The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-01-10
VOLUMEE=I.
MORNING STAR AND CATHOLIC MESSENGER.
NEW ORLEANS, SUNDAY, JANUARY 10. 1869.
THE GREAT CLARE ELECTION

Time effects wonderful changes. Who would
have thought forty. years ago that Ireland
could by any possibility have a Catholic Lord
Chancellor-that she would have q large pre-
ponderance of members in Parhament-a ma
jority of her Judges-professing the same ven
Grated faithf But few brief years before the
date specified, the conscience-keeper Of the SOW
ereign, Lord Kenyon, declared that no English
King could sign the emancipation bill without
violating his coronation oath. What contrast
to the state Of opinion in our day, when the
Queen of England accepts a Ministry pledged
to disendow the English Church in Ireland!
At the present time, it cannot fail to prove in
teresting to every iberal-minded man, what
ever his denominational belief. to revert to the
struggle which enabled Catholic Irishmasa9tO
break down what seemed an insupcrabie bar
rier, and plant himself fairly before bigoted
England as the champion of equal rights. We
cannot doubt that the following sketch of the
Clare election, and the superhuman energy
which the immortal Daniel OConnen display
ed in that memorable contest, will prove accept
able to our readers.
Forty years ago, had Mr.. james Godkin, DR..
W. Russell, Mr.. Woods, George Augustus
Sala been the exercise of their functions as
Gown correspondents" they would have found
ample room and verge enough for their powers
of description in the scenes which the contested
elections of the Sister Island Mt that period pre-
sented. Bfit the " Own correspondent depart
ment of our public journals had not then bios
somed to maturity; and consequently we pos
sess few records OF the . rare doinEs OF those
times more authentic or satisfactory than the
pages of Charles Lever. SO far one, the most
memorable of those elections is concerned, we
will try to remedy this deficiency.
The duello and the decanter We're fionrishlng
institutions of the Green Isle. They permittea
of no appeal-except from the one to the other,
as her Maiesty's Government and her Majesty
opposition n:ight-aud settled every knotty
point with a promptness and decislveness uii-
known in these degenerate days. IL was III
Ireland an age of fun, and fosteraSe, and fac
ton, and fighting, and sometimes oil hhesse
but pilded over richly with awhole-heartedhess
of hospitality, and sincerity of personal friene,
ships, which went II long way to eounterbal,
ance all faults.
This age terminated with the extinction OF
the forty-shiling freehoiders' after ane,t a ;;
the summer of 1898, when Ireland sent the firs'
Catholic, after the long night OF the penal days
to sit in the British Parliament; mat eiee enc,
from which we now see it reeling in the deatn
throes 1t closed the last era OF BRITISH as vel
as Irish history, and became the epoch oil tn'
age in which we live. My father was mem
her of OConnelPs local committee at Epnis, ~
we'll as of the committee of the Catholc Asso
citation and used to tell his children, IN afte
years, of the events of that period; WIN tn
same zest as q warrior would recall the clrcuIi
stances of well-fought campaign.
From the very beginning the election was eN
ceptional Wellington, who was then Premier
declared he considered the granting Of Catholi
emancipation q breach of the constltutlon
which never could be permitted. The Duke
York-expressing, as was well known al. tn
time, the Kings repugnance as well as ms ow
to the measure-was guilty of the profanity
swearing, in his place in the House OF LORDS
" So help me God, Catholic emancipation sha
never become the law of England" oGonneil
answer to these declarations was a chalienge
the Wellington administration to contest an
county in ireland with the Association In
Wellington administration, taunted from man
quarters, accepted the challenge; the Rlgl
Honorable Vcsey Fitzgerald, one OF the mos I
eminent members of the Cabinet, accepted u
Chiltern Hundreds; and the writ was issue
for the return of a member for the county
Glare, which Mr.. Fitzgerald represented, ana
which he was native. Fitzgerald address'
the electors for the purpose of his re-electlo
which he calculated upon with the most abs
lutte certainty. He was the personal friend
every man of note in Glare; the intimate al
bosom friend of the vast majority of the ge
try; for, though possessing great deal of di
nifty of manner, though highly accomplishe
and gifted with an eloquence which no assoc
ate Of his in the Ministry, even including Pc
could rival, he had that Celtic grace and char
of genial manners which made friend of eve