The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-07-01 00:00:00

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as Gentlemen la that House made use of wine. It world
recollected, that visa Mr. Berke wis eloquent la praise of
D
Several clauses were then agreed to without" discnisimt,
and the House having resumed, the Report was ordered
to be read to-morrow.
ENGLISH CATHOLICS.
Mr. GOU.LBURN moved the Order of the Day for the
third reading of the Irish Insurrection Act.
Lord NUGENT wished the Right Hon. Gentleman to
give precedence to his motion, respecting the ItilEfOr the
ranee the English Catholics.
Mr. GOULBURN then gave way, and on the mete*
of Lord NUGENT, the House resolved itself is &Com.
mime on the Elective Franchise Bill.

The first clause having been put by the Chairman, •
Mr. If KS stated bit objections to the NHL which
be considered the more important of the two measures vu-
,'petting the English Catholics before the House: 'The
Elective Franchise conferred political power which he
felt ignore objectionable to bestow on the Catholics than
mere officers proceeding from the will of the Exeeptive.
Be conceived het there was no difference between the fran-
chise of electing and that of Ifeing elected; nod that
therefore if the Catholics got the one they might as well
get the other. It wart, he understood, the opinion of
those who advocated the cause of the Catholics, that re-
ligion was not to be tried by its tenth, but by its num-
bers. If this were to be admitted, then, as the Catholics
of Ireland were far more numerous than the Protestlote,
the Catholic faith ought to be the religion of the State.
Again, it was argued, that the claims of the Irish Who-.
lies ought to be granted, because of their great numbers,
and those of the English Catholics became they were
eery few. and very respectable; so that be they few er be
they many, the Catholics were to hive 'vial claims.
The Jesuits were doubly daagernes.nqw that they were
unquestionably established; both in England and Ireland.
and that they would be zealous for extending the power
of him by whom their order had been restored and en-
couraged. The English Catholics hid no grievance, on
the score of toleration, to redress ;.they could not coin-
plain that the law had not been purely,admipiatered
The Hon. Member conten led, that if political power
were granted to the Catholics, It would be extremely
dangerous.
Mr. H. GURNEY contended that the measure would
have n 6 political effect in this country.
Mr. YATES PEEL supported the Bill, bat would not
go one iota beyond it In the way of concession,
. Mr. JOHN SMITH con.tenilett, that the eitillitau that
ajudoment of a saan'icondact should be formed from his
religious opittions' was unjust and unfair. He instanced
the Quakers. Though they held that it was improper
to make any resistance whatever, yet oo DIM ventured
on that account to pull a Quaker's nose. He gave an in-
verter of a Quaker, who, when he had been ipsulted,iaid
tu the man by whom the insult was given, " Friend, I
may not insult thee, but that hindereth me not from as-.
snaging thy brat ;" and.bating said this, he took hi m
to the trough at the panto., and pumped upon him for the
space of itinratee, smiting bin', at the end, ". Friend.
art thy no.tr coot, tied bath thine anger left thee'
if.,thou be yet in heat, I Ain administer unto thee yet
farther."
.Mr. PEEL supported the Bill. As the law 'teed be did
tot think it satisfactory. There was nothing inconsistent
in granting the right of voting to Catholic', and yet to
deny them the right of sitting in Parliament, He thought
that the paucity of their numbers and the respectability
of their conduct recommended the Catholics of England
to the privileges held out to them by the Bill. He was as
strong as his Honourable Friend against givingt) the Ca-
tholics the power of sitting in that House, it not appre-
hending any danger from the present measure he %%mild.
give ibbirsuppert. • •
General OA SCOYN E regretted the sperch'ef the Right
fibnourAle Gentleman (Mr. Peel). The •Protestants
looked upon him as the friends of the Constitution. He
(General Gascoyne) had hitherto adopted the opinions of
the Right Honourable Gentleman, bat be could not go
with 61111 now. The Right Honourable Gentleman had
changed his ground, and he might before lung see in-
stances of the consequence of having done so.
Mr. LUSHINGTON supported the Bill.
Lord BINNING regretted that the Catholics of Scot-
land had not .been included in the Bill. He would have
proposed an Amendment to that effect, if he were not ap-
, prehensire, that it might risk the success of the Bill. The
Catholics were excluded by the Act of Union, but be
thought that Act ought not to perpetuate oppression and
injoinice. The Scotch Church had declared its iron-
silent' on the question of the Catholic Claims. In 1813
they petitioned that House. praying that care might be
taken, is the Bill then pending before Parliament, of the
Institutions and established religion of the country ; with
respect to the rest, they left it to the wisdom of Perlis-
sgesrt.And from that clay to the present, the General As-
sembly of Scotland did not take any part whatever in the
question.
Mr. GOOCH opposed the Bill. Ile knew many Catho-
lics most loyal and respectable, be had a good opinion of
them, blit he would oppose the removal of the residential;
that were placed upon them.
Mr. SMYTH said lie came to the House prepared to
vote against the Bill, but the speech of the Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman (Mr. Peel) induced him to support it.
Mr. G. BANK ES opposed the Bill ; he regretted the,
course which the Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. P.)
had Hon that night, lie hoped he would live to repent it.
(a laugh.)
Mr. W. SMITH supported the Bill.
BUTTERWORTH strongly opposed the Bill ; lie
was not intolerant ; he hoped the Rouse would not grant
any concessions to the Roman Catholics, because lie was
a friend to civil and religious liberty,—(A laugh.)—He
was convinced, that to grant any thing to the Roman Ca-
tholics would endanger the Constitution. He might
appeal to the Rt.Hoo. Gentleman, the Secretary for Ire-
land, whether Jesuits had not distributed books in Ire-
land, which hail been much read, and which ii a great
measure contributed to increase the disturbances in that
country?
Mr. HUME said, he had never heard any thing,more
tiptoed or illiberid than the speech of the Honourable
Member who had just sat down. It was incredidible
how a man professing to he a Christian—a man of so
much experience as the Rt. Hon. Gentleman had spoken,
in apparent alarm of Jesuits. He would tell the Honour.
, able Gentleman that Protestant Jesuits were much more
slang and more active than the Jesuits to which
the Hon. Gentlemarialladed.-.-(Ffeer, bear.)—The sect
to which the Honourable Membrr belonged were the
Jesuits from whom lie apprehended most danger; they
were zealous, active, persevering, and they secretly, but
constantly worked to undermine the established religion.
which they pretended to respect.—(Hear, hear.)—The
Methodists, above all others, were the most dangerous
enemy to the Church. The Hon. Gentleman was a Me.
tbodist; mot there was not a Illi4ll who cherished in his
brevet the slightest respect for toleration, that must net
condemn the 'speech of the Honourable Member. He
hoped there were few of the sect who entertained the
muse sentitniates. W they did, he hoped the Government
would keep a stoutly eye on them as most dangerous else.
mies. For the last filmy years, they were most active in
promoting the strength and power of their body ;—tbey
were hostile, and if the Honourable Gentleman repro,
seated Arm, they were intolerant. No Catholic ever
exhibited greater Intolerance than was to be found in
the opioiona delivered, by the Honourable Gentleman
that night:
tar. 'BUTTERWORTH said. that the Methodists
would take it as a compliment to be attacked by an indi.
',idolsl who bad defended the ptintlyleeif