TOPICS OF THE DAY.
ABOLITION OF CHURCH-RATES.
Mt Nismas have given to the Delegates, assembled in London from all parts of the kingdom, the most positive assurances that they will bring into Parliament a measure respecting Church-rates, which will be satisfactory to the Dissenters. It is impossible that there can be any misunderstanding as to the extent of the claim put forward, and which Ministers undertake to satisfy. Not only at public meetings, and in petitions and memorials to the Govern- ment, has it been declared that nothing short of absolute, unequi- vocal freedom from Church-rates is demanded, but so lately as yes- terday, a deputation from the four hundredDelegates, representing six hundred congregations, waited on Lord MELBOURNE ; and the Reverend Mr. BURNET, on behalf of the whole Dissenting body, told the Premier, that it was not because of the weight of the tax, or the oppressive mode of its collection, that they insisted on its repeal, but because it infringed on the principle of religious liberty, by taxing one religious community for the support of another.
What was Lord MELBOURNE'S answer? He did not intimate that the demand went further than he expected or was prepared to yield ; but he told Mr. Bun NET, that his Lordship, individually, acknowledged the principle thus laid down; and that Lord JOHN RUSSELL, on behalf of the Government, had given notice of a mea- sure which Lord Melbourne had no doubt would be satisfactory to the Dissenters.
The Government, then, is pledged to do its utmost to abolish Church-rates. It is bound to make an attack on the revenues of the Church of England, to twelve times the amount of that de- duction from the income of the Irish Church about which such a Protestant clamour has been raised. The question of the ina- lienability of Church of England revenues will be brought before Parliament on Tuesday week. No doubt, the assault upon Ministers from the Church party will be furious ; but let the Ministers stand firm, and they will be powerfully backed. The Standard on Thursday affected to treat the force of the Anti-Church-rate party as contemptible- " Out of all the 10,000 parishes of the kingdom, we doubt if a hundred cases could be named, in which the Church-rate has been refused. This regu- lar warfare, therefore, terminated most inauspiciously for their cause."
Suppose it had not been refused in one parish, still Ministers might be compelled to abolish the Church-rates. The Dissel:ters, and their allies on this question in the Church, might not liavz an absolute majority in any one parish, and yet when an election came they might be able to turn the scale in favour of their can- didate. The Dissenters act together on this question. They aro organized, and active ; and amounting as they du to several mil- lions, and supported as they are by a very large body of influen- tial Churchmen—to say nothing of that numerous class of' per- sons who belong to no church or sect, but hate conipiilsor;• payments of every kind—they must be invincible. All that is required is perseverance; and let who will be Minister, he will be badgered into compliance with their demands. Perhaps it will be said, that if the Duke of WELLINGTON were Minister, he would roll back tli-! torrent. But are the Tories stronger, and the Dissenters weaker, than they were when the Duke was forced to repeal the Test and Corporation Acts? Let not the Tories—above all, let not Sir ROBERT Prim, taunt Lord JOHN RUSSELL with his concession on this point. True, Lord JOHN did stand up fur the principle of Church-rates last summer, and he is now about to abandon it. But what did PEEL du ? On one night lie declared that the Dissenters had as much liberty as was consistent with the safety of the Established Church, and the next night (having been beaten on the division) lie announced his intention of acceding to the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts. The fact is, that when united and in earnest, the Dis- senters are strong enough to carry any thing—that is just and reasonable.
Let every Member, when he is called upon to vote on Tuesday week, recollect how many Dissenting voters are registered in the constituency he represents; and let those registered Dissenters mark well the vote of their Representative, and bear it ill mind at the next election.
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