BISHOP VAUGHAN'S DEFENCE OF THE IRISH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 61, 27 June 1874, Page 9

BISHOP VAUGHAN'S DEFENCE OF THE IRISH.

His Lordship the Bishop of Salford, in an address t> the Catholics of Bolton, made the following statement* with regard to the Irish at home aud those resident in England. After bringing statistics to show the vastly increased trade of the country, he went on to say :— " Whilst he was upon the question of statistics he could not refrain from making one or two allusions to some foolish statements, whioh had unwisely been thrown out by some one during the last few weeks. It was said ' Look at the gaols in Eagland, and see the number of Roman Catholics— especially Irish Catholics — in them. Look at such a result of their religion, for there are in the gaols in England no less than 35,000 Catholics." He would not deny bnt that there were 85,000 Catholics in English gaols, or that there were last year — and he grieved to know that such was the case ; but in awarding the blame he could not lay it upon those poor and degraded men who were found to be the victims of temptation, and who, consequently, were ra gaol. He would go into the question as to who should be held responsible for the greater portion of the blame ; he would not go back into history or the past, but he would simply mention this fact ver contra. In Kngland some 35,000 Catholic* were in gaol for various misdemeanors, but if he were to go across the channel, go to tho Catholic country of Ireland, what would we find thero P He went from the one million and a half of Catholics in England, and, including eveu the Protestant portion of Ireland, he found that there were in Irish fnols only 25,600 persons. (Cheers.) That was to say that in. reland, that priest-ridden country — (laughter) — in the country in which tbe Catholio faith is rampant — there were only 25,000 parsons in gaol against the number in England. He (tbe speaker) had accidentally come across some statistics published by a manufacturer living in Bury — Mr William Hoyle, a gentleman, and not a Catholic, but a devout Wesleyan Methodist. With reference to the amount of money spent in drink, Mr Hoyle stated that the sum spent per annum in England on intoxicating drink, was £4 6s llfrd per head, whilst the money spent in Ireland was only £2 Is Id. (Cheers.) Then, again, the same authority said that " in England forty-six persons out of every thousand were paupers." What was the number in Ireland? Oh, it would be said, there must be one hundred out of every one thousand. (Laughter.) The fact, however, was, that out of every thousanl persons in Ireland only thirteen were paupers. (Laul cheers.) They, therefore, came to the conclusion that pauperism in England was 300 per cent, greater than in Ireland. (Renewed oheering.) And with regard to the number of co :;mittals, he found that in England 351,000 persons were convicted for being drunk and disorderly. He (the Bishop) had not laid hii finger on the corresponding figure for Ireland, unless it was inoluded under the head "drunk," and tbe figures under that head gave only 8110. (Applause).