"As To O'Connell," He Answered, "I Do Not Know Whether His Influence Is
Increasing, But I Am Certain That It Is Not Declining.
With regard to the
question of repealing the Union, there is a very strong leaning among
intelligent men in
Ireland to the scheme of a federal government, in other
words to the creation of an Irish parliament for local legislation,
leaving matters which concern Ireland in common with the rest of the
empire to be decided by the British Parliament."
I mentioned an extraordinary declaration which I had heard made by John
O'Connell on the floor of Parliament, in answer to a speech of Mr. Wyse,
an Irish Catholic member, who supported the new-colleges bill. This
younger O'Connell denounced Wyse as no Catholic, as an apostate from his
religion, for supporting the bill, and declared that for himself, after
the Catholic Bishops of Ireland had expressed their disapproval of the
bill, he inquired no further, but felt himself bound as a faithful member
of the Catholic Church to oppose it.
"It is that declaration," said the gentleman, "which has caused a panic
among those of the Irish Protestants who were well-affected to the cause
of repeal. If the Union should be repealed, they fear that O'Connell,
whose devotion to the Catholic Church appears to grow stronger and
stronger, and whose influence over the Catholic population is almost
without limit, will so direct the legislation of the Irish Parliament as
only to change the religious oppression that exists from one party to the
other.
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