The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-03-30 00:00:00

CATHOLIC CLAIMS.

Ur. CANNING rose to call the attendee of lb*
House to a notice he was about to give opals a very im-
portant sub ect, cad to which he deiired the particular
enmities Otis@ Right Hon. and Learnea Attorney-Ge-
neral for Ireland. Honourable Gentlemen who recol-
lected the debates of last year upon the Hill fur remov-
ing the Roman Catholic disabilities, might remember
that dame was one point of that measure, which hi. pro-
mised to bring forward upon its own separate merits, if
the Bill itself should fail. He considered that promise
to be a pledge which be was hound to redeem. Under
that consideration, he felt that if lie brought forward
the subject with effect, it must be done withamt loss of
time, as the Smitsn was rapilly.paming awiya. He
therefore took the paresent opportunity of giving notice,
;hut on the Both of April, which was the first open day.
Is.. should take the liberty of submitting a motion to the
House..fur repenting so mach of the Act of the 3tlth of
Charles H. as went to debar Roman Catholic Petri from
sitting and voting IN the House of Peers. He begged
It to be understood that he 'honld not interfere with the
great question is a whole, in bringing forttrard this
ntemore. But as he untlerstood that it was as yet undecided
whether the wnole munition should be intro deed under
existing circumstances, lie had determined. in pursuance
of his promise to the House, to bring this 'abject before
It by a separate and inderwlent useasure. Although
be kit there oat so necessity fur his stating soy thing
off justificatory nature, in respect to the noble indivi-
dual, whose rights and interest• were serleeplit concern-
ed to the question, he was anx ions to declare solemnly
to that House, upon his honour, that be bad no esinsiou•
Ideation. directly or indirectly, villa any of those no-
ble iodividsals upon time suhject of his kneaded no-,
tion.
hr. PLUNKETT considered the suhject to which
the Right Hon. Gentleman had called his attindioa. to
be a very principal and impoetant part of be measure
which be had the homier to Fr +pose to the House is the
last Searles ; and, lorteed, if it Irmo not Ns cay Part 011
it to which the Right How. Gentleman condescended to
attend, most then beetling' importaot. Amy infomnatioa
ehieh he could furnish. is furtherance of the object of
the Right Hon. tlenalcusan. would be given with the
greatest happiness la the full extent a his power. With

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re oral So the=of bringing femora the gene.
Ti' go do tut was enteraiecl ; and
wheth=sheeinbi S. non oilvattt.totitos to briar it far.
abed in the latter part of this Seindus, or in the beein
nisi of the arr, he could met take upon himself to de-
cide. Ile was informed Oust the great hotly of the Ro-
m a • catholic. intended entrusting to his rare a petition.
praying that ;he Hesse would take their coaditios an
der the considerstioo in the present Session. Ile had
acknowledged how deeply he Celt the honour which had
been essoferred upon him hy the trust whirls they f"-
pws.l in id* bandit, and sinemered that hr should take
the earliest seihilde opportunity of laying It before Our
HOll4/. Hr trash. I that his sootitueats erre too well
known to req .ire any dm-Laotian froth hint how deeply
be felt for the int-rests of that crest wed revertahle
body, and how atilions hr •as for the time when they
shoord attain the object of their hope*. As tithe ex-
pedient.v of agitating the question sew. or leaving it
mill the next Session. he thought no individual could
arrogate to himself 'korner of forming a conclusive
opinion open thouswbpert. Before doing so
.Ise most
consult the Catholics of Iceland. the Catholics of Eng-
land, sad both sides of that !loose, sod ascertain whet
was the general epistle.. With regard to the notice
new gives to that Jimmy, he e right say..ender whatever
hands it might have fatten, it should have his soaker-
able support. No person twill doubt for • nieneset
that ally part of the Catholic body email leek with Jeri.
lousy to the antetior relief being afforded to soother
part ; and as the mottle personages mho claimed the
right of sitting in the House of Wets were the last to
lose their rights, so they ought to be the list to riveter
thew.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. TIERNEY said, that no ope totted be move
friendly than be to the nwasere of which the Right
Hon. Gentleman had given notice. With regard to
what had fallen from the Right Hen. and Learned lien-
Iletams, if it was his *plain', that a necessity existed for
ascertaining the sentiments of the Catholics of the two
commies, and of the members of both sides of that
House, hew could the.geseral question be broe ht for-
ward, even if they were favourable to it, aisles. some
steps were Immediately taken. It was impossible that
Irish reatlenten, sad others who might wish to vote
upon the measure, could he assembled, *alive solace
stem given before this Easter recess. He had oo Leah.-
Goo in saying, that at present he could not are where
any objection could arise to the *abject helot brought
forward. After the .drake, which had been made to-
wards seromplishiag the object in view last year. be
thought it would be unwise to let the subject pass nano-
tired in this. He hoped, at all 'vests, that the Right
Hoe. Gentleman would lose no time in making up his
Wed on this important question.
Mr. PLUNKETT said, it would aford him grant sa-
tisfaction to be able to offer a more tiiplicit answer than
he had previously given. Ile, however. could net do
this, as at present be had set come to a definitive con
chision in his owes mind. But this was not from his
having neglected to take all proper steps to inform him-
self of the state of the case. 0•11 great governing
principle which would regulate Lis conduct was some-
...in to the wishes of else Roman Catholics themselves.
and one reason against bringing the claims of the
Catholics before Parliament. was found se the
fact, that such was not the wi•lt of the Catholics of
Ireland. All he desired was to be allowed to exercise
Lis own discretion sad act as he thought the 'merest
of the glandes el4nascleJ. Whenever the canoe could
be served by discussion, he should be ready to bring' it
forward. lest he mist remind the Right Hoe. lientlemat
that this had *ever !won regarded as an annual mea-
sure, and that it bad sever been considered indispensi-
ble that it should be brought forward. under ail Mr-
impasse's. Session afteir Session. The Right Heeour-
able Gentleman bad said. the advantage gained is the
last Session made it desirable that they should proceed
without loss of time. Ha could not exactly agree with
the Right liewsitralsitt dentlemaii to this. Per his own
part. afwr 6101/B.llr apparaCh made to Seal suceaselsi.
year, be should enter apse the subject with mete eau-'
tion and more fear time ea any former occasion. Ile
did not think the present state of Ireland was such as
would induce the friends to the measure to with that it
should be immediately brought into discussion. He be-
lieved the Roman Catholic body in Ireland had the
good sense sad good temper to costar ie this. Whethee
the circumstances of Ireland furnished a reason for ac-
celerating the dieettssion, was that on which others must
decide; bet be had no hesitatiou in saying, that if the
measure were successful, nothing could operate snore be-
orficially than that would, whilst, if unsuccessful, no-
thing could do mere harm, or prove more irritating
than such failure at the present moment. His opinion
was that this was not a favourably season for bringing
the discussion forward. At all events no harm could
aria from allowing the subject to stand over till the
motioa of which notice had bees given for the 30th
of April had been made. By that time she thought the
House engbt to be informed of the intentions of those
who interested themselves in this question. and put io
possession of their determination to bring it forward.
or not to bring it forward. He begged to say that his
conduct in this case would be influenced by no secret
information which be might be supposed to have ols-
tamped. Nothing of the kind operated on him. He
acted on public grocads only.
Mr. H. BRIGHT offered a few remarks,which were
not distinctly hoard in the Gallery.
Mr. CANNINIt begged to state to the House Lis
view of the motion which be proposed to submit to
their consideration. He thought it would prove one
great rest step towards the accomplishmeet of the final
object of the Catholics, but it would have this additional
recommendation, that the measure, if carried, would be
in itself a most valuable acquisition.
Sir J. NEWPORT was of opinion, that what the
Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Plunkett) had urged
as an argument against bringing the subject forward at
the present moment; made in hover of such a step.
He (Mr. Plunkett) considered the present disturbseces
la Ireland mad* it desirable that the discussion of the
catholic claims should be postponed till another Sew
*ion. Ile (Sir J. Newport) viewed it in a totally differ-
ent light, and con.idered them to aims!), an additional
reason for proceeding now to entertain a measure on
which the establishment of permanent tranquillity in
Ireland nudely depended. lie was of opinion that no
delay ought to take place, and it was his most firm eon.
victiou that it would be unwise in the friends of Catho-
lic Emaacipatioa to lose the advantage gained in the
last Station by not bedewing it up in this.
Here the conversation ended.
Sir .1. NEWPORT firelight up the Report of the
Committee on Public Records.—Ordered to be printed.