The Marquess of Westmeathpresented a petition from a place in the county of Monaghan against the Irish Municipal Reform Bill. To show the House what effect was produced by the temperance societies upon the persons in whose hands power was intended to be placed by this bill, he would read an extract from a speech delivered only a day or two ago by Mr. Maguire, a Roman Catholic priest, with reference to a bill which had lately been read a second time in another place, and to the noble Lord who had introduced the bill. It was remarkable that Mr. Maguire belonged to the diocese of the Roman Catholic prelate whose brother had, on account of that relationship, been selected by her Majesty's Government to fill a civil office. Mr. Maguire's speech was thus reported:—
He came forward in defence of his country with his tongue and purse, and right arm, if necessary. He (Mr. Maguire) would beg leave to tell that high-born bilious sprig of the house of Derby (laughter), that he pledged himself to have 3,000,000 teetotallers before three months—that he would place himself at their head, and unfurl the flag of repeal, and not cease to agitate until they succeeded in putting Tories and Whigs out of office, and achieve the liberties of 8,000,000 people. There was one comfort, at all events, which would follow the attempt to pass the atrocious bill which they met to deprecate, namely, that it would rid them of the ignominy of having Stanley sent over to Ireland, should the Tories succeed in coming into power. The Hibernico Americanus monkey-faced Lyndhurst would never be Lord Chancellor in this country; and as for Stanley being sent among them, they might as well imagine that Castlereagh could escape from the fastness and difficulties which surrounded him, or that a certain black gentleman should go and demand the keys of the celestial region from the Prince of the Apostles, as that that noble Lord should be Secretary for Ireland. No; they would sign a round robin, and offer a reward of 100,000l. to any individual who would take and put him into a sack, and in that position hold him by the heels at Kingstown harbour, until he begged leave to return to his native country.This was not mere hasty language, for in a letter which Mr. Maguire had written afterwards, he merely said in explanation,That his threat was conditional if Lord Stanley's bill was read a third time in the House of Commons," and added "I can by 957 simultaneous meetings have 3,000,000 sober Repealers pledged in one day, and there are not six priests in Ireland who could not do the same.He hoped that when the people of England saw that the Ministers were about to confiscate a revenue which belonged to the city of Dublin, and which might eventually he worth 100,000l. a-year, not for any municipal purpose, hut in order to provide agitators with pocket-money, they would never sanction such a design. He asked the noble Viscount at the head of the Government to lay on the table evidence respecting the condition of the corporation of the city of Dublin. The most trifling interests in this country would not be interfered with in the absence of evidence, Why had not the Ministers dealt with the city of London as they proposed to do now with the city of Dublin? Why had they not confiscated the property of the city of London? He would tell her Majesty's Ministers the reason—because they dared not. The city of London had four representatives in the House of Commons, who, whatever their political opinions might be, knew their duty too well to suffer any such attempt to be made.
§ Petition laid on the table.