Star.
London, England, 1829-05-22 00:00:00

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wan Alt eidettito lak• gds w*a.,.re direAsuVre-in
• Milne thatt fiked
hit 'Mr.' Rice's) pa* if*,
tacleacy. than that the jritalltel tobthellew..
writ. Before he wontlutifier lik wish‘ad.tiristeniad the
thin.. that on the Committee on the Reliaf Bill the
Iton. Member for-Doilin was disposed to suggest an
amendment on 'Melanie applying to Catholics'elected
before the enectminft of the Bill. Ile.(Mr. S. Rice) stated
on that eceasionlliat Mr. O'Connell did not wilt that
a qsaidon personal to himself *odd be int/odor:et' if
it were thought calculated to injure the general cause
of emancipation, which: be (ripened to bemery beneficial
to Ireland. He thisilg.).atlded at the time that he made
. that communication oo the part of auother,and expressed
no opinion of his own on the 'abject. If Mr. O'Connell
hid petitioned' for' relit then, indeed, such a request
might be pied in law tphis (Mr.ltiee's) motion. But the
proposition was not Mr. O'Connell's, but his, and it was
founded on no motive but that of public expediency and
a regard'for the public peace. It was worthy of remark
that the Solicitor General had moved for the new writ
only on Tuesday lest. Now, he must complain of the
breathless haste of the Learned Gent.'s progress. Bin die
Learned Gentleman's subsequent conduct was still mine
censorable. and indeed unparAlleled in the record; of Par-
liament. namely. that be should have proposed a motion
for which, as impracticable, he was this night obliged
to substitute another. Some Members thought th.t Mr.
O'Connell vacated as a matter of course on his refusing
to take theoath ; but that was not the fact. The House was
not compelled by any statute to declare the seat vacant.
It was quite a matter of discretion to the House to du
so or not. Archdales case, as quoted by the Solicitor.;
General, proved nothing otherwise. It was not impe-
rative on the House to declare the seat vacant. They'
bads right to decide it on the ground of expediency.—
The casesofFanshaw and Moosoo baying been attended
on different circumstances were inapplie.rble to the pre-
sent. Archdale's case was the only one that applied.
The precipitancy of the Solicitor-General's measure was
injurious in' another way—it deprived Mr. O'Connell
of the opportunity of applying for the Chiltern hun-
dred.. But in defence of that baste it was argued
that it was proper to issue the new writ with a
view to supply the full complement .of Members to
the /louse; but his (Mr. Spring Rice's) motion would
accomplish that object as effectually as the motion for a
new writ. If, indeed, the electors for Clare bad pd.
tinned for a new writ. that might have been some reason
for it: But the doctrine of keeping up the fullness of
the House in the matter of representation had not been
so closely observed in former times in respect to Clare,
for it might be recollected that Clare bad been, before
now, represented by a Member holding the place of
Ambassador to the Coon of Stockholm. What bad
become tithe doctrine of fullness of representation then?
If there had been a complaint from the constituents of
the Honourable, Member for Clare, he could 'then see
the propriety of granting a new writ; but in issuing it
without such a complaint being made, was bringing'the
noose of Commons into contact with spangle individual,
and mating the risk of making Mr.O'Conoell a political
-martyr, and of again disuniting and distracting Ireland.
la every case of the kind the generality of the people
wile disposed to sympathise with the individual against
whom the House of Commons exercised their power.—
An instance of this kind bad occurred in the case of
Mr. Wilkes, and if that case was sufficient to excite the
people of England, from one end or the country to the
other, he would ask whether, in the peculiar state of
Ireland, the danger of exciting the public mind was
not much greater, and the inexpediency more obvioui?
This was the argument to which be wished portico.
larly to direct the attention of the flouse—who was
the Gentleman with whom they bad to deal, and, es
he himself said in his address, which had, at least,
earned for him the admiration of the entire House,
whom they were disposed to make a Parliamehtary
outlaw? Was Mr. O'Connell a simple individual who
was not connected with the sympathies of an entire
nation T. Did they think it was the county of ClarealOne
which was interested in his case, or. hat the sympathies,'
he feelings, and the interests dlreland were not bound
.op with it? The Legislature had, in the course of the
present Session. passed three Bills„ each of vast kn.
portance--a Bill for the Relief of the Roman Catholics,
a Bill for the disfranchisement of the forty shilling
freeholders, and a Bill for the Suppression of • the
Catholic Association. How would the present step
bear ripen these three Bills ? lint. with regard to
that for the Suppression of the Association. a sew
election, under such circumstances, for the' county of
Clare wand produce an Slection Committee; sitting in
the City of Dublin. communicating with a distant part
of the country, agitating the public foffinvacting on
the same priociple of the Catholic Asiocitrion, add ins.
tified in that course by the vote which- they...re about
to come to. .kle said justified, -for if,- under goat CiT=
cunsatances. there was a single. Roman Catholic in /i.e-
./and who would be indifferent to the returi df M.

s 'Connell, he must be deficient in every feeling of era.
diode for On man who had I,ught his battles, and who
was mast instrumental in the success of bit quessioa—z.
(Hear). at, a sect and a nation they were Itqualtylminad
to inn themselves under those einsteinium's, and,
if so, would not the issuing a new writ afford ground
fur fresh agitation throughout Ireland, and melds an,
arena for the agitators on the hastier of the county 'of
Clare? Again, bow would this sem. apply to the ilis-
frauckkameat Bill? The ropk bad submitted-quietly.
to this insoles of their rights in comegoenee ortbe•
great measure by which it was accompankt; but
we it not be potting them to too *mere a test if, in
case Mr. O'Connell should be defeated in Clare, they
were to reflect that, *bile in possession of the fogey-
shilling franchise, they had returned the NM of their
choice, *heroes, being deprived °f lint right, be had
been tbrnwo out 'at an election? .With regard to the,
Relief gill, bad not the lectors of Clare a right 40
complain that as injury bad been inflicted on them
in the person of their Representative through 'that
Bill ? He conteatled that on this forced election for
the minty of Clare would rest the consequence of re.
eking disturbance and agitation in Ireland. If the
Solicitor General bad not made the present motion—if
be bad even suspended it, and allowed the Hoomar-
able -Member for Clare so exercise bk• discretiot---ai
new election in that case 'would have a totally' dif-
ferent West. it was on this account/that be wide his
present motion, which was merely ifer.thettddltion bf
a clause to the Relief Bill, that in all was the oath to
be taken at the table of that Honse.by-Reasen -Catholic
Members should be the oath protided. by the Relief
Bill, and no other... He made this emotion 'beamed-
present be thought mach of the goodwhieh would otlfet4
wise be derived from Relief Bill was neutralized}
and, on the other bold; be called -upon aurlidmi
Member who might differ with 'him •to 'show any,
evil or incorrenience which could- possiblytesultfrons'
the admission of Mr. O'Connell. /le fibbed, in ton:
chaos, to refer to what bad taken :place elseiebere,
when a- proposal bad been made from a very high;
judicial atatttosity to introducer= astandatearfea4be*
purpose NOM pointedly cid:ding' tirtCreoollellT