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would be the signal for Parliamentary Reform ; and that within seven years at most , after the admission of a Jew , Parliamentary Reform would be carried . { Cheers and laughter from the Opposition side of the House . ) Those who had always supported Parliamentary Reform ,
would , of course , think this any thing but an objection to the proposed measure ; but he trusted that those who were opposed to Parliamentary Reform would give the objectiou due weight . Independently , however , of the mischiefs which would result from the admission of Jews
to seats in that House , he felt that other consequences , highly objectionable , would result from this measure . Those who had advocated the measure for t ^ e admission of the Roman Catholics , went on a different principle from that upon which the House was now called upon to act . The Roman Catholic was a member
of the great body of Christians ; but in admitting the Jew , they would admit one who declared the Saviour an impostor ; and yet , after he had come to the table with his hat on to be sworn , would be allowed to legislate for the religion of him to whom he applied that contemptuous appellation .
Mr . Macauley , the new Member for Calne , thought the claims of the Jews even stronger than those of the Roman Catholics . It was the fashion last year to declaim about a Government that yielded to clamour , opposition , or threats , having betrayed the sacredness of its office ; but here there could be no such argument , for even those most opposed to the present measure" cannot deny that the Jews
have borne their deprivations long in silence , and are now complaining with mildness and decency . Opposite to this , the Roman Catholics were always described as an insinuating , restless , cunning , watchful sect , ever on the search how they might increase their power and the number of their sect , pressing for converts in every possible way , and only withheld by the want of power from following up their ancient persecutions . But the sect with which we now have to
deal arc even more prone to monopoly as lo their religion than the others were to propagating theirs . Never has such a thing been heard of as an attempt on the part of the Jews to gain proselytes ; and with such rites and forms as belong to their faith , it could scarcely be expected by any one that a scheme of proselytisin could succeed with them . Let the history of England be examined , and it will
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furnish topics enough against the Catholics . Those who hare looked for such things have always found enough to talk about ; the fires inSmithfield—the Gunpowder Plot—the Seven Bishops—have always afforded copious matter upon which to launch out in invective against the Catholics . But with respect to the
Jews , the history of England affords events exactly opposite ; its pages , as to these people , are made up of wrongs suffered and injuries endured by them , without a trace of any wrong or injury committed in return ; they are made up , from the beginning to the end , of atrocious cruelties inflicted on the one baud , and grievous privations endured for conscience' sake on the other . With respect to all Christian sects , their changes of situation have always afforded scope for
charges of mutual recrimination against one another ; but every one allows the side on which the balance between the Jew and the Christian is weighed down . He then addressed himself to the objections stated by Sir Robert Jnglis . " All that the House has been told is , that the Jews are not Christians , and that , therefore , they must not have
power . But this has not been declared openly and ingenuously , as it once was . Formerly the persecution of the Jews was at least consistent ; the thing was made complete at oace by taking away their property , their liberty , and their lives . My Honourable Friend is equally vehement as to taking away their power ; and yet , no doubt , he would shudder at
what such a measure would really take away . The only power that he seems to wish to deprive the Jews off is to consist in maces , gold-chains , and skins of parchment , with pieces of wax dangling at the ends of them . But he is leaving them all the things that bestow real power- He
allows them to have property ; and iu these times property is power—mighty and overwhelming power . He allows them to have knowledge ; and knowledge is no less power . Then why i » all this power mixed with intolerance ? Why is the Jew to > have the power of a principal over his clerk—of a master over his
servantof a landlord over his tenant ? Why is he to have all this , which is power , and yet to be deprived of the fair and natural consequences of this power ? As things now stand , a Jew may be the richest man in Kn gland—he may possess the whole of London—his interest may be the means of raising this party or depressing that—of making East India Directors , or sending Members into Parliament—the
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356 Intelligence . — Parliamentary : British Jews
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1830, page 356, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2584/page/68/
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