The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-02-01 00:00:00

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the
circumstance of having trampled on a Prociamatioe
of the Executive Power, for the purpose of pre.
eluding* step injurious to the public tranquillity:. _
Having stated these considerations, he thought the,
grounds advanced by the Noble Earl were inapplica.
ble to the cause. The management of the Catholics
had circumscribed the question within more limited
and minute considerations. If the House agreed to
go into a Committee, they must be prepared to say.
not merely that the Catholic claim shOuld be accede/
to, but that this was a laudable act of theirs.--.
With respect to the question as it affected the great
body of the people of Ireland (and those who knew
him, knew how deeply be felt upon all subjects le.
lating to them), he did not think this. wes the favour.
able moment of moderation in which it would le
proper to decide upon it. It was °eta question now,
nor had it ever been, merely for restraming the re,
ligious opinions of individuals. The only point
was, that every state had a right to restrain what,
ever was likely. to he injurious to it. The whole of
the question went to the degree to which the existing
resti aints were necessary. All restraints on the sub.
j ects of a State were themselvei evils ; but the denier
on the other side might be greater than the evil of re.
straint ; if so, let them hold to their restraints : but
if not, neither justic, nor reason, nor policy, nor
law', nor the print:} es of any free constitution
could authorise a titer lion so flagrant. He was
aware that the rest nts 'on 'the Catholics had
p\milc,
been represented elsewhere as positively good ;
as blessings that should be defended at all expence.
A Noble Earl had rightly stated that It was a mere
question of State. Let them on all sides consider it
es such ; let them abate on one hand the pomp and
pride of right, and on theUther, the folly and fury
of bigotry. Let them dlipeffe themselves for liberal
and enlightened views, and then decide whether the
disabilities should be permitted to continue. In his
; opinion, the result of such a constderation, at the
, same time dispassionate and manly, would be not
; only that the concession of their claims would nut
endanger us, but that it would benefit us in our•mo t
important ssruggle, ant afford us au additional secu•
rity in Church and State. He would not undertake
to say with what conditions or with what securities
it would be necess try to surround this grant, but he
wished that it was giv. w; he wished it, because he
conceived that the refusal of it was the principle
which held their discoutents together, which exposed
them to the deceptions of designing men, and dreg
i oft their attention from the advantages of the Con.
stitntion. The restwctions under wich the Catho.
I tics laboured at the present moment, embodied the
whole of• their force against the existing establish.
I went,' and those who were in 'the army and in the
navy, fighting the battles of their country, would
be drawn to that country by a more fond and fervent
attachment, if they were rendered competent to all
I the rank, and thereby to all the glory which their he,
roism and their patriotism might deserve [lfear,hcarl
1 He knew there were persons who said that if these
1 reques's were granted, greater would be urged, and
I he was, aware that if they were ate o act plum what
° valglarbe termed in open Old, 'they *vista eierciss
their judgments_ to better effect than tbe-cramping
• and difficult encumbrance of present circumstances.
Era the Roman CatholiC possess no polhicil power!
No person' who knew Ireland could say that did
not : but should he not be possessed of snore'? It was
indeed necessary. It was the only oseedi of aver:is;
the danger to which we were exposed, and was it
' contrary to the Constitution? The Catholics VMS
admitted into the service of the Crown, and if they
' distinguished themselves in that service, could it be
' said to be unreasonable to wish for the station they
had deserved ? It was not unreasonable—it was
! cruel and monstrous to suppose it so, and it was
foolish, and ignorant, and unprincipled to call it so.
ISo far from being-unreasonable, it was the natural
ieffect of natural causes—it was rational—it was right.
I What! was it monstrous to aspire to represent that
property by which they elected ? Could any man
say that this was a vicious wish? Could any man
deny that it was the natural impulse of a great mind,
and the proper fountain of all those actions that ex•
alt the characters of individuals and of countries?—
; He would acknowledge that he was not satisfied, that
because there wns no Popish successor—that because
certain tenets formerly ascribed to the religion wen
abjured by the Universities, they should, therefore,
without farther deliberation, accede to their demands,
and admit them into the bosom of the Constitution.
, If they asked to be admitted at once upon such
grounds, he would answer that certainly they had
removed many objections, but .still that deliberatioa
was necessary, as it was impossible to forget ,the at-
tempts which were formerly made to introduce that
religion into the State, and arbitrary power into the
Country. Ho agreed with the Noble Earl in tha
general pohatb, but he could not allow that the pr,--
seta was-the time most favourable to the measure.
Preparatory to OW step, the Catholics would them.
aelves see the necessity of submitting to the law, and
after they bad shown a disposition to obey its die.
tates, they might then present the petitions in a sober
quiet tone, not insisting on the claim of right, but
addressing arguments to reason.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE would not pay
such a compliment to the Noble Marquis who spoke
last, as to say, he had convinced his hearers. Oa
many points they were convinced already. It ought
to be remembered that when the necessity of exc'a,
sion ceased, the right of the Catholics to all the
privileges of the Constitution commenced, and it
became the duty of every Member of the Legela-
, tore to facilitate this admis-ion to all their rights.—
' By the Constitution of the country they were eat
mitted to all its privileges. He begged leave to vis
the Noble Marquis, in what manner many of his ob-
i
servations could be applied. Whether there was any
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failure teach us to amend our conduct in fature ..---
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