An Irish Orange paper of ...
The Times, 1824-11-30T00:00:00

An Irish Orange paper of recent date affirms, that the "legality of the Catholic Association" has been under dis- cussion with the Government, and that the " Elnglisb " Cabinet has resolved to put down" that boisterous and vainglorious body. The source of the information is below contempt, but wc may so far notice the subject of it as to observe, that until Messrs. O'CONNBLL andCo. shall violate the letter of the lavw, no Lord-Lieutenant nor Cabinet on cither side of the Chainnel can de more than propose to IPar- liamnent suchl an extension of the law, as will reach what- cver exigency may be produced by the turbuilence of the Associators. That the acts which tlhey have done, the lan- guage they have held, and the understanding wlhich obvi- ously holds them together, are all so mrany outrages noon the spirit of the constitution, no reasonable man will deny but the forms and semblances with which the professional lexterity of their founder ha. clothed them, appear to us to have pklace(d them hitherto beyondt all interposition but that of thelmperial Parliameiit Even the Six Acts would not touch the Association as at prcsent constitute(d and conducted. Yet if it be considered dangerous, it must be 'put down ;" and if it do not modcrateits tone, dangerous itwill be considered, or represented dangerous by those who arc on the watch for pretexts. So another benefit which thses wiseacres are likely to confer upon the cause of liberty antd the empire at large, will perhaps be somne new encroachment on the national right of assermbling and petitioning for a redress of grievances. Our hopc is, that Governiment will not meddle- that is to say, will not be provoked to meddle: the public safety mnay indeed compel then ; but we do trust that no mere insolence, or folly, or fury, not involving the honour and welfare of the state, will be suffered by Ministers to rouse their angry feelings, or to hurry them into arbitrary measures against these Catholics, which must re-act upon the constitution itself. In the first place, if the Associators feel theinselves aggrieved, rough language on their part may be pardoned by a powerful Government without any sense of humiliation. In the next place, it is more profitable that resnitfrul or ambitious passions should discharge themselves in words, however foul, than be driven inwards, and burst outt again in black and fierce atrocities. 'Lastly, it is most desirable of all, that if these speech -nakers have any pro. ject, which we doubt, beyond that of being at the head of the faction which has raised them, the opportunity should be afforded of discovering it through their own indiscretion. What seem- s as probable as any other issue to this perfortance, is its dying a natural death : people inay get tired of mneeting ani( talking, and( finding no useful result ; they may eveni be saturated with the dlelight of paying large sums for th.. hon our antl glory of their leaders; they may, in their quality of Irish patriots, fly ofupon the scent of some more novel grievance. Lrt them alone, tlhcrefore, as long as possible. hViiy shoultd not O'CONNELL be allowed to exhibit as well as Punch and his wife ? They are both mere shows, incapable ot good; but thlouigh noisy and tiresotne, scareely capable of mischief. With regard to elmancipatiop, every friend to that public cause will be sorry enough wrhen they see that the priests pullinig on one sidc,aitd the lay orators on the other, have effectually if not wilfully strangled it. WVas it not the Vicar-General him- self of the English Papists, wlio declared onily a few years ago, that " frotm the day on which Cathollc einancipation was earried, we might dlate tle dowqnJl.of the Ronzisli chlurch throughout this counfry T" rhese wvere pregiamit words.