Year: 1868

W. beva ;mnortant news from England.
at,sr n debate the most important and exci-
t;no which has taken place in the House OF
Lords for long time, if we except that on
the Reform bill. the bill suspending appoint
ments to the Irish Church livings has been
defeated by vote of 81 to g. The House
of Lords has of late years rarely ventured
TO refuse 10 concur in the action Of the House
of Commons upon anv important measure,
and has exerted but little positive influence
upon English policy, its sessions becoming
mere matter of form, and the attendance,
except upon State occasion, dwindling down
to a few elderly gentlemen. This Irish
Church question has. however, awakened
the Lords, converted their chamber into the
scene of fierce contest brought out in full
force both of the opposing elements, and
drawn to witness the debate crowd of
spectators, among whom were the princes of
the royal blood.


Cobbett once said that fany considerable
interest was opposed to the recognition of
the law of gravitation, reasons enough could
be found to deny its existence and the
truth of his remark is exemplifed in the dis
pute over the Irish Chuch. That a whole
population should be taxed to maintain a
church, to which only an in6nitesimal por-



ideas of Justice and good policy, that the
wonder is how intelligent men can be brought
to defend a system not only so wrong in
itself, but productive of so much irritation,
and the cause of so much weakness to the
Empire. But the Tories of England. though
they probably do not care much for the Irish
Establishment-at least not enough to induce
them for it's own sake to take the risks of
defending it-feel that the assault upon it ia
only prelude to assaults upon other ancient
wrongs by which they profit. The English
Church itself rests upon no firmer basis of
right than does the Irish. 1t is the Church
of larger portion of the population than is
the Irish, but it is the Church of by no means
a majority of the population and the princi-
Pile once admitted that people are not to be
forced to support a religion in which they do
not believe, the English Establishment, as
we'll as the Irish. must be given up. And
this Establishment not only yields an i'm
mense sum in revenues to the privileged
classes, but with its overthrow the strongest
bulwark of the aristocracy and the throne
will have gone down before the advancing
food of liberalism.


Yet the close vote shows that a majority OF
the Lords temporal are in favor of yielding,
rather than provoking by resistance the pas.
elons OF their opponents, and endangerlng
their own safety. 1t is the vote of the
Bishops, which was doubtless thrown as a
unit. which has defeated the Suspensory bill
and placed the House of Lords in direct an
tagonism to the Commons.


The effect of this must be to greatly in
crease the political excitement, to strengthen
the opposition. and unite public opinion
more strongly than ever against the Irish
Church, and direct it as we'll against the
English Church. The more the matter is
agitated the more unjust and obnoxious will
the union of Church and State seem. and the
more anxious will the masses become to get
rid of it. Nor in their present temper will
the people, rapidly tending toward democra-
cy. view with complecency the spectacle of a
House composed of hereditary legislators
and appointees of the Crown, vetoing a meas
ure demanded ty their elected representa-
tives, and preventing a reform called for by
considerations not only of justice, but Of
economy and safety. The stolid obstinacy Of
the Lords spiritual has but quickened the
march of reform. They cannot save the Irish
Church that it must go, and With very
few months, is certain; but now when it does
60. something else may go likewise.-S. F.
Times.