On this page
-
Text (3)
-
1030 T H E j L E A D E R. [Saturday. i ....
-
JOHN BKIGHT'S SOLUTION OF THE IRISH CHUR...
-
MOKK "LAST (11JNS" OK J'KOTKCTION. Photh...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Even Of Greater Importance Than The Turk...
local body . Mr . Bright , however , is right in saying thslt it is impossible to devise a plan which shall be perfect , or shall win the assent of everybody . An order issued by the Poor-law ( Jominissioners towards the end of Avfgust last , has been the object of a growing resistance , in which the London Unions have taken part , and which Manchester has just joined . The object of the order
is , to forbid out-door relief for able-bodied persons who are earning money , and to oblige the unions to provide relief in the shape of work . The order is likely to prove a brutwn fulmen , vehemently exciting many unions against the idea of reproductive employment , thus abruptly thrust upon them without the slightest preparation , or the slightest help towards overcoming the practical difficulties that will be felt in some places .
The fatal duel at Egham has been followed by an unpleasant sequel of ungenerous conduct . While the fact generally understood is , that Cournet forced on the duel , out of an overstrained punctilio , the reports made it appear that political friends of his antagonist , Barthelemy , had forced it upon Cournet . A rag in one of
Barthelemy ' s pistols rendered it impossible for that weapon to go off ; the report spoke of it as Cournet ' s pistol , and hinted that the rag had been put there by Barthelemy ' s second . Bad impressions have probably contributed to the decision of the local magistrates against receiving bail ; but as the case of the prisoners is in good legal keeping , we have no fear that justice will fail on the trial .
1030 T H E J L E A D E R. [Saturday. I ....
1030 T H E j L E A D E R . [ Saturday . i . . ¦ ¦ j ¦ . i m ¦ * i « ' i ... i „ ___ , (__ , , —— * 1 '" ' " — ' ' —~ - _________________ i __________ i ______________________________ ~______~_~^~^~^~* ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¦^¦~*^~*™« W __^^ "i ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^_^^* " ^ " ^__^__^__^_ B _ w __^__^__ i __^__ a __^__^_ . ¦ '
John Bkight's Solution Of The Irish Chur...
JOHN BKIGHT ' S SOLUTION OF THE IRISH CHURCH " DIFFICULTY . " Uwabbe to attend the " Religious Equality" conference held in Dublin on Thursday , Mr . Bright has written a long letter to Dr . Gray , one of the secretaries of the movement , expounding his views in full , and thus publishing a complete plan for the settlement of the Irish Church . He sets out upon the understanding that the " Equality" party " demand nothing more nor lesa than a perfect « equality * before the law for the religious sects that exist in Ireland ; " which are explained to be " the Protestant Episcopalian , the Presbyterian , and the Roman Catholic Churches . " He then lays down
the broad ground on which to base his solution that tbe equality sought " must start from this point—that henceforth there must be no church in Ireland in connexion with the State . " He propounds two plans : — " The most simple plan would be to absorb the revenues of the Established Church as the livings bccomo vacant , nnd to apply them iu some channel not ecclesiastical , in which ( . ho whole population of Ireland could participate . The objections to this plan are , that it would bo hard upon the Protestant Episcopalians , after having pampered them ho long with a munificent support , to throw them all at once on ( heir resources ; and that to withdraw the JRcgium Donum from the Presbyterians of the north , when they have no other provision made for their religious wants , would bo to create a just discontent among them . "
He disposes of this plan , and then proceeds to detail the other , which ho adopts : — " There is , however , another mode of settlement which , though open to Home objection , is probably more likely to obtain a general concurrence of opinion in its favour in Ireland , and to which , 1 think , a great , amount of consent might be obtained in England and Scotland . Your prouont ecclesiastical arrangements are briefly these :- —The-Protestant Ep iscopal Church has 500 , 000 / . per annum entrusted to it , or a principal sum , at twenty years' purchase , of ten millions sterling . The Presbyterian Church or Churches have 40 , 000 ^ . per annum , or , estimated at tho same rate , a principal sum of eight hundred thousand wounds . The Jtomim Catholic Church has atJ . OOO / . per . 1 . rfttfttIV 1 _ of five hundred and twent
* * annum , or a principal sum y thousand pounds . I will say nothing about the exact proportions of population belonging to each Church , for 1 do not , wish to give opportunity for dispute about figures . It i » sufficient to say , what everybody knows to be true , that the Irish population is Catholic ; , and that tho Protestants , whether of tho Episcopalian or of the Presbyterian Church , or of both united , are a small minority of , the Irish people . I will admit tho temporary hardship of nt < mce withdrawing from tho Protestant hooIb all the re-• ources which the State has hitherto provided for them ; but at tho same time , no onu can deny , and I cannot forget , the ' harUdliip to which tho Catholics havo boon subjected , v w / S l _ fc * h * - » ua that they , the poorest portion of the peonlo , ^ ? «^ T ' im ^> 4 t ; tiiiHja Inn most numerous , havo been shut y ^ y- ^ ^ Xe ^ jiuost aii i ) lirlici i ' atio " thu J ml ) ho . luiulrt uv ~ / * - ' ¦ -J ' S ^^ - < ioi 4 iiastical purposes Jh Ireland . 1 b it not positiA ' - < , „ S ^ to ^ Q ^ an arran einen * fit ^ hich the inenaced liard-V ' l ;' , | / : : ' i ^< i hIWoto « tant « may be avoided , and that ¦« louu V "V' -1 . ¦ ¦ > T « " S & Wbfetto Catholic * , in port , at least , redre « Hod ? And \ C / ' , ¦>< ' " ¦> i ^ tL 2 ^ B 5 u 6 on » without deuartuiff from tho principle , v , a < l v : * i
that henceforth there must bo nO Church , in Ireland in connexion with the State P * " Let an act be pMsed to establish a ' Church Property Commission' for Ireland , and let this commission hold in trust , for certain purposes , all the tithes and other property now enjoyed by the Established Church ; let it , in tact , become possessed of tlm ten millions sterling , the income from which now forms the revenues of that Church , as the livings and benefices become vacant . It would be desirable to oner facilities to the landed proprietors to-purchase the tithes at an easy rate , in order that funds might -be in hand to carry out the other arrangements of the scheme . I have estimated the total value at ten millions ; it might not reach that sum if ^ the tithes were sold at a low rate ;
but whether it were teft millions , or only eight millions , would not affect the practicability or the justice of this proposition . Let thisj . commission be empowered and directed to appropriate certain portions of this fund as a free gift to each of the three Churches in Ireland—to the Protestant Episcopalian ^ the Presbyterian , and the Romancatholic Church . Whatever is , thus given must be a free gift , and become as much the private property of the respective sects or Churches , as'is the property of the Free Church in Scotland , or that of' the Wjesleyan Methodists in England . It musk rio longer be a trust from the State , liable to interfer ^ n ^| n pr recall b y the State , or the ' equality * and independence of the Irish sects will not be secured .
" There comes now'the qikestion of the amounts to be thus given . From * otn ' ei inquiries I have made , I have arrived at the conclusion that if , in each parish in Ireland , there was a house and a small piece of land , say from ten to twenty acres , in the possession of the Catholic Church , that would be all the provision that would be required , or wished for , as the general support of its ministers would be derived , as at present , from the voluntary contributions of their flocks . There are in round numbers about 1000 parishes in Ireland . In many of them there is now a provision up to the standard above stated in the possession
of the Catholic Church , but I will assume that in all of them such provision would have to be made . One thousand pounds for each parish , taking one parish with another , would simply make up any deficiency , and this amount throughout the parishes of Ireland would require the sum of one million sterling to be appropriated from the general fund ; and this should be made over absolutely and for ever to the Catholics 6 i Ireland , in such hands and in such manner as the funds of their Church raised by voluntary efforts are , usually secured . Under an arrangement of this kind , of course the special grant to the College of Maynooth would be withdrawn .
" The Presbyterians -under the operation of this act would lose their annual grant of 40 , 000 Z . per annum ; but in place of it * , assuming that they have an organization and a system of Government which would enable them to hold and administer funds for the use of their Church , a portion of the general fund should be set apart for them , equal to the production of a revenue of like amount with that they now receive by grant from Parliament . This should also be given to them absolutely and for ever , and they should become henceforth a voluntary and independent Church .
" The Protestant Episcopalians should be treated as liberally as the Presbyterians , with whom , it is estimated , they are about on a par in point of numbers . Assuming that they could and would form themselves into a Free Episcopal Church , tho commission would bo empowered to grant them a sum equal to that granted to the Presbyterians , and which would be about the same in amount aa that granted to the Catholics . And further , so long as they undertook to keep tho churches in repair they might be permitted to retain possession of them at a nominal rent , for their own use only ; and that when or where they had no congregation sufficient to maintain the church , then the buildings should be at the disposal of the commission to let or sell as might be thought best . In tho case of tho Protestant Episcopalians , as with the Presbyterians and the Catholics , whatever sum is given to them must bo
given absolutely and for ever , that henceforth they may rely on their own resources and become a voluntary and Independent Church . The State would thus have distributed about three , millions of the original fund , and would have relinquished all claims upon it lor ever ; and it would bo the duty of the commission to tako care that those grants were ; applied , in the first instance , for tho purposes and in tho manner intended by the act . Tho remaining five or seven millions , as the case might bo , might , and in my opinion ought , to bo reserved for purposes strictly Irish , and directed to thfl educational and moral improvement , of the people without respect ( o class or creed . This fund would extend and perfect the educational institutions of the country ; it would establish and endow free libraries in all the chief towns of Ireland , and would dispense blessings in many channel for tho free and equal enjoyment of the whole population . "
Such is tho solution of this enormous evil oflered by the , member for Manchester . He foresees objections ; but he justly says that the " evil in desperate ; " and that whoever proposes to " wuit until Uio remedy is pleasant to everybody , may and will wait for ever . "
Mokk "Last (11jns" Ok J'Kotkction. Photh...
MOKK " LAST ( 11 JNS" OK J'KOTKCTION . Phothotion bus' madn a gallant rally in broiul Lincolnshire—tho , county of the eminent Christopher tuid tho urn-prising Kibthorp . Mr . Packo , M . I ' , who has " seven county votes , " in virtue of hia property , nnd who defends tho one uu ho grieves at the supposed fulling routs of the other , rained tho old flag , und spoke somewhat iu tho old fashioned strain of 1840 . Ho presided over tho banquet of tho " Lougliborough Agricultural Association , " in the great room at . tho " Hull ' s Head "; and he was supported by Mr . Farnhain , a " silent member , " and tho Marquia of Granby , who has oomo out at lust .
as they had had , they must not forget the great sacrifice of capital which the owners and occupiers of land had endured , in order to make the land produce what it had done " It was not one year or two years' gleam of prosperity that would return to their pockets the money which they had laid out . Of course he could form no idea as to what course the Government would pursue , but he imagined that everything that could be done would be done for the benefit of the agricultural interest . Every man who looked at all to the present state of parties in the House of Commons must know very well that if Lord Derby ' s Go-. _ , _
Mr . Packe told hi * atldience that he had lone- }** accustoni ^ to lusUt ftwa that chair upon Protection ? the agricultural iatorasts , to uphold which the «_ ££ was founded . "w-HJcy " It was perfectly true that the majority of tlmo * i . had been returned at the late elections were likelv £ tl diate that now j but still , ae . long as the tonga / that *^ now speaking was abla to address them—so lone asX « nerved the senses which he possessed when they did Ej the honour to choose him as one of their repreaentativ so long must he adhere to the principles hi which Le h 8 his career . ( Loud cheers . ) Although there might ; j ? ?? 5 VHX % *??**** "W 8 eem t o *» UPteV bS
vernment could do nothing , and if the administration of affairs fell into the hands of any one else , they -would only have to expect that a more ruinous policy than the present if that ; were possible , would be followed towards them ! ( Loud cheers . ) It would therefore be his constant anxiety to keep the present Government in office , so long as he believed it would be friendly to the agricultural interests . ( Cheers . ) For his own part , he had clung to those interests in good report and in evil report . "When he vent to his
constituency in 1831 , which was the first tune that Protection was used as a party cry , he was convinced of its necessity He could not see why , because there was a failure in the potato crop in Ireland in 1845—and that was the only reason that had ever been put forward as an excuse for the change of opinion—Protection should now be called dead and gone . ( Cheers . ) They had been cried down by the newspapers for no other reason that he could make out , than that the fivepences of the consumers were more numerous than the fivepences of the producers . ( Cheers . )"
Attempts had been made to create disunion ; and an appeal which he made to the tenant farmers to stand up manfully with the landowners against the common foe , was loudly cheered . But when he asserted that the burdens on land were as oppressive to the owner as to the occupier , there were decided shouts of " No ! No ! " renewed when he renewed his assertion ; finally , he ate the leek , and affirmed that he could prove that " the loss on both sides had been very great . " He would not recriminate upon the tenant farmers , —that
was the part of an enemy . " Now they would perhaps ask him what could be done for them ? He was still of opinion , that as long as justice was justice , they had a right to fair play ; but still he thought that if Protection could not be restored , there was one & vns «>_* "ouia benefit many gentlemen in mat room —namely , the removal of the county rates and those other burdens from the land , and throw them upon the pockets of the entire community . " ( Loud cheers . )
He wound up by asking how the tenant farmer would be benefited by the progress of science in this country ? Manufacturers of agricultural implements were actually sending them out of the country , and it was clear that " British farmers would not be able to monopolize all the improvements to themselves . 'Hie " Health of the Marquis of Granby" was proposed . The Marquis concurred with the sentiment uttered by Mr . Packe , " that he would maintain too principles of Protection as long as he had breath in m » body . " .. " At tho present time , however , it was a Very dUJicuw matter to flpeak upon that or upon any other political buu jeet , because , if ho might use the expression , there w great scarcity of the raw material . ( Cheers . ; * ' fa might bo tho intentions of bor Majesty ' s Governmont , ^ ,., „„ ^ p ™ . *! ,, mwl / . ^ nnlnfolv in tho dark . Jlojtniw
whether they intended to propose some slight o ^ J ^ Bpring corn , or upon other articles that could not ba ^ tEe food of the people . He knew not whether they ^ to relievo them from their burdens , or whether » V ^^ to repeal tho malt-tax . ( Cheers . ) He know not » M they were going to reduce the interest of the w ^ Cents . —he knew not what course they meant to 1 But of this ho was perfectly confident—namely ^" ^ would do all in their power to advance the > nlel ^ f ^ agriculturists , and not only of them , but every otiicr in the country . " ( Loud ehoors . ) . a Hut Minister ^ they must remember , wero strimgo position ; they bad been forced into pow ^ maturely ; their friends wore apathetic , and tno ^ were not apathetic wore , he was afraid irom V ^ had heard that evening , wanting in determ" ^^ Bupiiort each other . Ho truwted , however that ^ occupier * , and labourers" would unite to p doing of injustice , and to him to tho doing j ___ . .. .. « ..:. ! .. „ + i , « f . tlio country hi 1
"Ho hoard if , said on au »^ ' " a word wo ' PU prosperous—that prices were ™ ? - / 3 jVcr « il ]>[«»' i-poWatea wero decreasing , an < t a imoBt uii v ^ perity reigned amongst us . lie was happy «» , thoUg ht to a certain « xlont , that was the ca e . J lot ^ «* - that statesmen ware bound to tako a ^ ^ kj t tended view of tho position ot the ^ " ^ ^ to *><>*& returriH iVom week to week , or ovon from ^ ^ & d Statesmen ought to look to causes , and not . w rtl m (» they ought to docriiainato between wn »* «
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 30, 1852, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_30101852/page/2/
-