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{RUTH IS POWERFUL,
«Vou: T..No. 27,
i THE “FORTY? SHILLING FRANCHISE, |.
“Tue suggestion started by some Members of Par-
liament connected with the Government, and announced
yy Mr. O'Connell to the now defunct Catholic Asso-
“clation,’ of. disfranchising the people of Ireland, has
. piven‘ rise’ to’ much discussion, and it is not a little
“remarkakle,, that The .Morniag Chronicle, which is
_ considered: the org: n of the Whig party, is'as much
4," in love with the p’an'as. the most thorough-paced
S.°: Ministerial hack,. eit) er in or out of the House... In
that. paper’ pf-Monday last we find the subjoined
article, Q » Ey LEA?
-.*¢ We have no hesitation in expressing our approbation of
the project for raising the freehold qualification in Ireland,
By the 40s. freebolders, the franchise is generally viewed in
‘the light of a burden, and no persons acquainted at all with
the circumstances of Ireland, can for a moment suppose
. that the peasantry can give an independent vote. One chief
objection to the 40s. freehold is, that. it gives a bounty on the
cutting up of the land into smail holdings, and thus tends to
aggravate the political disease of that country. :.We do not
mean to say faust the raising of the qualification would be
‘instantly attended with any effect in increasing the size of
‘he possessions ; but if circumstances should favour the con-
‘solidation of possessions,’ Such a desirable result would be
_ less retarded by haying the qualification at 51. than at forty
Shillings.” 5 se ee
We do not pretend to be personally. acquainted
4 with the circumstances of Ireland, but “we-have no
hesitation In expressing”. our opinion, that the 40s.
. freeholder ‘can, and ,in many cases do, give as inde-
';.' pendent ‘a vote as’thé‘proprietor_of the Morning
° Chronicle for, his. house’ at the hustings -of .West-
. j-minster.. A: chief. objection to ‘these freeholds. is
, avowed to be ff the cutting up of the Jand into small
holdings,” and_thus’ tending’ to aggravate the politi-
ie Bayt
_ better fed, when there were small farms, than now;
‘when these small holdings are swallowed up by the
=) great speculator... But then there was not that huge
debt, nor that load of taxes to pay the interest of it,
i) “2. as well as the pension list and dead weight list, that
. there now is, and which can only be.paid by a ficti*
, tious paper_ money, which robs the poor man of his
comforts ta indulge the loan jobber, . the stock
- broker, and the tax -eater in’ the luxuries of-life.
The political disease of Ireland is not in the number
of 40s. freeholds, but in the enormous number. of
~ jobs “contracted by, Grand Juries, the rapacity. of.
the middle-men, the oppression of tithe collectors,
s,and all the ramifications‘ of. church-rates; ‘parish
yestries and assessments, which deprive the Catholic
+ peasant of the means of providing for his family; and
réaping the profits of his own industry. | Heré‘is the
“<> political disease‘ of’ Ireland, to: Whieh.we? may add
“> that of absentism, by which the. country is drained of
“it ‘floating capital, to be-spent either in this over-
. grown metropolis, at the watering places, or on the
; continent, . Here. is the evil, and thé Morning Chro-
_ nicle ‘Would be as ready.to ‘hang. all the 40s. free-
- holders as to disfranchise them, before he would pro-
_ Vide a real remedy for these abuses... The Sour sec-
__tarian, of the Chronicle is too well aware that a radi-
eal cure would’ be the breaking ‘up,of the system,
and this breaking up would deprive him of his office
of catering to the public tast¢,. and throwitig dustin
‘ the eyes of the people. The profits of newspapers have
- ) Brown with ‘the: growth of the finding system;:and
“ on now: they -are. thriving, richly on-tha credulity
_ of the: people, by advertising the innumerable specti-
» lative’ bubbles that are hourly blown frou: the Stock
“» Exchange: :' The: newspaper: sheets’ have, been in-
<) ercasing’ in.size, in the same proportion as.the com-
_ forts of the: people bave been. decreasing, and it is
" too much to expect of human hature, that our news-
papers will become all at once disinterested, and ‘ad-
* vocate! that principle which would give weight to
z
|, °, popular. opinion, “und, reduce that undue influence
* ereated by a’ base‘ paper money system, But we
* . must refer the reader to the admirable Letter of Dr.
| § Doyle, oa the Disfranchisement, of the 40s, .Free-
holder, which: willbe found in a subsequent page.
Faye “ was
y This learned and patriotic prelate, with, prophe
+
y
a
foresight has ably answered the: pretexts advanced
y the measure, and. Pointed out the manifest iaj
tice to the freeholder, ap well as the danger to public
freedom, should this hetae of curtailing, instead of
extending, the elective franchise be passed into’a
Jaws ow 5 : pyne
‘ veorearane rs af i se
-PENSIONING ‘OF T E,| CATHOLIC; CLERGY,
: : . lg . _
The same writer is equally warm towards the pro-
jected. plan of paying the Catholic Clergy out of the
taxes raised upon the? Pi testant people of England.
He goes on bff as
“* With respect to the pay’ pe the Trish Catholic Clergy by
the State, the measure has'our decided approbation. ~ We
are certain that the public mosey, never Was laid dut on a
more desirable object thin thé one in question —Of course,
e should: prefer paying ‘dut'of the excessive revenues of
the Irish Protestant Chucch} but we cannot obtain that ob-
ject at present, and there ig no reason why we should de-
cline a benefit because it at still be made more extensive.
Pay the Catholic Clergy, by @j(sheang; nay, pay them well,
The part of the plan of whietwé least approve is the alow-
ing the Clergy to: take any f-es at all from their Flocks —
.We'would much rather that fey received at once so much
from the State as to leave theut ho pretext. for taking any
fees; and, having thus freed fhem from the necessity of re-
ceiving any thing from their Flocks, the Legislature might
prohibit all fees, oblations, &c, upder a severe penalty. ..
‘© At. present the: Catholic,
promoting marriages, and otkefwise .adding to the misery
of the people. » The Scripture é2y's, the leart. of man is de-
ceitful above all things, and degperately wicked, and Catho-
lic Priests being men, hare, of course, their share of failipgs
of liumanity,. However anxious they may be for the spiritual
. Welfare of their flocks, it is natujal that they shonld have an
eye occasionally to. their own temporal welfare. © Gov, forbid
that we should say that many Latholic Priests dd: netact in
the miost disinterested manner, it ja reasocivg with regard
to whole classes of nen, we must consider the matives which
are likely to weigh with tbe mz “fe . z
wf Thata better arraug ete ys .
en:
Lrouaced might be dewised ¢)
the best arrangement cary une
why we should reject t
especially when almost a?%cvanj-onent of the question will
bea benefit to the ety. The fact is, that the grand
difficulty begins »7én Emanciye-joa is obtained. If atter
such an evensyou should Ro to, Mimster and tell. the’ slaving
peasant-*€_is- now emancipated, when’ the Grst feeling of.
joy_svosides, he will see himsaf surrounded by the samme
maisery by which he’ is atpresont <urrounded.’
Ensancipation cannot relieve theiistress of the poor peasant,
it removes. out of the way a subject the agitation of which
serves to keep us from the considvrstion of the great evil It
is of the utmost moimeiit that’ tie attention of the public
should not be withdrawn fron the gunsideration of the social
malady, by-disputes which mast be términated before we can
thiak of the steps which are to be taken, either with regard
. to a cure, or the ascertaining fhe {he malady is beyond the
skill of the political physician.’ y/o 00)... ois
- . 5 wae .
. The Catholic Clergy of Irekiat, we are sure, ought
to be infinitely obliged to thi! ‘Scotch sectarian for
his kindness, after all the lavgivand vulgar abuse be
has long been in the habit of} caping upow them and
the divine doctrines it is the duty to: teach to thei
faithful and ecalumniated ‘fingis; = We do ‘most sin-
cerely hope the venerated Hjcrarchy of Ircland will
weigh well what this libellcy of the Catholic: faith
has here disclosed, before they ‘consent to take one
pemny of the public money figna Protestant Govern-
ment by way of remunération fot the performance of
their sacred duties. » "This “raay hag openly avowed
himself the determined enemy f the Catholic church,
and we believe him siticore fy stig declaration. > -He
has lamented in pathetig’ eriys its. rapid increase in
Ireland and other countries 3141 repretted in equally
moving accents the influence swith the Irish Clergy
possess. over the people. [Xin wwhence.then -cait
arise this warth support of the rioposed plan of pay=
dng, that Clergy “out of the pritic. funds }., Not to
Proniote the interests of rolieige. | To-entertain.stich
an dpipion, would be to: stizyuise shim atid his ad-
mnirers either as, madaien gry inite the pastor.
y
. oo! s. T i
to. his flock. «No 5, for that io dbelie all his former
asseyerations of host8Uy ‘to ‘thi forines, and hollow
regard for the latter?) What ‘then can “be the-mo-
tive.of his advocuey of the mei} ure in question? Be:
cause it will most eltarly ‘tend +i sap the foundation
of religion, and ‘render ‘that yferarchy, whieh ‘has
stood for fourteen -b¥Adted - yen4,-in days of peace
and ages of petsecy i the eey of Catholicism,
and the joy aad co ion of pg people; it will go
to render that, Hier! as hid reg! be
AE,
oly
lic opinion as the I
Ae
*riest’ has a direct iaterest in r
been an-¢ the want of pastors, aud the’ cuit
i pices ereteere oman her A
tea penton RCO ep metic f
_ AND WILL’ PREVAIL. :
[Pace 7d.
at this day} while the people. over, whom’ they are
appointed to watch and ordered to will become. *
like the people of England, the victhius of sectarian-
ism, dnd ultimately of infidelity.: © . mS
«Pay’the Catholic Clergy ;:nay, pay them well,”
exclaims this hireling of- the press ; “but: take care
that they do not: receive.“ any fees: at all from their
flocks.” . Catholics of Ireland and England too! dis- -
cover ‘you not’ the cloven: foot. of this pretended,”
friend to: Emancipation !.. Venerable* Ministers. of
God !* see you not the snareset to catch you, to make
you the panders of faction and the betrayers of your:
trust. Oh! remember, remember the fate of, reli=
gion in England, when Henry the Eighth cajolgd the
clergy of that day to consent to the supremacy, arid
become the pensioned slaves of a corrupt temporal
government. Remember that the first slip is hard
to be recovered, and that Grmness and nnanimity will’
render you impregnable. Consider, that if you con-
sent to the principle of Protestant legislation. for jhe
discipline of your church, you disarm yourselyce at:
once’of that strong‘ and. natural: attachment which
subsists between the good pastor and the people, and’
is the ground work of that social happiness which i
is theduty of a, good. government. fo foster und
protect; but which faction and self-interest can never
contemplate.” : we
Why if all fees, oblations, &¢. are ty be prohibited
under‘ a severe penalty, and if the clergy and people
consent to a State provision for the former, and what
security can you bave that they will nat abolish then,
AWilaturcdws will the Ilierarchy have te~provide for
the qdueation of students for the-minisiry and the
children of the poor, “Will not the poople thas be
soon deprived ‘of the consolations ef rei
i thréugh.. ,
by the means of Bible Schocls? -To us ic is obvi
and. Weare convinted, that if these were uot the ul- | >
terior: objetts the emancipators have’ in’ view, they
would not be so eager in. their‘endeas ours to recon=
cile the people of agland to the weasure.- Ever in
the very article-we are commenting upon, the Chro-
nicle cannot refrain stigniatizing the Catholic Clergy, -
and making them the authors of all the miscries
avhich: the Irish people endure, but which-have their
origin from the proscriptive code and. imisritle of 2a
ascendant faction. ~ “The Catholic Priest,” he says,
“has a direct interest in promoting marriages, avd
OTHERWISE: ADDING to the miseries of the peo-
ple.’ Base caluniniator! in what way have the Ca-
tholic Priesthood multiplied the miseries uf the peo-
ple. “Did they pass those barbarous and uachristian
laws, which now stain the statute. book, and which
reversed the commandments of God ‘and the laws of
nature?’ Did they abolish the tithe of agistinent, by
which: the burthen of the established clergy ‘was °
thrown upon the poor cottier, and taken from the
opulent grazier ? “Did they iqvolve the country ina
long and expensive war, adding-to the: increase of
taxes and the ‘aecumulation: of state paupers?’ Did
they devise the measures which drove’ the land-
holdei's from the country, and left the people a prey
to middlemen?“ Are they: the inventors of the vex~
atious processes in ecclesiastical courts, which are a
réat cuusé of the misery and discontent of. the peas. :
santry of Ireland ? BaP eee gol
. The Catholic Prvest. “ adding to the misery of the-:
people 11!" ° What an ogtragevus: violator of truth b <°:
We admit'that the Catholic: Priests, being’ men, have ”
their Share of the failings ot. humanity ;"-but we know |.
that they-at the Same time apply the necessary anti-
dote to guard against those failings, and that the purjty ‘
of their lives conveys a damning proof of ‘the base~
hess and falsity of the insinuation thrown out against
‘their, characters, under the guise of Scripture. too.
What if marriages are frequent in Ireland, the Priest
dh
ee
‘oscls tized
pee
catrhave-no other interest than that of preserving =) 0:
the morals of his flock... This Scotch: sectarian i3
ever decrying” against the increase of population
Ireland, forgetting the injunction of God to our fr
arerits, “increase and multiply.” This sapiegt cant!
servator of public’ morals, -as.the’ press sorsetimes ”
pretends to be, would’ prefer seeing Ireland swarm, |
with abandosed women, as the towns of England «.
are, ant the “masistrates occitpied with affiliating *