Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-04-28

favor OF concession, and $50 against il. (Hear.)
Can IL he supposed possible, then. Tor a moment.
that House OF Commons 40 divided would have
given any Attention, will not say support, to any
z, measures OF coercion proposed by the Government
Sir, have strong doubts whether Government
could have carried through such House OF Com
mons any measure 81 coercion against the Catho
! lie Associaion.-But. supposlng such a cosrcive
bill to have passed, and the Catholic Association
suppressed, could you haye stopped thereI II
you had not been prepared to take into considera-
ton the rcmovaIof the disabilities affecting the
Roman Catholics. what could you have done with
the elective franchise, as exercised by the Catho
Lies Of Ireland! II has been stated by the hon.
member for the University Of Oxford, that il tho
existing disabilities removed, tw enty three
counties Of ireland would be prepared to follow the
example of the county Of Clare, and send into
this house members favorable to the Catholic
claims. Thus, according to this statement, forty.
six representatives. would come into this house,
elected through the influence Of the Catholic
| excitement. What. then, would be the remedy
for such state of things: You have already a,
large majority Of the representations Of ireland
against exclusion. Taking it Tor granted, then,
that twenty.hree counties OF Ireland are prepared
to follow the example OF Clare, you will have
TO add to the present forces i'll Parliament in
favor of concession, the additiunal Catholic par
tisans whom the excitement Of a general cleo
ton will have given to the Catholic cause un-
der the violent excitement that must follow
| such dissolution OF Pariiamcnt-Thus, sir, you
will have to commence your exclusive govern
ment with the whole constituency and the great
majority of the representatives OF Ireland against
you; and then he separated as England is from
Ireland. l cay there will exist in that coun-
Try local influence, which must counteracl
all the power of any moral OF political in
iiuence that can proceed fromtl,i country. What
alternative, then, remains! Will you proceed 10
retract the privileges which you have already
granted TO the Catholics l do not think such
measure cxpedient. believe that the commence
nent oil government, nciing on the system Of re-
cal OF the existing privileges enjoyed by the Cath
olics and on the principle of never conccding any
! further concessions, would produce in the minds
OF the people OF Ireland action, which might
under aggravated measures and excited feelings,
proceed TO a struggle between religious parties in
| Ireland, and which, if pushed TO its legitimate is.
sue, would end in the re-enactment Of the penal
laws. Now, sir, let me ask, the penal laws
be revived? Can the penal laws be applied, with
any policy or any security. to the present circum
stances oil ireland! You have given them the
elective franchise II has given them power
Can you take it away again: You have removed
the seal from the vessel. Can you conure back
again the great sp!ritin into the limits from
which you have released IL! Can you reduce the
peasantry Of irelsnd 10 the condition in wilicf,
they were when they received the elective fran.
ch'se: Having given to the mass OF the Catho.
lies privilege which, under the advanced inhu-
ence oil education and increasing property has Civ
en- them formidable power in the election of rep
resenaiivcs, can you, can government united
against concession, venture 10 re-mpose ON them
the penal laws, and that, too, on population la
bouring under the excitement of alarmed feelings?
And here, whatever may be the number OF per-
sons supposed TO be opposed TO concession it is i'm
portant TO consider the amount of the population o,
Ireland interested i'll the success Of the measure.
Let Us look at it, then, with view TO consider
It's effects on government united in a determine
lion 10 Withdraw from the Catholics the privile.
yes enjoyed by them at present. The population
OF Ireland, according to the last census, is $780,,
600 persons z. Irese 1863, GOO are either Pro-
testant disorders or members Of the church OF
England. urge this point, nasmuch as il will be
most necessary Tor 4 government, formed on the
exclusive sysen TO take into consideration, in the
details OF the government Of Ireland the relative
numbers and religious profession Of the population,
an'' mat population in state of excited and IT.
ritated tecling. Thus, sir, of the seven millions
comprising the population Of Ireland, five millions
may be taken TO he Roman Catholics. and the re-
naming two millions Professionals Now, at first
sight, it may be supposed that the Government Of
Ireland may be safely carried on by the help of
The two millions of Protes.ants; but look at the
manner in which they dispersed and divided
through the country. True, of those two millions
OF Pedestrians, twelve hundred thousand resde in
o!sler SO tar the thing is well enough. But coIis-
der II little further. You have in Leinster Con-
nausht, and Munster, four millions and two hun-
dred and fifty thousand Roman Catholics, and hu,
seven hundred and fifty thousand Pro,estants
ct this populations still more unequally dstrb.
there are no Roman Catholics, while, in the CON
tiguous parishes OF Clare, You cannot find resi-
dent Protestant. There are three parishes in
Munster in which there Protcsian;s either
oil The church OF England the dissenting crecds
In Ulster are four parishes, all the population of
which are Protestant, not one being Catholic;
while, in Leinster, whose total population amounts
to 1856 900, iS4 900 of whom are Catholics and but
II 300 Professionals. In Munster there are ~ pa
rishes, in which the number Of Psotestants are
1900, OF Catholics l6l, 500, msking as cf Catho
lc', IN relation TO Protestants, about thirteen To
one. oi twenty three other pnrshes Of Munster
comprising total population Of lO2, 900 persons,
the Catholic portion OF inhabitants amounts 10 &C.
QUO, while the Protestant part but 900, ma
king wentyCatho'ics TO one Task the house TO cons
der the condition OF that population thus neotally
distributed. & worked up, under the influence ofa
government adverse TO concession into feelings OF
political dissenon Il religious animosity. Can any
goyerninen,uni.edi in hostility to the Roman Cath
Ollie claims, venture to repeal the existing prviie-
ges oil f,O2J,O00 Roman Catholics, spread among
only 1op,0O0 Proiestants! | ask, would il be for
the interest OF the Prstesants that such a measure
should be adopted Is il possible that you can re-
peal the privileges Of such population so situa-
ted, that IL, while you leave TO them the trial by
Jury! say you cannot, aud still more, | saw
ana am satisfied, would not be conducive 10
The security Of the interest of the Protestant pop
nation, that the line Of demarcaiion, which is at
present too clear, should be drawn still more dis
tnct between them and their catholic fellow
counirymen, and that while the Catholics would
have, az they must continue 10 have, such pow
eriul alliance in the majority of this House Of
Parliament But honorable gentlemen have said
That this battle WAS 10 be fought by the Pro,e,.
tants against the Catholics Sir. this is not the
real state of the case. Look at the declarations
lately issued by certain Protestants of ireland.
ntIn ersaI1 q.