§ THE EARL OF LEITRIM rose, pursuant to notice, to ask Her Majesty's Ministers why the protection of the police was to be removed from David Stuart in the county of Leitrim, and why the Government should require him to emigrate or otherwise provide for his personal safety, and 1639 to what extent the persecution of Protestants was to be permitted? The noble Earl (who was very indistinctly heard) suggested that the police had been withdrawn from watching this Gentleman's house because he had given a vote adverse to the candidate of the Irish Government in the late election; and expressed his opinion that no Lord Lieutenant had ever taken so strong a part in politics as the Earl of Carlisle.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, the best answer to the charge of partisanship against his noble Friend the Lord Lieutenant was, the universal respect in which the noble Earl was held by men of all classes and denominations of religion and by all political parties in Ireland. As to the particular case in question, he was not aware that any protection had been withdrawn from Mr. Stuart's house. It appeared that that gentleman had made himself obnoxious to his neighbours in some way or other, and at his own request two police constables were appointed to watch his house. Subsequently he gave notice of his intention to emigrate, and requested that the policemen might be withdrawn. He changed his mind, however, and did not emigrate, and the police constables were kept on duty there at a considerable expense to the country.
VISCOUNT DUNGANNONsaid, he had no hesitation in saying that even justice was not dealt out to Protestants and Roman Catholics in Ireland, and that if this had been an attack made upon any body of Roman Catholics in Ireland the country would have been roused from one end to the other, and no effort would have been spared by the Government to bring the guilty parties to punishment. But such was not the case when Protestants were attacked, though it was notorious that such attacks took place daily. He could point to cases where Protestant ladies in Dublin were hooted and pelted on their way to give instruction in Protestant schools, and where the Roman Catholic police not only gave them no assistance but cheered on the assailants. The Roman Catholics of Ireland seemed alone to be regarded as valuable subjects, while everything like honesty of purpose, ability, and talent was denied to the Protestant population. His noble Friend had asked how long this state of things was to go on and he thought he was entitled to a fair and satisfactory answer. He felt assured that, sooner or later, the indignation of the 1640 Protestants in Ireland would compel the Government to give due attention to the grievances under which they laboured, and to apply a correction to such a partial system. Some of the scenes that had taken place of late were absolutely disgraceful. He contended that Roman Catholics and Protestants ought to share alike the favours of the Government. The Protestants were not the most numerous body in Ireland, but they comprised, to a great extent, the intellect and usefulness of the country, and they had a right to claim protection. Their Lordships might depend upon it that the case referred to by his noble Friend (the Earl of Leitrim) was but one of many which indicated a state of circumstances calling loudly for the interference of Parliament, and his noble Friend deserved the thanks of the Protestants of Ireland for calling attention to it.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, the noble Earl at the head of the Government in Ireland conducted his administration on the principle of perfect fairness and equality towards all classes of Her Majesty's subjects in that country. If the noble Earl opposite could bring against the Government a particular charge of partiality, either one way or other, he would have no objection to such case or cases being submitted to a Committee in order to their being considered on their merits. Charges had been made against the Lord Lieutenant of having acted unfairly towards Roman Catholics; charges had also been made against him of having acted unfairly to Protestants; and such recrimination would always take place when belligerent denominations were pitted against each other. The trumping up such cases as these was calculated to throw discredit on the principle which actuated the Irish Viceroy, that of dispensing equal justice to every creed and class in Ireland. He entirely denied that the Government had pressed the man to whom the noble Earl had referred to emigrate. Indeed, nobody could believe that the Government had had recourse to any such policy. Two policemen were at this moment in his house at considerable expense to the public, and in such circumstances it was idle to say that the Government was not giving protection to Protestants.
THE EARL OF LEITRIMsaid, if the noble Earl would give him a Committee, he would show the House and the country how sixpenny penalties were imposed by the magistrates. In Kilkenny—
§ EARL GRANVILLE rose to order. It would be very inconvenient to go on with this discussion in the way the noble Earl was now doing. If the noble Earl chose to give notice of a Motion for referring to a Select Committee any particular cases, the House, when that Motion came before them, would be able to judge whether sufficient grounds were made out for such a Committee; but he thought it was trifling; with the time of their Lordships to discuss such petty charges as had been made in a wav so irregular.
THE EARL OF LEITRIMsaid, all he wished to say was, that the answer given by the noble Earl to his question was most unsatisfactory and most incorrect.