Page:A letter to the Right Hon. Chichester Fortescue, M.P. on the state of Ireland.djvu/69

 They say, as O'Connell used to say, Let every man send for his own priest as every man sends for his own doctor. But I have no intention to discuss with the Liberation Society the mighty question involved in the voluntary principle. All I say on behalf of myself, and of those who, like myself, have a prejudice in favour of Church Establishments, is this, 'If you seek to re-constitute society in the United Kingdom on a new principle, do not satisfy yourselves with attacking the wall where it is weakest; do not give us your revolution in driblets; let us consider the whole breadth of your proposed change—above all, do not forget altogether what is good for Ireland while you are seeking to emancipate mankind.' Yet to this point they seem to have paid little attention. Accordingly, at their last meeting, after unanimously sweeping away the funds of the Irish Church, their members fell into all kinds of discordant proposals as to the application of these funds, some one or two, not reflecting that the landlords are amply paid for collecting the tithe rent-charge by a commission of 25 per cent., were for offering the other 75 per cent, as a bribe to their cupidity.

Let us, however, look at the question somewhat more modestly and somewhat more practically.

The Roman Catholic farmer is heavily taxed for his Church. The churches themselves, which used to be

have of late years, instead of mere tenements of wood, become handsome buildings of stone, with the appro-