The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-28 00:00:00

protest against the papal system, and such portions and
additions as were introduced in the Emancipation Bill of
1829, to be taken by• the Roman Catholic members of
parliament. as a security against disloyalty, aggression,
and equivocation, ought to be strenuously resisted by the
- nation, and at once rejected by the parliament." (Hear,
and cheers.) I have shown a reason for this, Mr. Mayor,
taken from their canon laws, on all these points—dis-
loyalty, aggression, and equivocation. (Hear, hear, and
cheers.) I might have enlarged on all these points. I
might have called attention to the fact respecting the
great and fearful principle of dethroning, deposing, and
excommunicating monarchs, and their being liable to as-
sassination, according to canon law, by their subjects.
I might refer to Henry the Fourth of France, who was
excommunicated by the Pope, and whom Shibet tried to
assassinate, but his weapon struck the king's lip, and
merely smeared the royal face with blood, but in a short
time after Cavaillac, with better success, stabbed the king
at St. Cloud, and killed him. (A voice—" He was not a
Catholic.") Dr. M`Neile : He was a Catholic, and he did
the bidding of the Pope. (Cheers.) I might refer to
Henry 111., who was assassinated by Jacques Clement,
twenty-two years of age, who approached him in the garb
of a friar, with the avowed object of making some request,
and who, while the king was rending, his petition, thrust
his dagger in the monarch's bosom. I might refer to
the bull fulminated against our Queen Elizabeth,
already alluded to ; and to the frequent attempts
made to assassinate her majesty, after the bull was
issued, during her long reign. Through the mercy of God
she escaped, and reigned for forty years. (Cheers and
hisses.) I might refer to the oaths of supremacy proposed
after the attempt to destroy James I. and his court by
gunpowder, and I might refer to the fact that that oath
of supremacy was forbidden to the subjects of the Pope,
who consequently refused to take it, and confusion and
dissatisfaction reigned throughout the realm. These his-
toric recollections might be multiplied; but I have said
enough in reason, and in argument, and in proof,—and
these let any man answer, instead of evading the questions.
(Hear, hear.) Let any man show that the canon laws do -
net containethese principles. (Cheers.) Let any man, in
answerinehe, prove—(A Voice, "There is a priest present:
let him say.") —Mr. Mayor, bear with that man : he has
uttered, in the honesty of his heart, the poor prostrating
sentiment, that the moment a priest speaks it is as if God
spoke, and they dare not contradict him. (Cheers.) Let
any man show, in replying, that the hierarchy, eetahlished
in 1850 by a papal bull, was not to bring into operation
that very canon law. Now, if the canon law contains
these principles, and if the object of the hierarchy was to
bring in that law ; spite of our Ecclesiastical Titles
Bill, a hierarchy has been established, I unhesitatingly
and confidently ask gentlemen to say upon what principle
it is they can 'allege that all danger from these circum-
stances is at an end, and that they are obsolete ? It was
denied the other day that any Roman Catholic priests in
Ireland had forbidden the people to enlist at the present
time in the British army. I have heretwo placards which
were not known to Sir John Young; though they were
known to every one in Kilkenny, where they were pasted
on the wails. (A Voice: " Who putsthem there ?") They
have internal evidence of who put them there. (Cheers.)
I will read one :—" Irishmen, read! Let no man take the
Saxon shilling ! Remember the :Aix-mile-Bridge - work I
Night and day arm yourselvesa Read John Mitchell's
paper, and burn the Telegraph. 'Prepare : the day is .at
handa rally to the barricade !" Another :—" Boys et
Kilkenny ! Do not become wretched tools of the British
governmant : do not take the :Saxon shilling ! Mitchell
and Meagher come to strike eff the fetters that have so
long-bound'You. England's dilileulty is Ireland's appor-
teatibs:' (Cheers and groans.) Ay, that is where the
slim pinches ! (Laughter and-'cheers.) Now, Mr. Mayor,
I will soon release you. (A. voice: " What's all this
about?") I will tell you what it's all about : it's abciut
the determination of Rome-to prostrate the Protentism
of England, and the deterMination of England that she
shall do no such thing. (Vehement cheering and:the
'Rentish fire.): We know her strength ; and we know her
tactics. (Three groans Ter Dr. MhNeilee—Throe.cheers
'for Dr. M`Neile.) According to their own statistics, the
-Roman Catholics in Great Britain—(interruptions and
cries of " Order")—there is nothing in the world -like'
being in good humour: I am in such a good humour to-
day, that I shall eat my dinner most heartily. (Laugh-
ter.) I was going to tell you this, for your eomfort : the
Roman Catholics of Great Britain, according to their 'own
statistics, are a mere-insignificant minority. Arcording
to their own showing, they have but a few hundred thou-
sand in the whole of •C4reat Britain; in a population of 18
• millions. (Cheers.—A voice : " You're frightened-.at them,
nevertheless.") As to being frightened at them,:sas a
gentleman here says,.l protest I make no boast theta am
not frightened of any man; but I will tell you •what they
do. Though numerically insignificant in Great--Britain,
being reinforced from Ireland, and having a compatt body
in parliament, they -are able to make terms with the Bri-
tish ministry. (Hear, hear.) In the divided state •of pub-
lic opinion in Great Britain, they form the castinr, majo-
rity in either side -among the Protestant members; and,
by keeping together, they throw themselves .across the
house from side to side, and can thus cheek-a minis-
try ; they can mail e terms with the ministry ; they
can coerce the ministry. In that consists their power :
not in their nunakers out of doors, but Iran their
tactics within, by which they are enabled to give a
casting majority to .a Protestant ministry.. (Herz, hear.)
They have thus a power which does not belong to them
except from their .pcsition in parliament. That-is better
understood now than it was. I cannot sit iljn'n without
saying oue thing mere : for speaking this way,-,ler taking
this side, for advocating this cause, I, for-cne, among
others, have been-called very hard names. The gentle-
men who make a great profession of charity,: and who de-
nounce calling .hatti names, are amongst thelirst, when
they get excited, to call hard names themselves. (Cheers.)
We have been aged of a want of regard for real
i Christianity, and mai. love of mankind. Vow, MT_ Mayor,
I gentlemen who profess Christianity put their own inter-
pretation upon it. -We must be allowed our-interpreta-
tion. We refer alone to the interpretation of: the written
Word of God. (Cheers.) That is our Christianity ; and
that contains, seuly gentleness and quietness, and
peace and forbearance -(cheers from Mr. Rathbene) —but
'long-suffering, zeal, and charity, which rejoices in the
;truth. We rejoice on the truth ; not as man interprets
it, but as God has revealed it. (Cheers.) We rejoice in
:-the truth that there is no mediator, male or fermie,—that
there is no name given under Heaven amongst men
whereby sinners rat he saved, but only the name of Jesus
Carist the Lord. (Cheers.) We rejoice inthetruth, that
for poor fallen tranegressors, the divine law of Jesus
Clerist is offered freelyeto all. We rejoice in theeircula-
tion of this truth, that:every man may read •in his own
tongue the wonderful works of God. - ("Question...! ques-
tion ! question!" " Time," &c.) And, therefore, .for the
, regard and love we haweecef their souls, for the anakty we
I have that they may read, mark, understand, believe, and
be =red, we are -.opposed to. a system which doses
that book in an unknowsi tongue, or, where it hers it
int", tongue which is tolown renders-it necessary-ho ob-
tain-tie express permission done mortal for another mor-
tal to read the Word ofeGod. (Hear, and loud cheers.)
I wish it to be underikood that it is not out of any un-
kindness towards men that I say this. I think thaagen-
tlemen who. had so little regard for the peace and quietness
of- their neighbours should not be so ready 'with • their
charges of unkindness ag.ainst us. (Cheers.) It is not
from any unkindness—it is:not because we have animosity
against any man. I know this is not believed. I know
that gentlemen who talk tehout charity, are charitakie
enough to believe other gentlemen are not speaking the
truth. I will tell the truth; ,it is not from unkindness or
Animosity, tut for the real valve we set on human -sorts,
that we declare the truth revealed in Holy Scripture, that
tam is no nay of salvation, and that no man can come to
(the Father bet by the Son ; therefore, it is that we declare
thus truth—that we maintain the outworks—that we dc- •
f,2.na the citadel!, for the sake of sthe precious truths tort-
Wined within. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) It is, therefore,
for tfois reason Cult I feel it my ditty to take a part in this
' discussion. • There is one other feet to which I will allude,
viz., to the mistate in the place of ;meeting. (Cheers and
interruptions.) private placards have been issued byeach
side ; me by the reformers inviting attendance at the Ses-
sions-house; the, 0, her by the protestant section inviting
stlendwe at the Amphitheatre. (Cues of "No, no," and
" Yes, .yes," &c.). I repeat that a private placard was
issued calling upon the reformers to meet in this place.
(Loud cries of " No, no," during which a,gentlernan handed
up a small bend-bill, which Dr. M'Neile was proceeding to
read,) when
The Meseoz. declined to receive it, as cit did not come
within the seUy..., of the 4ebate.
Dr. M'Nuear am content; it is not essential to what I
wished to say. All that I teish to make public is this : that
the meeting held ,in this rootn under the circumstances
Of this morning —whatever the result of the vote now
to taken may be—was pot, and cannot be understood to
be, a fair representation of de feelings of Liverpool on
this question. (Loa,' applause. " Three cheeps for Dr.
M`Neile," accompanied by the Xentish fire.)
-Mr. C. TURNER seconded the motion; and then Mr.
JAMES AI we moved, and Mr. TnoMAs BOLTON seconded
as an amendment That certain. oaths required to be
taken by members of the House of Commons, while
vseless as safeguards of the ,constitixtion, are offensive to
the religious convictions and feelings of a large sectima,of
her Majesty's loyal subjects, and inconsistent with the
principles of civil and religious liberty."
Mr. Alderman Paeatnn, in au energetic speech, de-
fended Dr. M`Neile from some strictures in which Mr.
Aikin had indulged hi moving his amendineet.
Amidst a second scene of tumult and uproar the
amendment was put, and after a careful scrutiny of handS,
declared by the mayor to be lost.
The original motion of Dr. 111`Neile was 'then put, and
a somewhat singular occurrence took place—viz., the re-
jection of the motion also.
Mr. J. R. JEFVERT attempted to induce the meeting to
adopt a petition to Parliament, in unison with the prin-
ciple embodied in the resolution proposed by Mr. Bath-
bone; but was unable to obtain a hearing or to effect any
practical result.
The mayor then dissolved the meeting, as it was found
impossible, from the continued disturbance, to bring the
proceedings to a formal conclusion.

THE TOWN'S MEETING ON FRIDAY.

[FROM A COItIiESPONDENT.]

ON learning from Mr. Bushell that Papists and Radicals
had packed the Sessions-house, in order to oppose the
motion for adjournment to the Amphi-theatre, and
that the only hope which remained was for the Protestants
to go down at once to the Session-house and demand an
immediate adjournment to the Exchange-flags, the
Protestants flocked by hundreds and thousands to the
place where the enemy. had entrenched themselves. They
crowded into every part of the building, but quickly found
that it was utterly impossible to effect an entrance into the
Court-house, as it was already as full as it could possibly
hold. In the Magistrates'-room, an animated scene took
place ; the doors were beset with gentlemen calling out in
indignant tones for an adjournment ; they loudly denounced
the whole proceeding as factious and contemptible; the
confusion and noise at times was truly deafening. Within,
the mob of - Papists and Radicals were determined to put
down by clamour every aftempt on the side of the Pro-
testants to enter into the merits of the question ; without,
the hundreds of gentlemen were resolved that this packed
,hole-and-corner Ineeting tlhQll.l4 never go forth to the