Such is the deception practised upon Roman Catholics, through the
confessional, by their church, priests and their agents, that they (the
Catholics) will not believe the plainest truths, unless sanctioned by
them. I have often known them to discredit the testimony of their own
senses, and I have now before me a case in point, confirming this almost
incredible assertion. It appears that some time ago, when much anxiety
was manifested in England and elsewhere, in regard to the alleged
destitute condition of the Irish tenantry, the London Times accused
O'Connell, the Pope's agent in Ireland, of being himself one of the
most oppressive landlords, and reducing his tenants to the most wretched
condition. This was a serious charge against the Pope's vicegerent
It could not, it must not be admitted. It will be recollected by the
reader, that O'Connell and the Popish priests of Ireland have been for
years, without any intermission whatever, accusing Protestant landlords
and Protestant clergymen of oppressing their tenants, and reducing them
to the very extreme of want and penury. The proprietors of the London
Times, aided by several philanthropic Protestant gentlemen, resolved to
send over to Ireland a few gentlemen of known veracity, to ascertain the
truth or falsehood of this serious accusation. They accordingly entered
upon the discharge of their duty, proceeded forthwith to Ireland, and
reported the condition of affairs just as they found them. According to
their report, the charge against Protestant landlords had no foundation
in fact, and was pronounced in the Times to be utterly groundless. No
sooner had the Times reached the Island of Saints, than the whole body
of saints, angeles, and archangels--by whom we are to understand Popish
priests, bishops, and archbishops--rose in a body, together with their
presses, pamphleteers, periodicals, &c, and pronounced the statement
of the commissioners a base falsehood, and the Times itself a vile and
scurrilous press. The proprietors of the Times and their friends were
not, however, to be put down by this bullying; they were not to be put
down by this shameless beggar, inflated gascon and traitor, O'Connell.
They proposed to O'Connell to send over six gentlemen, to meet any six
whom he and his Popish friends might appoint, to examine the condition
of the tenants upon O'Connell's own estate, taking that as a fair and
most impartial specimen of the condition of the Irish tenantry. Nothing
fairer than this could be offered. Surely, if all the misery of the
Irish tenantry were fairly to be attributed to the Protestant church and
Protestant landlords, no portion of it could be found on those estates
owned and held by Roman Catholics. But what was the course of O'Connell
upon this occasion? He called a meeting of the saints, angels, and
archangels, and laid before them the proposal of the Times; but lo! and
behold! he and they shrank from the proposition. On the receipt of their
refusal, a competent individual was sent from the Times' office, to
accompany the commissioners back to Ireland, and to take note of what
they saw in presence of Mr. O'Connell, or any of his friends whom
he might appoint. The commissioners proceeded to the estate of Mr.
O'Connell, in the county of Kerry, Ireland. They spent three days
walking over it, going into every cottage and making personal inquiries.
The result was published in the Times of December 25th, 1845. It speaks
for itself, and cannot fail to be satisfactory to any man of truth and
honor. The first day, the commissioners were accompanied by an agent of
Mr. Hartop, under whom Mr. O'Connell holds some lands as a middleman.
The second day they were accompanied from Valentia by Mr. O'Conner's own
steward, throughout the whole of their inspection. The third day they
were accompanied by one of O'Connell's sons, Morris O'Connell. They
inspected his father's estates from Waterville to Derrynane Beg. At
Ardcara,--a town land which Mr. O'Connell holds on a lease of his
own life, and sublets to a middleman,--the condition of the huts was
perfectly horrible. The commissioners thus conclude their report upon
the condition of the poor tenantry on the lands of Daniel O'Connell, the
great liberator of Ireland--he who is sacrificing his time, his
fortune, for the amelioration of the condition of mankind at large, but
especially the Irish. It is with difficulty I can restrain a tear of
sorrow, while I read the report which is given of the poor creatures who
are the tenants of this cold-blooded hypocrite, O'Connell. I can already
fancy the impatience of my readers to hear the conclusion of it Here
it is. Listen to it, I pray you, American Protestants. Hear it, you
simple-hearted Irishmen in the United States, who have contributed
thousands and tens of thousands to support in luxury this heartless
impostor, O'Connell. "We have?" say the commissioners, "been all over
England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, and we declare solemnly, that
in no part of the United Kingdom is such neglected wretchedness, such
filth, such squalor, such misery of every kind, to be seen, as we saw on
Mr. O' Connell's estate, in the presence of his son, Morris O'Connell."
There was a law among the Athenians, which provided that he who
accused another of crime, and failed to substantiate or make good the
accusation, should forfeit his head. Some doubted the wisdom of this
law; but there was one good in it which no man can question. It showed
that he who accused another justly, was a man of principle, bold and
intrepid in the cause of truth and justice. It showed, besides, that the
crime of false swearing, or falsely accusing another, was looked upon as
a crime hateful in its character, and of the utmost magnitude.
If this old Athenian law were in force in Ireland, where now would be
the head of O'Connell? Just where it ought to be, on the point of a
spear at the top of some steeple, where the passer-by might point at it
and say, there is the head of Daniel O'Connell, the false accuser of his
Protestant countrymen. Where would be the heads of the Roman Catholic
Bishops and Archbishops of Ireland? Where would be the heads of Bishops
Hughes of New York, Fenwick of Boston, Purcel of Cincinnati, and the
other Popish bishops of this country, who accuse American Protestants,
and their clergymen, of persecuting Roman Catholics? They might be found
rolling in the dust.
We should thank Heaven that no such law is to be found under the
sanction of our free Constitution. But, though these men do not legally
forfeit their heads, they lose all claim to the respect and confidence
of every man of veracity and honor in any country. What now must be
thought of the veracity of O'Connell, the would-be Liberator of Ireland?
What must an American Christian think of those Popish bishops, who vouch
for the truth of O'Connell's statements? I know not, but my mind has
long since been formed and long since frankly expressed. They may not,
perhaps, be worse than others similarly situated, but the position
of these men, in this country at least, renders them, morally and
politically, iniquitous, and Americans should keep a watchful eye on
them. Americans are not a very suspicious people; freemen are seldom so.
But let not even freemen ever forget, that the world is governed by
men, and that men are governed by their passions and interests. It is
peculiarly the duty of the citizens of the United States, to observe
closely, the movements of O'Connell and Irish priests among them.
There are many of the latter mixed up with Americans, and exercising a
mighty influence over their political destinies; and it is the business
of our laws to restrain them. Inquiries are now being made, to ascertain
how far the governments of Europe are interfering with our Republican
Institutions. Some movements to that effect have recently been made in
Congress, and I beg to assure him who has originated this inquiry, that
if he perseveres and carries it through, he will find that there is not
in Europe, a monarchical power, or a Popish power, under whatever name
it may appear, that is not engaged in endeavoring to overthrow this
Republic They have been planning this for years, and finding that all
other means were likely to prove inefficacious, they have concluded to
introduce a Trojan horse into the citadel of our liberties, taking good
care to fill it with Popish traitors fully armed and equipped.
The limits of this volume do not permit me to dwell farther on this
subject, but _graviora manent_.