The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-02-27 00:00:00

the short space of one week. That is a bold statement,
but still I adhere to it. Any minister coming down to
the House of Commons, and detailing such a plan as I
have shadowed out, would change, from one end of Ire-
land to the other, despair into hope, and before one week
there would be a very marked change in the aspect of
affairs. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) What is the state of
affairs at present ? A farmer—l will give you this as an
instance, a type of the class—has now £240. in his pos-
sesion, and he is waiting to scrape together £3O, or £4O.
more. If he had security, instead of thus hoarding his
money, he would be employing it to profit, and benefit-
ting all around him ' • but at present what is he doing ?
Why is he gathering together all his substance ? He is
scraping together all that he can, in order to leave the
country and benefit a foreign land, with both his capital
and his labour. (Hear, hear.) I have now detailed to
you my views, but before I sit down I will compress them
into a few words, in order that you may more clearly
comprehend them. Change the system of encouraging a
religion which you believe to be false. I have no wish to
see established in Ireland a political Protestant ascendancy.
I have no wish to see religion made a political engine, for
I know that wherever it has been so made, it has failed in
its duties. But I say do your duty : act up to your pro-
fessed belief. Deal with justice to your Irish Roman Ca-
tholic fellow subjects ; protect them from the tyranny of
their priests and demagogues ; and if you fearlessly pursue
that course, you will have God's blessing on your mea-
sures. (Cheers.) I say then be neither scared nor be-
guiled by any clamour for constitutional privileges ; give
security to life and property, and enforce the majesty of
the law. (Hear, hear, and loud applause.) Lastly, look
upon Ireland as a valuable possession, which, if properly
managed, would, instead of being a burden, materially
relieve the taxation of this country ; for there is not a man
in England, even sitting by his own fireside, who would
not be materially benefited if Ireland was properly ma-
naged. (Hear, hear.) Then consider in your own minds
if you can devise any means for effecting that great, noble,
and good object, except those which I have endeavoured
to shadow forth to you this day. (Loud, long, and conti-
nued applause, in the midst of which Mr. S. resumed his
seat.) _ _ _ _ _

In reply to a question from Mr. Chapman, Mr. STAPLE-
TON said that he believed free trade, on the whole, had
been injurious to the prosperity of Ireland. On the sub-
ject of the navigation laws, he had only to say, " Main-
tain the principle of the navigation laws." (Cheers.)
Mr. HORSFALL.—I think you did not state clearly
what the main feature of your plan for improving Ireland
was.

Mr. STAPLETON, after thanking Mr. Horsfall for cor-
recting this lapses memories, proceeded to state that, in
1843, he published his plan, by which he proposed that
the state should vote £16,000,000, to be employed in
reproductive works solely, at the rate of £4.000,000 for
each of the first four years, and, at the end of the fourth
year. the works executed in the first year should be sold,
and the amount realised on them expended next year, and
so on till the eighth; but if capitalists and the people
were once convinced that a sound and continuous system
of protection, combined with a moderate share of nelp,
would be given, private enterprize would soon work out ali
that would be required. He did not, however, approve of
such a system being pursued in any but extreme cases.
He would not hear of such a plan for England in her pre-
sent state; but then they should remember that Ireland
was in a sick state, and he believed that this was the only
remedy which would cure her. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. TosiN observed that this plan was similar to that
of the late Lord George Bentinck, except that this pro-
posal was to apply the money to land instead of railways.
Mr. STAPLETON replied that at present he did not
think Ireland was fit for a perfect system of railways ;
his plan was to make her fit for railways. At the same
time, he thought it desirable that encouragement should
be given to a few arterial lines throughout the kingdom.
He wished it, however, to be distinctly understood that
in making these observations he did not reflect on the
plan of Lord George Bentinck, which was excellent in
many respects, except that he (Mr. S.) thought it some-
what premature.
After an eloquent speech from Mr. S. Houstz, the
cordial thanks of the meeting were given to Mr. Stapleton
for his able address.

The meeting then proceeded to the consideration of
the Navigation Laws ; but as their deliberations were
merely preliminary in their nature, the reporters were
requested to retire.