The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-04-01 00:00:00

APRIL 1. 1546.

lordships can come to no such Conclusion under the:pre-
sent circumstances. f7i xty of a majority in a house where
two-thirds only of its members are assembled is by no
means despicable; and therefore, co far as that goes, the
argument usually based upon nee,,,srs falls to the ground.
The lords, it is trues have an undoubted right to consider
the bill exclusively open its own merits, and discuss its
enactments as involving an impOrtant question of state
policy—as affecting, the stability of the throne, the safety
of Ireland, and. the preservation of the established
church. But they have horetofore unfortunately assented
to measures intimately identified with these principles—
measures which in some degree countenance if they do
not justify this later innovation—and their lordshipi may
accordingly say, " we cannot tamper with the pertee of
the country by interposing to preserve that which the
commons have doomed to destruction, and *Lich does not
appear to excite much interest among the relltious classes
of our own countrymen."
We offer this argument in favour of the lords, and in
faixtur of the bW, solely that the protestants of Ireland
who respect our opinions may not be misled by unrea-
lizable expectations. We Would have every man act as
if lie were morally convinced that the bill will pass into
a law. In fact we should rather see it passed as it is--
passed with all its absurdities . and enormities—passed
as a glaring and hideous act of fraud and oppression—
then nibbled down into dough, neither crust nor bread,
by the second-chop conciliators, moderators, and
middle-
course members of the upper house. A temporising
measure, regulated by what soft-speaking sumphs
"happy medium," would please neither. party. This
Would only lead to prolonged Misery -and 'renewed agita-
tion. The popish party would not be satisfied; the pro-
testants would hive noting to be,grateful for. The one
would not be' content with three res.es-ss9f the cheese.;
the other party would fling the rsoisi!7.eg quarter in the.
faces of the ministry. Under such circumstances life in
Ireland would be a sanguinary tragedy without a final
eatastrophe—a war of servility fed by disappointment
and revenge, giving no security from victory, no peace
from treaty.
If our reasons are understood, and we have endea-
voured to make them as plain as possible, we trust that a
fair consideration of them will be deemed an ample jus-
tification on our part for asking and imploring the lords
to pass this bill PRECISELY AS THEY HAVE RECEIVED IT
PROM THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. We consider Ireland
to be like a patient in the second stage of a violent fe-
ver. She must be worse before she can be better. The
faction which the beggar O'CONNELL represents in par-
liament must obtain the dorninancy, must be allowed to
wield the iron rod, must be glutted with power, before
they can be effectually subdUed and finally crushed. For
that reason we are willing to place the whole govern-
ment and patronage of Ireland in their hands. We do
not wish to see a single protestant a member of any of
the new corporations. ‘Ve long to e NIEL'S liberal
project in active operation, and all tis_ H and vile of
his creed and caste, all the instruments of perjury and
murder, all the scum of Maynooth, and all the polluted
of the confessional, in the full swing of power and the
full blaze- of authority. When this has been accom-
plished there will be the beginning of an end, a murmur
that will be heard from the German Ocean to the At-
lantic, a voice speaking as if from the tombs of our fa-
thers, a peal of indignant resentment from every protes-
tant church, a reaction that will sweep away monk and
priest, jesuit and traitor, beggar and agitator, mars,
mummery, dog-latin, holy water, wafers, wooden gods,
saints in oak, martyrs in red pine, virgins in painted fir,
incense pots, pretended splinters of the cross, thumbs
and toes of evangelists manufactured at Bruniagem, old
brocaded petticoats, and all such trumpery and knavery
into oblivion.
It is in the sanguine hope'or this reform that we anx-
iously pray the House of Lords to pass the municipal
bill for Ireland, exactly as it has come from the House of
Commons. We are ;n the conclusions we have
Come to upon this view of the subject by the timid and
Wavering conduct of his Maj:-.!sty's ministers. Not One
of them had the courage to offer a single word in sup-
port of the bill on .Monday night. They sere all as si-
lent as thp.graves;and..e tio-douOt ihe,y au at this.
Moment tretmbling list:the lord's should pass uncorrected
the bill of their adoption, forced Upon by a priestly
tyranny oc which they are the slates, and must ulti-
mately be the victims. O'CoNstso holds them in his
meshes, and they know it. Lord MELBOURNE, with all
the facts and evidencebefore him, has perse%ered in de-
nying it until he is almost ashamed tti IQok an honest
tnan in the face.- unprinc,iPled Coitiiilqa is too.glar-
ing to be concealed, but too, base to be confessed. The
Minor evil is adopted,: ,and the connection is denied
which cannot be renounced.-
We regret to see such a state of things. It is painful
.to behold a minister of die crown bound by such nefa-
rious contracts, and reduced to shelter under such trans-
parent subterfuges.. And what can he and his colleagues
do ? To act candidly or-consistently, and bid defiance to
Irish dictationi would be virtually to sign the death -war.-
rant of the administration. They must Obey- O'CoN-
NELL or retire. They dare not do the former; they are
too needy, too proud, too deeply pledged to dc !at-
ter. They consequently look with fear and trembling
t° the decision of the lords on. the Irish Corporation bill.
They desire nothing so much as the strangulation of the
bill in the other house. But will the peers make themselves
the scapegoats of a cowardly art! factious administia:
tion? Will they consent is i‘s!e >,e candle to Lord
JOHN RUSSELL, or help Lord 2visLeouasE.over the stile?
We,-tope not.
.They have, now the ministry unwillingly
and tremblingly bound to a fatal measure. Let the lords,
then, if they respect their order, of revere theit sovereign,
or love their country, draw the band tighter, leave them
to Incp-hole of escape, and crimpeVthem either to reject
or Pass their own bill. It is enough for the country to
know that either alternative must decide their fate. We,

tin well considered grounds, prefer the latter. The
ntnre fatal will be the more decisive and satisfactory
Measure. By. all .considarationsuf sound policy we im-
Plore the peers to pass Lord JOHN RussEct.'s bill, the
object of which is the aggrandizement of popery in Ire-
' land, the . fulfilment of. ,the bonded promises to: O'CoN-
IIRLL, the conceded supremacy of the priests, the harbin-
ger of other promises relative to lands, rent,' ta?ces;•and
tithes, hereafter tofbe fulfilled if possible; but one and
VI of which neither Lord LluNcAtkiNoN nor. Lord JOHN
ess ELL ever intended, to perform:. ..They haVe
;la theY express iti.:.uport the "..consfrpatire of.-the:
lords, but if we are to have we are to avert war
s:tf we are-30410 juetiee.lo and Jieland--the
v:er, of England.mwd,ride.through the secret covenants
o.CoNisgu, and Ruse,E4.,..and give .to Ireland that
dose r . •
-9., Power which, wili. annihilate popery and priest-
"aft for ever. If they refuse to do this—if they allow
the opportunity to pass—if they by " moderate- amend-
toents give • to the bill a mixed and a conservative elm-
r,
B!ter, recognising. the principle but restricting the oper-
rtno, they will be responsible for continuing in Ireland,
‘.l. the next
.fiftv years, all the various ingredients of
ad and dissension which have distracted her since the
commencement of -the present century.

There was a Lord WILLIAM Ross,ELL who owes to the
• sc'aff'old the fithe or the notoriety which has survived him
and has reached on4met ; but the present hero of the
carne of RUSSELL is,' We,feir,.not likely to he so fortunate.'
History vvill-take-Sothen ot ice of Mtn, is a tiatter of-course ;
fur history has 'immortalised the cackle' of the Roman
garlse; but it will 'lnter him upon. its. records as the
,valrleat creature, the shabbiest whig, and the most reek-
-1'18: and unprincipled minister of his day. This charge
" admit is borne out by his political conduct since he
'became the leader of the House of Commons, but we
toe willing to believe that Lord JOHN, vain though he
". and prond"of the elevation to which circumstances
!a" raised him, has 'not sinned entirely on his own ac-
"'lnt. 'or from any blind. and 'obstinate wilfulness. 'We
•Pecs that he is :the dupe Of others--:the aatipaw of
>d DurrekiNON, j(*PH 1113114 the man whose name
• ".'• 2 !tr-WAtiiintiiviiirsin'd' 4eirePiit=nittei4l of the-Same tribe—
.
•Hsi n soMg iray-vririt:the-'tribe- of DAN-. if -so,
‘‘v9CLldlertaiiirtitLt. fi'MOietn,bie pitied than blaMecl.
Mat weile6tin H1.111'114 :4813t Ot inis6let;.and as
-mcsi vre 'bust treat him. We cannot reach his advisers,