counties containing the 'argent poptda-

tion, and to select also twenty of the largest ta,wns, con-
taining also the largest'population, and returning Members
to Parliament—and to make out fur me a return of the
Members for each, and the manner in which they had voted,
in order that I might judge whether I—the individual on
whom the burden was thrown—was justified in continuing
to resist al: concession, and that I might judge upon what
grounds it was stated that the feelings of the people
were so much again 4 concession. The counties were
selected only on the ground of the population, and
the fact* to be deduced were most impoi tent, for if we are
responsible for the conduct of the affairs of Ireland, and if
an important measure is prayed for and pressed by the
Protestant population of England, the responsibility is
great to those who oppose th it measure. The Protestant
oopulation of England have, by their representatives
to Parliament, declared themselves in favour of con-
cessicn. In the Parliament elected in 1846, the following
counties were dins represented. York gave no opinion
for it sent two Members to vote one way and two the other.
(Lenghter,and an expression ofdisaent from one Member.) I
said, Sir, th.at I was to be governed, as to their opinions,
by the representatives returned by the counties, and not
by any opinions expres-ed in petitiona—and I declare,
Sir, that when I resisted this question, I never was a
party to the getting up of a singe petition against it.
It might be and, that the country had had no warning,
and tl,at I ought to put it on its guard. Sir, I say,
never, mkt- any circumstance., will I consent to in-
!lime the country.—(Tremendous cheering.)—Tlie pen-
pe are the proper judges as to whom they will re-
turn to represent them ; and when I w:y that the
opinion in York goes for nothing; I do not wean that
York may not have a very strong feeling upon tLe sub-
ject, but I do say, that they have expres,ed none as af-
fording me the instrument—the means of judging of that
opiniou.—(Loud cheers.) Middlesex has returned two
Members, both in favour of the Catholics. Lancashire
has,declined to express any opinion upon the subject—
(Laughter),—having returned one Member for and another
against it. Devonshire has followed the example of Lanca-
shire and Kent is precisely in the same condition.—
Surrey is the same—but here Somerset comes as an ex-
ception, having returned two Members ; and I do not say
they represent the true feeling of the county, but they have
uniformly voted against any concession to the Catholics.—
Norfolk has returned two in favour of the Catholics :

Stafford two also in favour of Catholics. Gloucester
one fur and one against ; Essex the same; Hampshire both
opposed ; and Wat wick, Lincoln and Suffolk, all divided.
Thus, Sir, I must either Ray that this unanimity against
the Catholics does not exist—or that others also have aban-
doned their duty. The result then, Sir, from these 15
Counties is this—that fittern Members have voted
against concessions to the Catholics, and seventeen for
those concessions—an.l that after a former House of Com-

moos had twice passed Bills of Relief for the Catholics.
I was never more sure of any fact than that no ma-
jorities will enable you to compete with the evils of Ire-
and by a system of opposition to the Claims of the Roman
Catholics. Assured that Government will he enabled to
carry the Bill for suppressing the Association, I beg you
to consider how the government of Ireland is to be
maintained with the weight of public opinion opposed
to it ? In 1828, of the County Members who voted on
the question 45 were in favour of emancipation, and
16 in opposition to it.—(Hear, hear.)—Of the principal
Towns and Boroughs, 16 were against it, and 17
in favour, the gross numbers were therefore 61 in favour
and 33 against. Thus far you see the deliberate opinion of
the people of England, which has been decidedly expressed
for twenty years ; it is unfair, therefore, to
throw upon me tile whole responsibility of the
measure. Let any man who has watched the debates
of this House, notice the different speakers who have
taken part for and against the measure. I hold in
my hand a list of those who took part for and
against it ; but it would be invidious in ins to proclaim it.
Many of those, who now take a part against the intended
measure, do it out of their great zeal for the Protestant
Establishment. But, Sir, I am surprised that those:llcm-
bent could let this question pass so many years without
opening their mouths ; that they should all at once
become so violent.—(Loud cries of hear, hear, from all
parts of the House,)—lt is too bad, Sir, I repeat, for those
who, before the year 1829, never resisted this question, to
come forward, and now accuse me of want of zeal for the
Protestant establishment. The Hon. Member for Kent would
have shown his consistency in corning forward to oppose this
question upon former occasions, much more than by
summoning the people of England to Penenden-heath.
(Cheers.) The question is, Sir, how long can this measure
be resisted. Are not the younger Members of this House
enlisted in the service of Emancipation? Many of them
arc its eloquent advocates. Note, Sir, this is the state
in which the Government and Parliament have been