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Show The Royal , Declaration; The debate in the house of lords on Lord Grey's bill for the abolition of the royal declaration was of the kind that was to be expected. Nobody could seriously seri-ously defend the words by which the declaration wantonly insults Catholics and outrages their feelings. Even the Archbishop of Canterbury acknowledged acknowl-edged that the terms of the declaration give needless pain and are an "anachronism. "ana-chronism. But whilst condemnation was practically universal, ' the bill was rejected by a large majority. The government gov-ernment has not sufficient courage to sweep away the declaration, and from the point ' of view of expediency it probahly is wise inasmuch as the power of fanaticism is still great in this country. coun-try. But it is too much to hope that the Catholic peers will join in passing an amended declaration excluding Catholics from the throne. In this matter mat-ter the Catholic peers have taken up the proper attitude. The removal of the obnoxious declaration is really the affair of the government. They know and do not deny that it is indefensible, and it is therefore their duty to put an end to the grievance under which Catholics Cath-olics lie. Sooner or later the declaration declara-tion will have to go. Surely the people of England ought to be as free from bigotry and intolerance as the inhabitants inhab-itants of the little Protestant kingdom I of Saxony, who are loyal subjects of a Catholic ruler. London Catholic Times. |