TOPICS OF THE DAY.
STATE. OF PARTIES IN IRELAND.
THE ebullition of' sound and fury at the recent Orange meeting in Dublin, was degrading to those who were parties to it, but almost langhable to the rest of the world. There is always some- thing ludierous as well as contemptible in impotent rage. Lord Roms; and his faction would be formidable, were the Irish Go- vernment, with the Army and Police, in their hands. Then, in- deed, we might expect to see a renewal of the cabin-hunting, the tortare, and other practices that distinguished Orangeistn in its evil day of domination. Very active means would be used to goad the people into rebellion, and probably with some success. But the times are altered. Notwithstanding the Irish people may have just cause of cotnplaint on many accounts against the present Administration, still they cannot avoid seeing that it stand between them and their bitter foes, who speak of exterminating Papists as if it were a religious duty and a virtuous action. The Orange desperacLes talk big; they THE ebullition of' sound and fury at the recent Orange meeting in Dublin, was degrading to those who were parties to it, but almost langhable to the rest of the world. There is always some- thing ludierous as well as contemptible in impotent rage. Lord Roms; and his faction would be formidable, were the Irish Go- vernment, with the Army and Police, in their hands. Then, in- deed, we might expect to see a renewal of the cabin-hunting, the tortare, and other practices that distinguished Orangeistn in its evil day of domination. Very active means would be used to goad the people into rebellion, and probably with some success. But the times are altered. Notwithstanding the Irish people may have just cause of cotnplaint on many accounts against the present Administration, still they cannot avoid seeing that it stand between them and their bitter foes, who speak of exterminating Papists as if it were a religious duty and a virtuous action. The Orange desperacLes talk big; they
" Rend with tremendous sounds our ears asunder, With gun, drum, trumpet blundorbuss, and thunder : but not a single dragoon, not a solitary policeman, will move at their bidding.
This, then, is the miserable condition of the disaffected faction : they are a small numerical party in the nation (for we will not do the great body of Irish Protestants the injustice of supposing that they are ready to halloo on the JOCELYNS and the BEAESFORDS ill their mad course); they have neither political nor military power; they are liable to the imputation of acting from the most sordid motives; and, with the exception of the Reverend Mr. I30vroN, there is not a person of average talent among them. They are, therefore, a very despicable set of turbulent bigots, and nothing more, as long as they are opposed, not backed, by the Government.
But the Catholic party is the party of the nation : it comprises the mass, the millions; the Government is on its side, as a Platter of necessity ; and it has lately obtained a series of triumphs. The rejection of the Tithe Bill has not placed it in a worse position than it was before ; for the peasantry and farmers retain the same means of passive resistance in their hands. Those means have proved sufficient to defeat the tithe-proctor, even when supported by Ow military and police. The existing law has been stretched against them till it has cracked ; and new laws, authorizing the bursting open of dwellinghouses—authorizing something like burglary, in fact—must be passed before their property can be seized for tithes. Even when seized, it would be impossible to sell it. It is evident to all mankind that the tithe recusants have obtained a complete victory. In the nature of things, they will not—cannot —suffer themselves to be easily provoked by the impotent and prostrate enemy. They know that violence on both sides will be repressed, and that by violent conduct they would compel their best friends to range themselves against them. The game of the Orange faction is to stimulate the Catholic peasantry to deeds of outrage : for that very reason, it is the policy of the Catholics to keep cool, and, as their leader O'CosialEte. would advise, to "obey the law." IVretelles may be bribed, as in 1798, to go among the peasantry and strive to lead them into illegal combinations and violent proceedings: all such, whatever their professions may be, should be hunted out of the country.
What an enviable position is O'CoNxEr.e's now ! No man liv- ing has so much in his power ; and he is by far too able to throw away the advantages which time and circumstances, with his own skill, hale possessed him of. The Jovernment is bent on doing justice to the Catholics.
No person of' ordinary knowledge can suspect Lord MELnouasie or Lord DUNCANNON, Lord WELLESLEY CR Mr. LITTLETON, of being concealed Orangemen. But it is undeniable that the more ignorant of the Irish have some ground to doubt the sineerity of their public professions, when they see the inferior but influential posts occupied by bitter Orange partisans. Mr. BLACKBURN, the Attorney-General, is one of this stamp. He was publicly charged by Sergeant PERRI N, in the House of Commons, with partisanship; and he has manifested his party feeling by interfering with the due course of justice, by using the privilege of the Crown to ex- clude respectable Catholic Magistrates from Juries, on which very improper Protestant persons were retained. The execution of the law in many other ways has been extremely imperfect, owing to the employment of Orange subalteros. This must tend to lessen the confidence of the people in the Government; and as it is im- possible to overrate the importance, during the coming winter, of impressing the Catholic population, the mass of the nation, with the fact that the Government is their friend, it would seem to follow necessarily, that all suspected persons, like Mr. Attoruey-General BLACKBURN, should be immediately dismissed. What, in the name of common sense, is there about that gentleman, that the. Govern- ment should risk the loss of its own popularity and its proper influence, for the sake of retaining him in office?
In dwelling upon the subject of Ireland, it is impossible not
to turn with feelings of compassion to the de ititute Clergy, who have been cruelly thrown overboard, to forward the political course and gratify the personal prejudices of the magnates of the Oppo- sition. they have certainly a claim upon the pockets of the Duke of WELL/ NGTO sr, Lord RODEN, the Duke of CUMBER LAND. and the rest. The Duke of WeLre sinew/ receives abaft t 43.000/. per annum from the public, and has received it for full twenty
years; altqgether his services have been iewarded with upwards of a million sterling. Now is the time for him to show his gene- rosity in relieving the victims of his own political schemes. Let him put down 50,000/. as his first subscription for the relief of the starving Clergy of Ireland: so noble an example could not lack imitators among the sinecure Bishops and richly-provisioned
BIEBSFORDS.
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