The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1869-07-29
rhe progrsss Of Reform IN England.

stand what is meant by the disestab-
lishment Of the Irish Church, as
contemplated and proposed by Mr..
Gladstone's Irish Church bill, which
has been the ground of SO much excite
ment in the British Parliament, aud
which has brought the House of Com
mons aud the House of Lords into d.
rect conflict The reform demanded,
is simply an act dispossessing the Eng
lish Church in Ireland Of its endow-
ments so that they may be sold and the
funds diverted into other channels
The bill passed the Commons by large
majority. but was so amended in the
House Of Lords as to be unlike the ORR
giual bill. Stripped of these amend
ments in the Commons it was returned
to the Peers, nearly in its first shape,
and is still pending, the subject Of fer
yid debate aud intense excitement in
both Houses, which extends to the press
and the people A resume Of the ar
gumeuts, on both sides, viii explain the
objects and effects Of the measure,
should it finally pass. It is advocated
by the Liberals on grounds of moral
right and political justice. 1t is OPP
posed by the Conservatives on grounds
ofproscriptioucind Of socialexpediency.
The Tories do not pretend, at least the
mare enlighted leaders of the Tories do
not pretend, that they would be in favor
Of endoNing the Irish Church now, had
it never before been endowed They
content themselves with asserting that,
as the Irish Church exists and has
been endowed, and that on the same
principles on which the Church of
England exists and has been endowed,
it is obvious that to disendow and to
disestablish the Irish Church is to un-
settle vested interests in ireland, and to
imperil them in England also. Mr..
Gladstone and his followers have at
tempted, but unsuccessfully, to counter
these assertions of their antagonists.
There are too many men in Mr.. Glad.
stene'sparty-their leader, indeed, Mr..
Bright, is in his very Cabinet-who
recognize the accuracy of the Tory po-
sitions, and dor shrink from facing
tho full consequences of those positions.
These men desire the disendowment
and the disestablishment Of the English
Church quite as much as, perhaps even
more, than they desire the disestablish.
mont and the disendowment of the Irish
Church. Indeed, they make no secret
Of the fact that their attack upon the
Irish Church is really only preliminary
to,a grander attack upon the English
Church. Nor only this. Behind the
Irish Church question these men see
and invite, in ireland, the far more ex-
citing and perilous Irish land question.
Behind the English Church question
they see and invite the far more excit.
log and pcriious questions of English
land tenure and of English caste. 1t
will thus be seen that the question in
wolves the very foundations Of the es-
tablished order of things in the British
realm Should the measure prevail ii
may prove to be the forerunuer Of the
emancipation Of the Irish people from
all the disabilities under which they
labor as subjects Of the Crown. II may
also oycrturn the Established Church
10 England, uproot the land tenure and
forever destroy the privileges aud pre-.
tentions Of hoary caste. The crisis is
an important one. Should the Peers
obstipately hold out against the measure,
the contest may be transferred from
Parliament to people, and popular CON-
netion and popular election hasten the
csasummation Of the veryresalts which
the Peers hope to defeat But, il ap.
. $1,000 r.