The Ghtsgow Argus of Thursday reports at great length the
speeches of a ward dinner-party, held this week in Glasgow, to comfort an unsue - cessful candidate at the late Municipal elections in that eity—mtsueeess- ful because, like Mr. Black of Edinburgh, he wits not only a thorough- going Whig, but a DU,seuter. The dinner itself seems to have Leen a commonplace electioneering affair ; but two of the speeches by Ms:tent- ing clergymen, who said grace " before and after dinner, merit notice, the first for its talent and largeness of sentint out and scope, the second for the light it throws on the present feeliog of Scottish Dissenters. The Reverend Mr. King bad been appointed to give the toast. " Equality of civil rights to all denominat ita is." The following is but a seetbm of one of the divisions of his eloquent argument- " Alany were no doubt differently minded. The, would not perhaps in these! tiffs visits heretics %s hit pains and penalties, but ,,t; far auliject them to a mugs- tire perseemiun as to interpose barriers between them and promotion, and would appoilit men of the! true religion—alwai s meaning by this their ow n red:- g1011—t0 nil the higher posts of national prCferment. In these viewa. there was oo doubt a show of respecting sound doetriiie to Which they extended It • h-;: ,-;, 1...„„ 1.::si, s,,,,.. , .!„, ah' haaa, cittl advantages. But it' we are to adopt this principle, where are we to Istay: its 1.,;0,;„ ..,..;,..., ,,.. .., ,,,:„.;::...„ „;,.„, t:,.,,: ..!.., , \ .::.t ,
application: Are no Catholics to sit on the bench in Ireland—no native • il..hi l'rinces to ride in the dependencies of Inilia—_sr shall we endeavour. in Great .
limit Out, to taclude every nom from the atto:-tracy W11■1111 NI.: voillil Illft atillIlt 1
with en , illighleneal conscience to the observinwe of the Lord's Supper: The e xi:Ca:Lc...I a sii..lit Loh ::‘,.;,,, :a. :::. I .! -
idea was III ft rly initilmis•ilde ; and it was enly hy fixing on some narrow spot Tliere has la en lit the liusli s-5 t• .: s here and there, and Malin', that in such Ulla auch cases it !night work tolerably gene rill, heave. A van 1.4' It'!, p; r - well, that t here ever coulehe imparted to it thus- least aspect of plausibility. • • i But if iiillaior If moss w as to intrude itself under the pretext of superior ',oho- duxv, and so walk into honourable station from is Iiittli the move cap liale Mall. . a,„ili., juii„.„..„1 :„„,, than j,. .1,,. ,-....•..., perbor, front bein,at- the more diligent Mall. 11,1, eXVIlillell, filen yin! are 110t so . IIIIIIICII 1101111lt 1144: religion as incapiteity, mid :lie unguardedly itriaiy i:ig against : IN.,,h,,is.,, 6.,,x.,,,ls. 3,,,, 1,..,,...... religion all the aVailable I esourecs of injure,' rglil and ;ling indignation. But : aro the Saille :1- 55,5:.!,Y. whut ir Pa Hsi,: or Mafioso:, stepping- into 6,11 oniees, should 11,11,1-...i.•.0 or . , , sss l'llgItIIIZLI I IICIII ? The. dillit•ulty might be Iiirmidable to a I ligh hiss m5 .1,1, but it was not to him. Ile would restrict i he cis iv official to his els ie !ma:- ,,I.,, is. 1...s,„;,;„ , ., thins; and if he presumed to come into the Iwo, of God. no matter 0 to,tht.r to 1,,,t,.1, .1.,,,,_,.. 1. :,_ I.. govern tbt upiniei.s or its finances, to appolot the preacher or his III:;I:SCI,, 3IIII. ,,,,,, I,.„..,,,,,, ,, ,., 110 Inallca whether lie Was It Heathen or a Chi ist hot, lit. Ns Mild say lo su..li a s.•
ruler lis the priests did to l'azia11,. oat of the sanctuary, nir Ilion haat
treshawsed, mit it be for thine honour from the Lord (it'd.'
1111.' Revertant 3Ir. Anderson's toast was " The progress of lsn.aw- hum tile ft: _.
ledge," Tile Alwas report says that this gentleman " tools op the discount.
ground of the Reverend Mr. Alexander at the entertainment given to Mr. Black": no doubt, but there are different modes of taking up and maintaining "ground," and it does strike us that here, as in not a few other things, Edinburgh might take lessons of pith and earnestness from
Glasgow— •
'Dissent, he would say, was not in such credit at the present day as it was under the Tory party, and before the passing of the Reform Bill. Dissenters were now resolved to take their stand, and be treated with contempt, no longer with impunity. The Whigs thought they were always sure of Dissenters, let them be trampled upon ever so much ; but they would bear with the treatment they had undermine no longer. Even to-morrow a step would be t :ken by them which would in a great measure revolu- tionize the politics of this country. [Alluding to the proceedings of the Central Board at Edinburgh on the 16th: see Topics of the Day.] They would resolve, that unless that pledge lie taken, like Achilles' troop, they would stand aside, and let the Whigs tight the battle with the Tories for them- selves, (Cheers.) It might be a small party, like that of Achilles, who took , this step; but a few men would turn the election in Glasgow, and in the : counties it would be seen what they cool do. When that time came, they would see who were the shams. Ile thanked Air. Carlyle for that word. He had remarked that, before the French Revolution, France was all a sham: its monarchy was a sham—its aristocracy was a sham—its church was a sham— all was sham together. Ile hail dignified the word, and Dia,enters would take the use of it. The sham WIligA they would leave to tight out the battle with • the Tories. In his opinion there was little difference between a Whig and. Tory Guvernment, except in ecclesiastical matters; and even on this point the difference was giving way."
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