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~TREDAND:
| THE RIVAL REGISTRAION BILLS. |
The following letter from the Liberator, respecting the prin-
ciples of the bills of Lords Stanleys and Morpeth, for the amend-
nemof the registration of voters in Ireland, will be read’ with’
the most intense interest foe i * bes
ah Rae London, 6th February, 1841:
My pear Ray—Affairs are taking just, the torn’ which the
mot sincere and ardent lovers of Ireland could desire.» The
aisia is becoming every day more ‘and more distinct ‘and une-
qivocals, ‘The antagooists principles for the government of Ire-
kod are brought into the most immediate aad into the clearest
eatrast ;. there is not the smallest room for doubt, or the least
pssibility of wiisconception—one or other of the antagonist prin-
ciples must now triumpbe Oe lasek :
‘The first of these principles in order of time is the old one long
sted npoo—resiriction and exclusion of the people of Ireland
fom the enjoyment of British rights, ascendancy and unrelenting
dumination to the extermination Orange faction. ‘This isthe up-
disguised and avowed principle of Lord Stanley's bill... 9)!" }
The second principle isthe one—very novel, indeed, in the his-
wry of the connexion between. the two countries, Great Britain
snd Ireland—the principle of doing justice ; or, perhaps, should
more correctly say, tending to do justice to the Irish people—a
principle giving, or at least tending to give, commencurate fran-
thiges tothe Trish with the English people. » his is the principle
a Morpeth’s bill. )
Hf Stanley’s bill be adopted in the whole, or in any part, the
nan in Ireland js both stupid and base who does not recognise in
wach adoption a declaration by the Tory party in parliament of
political hostility, and literally of ** warto the knife” against the
lish people. . Tf any part of Stanley's bill be adopted, the prin-
tiple is adopted—the exterminating principle is adopted, and the
wor to any hope of justice for Ireland from British legislation is
closed; and closed for ever! *. He who in that case is not, or does
tot become, a Repealer, does not deserve the name of Irishman!
Poor, creeping, crawling thing! let it meet the pity and the con-
tempt of every lover of fatherland!) . "i
In the same way, if Lord Morpeth’s bill shall be rejected, itis
‘fair and reasonable in itself, that it-can be rejected solely by
alopting the Stanley exterminatiog principle; that principle
which is already established by the Irish Reform Bil!—a bill, re-
sllect, brought in and carried by Stanley himself. oo
tall events, and inevery contingency, one thing is certain—
that the Melbourne eabinet deserve the most lively and active
tatitude of the, people of Ireland, for bringing in and giving their
roken government support to Lord Morpeth’s measure. But
bdeserve the continnance of that gratitude, the goveroment must
{38 T suppose it wild) stand by the measure in the shape in which
‘bas been announced by Lord Morpeth.” The bill would be rn-
ited, it would be a worthless, ifthere were to be any compromise
“ mnigation ofits essential details. © It would be holding up the
1p of hope to our lips, and then dashing it away untasted! Te
Vuld be—as it is--a distant promise of justice, and then a refu-
Sl. Tt would be a compromise between honesty and knavery,
teween vice and virtue! “ Any such compromise, would create
Yer disappoint ment and ineffable disgust. « But I ought to apo-
aisetothe Irish people fur thinking it possible at such a moment
Mat the government could be so base and unworthy. a8 to enter
io any such compromise.’ At present, and on this occasion,
they donot merit any such suspicion; quite the contrary. < It is
%% my opinion—it is only my anxiety, my vivid, pever-dying
Uniely for the rights of the loved land of my birth; my adored
foherland, Old Ireland that makes me imagine the occurrence
that which my reason and my judgmenttell meis impossible.
Stand of full, eiak of swim, the minisiry will not, cANNoT com-
Homie | They bave nailed the green flag of Erin tothe mast;
Troup Go Down’ is now-the motto. 5. Go"
‘e(me, however, repeat—I cannot repeat it too often, that we
*ve a deep and lasting debt of gratitude to the administration
br bringing forward this measure.”: It is a manly, bold, just and
“Mancipating measure. It extendsthe franchise. It annihilates
Hhecomplenit and vexation attending the registry. It dismisses
fr ever the paid swearers of the ‘Tory faction. «It does away all
jeeottuaity of, or advantage from, perjury. © And it takes away
an every future scorpion the malignant gratification of denom-
mi the moral and religious people of Ireland * villanious
TBM tee Ne beetle VG a a vet
Recollect—le ea le of Ireland recollect--what bas oc-
‘ured between at Lor Howick.’ His lordship accused me
aving calumniated the British parliament when Isaid thatit
f2s determined not 10 do justice to Ireland.. I avowed that T
ri said so. I say it again. - It is my thorovgh conviction. - I
ave most abundant reasons for being 50 convinced. is ther
a the vitae ENORMITY, three-fourths of which still eubsist in
bands of the church of the smali minority ? : Ie there not the
Wiocioun insult of the Irish corporate reform bill, a8 compared
wat that of England or of Scotland? And is there not the mis-
iy ati :
Minted elective franchise 29s 9c fay dt ee te od
3
‘ cu oooe NEW-YORK, SATURDAY, MARCH 13,1841. 0)
Eeuth ts powerful and will:prevafl, . ORS Gente birects.
at
Let me stop. Here’ Lord Elowick ‘and I meet, foot to foot. «I think that p
arty are foolish and idiotic enough, and misereant enough,
> te reject. Lord Morpet
R
Here our respective opinions are o be tested} one or bee of us. foresee, Lord Morpeth’ bland to adont Lord Sankey a. Tepe
mos be authoritatively contradicted and refuted.” There bigoted Tories.’ But, then, the result will be~indeed, I think, cer-
this alternative—it must be demonstrated either that Tam’ inthe | tain/y will be—that their continued malignancy and bigotry
wrong, or that his lordship is altogether and palpably in error, { Posed to the Irish people, and then Hurrah for the REPEAL.
Our opinions are both brought to an unerring test. . There is no- | *? «Believe me to be, my dear Raye ores | emai he
thing equivocal in the experiment. Nay, it is favorable to his TY ENT SSA'NIEL' O°CONN.
lordships's opinion; because the legislature may do Ireland jus- on ea ee
lice in one fespect, and refuse it in others. But if they refuse
it in ONE AND ALL, see how triumpbanily (whatever bis lordship
may do) I shall declare to the people of Ireland that thereis no |
justice from British legislation for Ireland—HurRRAH| FOR THE
1! ae .
T. M. Ray, Esq.
: «, The Government Registration Bill.)
Tt would be hardly possible to devise. a more perfect experi-
ment for testing the disposition of the izperial legislature to-
. : : ne wards the county, and for calculating our chance of obtaining
Again—the people of Ireland are indebted to Lerd Morpeth justice at its bands, than that which is just now being mate. |
and the ministry for raising the question so fairly end so distinct- | U'bere are two bills before the house: the object of one isto de-
ly.. If bis billshall be thrown out either in the House of Com-'| molish-our constituencies, and then to strike at our liberties
mons or in the House of Lords, then the majority that procure | When we: cannot speck in their defence: the other propases 10
that decision will be the best of all possible Repealers, and I for | give vs a portion, and buta portion, of our just rights.— Which
one will consent to the solemn mockery of enrolling them as Re- |-0f these propositions will be accepted it is difficult 16 say.» The
=
&
"
peal associates. It has been proposed to me frequently to do
Lord Stanley that honor; but I feel that however just; it would
throw ‘an air of ridicule upon ovr proceedings, Bur it will be
the solemn assertion of a truth to enrol a3 associates for Repeal
ay majority, either of Lords or Commons, that shall reject or
modify Lord Morpeth’s bill, or adopt Lod Stanley's bill, or any
one of iis vexatious details.) , Tae Me
For my part-I congratulate the peaple of Ireland ‘upon the
position which their patriotic virtue has won for them.» That
position—that valuable position is this: they have before thém
this ahernative—-either Lord Morpeth’s bill will pass unaltered,
giving to the people of Ireland a substantial instalment of justice
{and that branch of the alternative is single) or Lord Morpeth’s
bill will, .be rejected, and Lord Stanley's bill: adopted ; or bor
will be rejected—that branch of the alternative having a double.
aspect, leaving the people of Ireland onthe one hand in their
present iniquitous restriction of the franchise, or tending directly,
and by necessary ‘consequences, to the anoihilation of the fran-
chise altogether... With the success of the first branch ot the
alternative, we increase LigERTY in Ireland—with the suecess
of the second, we augment beyond the, power of calculation the
zeal as well asthe number of the Repealers.) 0.00/07) ss
v As itnot delighiful 10 bring matters to this condition, that the
question of the determination of the British legislators to refose
justice to Ireland ia no longer to be a matter of dispute or dis-
cussion? It depends uponone single fact—will they reject Lord
Morpeth’s bill or not 2... Will. party spirit pare to reject Lord
Morpeth’s bill? ; Bitter enemies as the “T'ories are to Ireland,
and to the Irish people, will they, in the preseot state of the Ja-
boring add operative classes in Great Britain and Iretand—will
they, while the dumb warfaref unarmed peace is in progress
all over Europe—will they, while America is menacing ber
eagle-pounce upon the decaying strengrh of the British lion—
will the Tories, bitter enensies as they are to the Irish people,
have the bad boldness to rejeet or to emasculate Lord Morpeth’s
BIL? * In the name of Ireland, I taunt them todo it! In the
name of e1gHT miLLIONS of the Jrish people, I DEFY themto
doit!’ [nur sy HIGH AND HAUGHTY DEFIANCE AT TREM!
They are wicked enough, but they are not so insensible fo pass-
ing events—so utterly foolish as'to doit!) They: are tyrannic,
aristocrats, it is troe, ready for any crime against popular rights;
but they are not such drivelling, such idiotic statesmen as 10
PRESUME 10 inflict thie additional oulrageous insult upon the
generous, the brave, the loyal. people of Ireland!—a loyal, a
faithful, and a'brave people, who have already suffered soo
much of injustice, and endured almost too many unbearable
insolis! ‘ yond a4 al
» This is a question that will soon be set at rest... The govern-
balance is even—the crisis of absorbing interest. The: peace of
Treland—perhaps the integrity of the empire hangs wembling
on the result. tear me Aa : x Peseta 4
There is one thing which the government will effect, or have
already effected by this bill—and if it were the only good it was
calculated to produce, we would siill be hound to thank them for
it—they have uumasked the hypocrisy of Stanley.’ "They have
torn away the decent: veil, beneath which he would bide his
black, malignant purposes, and exposed them in their naked de-
formity 10 the publie eyes» We shall hear no more of his respect
for morality, his horror of perjury. and such like cant. His de-
sign is admitted—his murderous attack now stands revealed—
and, emphatically we say, we are prepared to meet it. ‘ t
» What was the mischief camplained of by Lord Stanley?
What is the great evil which his bill was intended to remedy?
It was this—that the present system of regisiralion rendered the
franchise. of too easy access to those who were not qualified to
possess it—that it held out temptations to perjury by making the
success of the claiin dependent on the oath of the claimant.
« Now, there is not a single measure which Lord Stanley pro-
posed for the removal of these abuses that is not to be found in +
the bill of which Lord Morpeth gave a sammary on Thursday
lasts \ Lord Stanley proposed, to do away with the custom of
voting from certificates... So does Lord Morpeth‘: The annua!
revision, the double appeal, every remedy, every’ precaution
suggested by Lord Stanley, forms part aud pareel of the govern-
ment measure. \, But they have been adopted only so faras they
are precautiovs. .. The right of appeal, for instance, it limived to
questions of law, because an appeal on matters of fact might .
be, and would be, converted into a formidable instrument of an-
noyance and persecution. « Again, with respect. to the annual
revision, Lord Morpeth. proposes that no objection shail be con-
sidered valid unless it be. founded on some change affecting the
qualification ia virtue of which the voter was placed upon the
tegister. “In, other words, when a voter is once admiued, be
retains his place upon the register until it is shown that some-
thing has occurred since his admission.in consequence of which
he should be removed. : ‘Lord Stanley, on theother hand, would
leave the claim iteelf liable to question every year: .He would
{10 us the words of Lord Morpeth) #leave the vote which had
been juged good and valid in one year liable to be called in ques-
tion in the next, and so cn to all recorded time.” silo sci sir
: But the great difference between Lord Stanley's bill and that
ofthe government is, that the latter would remove all vexation
and uncertainty arising’ from the ‘present unsetiled state of the
franchise. This is the prominent grievance of the present sys-
tem—this is the evil which called most loudly for redress, and
againattbis abuse Lord Stanley fairly shut bis eyes... With re-
gard to this point Lord Morpeth proposes to adapt the poor law
ment have started it fairly. Let the people do their part bonest-
ly, peaceably, legally,’ constitutionally. oever violates the
letter or the spirit. of any law—whoever ‘commits any crime
strengthens the enemy. . This is the charter, seniimeni. of the
Loyal National Repeal Association. It must be worked out
in all our proceedings, and even in our most minute details of
usiness. ep er ty ee . » *
WHoEVER VIOLATES THE LAW, STRENGTHENS THE ENEMIES
OF TRELAND.Y sta on :
I propose that the Association should adopt two measures—first, an
Great Britain upon the principles involved in
Lord Morpeth’s and Lord Stanley’s bills, i send’ you, as soon as
they are printed, both bills; ‘ani Monday, the
title of each, with the forms of, the prayer to petitions, to support the
o ji s I believe it is not parliamentary to denomi-
name of the proposer, the utmost
# signature shall be attached to
any of our petitions. We have abundance of genuine names to atta
0 our petition, - The Orange party im Ireland, last year, dealt in ficti-
tious signature must watch and detect this practice on the part
co
6
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{they are threatened,
valuation as a test, and to fix the standard for the elective fran-
chise at the same value at which the poor law act makes the
ocedpier liable tothe rate—ibat is, at a rated net yalue of five
pounds, In other words, it is proposed that any man possessed
ofa holding for which five pounds would-be’ considered a fair
reot shall. be qualitied to register a vote, provided he hold by a
tenure of at least fourteen years. ‘ Wile itt eate
‘Afier the sketch that we have given, although necessarily in-
complete, of the heads of this bill, and of the many advantages
which it possesses over its dangerous and detested ‘rival, we
irust that it-is. nearly superfluous to call apon aut readers to
come forward one and all, prompily and vigorously, in its sup-,
port, Let no man, in this crisis, ask whether the ministry are ~
to be supported or not. Let the question be, whether we are to
shield the liberties of the country from the destruction with which
No mater what our peculiar views may
be no mater what the final object towards which our aspira-
tions and exections are directed, ler it not be for a moment for+
of our enemies—we must never be guilty of any approach to it our-
selves. |” : flee r ues .
Descending from the high and haughty tone of that defiance which F
bur) at the virulent and bigoted Tory faction, I may be asked what my
tranquil and matured opinions are on the probable wuccess of Lord Mor-
peth’s or Lord Stanley's bill? I will answer the question frankly. My |
‘opinion is made up as to the wickedness and the folly of the Tory party.
gotten that Stanley's bill would tie up our hands on the day of
batiemthat the franchise is the weapon with which we must
izht ovr way to victory... And, even though our exertions should
prove unavailing, they will not elill be thrown away ; for, whea
we shall be engaged in the last great struggle for our liberties,