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even greater than in appearance — for the bishops are eschewing politics , not on religious , but on political , grounds . Lord Aberdeen , who did service to the " Church" against the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill , and whose known tolerance gives assurance against despotic or bigoted government in Ireland , is supposed to "be on excellent terms with Dr . Cullen , the Primate ; and when Dr . Cullen , ¦ with the sanction of the Vatican , passes the word through the hierarchy for " peace and
quietness , it is understood that he means—prosperity to the Government of Lord Aberbeen . Now the national Irish party , trusting the Peelites , but abhorring the Whigs , believe that they cannot get the reforms needed by the Irish people unless they can secure a Parliamentary position independent of the Government—a position in which they may be leagued with English independent Radicals , pledged to popular measures for the empire : —and accordingly , resenting the suppression of Father O'Keeffe , they talk of an appeal to Rome .
We sympathise in their distresses , but we do notunderstand their despau * . As good Catholics , which we of course assume , they cannot regret a decree which will exclude ministers of religion from the impure- world of bribery and bullying : they -will not deny that , if politics gain from the participation of priests , religion must , in some sense , suffer—a man cannot uplift the Host with greater reverenee for
having returned a candidate . And as politicians we may venture to suggest to them some consolation . No nation ever did anything by its priests : political liberties were never won by -a clergy . An Englishman , even an English Catholic , would , in Mr . Duffy's place , rejoice at a conspiracy intended to suppress him ; he would take advantage of it to effect his emancipation .
In England , which is not the less a religious country , "we long ago relegated our Jos-House men , to their own spiritual studies and exercises ; and we have gained , in consequence . In Ireland there might for a time be some diminution in that popular spirit which troubles astronomical primates and perplexes commonsense placemen . ; But if the exclusion of the
priesthood from " agitations" were stringently effected , on both sides—if Cullen ceased to conspire while the parish oraole was prohibited from his altar-harangue—then the intellect of the country would accommodate itself to the new requirements , and the people would themselves produce their popular leaders—leaders who would take none the leas sound a view of
the nation ' s affairs because they had never gone through the dangerously incomplete education of Maynooth . In / act , has not one great evil of Ireland been , tliat the bold intellects , finding only an alternative of service , have preferred to be the a gents of English Government rather than the slaves of foolish , innocent , but perhaps insolent , clergymen ?
Popular movements do not disappear with priests . It is philosophically true of all lands , that a clergy never had secular influence ; in Ireland it is a fact that the priests have only had power when they "havo joined a movement , originated in the popular instinct , and commenced without them .
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THE NEWSPAPEIt STAMP RETURNS . We have received several protests against the generalised conclusions of our article , last week , upon the recent newspaper stamp returns . Our deductions are disputed ; but it may be shown that the most careful consideration will bear out our observations . We have to apologise for having put the sale of the Morning Chronicle at too low a figure : by a typographical error , that distinguished journal was represented as selling only 1000 copies daily , whereas its actual sale is upwards of 2 O 0 O copies daily . On the other hand , we gave the Times too many copies . But a correction of these figures does not disturb the argument . The Morning Chronicle , which , for years ,
has been one of the first journals of Europe , and is at this moment , in all that relates to the events of the war , tho beat newspaper in Europe , sells to all Europe not 3000 copies per dixy ; and in the presence of such a fact , extending over years , while * on tho other hand the competing groat journal sustains its position with a decreased reputation , it is sheer affectation to duny to the latter journal a practical monopoly in the daily press . The Inference we drew was that , so long as tlio morning press is a dear press , as the penny stamp causes ib to bo , in a measure disproportionate to tho mere amount of the stamp , only one morning paper can have a great sale .
It is objected to our argument—that a first-class weekly pupor must charge a high price—that wo have overlooked tho cheap paper ao al > Ly and successfully edited ( ua the fact is advertised we intrude on no private secrets ) by Mr . Douglas Jorrold ; and that we do not take into account such papers as tho Athenaeum . There is no doubt thut Lhi / d ' s Weekly Newspaper has the largest circulation of sill tho weekly newspapers , mid that it ; only ehurgess threepence por
copy , and that it in edited by 0110 of Llio "rat , uml most ; deservedly popular , writers of tho day . But there io as little doubt that tho net mil profit left on the enormous circulation of that paper clous not ccjuiil tho actual profit left on tho comparatively very small circulation of u fiixponny paper ouch us the Examiner : tho case i » , theroforu , cxcoptioiml : in no other trudo would ho Iiu'km a capital , and nueh an amount of energy , bo oniployou lor m diaproportioimto n pecuniary result . With regard to tho
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last fact "will account for many otherwise unaccountable intrigues . It is in Spain that the American Minister finds himself most the object of paltry social persecution ; not only because he is an American , but because his avowed sentiments do not differ from those who desire to extend the Union , its territory , and influence . It is the Mexican and Brazilian Ministers who evince , by their manners , an inscrutable jealousy of the American Minister at the same court . It is Brazil which
constantly courts England , notwithstanding English slights upon Brazil , her Government , and trade . It is Santa Anna who is suspected of sending over to Europe for a grand instrumentj in the hope that it will stop the southward march of the Anglo-Saxon republicans . And what is the new invention of the adventurer , this Trajan ' s wall , this brazen , fence of Gog and Magog , to shut out the freemen who are constantly encroaching upon the territories which the Spanish Americans claim and vex , but can neither govern nor settle —what is this grand device to dam the ever-encroaching tide ? It is a Prince .
Yes , Santa Anna , it is said , conscious that the Mexicans , though brave , have neither the political virtue , nor the genius , i » or the practical resolve of the Anglo-Saxon , has applied to the Hoyal Families to recognise him as King , and to give him as an heir , whom he will adopt , o > ne of their own family . Conceive that ! Imagine the Anglo-Saxon trail crossed , fatally and for ever , by a Prince ! Think of that as a " medicine , " or scare-crow , set up to stop the citizens ! Fancy it effectual ! Not even a Georgius Tertius , but some cadet Enrique , ' some poor Pedro , or some disinherited Francois ! Will the plan do ?
Has Santa Anna any such woman ' s notion or not ? We doubt it . Spanish American imbecilit y lias gone great lengths ; the dread of the Anglo-Saxon Unionist party in the capital of the Montezumas is great ; but the Dictator must have a better knowledge of American possibilities than that . Yet we would not venture to assert that the project is without foundation , or without a collateral object . Its possible purpose will be best understood by describing another .
There is a great river , which , debouching 1 into the Atlantic , opens the road for the navigator right across the eastern slope from the backbone of America , and places the whole interior , with many tributaries , and some of the most productive lands in the world , at the service of the trader . For years the banks of that river have been nominally in possession of the Iberian races , and the great natural highway of exports and imports is useless . We well remember , some twelve or fifteen years
BOOM OV THE SPANISH RACES . The United States aro not popular at present on this side of tho Atlantic . Two European Governments have already betrayed tho fear that really stirs in tho heart of sovernl . The French Government 1 ms permitted itself to war upon the private life of un AincricMi citizen , because it dreads tho influence- of vitnlity which America might throw into tho patriot party ; uml not only Spain , but cvory Spanish state , dreads tho ud \ anco of that Anglo-Saxon race which is over on the march wherever it in frue . Tho
ago , an ingenious adventurer who professedly had a grant of the navigation from the Brazilian Government , which was at that time not without libex'al views and enterprise ; but the project came to nothing , and tho highway is still unused . The enterprising Amoricans of tho groat republic have thoir eye upon the wasted stream % they have resolved that it shall bo turnod to account ; and before many years have passed , the voice of the Anglo-Saxon mariner will be familiar to tho echoes of the
There is one hope—if they could but give the dreaded Anglo-Saxon work elsewhere . That does not seem impossible . Almost any pretext will serve . Let them say that a secretary of legation in London inteaded an offence to the Queen . ' No matter if the secretary is well known to be incapable of any such idle freak—if he is a gentleman , a man of the world , who would despise as worse than a niaiserie , as a lachete , any attack on so estimable a lady , whose good name , socially , is not more
respected in England than in America . Say there was . the intent to offend , pervert the facts , tell a little truth to leaven the lie , and there is at all events the chance of a quarrel ; and the chance is worth a Brazil diamond . Assert that Mr . Soule is a violent man in league with French revolutionaries . No matter if he is in truth , a cautious man , faithful only to old personal and political friendships , and taking no part in revolutionary moves : he is an American
Minister , he has to pass through France , and if stopped it may breed a quarrel between . France and America . England desires to stop the slave trade : if Cuba were annexed , the trade there would be effectually stopped ; . but say that Brazil is repelling the trade , that Spain will repel it , and that Sam ana is bought to pave the way to Cuba : it is a lie , but it ; may embroil the British navy . Let Santa Anna ask for a Prince to come out and be dethroned : he
may be refused , but he may g-et , the toy ; and a Prince on the Texan frontier would be a great doll for Europe to quarrel about . Any luck , in short , from a tavern squabble to a dynasty , might serve that object of a diversion for American energy from the Amazon and the Mexican capital .
Amazon . It might be supposed that those who havG already any interest in tho stream and its lands would bo rojoicod at tho prospect of the indefinite increase to its value—the change from a desert to tho banks of a great commercial stream . Not , at all : they viow tho coming 1 of tho American ns tho Red man views the approach of the White—they do not welcome commerce , which thoy have scarcel y tlio onor ^ y to slmre , but thoy dread displacement . What can thoy do ? Should thoy resist ? It wouUl bo in vain . Should they submit ? It would be hateful to Spanish pride * .
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November 11 , 1854 . ] THE LEADER . 1067
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 11, 1854, page 1067, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2064/page/11/
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