The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-05-17 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, TUESDAY, MAY 17, 1853.

the celebrated writer of the Protestant letter to the
BISHOP OF DURHAM, which excited so much
Romanist rancour. But the arguments upon which
the Ministerial Leader of the House of Commons
based his opposition to the measure, form one of
the most singular features in the discussion; for while
they evidence the consummate tact for which he is
notorious, they afford a proof of that utter destitu-
tion of principle, and that base truckling to expe-
diency which have always thrown suspicion upon his
professions, and rendered a Liberal Government the
most dangerous enemy to English liberty. The ex-
perience of history is all to go for nothing,--the most
glaring instances of tyranny and intimidation, for the
basest purposes, are altogether disregarded. Lord
Joni.; RUSSELL has only one object in view—to
maintain a Parliamentary majority by the aid of the
Romish Brigade, whose price he can so well ascertain
—and he would not believe that our Romanist
fellow-subjects were soindifferent to political freedom
and so destitute of the feelings of humanity, that
they would willingly see our laws set at nought, and
lend no assistance towards the liberation of their
own relations. Ile may be quite right, but his
arguments are altogether wide of the question. We
believe with him that our fellow-subjects who
profess the Itomish religion, may be as -zeal-
ous as ourselves in defence of their personal
liberties, but they are the victims in the -matter,
and reqtrire that assistance from the legislature
which they are unable to 'obtain for themselves,
and which a Liberal Government has, -as far as it
could, refused to give them. The real offenders
are not our fellow-subjects, but crafty and tyrannical
priests, who own no allegiance but to the BISHOP
dF ROME, and who do not attempt "to defend their
position but upon the absurd 'plea of spiritual
authority, which is made the instrument of the
most grinding despotism •the world ever saw. it
'may be said, and -indeed it is assumed by the pro-
iessing Liberals 'who joined the Minister 'in his
ineffectual opposition, that such a measure 'is a
gratuitous insult, inasmuch as it has not been
called for by 'those for whose benefit it 'has been
proposed. Their helplessness in this respect con-
stitutes the,necessity 'for the enactment. `Such an
argument 'might with equal force have been
applied to 'the bill for the protection of women
and young persons engaged in mining operations
and children employed in factories. Their parents
would never 'have demanded a restriction against
the means by which' hey gratified 'their cupidity
at 'the expense of their helpless b'Espring, but
the 'humanity of the Legislature 'interfered, and,
unasked, threw the shield Aif tits protection
over those whose ',very weakness, and inability,
'to demand a 'remedy constituted the strongest
grounds for its -being granted. "-So in this case,'
the- pitiable' victims immured .in'Nutinsries hare no
power to avail themselves of therboasted privilege
of habeas corpus,'nor even' to make 'known their
griefs, and so long as they and theirs remain under
that spiritual-thraldom, that' shrv. ish superstition
'which is the stronghold of Ronri4l influence, their
groans are unheard, their sorrows unredressed, and
'they becomestence the victime.amd the instruments
of their own'degradation, -unless the strong arm of
the law be interposed to rescue them from perpetual
'imprisonment, :and restore to them their birth-
right of -light arid liberty. It is a • Shame
that—with' the exception- -of -pain and Portugal,
which are sunk in the lowestldepths of mental de-

gradation—:-Protestant • England is the only -country
in Europe ,where Nunneries are permitted to rzist
without thez pale of. legal supervision ; that—with
the exception of Turkey•—;:-England is the -only
country *here thelesuits are .permitted to practise
their nefarious.arts unchecked; and yet itie,for the
maintenance of such a system that the pseudo Pro-
testant Lord' k RUSSELL iS found exhausting
his ingenious sophistry, and lending all the weight
of his ministerial influence. 'Will Englishmen, and
especially the liberty-loving • Radicals, never have
their eyes open to the folly .of which they are guilty
in supporting t the present .',Administration, 'that
heterogeneous (-compound of -.pretended ' Liberals,
renegade Conservatives, ultrd Puseyites, add avowed
Romanistg? ;Principles have been thrown to the
winds, but -we have the satisfaction of being Able
to record • the fact that, through the votes of the
Conservatives and -some few liginisterialists,, who
had more ;honour -than their : leaders, the motion
•was carried •by a respectable; 'majority, in spite of
the eombinationagainst it.

L lAnE-NT A.,R>Y GONS P I RION:

BRIBING 'THE.IRISH MEMBERS.

'IT is not long -since a eharge,was openly made
against some of thetleading members of the Whig
- section of the Cabinet, of -having induced the Irish
members to vote against Mr. ,D,ISRAZLI'S Budget,
which proposed to extend theincotne-tax to Ireland,
. upon the implied promise that the succeeding Minis-
try would retain the exemption of Ireland from the
impost. Upon this -charge being repeated in the
House of Commons, the truth of it was distinctly
and emphatically deniad both by Lord. JOHN Rus-
sm.', and by Mr. attrErat, the Whig-Radical
whipper-in, and for a time -the public, who were
unaware, of the casuistry of ,parliamentary denials,
believed-the whole charge to le a malicious sknder.

From a conversation, however, which took place in
the House .of Commons, on 'Thursday last, the
statement appears to be not altogether without
foundation. Several of the Irish members gave
their own version of the conversations on the sub-
ject which had taken place, and which Mr. HAYTER
did not deny; and though it was admitted that the
statements made by the supposed representative of
the Whig-Radical party did not amount to an
actual engagement, enough was said to lead the
Irish members to the belief that such was intended,
and several of them avowed that they gave their
votes against Mr. DrsnaELT's Budget, because
they distinctly understood one of their own body to
say, that he had authority to state that, if the effect
of the votes of Irish members were to throw out
Lord DERBY'S Government, in the event of a Whig
Government coming into office, the Income-tax
would not be extended to Ireland, Admitting this
account to be true, it displays a treachery on the
part of the Whigs.:of which even their enemies
hardly believed them to be capable, and a systematic
corruption and subsequent betrayal which out-
rivals the days of Sir ROBERT WALPOLE. All
that the denial amounts to is the actually
making of a promise, but the inference was
allowed to be drawn; and when we bear in mind
the bribery, by implication, which has been con-
sidered sufficient to unseat Mr. MARE for Plymouth,
because he is a Conservative, we may demand
the same measure of justice for those who are
Ministerial leaders. Mr. HAYTER was known to
be the whipper-in of the Whig-Radical party, and
consequently the man through whom communica-
tions with the several sections of Liberalism were
usually made; and though, with diplomatic caution,
he carefully guarded himself against any admissions
which might prove inconvenient, he said enough
for the bait:to take, and the Brigade votes made up
that majority which unseated the Conservative
Administration. The scheme was successful, as far
as concerns those who held out the lure, but the
Irish members gained nothing by their motion.
They ousted Mr. DISRAELI, who would have laid
on the burden very lightly, and admitted Mr.
GLADSTONE, who has not only imposed a heavier
Income-tax, but added to the burdens of Ireland an
additional duty of eightpence per gallon on Spirits.
Such are the fruits of Whig truckling to Irish
agitation; and such fire the members of the