The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-27

polnted out, ned an unlimited power oil lsa5-
ing, until their powers were restrained by the
State, to the limit of twenty -one yeare and
the restraint, as stated in the preamble of the
act creating it, was expressly devised in the
interest of the Church, that the property of
the Church might not be wasted. That the
State should relax these restraints, and then
claim the benefit aocruing from this relaxation
for ITSELF was neither logical nor Just. To all
which Lord Althorp replied, as might have
been done this very week by his then silent
opponent, heImember for Newark, that Che
could not admit that there was any analogy
between Church property and that of COR
porations, and still less was there any between
1t and the property of individuals which came
to them by Inheritance
On May 13 the House went into committee
on the bill, and Lord Althorp then formally
signifed that the King had placed his interest
in the temporalties at the disposal of Parlia-
ment. Sir Robert Bateson, who was supposed
to be good authority on the subject, informed
the Government that this measure must lead
to the destruction of the Protestant Church in
Ireland, and had alienated from the Ministry
the affections of the Protestants of Ireland.
Mr.. Stanley, who was by this time Secretary
for the Colonies, did not contribute much to
the debate, except by informing the House
that, whereas he had on a former occasion
stated that he had discussed the bill with the
Prlmate, who had said that the least objec-
tionable mode of obtaining reform was to re-
duce the number of bishops, he now wished to
let the House know that 1t was he himself,
and not the Primate, who had made that dash
ing remark. On the 10th May Mr.. Dillon
proposed an amendment which anticipated the
bill of 1869. 1t was that the revenues of the
Irish Church should be applied to purposes
of general utility after the demise
of the present inoumbents. Only six
| teen members, and Of these only six
English members, voted for the amendment,
among whom was Mr.. Roebuck, whose poli-
tical testament, if he had tried to make it
then, would have been very different probably
| from what 1t was when he made it last week.
The bill for some time made little progress,
because the House was busy with the Minis
terial proposition for the abolition OF slavery;
but it was taken up In desultory way on
! June II, when Mr.. Lefroy defended the
large number of Irish bishops, on the curious
ground that Irish bishops were really only
like archdeacons, so that their number
might be expected to be large. The mouths
| of English arohdeacons must have watered
when they heard that in Ireland
arohdeacons were of so glorifed a nature
that the Minis ry held it great credit to
| themselves that they ventured to propose to
reduce the income of one of them-the Bishop
| Of Derry-to E800O a year. On the 11th an
amendment was proposed, but had to be
withdrawn without a division, to the effect
| that Irish bishops should after a certain date,
cease to sit in the House Of Lords; but, oddly
enough the ardent reformer who proposed
| this was willing that Irish archbshops should
continue to sit forever. On June 10 the COM
| nittee got so far as the 10Sth clause, aud then,
two days later, came memorable day, the
day that finally separated O'Connell from
| his party, and in the end separated Lord
Derby from the Wings. Mr.. Stanley
announced that the Government pro-
posed to withdraw the 147th clause, by which
fo Cd toe oh
| poses as Parliament might think fit. He
yielded to the strong feeling that prevailed in
| the House and in the country against any
alienation of church property, and he oandidly
| owned that, although the Ministers had been
| able to convince themselves and their own
circle, they had been unable to convince any
one else that the surplus created by the State
was secular in it's inception. 1t is worth re-
| marking that Scotland and the Scottish men,
bers were violently opposed to anything like
disestablishment or disendowment; and this
may warrant the belief that the success of Mr.
Gladstone's present bill will be due to the Free
Church movement in Scotland more than to
any other single cause. The necessity or wis
dom of modifying the bill to get it through the
Lords also weighed of course very strongly with
the Government, although they could scarcely
aver that they were guided by this considera-
tion. But, directly Mr.. Stanley sat down, he
and his colleagues were bitterly taunted with
after member declared that he had been de-
ceived, and had been induced to vote for the
Irish Coercion bill on the false pretense that
he was to have an opportunity of concilating
Ireland by voting for the l47th clause and
O'Connell not only denounced the ministry
as faithless to Ireland but declared, and car
ried out his threat, that he would vote against
the bill going any further. Nevertheless, the
ministry had q majority of l31, and the bill
passed through the Commons in the shape
which the Ministry recommended. II must be
observed that the effect of the Government
proposal was, that no declaration should be
made as to the appropriation Of the surplus,
and it was left as an apple of discord for fu-
ture sessions to say what this appropriation
should be. All that was done was to leave
ont any express statement that Parliament
should decide how the surplus should be ap.
piled.
The bill was read for the third time and
passed on July s. after Mr.. She'll had lnef-
iectually proposed to insert in the preamble
an express declaration OF the right of the
Legislature to make such appropriation Of
the property of Cthe hurch as should most
coDduce to public utility. To us in this day
the only feature OF interest in the last de.
bate of the Commons on the third reading
is that Mr.. Gladstone took that opportunity
of uttering his sentiments on the subject
He was prepared to defend the Irisl
Church, although he admitted it had slum
beTed But what Protestant Church had moi
slumbered AS for the future, it was of the
utmost Importance to have body capable o.
} spreading and extending the Protestant doc
trines: The theory now upheld by Sir Stat