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deed . With respect to the Church of England , he concurred with those who said that it would be in no dauger from this measure . The Church of Ireland , do what they would , could not but be in a dangerous situation , as it was the church of so small a minority ; a minority which , he rerily believed , was caused by the very laws meant to depress the Catholics . ( Cheers . ) The ouly chance of preventing a- Catholic ascendancy was
the passing of the present measure . Nothing , in his opinion , was more to be deprecated than a Catholic ascendancy ; but even if that was to be established , he still thought Ireland might continue to be united to us by the strictest bonds of amity . If Ireland were separated from us by our refusal to grant her requests , it would be a small consolation to us that we had maintained unrepealed acts of Charles the Second . Earl Grev concluded
by passing a high eulogium on the Duke of Wellington . The Earf of Eicon ' s speech was pretty equally divided between defending himself , attacking ( by implication ) the present Chancellor , and denouncing the principles of the Roman religion . He fraukly avowed that he would not attempt to convince those who differed with him .
He said very little upon the principle of the bill , and indeed conceded some of the main points ; but he reserved himself for the Committee , when he promised to suggest some alterations . Lord Plunkett said that he had had great curiosity to hear the arguments of the uoble aud learned lord ( Lord Eldou ) against the measure ) but without
meaning him any disrespect , he must say that this curiosity had been most agreeably disappointed , for he had not heard one argument in support of the assertion that the Church and Constitution were in danger . He agreed with the Right Reverend Prelate ( the Bishop of Oxford ) who said that expediency was a sufficient ground
on which to proceed when any principle of justice was not violated . Now no principle of justice was violated by the repeal of the disabling laws , which were themselves passed on grounds of expediency . ( Cheers . ) He conceived that justice would be violated by the rejec-, tion of this measure . Lord Pluukett entered into a detailed statement of the wreck of social happiness in Ireland occasioned by these laws . It had been said that time would . bring its own remedy ; but he denied that , lu time , Che Catholics would increase in wealth and power ; aud if we waited till they were
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three times more wealthy and numerous , we should find them three times as dangerous . We had tried the experiment of govern iug a people surrounded by free institutions , on the , principle * of giving them no share in framing the law * under which they lived ; and we had naturally and properly failed in the experiment . The only alternative was the employment
of military force or the correction , of the laws . But even if they should resolve upon resortiug to the first , they would have to overcome the unwillingness of the Catholics to come out into the open field . They knew top well the power they could wield legally , without having recourse to violence , to do so . It was
not pretended that the present measure would directly injure the church , but it was said that it might lead to something that would endanger it . He begged . only to remind the Right Reverend Prelate who had said this , that the danger Which pressed upon them was immediate , whilst that which they wished to avoid was remote . The ' Roman Catholics must have
the power as well as the will before they could overthrow the Established Church . But how could they ever have that power , whilst one branch of the Legislature was obliged to be Protestant , as well as the head of the Executive Government ? And not only that , but they were certain of having a Protestant majority iu the House of Commons , for it could not be supposed that the Protestant constituency of England would elect Popish representatives . He did not think either that the
Irish members of Parliament would be so nniversally Catholic as seemed to be feared ; but eveu if they were , it wpuld be very hard indeed if they could carry on a conspiracy , supposing that they had the help of Popish Ministers , against the interest of the Established Church , whilst the Protestant people of England were looking on . ( Cheers . ) It was said that
we might hereafter , have a King that was a Papist but" pretending to be a Protestant . That was a most curious argument : to satisfy those who urged it , nothing less would do than passing a law against hypocrisy . ( A laugh . ) Lord Pluukett entered into an historical review
of the different measures taken with regard to the Catholics from the reign of Queen Elizabeth downwards ; shewing that whenever the Catholics were opposed to the State , it was from political , not religious causes . He shewed that the Bill of Right * had no connexion with the dogmas of the Catholic faith . In conclusion * , he expressed his firm belief ,
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Intelligence . ~ Catholic Qu eetim * 367
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1829, page 367, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2572/page/71/
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