The Bishop of Raphoerose to call their lordships' attention to an important petition which he had to present—a petition which afforded satisfactory evidence of the harmony in which his majesty's subjects lived in that part of Ireland whence it came; namely, the parish of Kilmore, in the county of Armagh; for it was signed by the rector, the curate, the churchwardens, the Roman Catholic and Dissenting ministers, and a great part of the inhabitants. The object for which the petition prayed was, that their lordships would pass a law to enable the inhabitants of any parish in Ireland to maintain their own poor. The petitioners did not, however, wish that the enactment should be imperative. As the law now stood in Ireland, the poor, suffering from the infirmities of age or sickness, obtained no support but such as they might derive from the spontaneous charity of individuals, or from benevolent institutions. He should be doing great injustice to the Irish people, if he did nut acknowledge that they possessed a charitable deposition; but it was notorious that, notwithstanding the general exercise of charity, the extent of misery did not diminish. Though an alteration in the law was therefore desirable, he was, at the same time, ready to admit, that the introduction into Ireland of the system of poor-laws established in this country was by no means practicable; and if practicable, would by no means be desirable. The dread of the introduction of that system was consequently ideal; and he trusted that their lordships would not allow any apprehension of that kind to prevent them from giving their sanction to a measure of so much practical utility as that for which the petitioners prayed. Parish vestries in Ireland had frequently attempted to supply the wants of the industrious poor; but there existed no law by which they could properly accomplish that object. All that the petitioners prayed for was, that the power of attending to the distresses of the poor might be made, not a compulsory, but a legitimate part of vestry business. In the present state of the law, if a rate were to be agreed to at a vestry meeting, any of those fomentors of village discords with which the country abounded might oppose it, and render it nugatory. If the plan of every parish making a voluntary 1099 provision for its own poor were adopted, it would powerfully counteract that extensive vagrancy with which Ireland was at present so grievously oppressed. The present system formed a great officina of pauperism, and mendicity and vagrancy were consequently always on the increase. There was a great emigration of the male part of the Irish poor to this country in quest of employment. This had often been a subject of complaint; but these emigrants in removing left a great evil behind them in Ireland; for their wives and children remained in a state of complete destitution. To put a check to the misery which the present growing mendicity produced, was the object of the petition.
The Earl of Limerickwas greatly surprised that the introduction of such a measure as that recommended in the petition, should be proposed in their lordships' House; and he was still more surprised when he considered the quarter from which it came. That the establishment of a system of poor-laws should at this time be proposed for Ireland, was truly astonishing. He spoke in the hearing of many noble lords from that country, and he appealed to them whether they were not convinced, that such a proposition was calculated to spread horror and alarm from the apprehension of the consequences which must attend the adoption of any plan of the kind alluded to. He would, however, venture to suggest to his right reverend friend a course by which the object of his petition might be attained, without its experiencing that opposition with which the measure prayed for would be met. He had heard, that, according to the original institution of benefices, their profits were divided into three parts—one was for the incumbent; another was for the church; and the third was appropriated to the maintenance of the poor. Let this plan of distribution of the church revenues be tried before any new plan was proposed. He could not agree with the view taken of this subject in the petition; the only good thing in which was the union of the parties who had signed it.
The Earl of Darnley,though he did not approve of the object of the petition, did not regard it with the same horror as his noble mend. He would have no objection to voluntary contributions, were the matter to stop there; but as it was not likely, that such contributions would produce much, it was probable that some 1100 compulsory provision would finally be introduced. Without a clause of that kind the measure would not be effectual.
Earl Fitzwilliamdisapproved of any attempt to introduce the English system of poor-laws into Ireland; but as it appeared that every person in a certain district prayed for the measure explained in the petition, he thought it might be tried there as an experiment.
§ Lord Clifdenwas against transferring the English poor-laws to Ireland. He agreed with his noble friend that the Church of Ireland ought to furnish from its ample revenues something towards supplying the wants of the poor.