Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 69, No. 427, May, 1851Various
General
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 69, No. 427, May, 1851
Various
England -- Periodicals; Scotland -- Periodicals
Pope and his priesthood's power. Even the time it has been allowed to
be here, while there was a law that might instantly have been put in
force, is a submission to it. It is tampering with illegality and with
insult; neither the one nor the other should be suffered to remain a
day. The dignity of England is deteriorated by delay. And what has
this delay--this sufferance of the evil done, but added to its growth?
It is worse than ridiculous, it is mischievous to be furious against
an enemy, as our Prime Minister was in his Durham Manifesto, and not
to crush his power. All the fury and fierceness is made to appear
cruelty for the time and weakness after; and thus the enemy gets more
than he had before. The difficulties attending the dealing with this
aggression now cannot be denied. They have been greatly enlarged by the
mode of proceeding adopted. Parliament, or the executive, might have
instantly demanded reparation for the insult, and the law have been as
immediately enforced.
The difficulties now must not be denied; and they increase day by
day, and will be sure to increase with _new_ legislation. Suppose we
have in the British dominions a Roman Catholic population of seven or
eight millions. It is too vast a number to ignore, even though the
"Protestant brotherhood" out of the Church should desire so to do.
If we were a strong Government we might, and ought to do this--to
enact that every Romish priest, having sworn obedience to a foreign
potentate, has so far renounced his allegiance to his lawful sovereign,
and therefore should be subject to a registration, and, with some
limitation, be considered an alien.
We might abrogate "Catholic Emancipation," seeing that it was a
compact broken by one of the contracting parties. But although we
believe all this would be just and fair, and safe, and that one day
or other--after, perhaps, frightful rebellions--it will be done, it
is nearly certain we cannot do it now. The whole system of government
is on another principle--it is called a "Liberal" one. It is that of
reconciling to you those of whose dispositions you cannot be certain,
if they will be reconciled; and you renounce the government of fear,
of which you may be certain, and for which you need but consult your
own breast. There is no general liberty where even comparatively a few
evil-doers have no fear. The Government has put itself in the position
in which it can scarcely do anything that is not mischievous; for
if effectual suppression is out of the question, there is only left
a something to do which will satisfy none, and will irritate beyond
measure the Roman Catholics in Ireland. We can only look to a future
day for the registration of the priesthood, and allowing them defined
rights, and the imposing restrictions, by which they shall no longer
denounce from altars and preach rebellion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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