The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-02-26
Morning Star and Catholic Messenger.
NEW ORLEANS, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20 leTi
William Pitt FoiIad and Rohart Emmett Exacuted.

NEW ORLEANS SUNDAY FEBRUARY 20 1871.
Tho Act of Union did not receive the
Royal assent till the month of June, 1900
and it was to come into operation on
the fret day of the ensuing year. 1t
provided that four spiritual and twenty
eight temporal lords, with 100 cOmmoners,
should represent Ireland in the Imperial
Parliament; that the Churches of England
and Ireland should be united, and that all
subjects of Great Britain and Ireland should
be placed on the same footing IN naylga ga.
ton and trade. Many friends of the Irish
peoplo were sanguine in their hope of the
Union being u harbinger of prosperity and
peace. But those who had listened to the
promises of the Castle soon found that they
had been betrayed; and it soon became
evident also that Ireland was still to be CO.
creed. The seat of coercion only was
transferred from College Green to St. Ste
phen's. The talents of the country, like its
property, were dragged from Dublin to be
sold in Westminster. The 100 gentlemen
who were deputed to represent Ireland
were adventurers of tLe most expensive
observation-disclosures, as Grattan said, with
pretensions-the images of degradation
andsthe representatives of nothing-dressed
and exposed for sale in the grave-clothes of
the Irish Parliament, and playing their
tricks upon its tomb for hire. Onehundred
and fifty thousand armed men were still
required for Ireland in state of "peace;"
and for several years after the Union the
average expense of the standing army to
the Government was f3 SOC, 900 sterling.
By tho Instruction Act, which was in force
for two years after the same measure, per-
sons found out of their houses between
sunset and sunrise were liable to transpor-
tation; the Habeas Corpus Act continued
to be suspended, and the whole land was
under martial law till the year 1905.
From the moment when the Act OF Union
passed into law, the Prime Minister, Will
liam Pitt, turned his thoughts to the fulfil
ment of those expectations which he had,
through his political agents, held out to the
bishops, clergy and laity of the Catholic
population of Ireland. He had been too
cautious to bind himself by any definite
and solemn promise, but he made no con
cealment of his opinion that the Irish Ca
tholcs had moral claim on the Govern
ment in England. He determined to lay
their case before the Cabinet when 1T
should reassemble, after the summer re-
cess, and he summoned Lord CASTLE |
reagh from Dublin to be present on the oc-
casion, as he had been when the subject
was brought before the. Minister in the pre-
yious wear. Lord Castlereagh, be it OBJ
served, was then, and continued to be till
the day of his CHASTITY suicide in 1892, the
unwavering advocate of Catholic emanci-
patton. But o secret influence was at work.
The same Weddcrburn, who had insulted
DR.. Franklin, the American Envoy, before
the Privy Council, and who had been the
friend of Pitts illustrious father, still
lived, nay, held, under the title of Lord
LoughbOrougb, the Great Seal of England.
He was yet to be advanced to higher rank
as Earl of Rosslyn, and he seems to have
had secret design of displacing Pitt, and
Of praspinE the honors of IA Prime Minister
when he worked upon the unsound and
sensitive mind of George III. at Weymouth,
alarmed him alb Jut the concessions which
were to be made to Catholics, and inflamed
his prejudices to such a degree as to bring
back distressing symptoms of madness.
Lord Auckland and his brother-in- law, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, added to the
unhealthy excitement of the Kings mind,
and they were aided in this perverse at
tempt oy the Primate of Ireland, u younger
son of the former favorite, Lord Butte.
While Pitt was communicating with his
colleagues, on the subject of providing for
the Catholic clergy, contrivinS emanc. pa
ton and amending the system of titles,
some papers which he forwarded to Lord
Loughborough, previously to laying the |
entire matter before the King, were made
by that nobleman the means of irritating
and alarming still further the Royal breast. /
In Cabinet Council, held in September,
1900, the Royal Chancellor strongly OPP |
posed the project of admitting Catholics |
into Parliament, and Pitt was compelled to !
instruct Lord Cnstiereagh to return to Dub
lin, and to apprise the Lord Lieutenant of
the difficulties which had arisen. He did
not at that time suspect the pertdy of
Longhborough, and it is probable that if he
had done so, he would have sought an in
terview with his Majesty, and have en-
deavored to convince him that no violation
of his coronation oath was involved in the
removal of political restrictions pressing
hard upon Catholics. In January, 1901,
Lord CORVALLIS wrote, "If Mr.. Pitt is
firm, he will meet with no difficulty But
he little knew the strength of the anti
Catholic interest at that period, which
would in all probability have been too
mighty for Pitt, even if Pitt had been sup
ported by all his colleagues, and the Royal
Rrejudices had been made to give way. Ip-
stead OF this being the case, other men,
bers of the Cabinet arranged themselves on
the Chancellor's side, and Pitt now found
himself opposed by the Duke of Portland,
and the Lords Westmoreland, Liverpool
and Chatham. Every prospect of agree
ment was already at an end, when the King
brought the matter to an issue at Il levec
by walking up to Mr.. Dundas. and asking
him eagerly, in reference to Lord CASTLE
reagh, What is it that this young lord