S E L E C T C O M M I T T E E O N F I C T I T I O U S V O T E S , I R E L A N D . 2 6 5L ? / 12766. I think you have already stated you thought it your duty to expound Rev. E. M'Gaver to your flock from the altar what you considered to be the moral obligations ' they are under, that they should vote according to their consciences; now do 1 June 1838. you draw the inference or not, that every Roman- catholic voting for candidates in opposition to your wishes must be influenced by some sordid or base motive on the one hand, or some intimidation on the part of the landlords on the other ? — I do, generally speaking, consider the poorer classes are. If I see candidates offering, I must form my own opinion. 12767. I am speaking now of the motives you ascribe to these individuals ?— If there were no candidate in question at all I would so far explain the obliga- tion that freeholders are under, that in voting for a person to fill the situation of representative they ought to throw every consideration aside, except that of voting for the man who will do best for the well- being of the country, who will listen to the interests of the majority in preference to that of the minority. 12768. Those are your political opinions?— Yes. 12769. But my question is, do you or not suppose that the great mass of the tenantry composing your flock, and the flocks of the other Roman- catholic clergy, must be influenced by some intimidation or some base motives, if they do not act in accordance with your opinions ?— I do consider when they go contrary to our opinions, they act from some base motives. 12770. And your ground for believing that, I suppose, is, that these indivi- duals are not so well informed, or so well educated, or versed in political matters as you yourself, and your brother Roman- catholic clergymen are ?— No, it is not, but I think so when they do it from selfish motives, for themselves or their families, for the sake of getting a reward for their votes; and I see cases where the more wealthy are more easily led away by expectations of that sort than perhaps the poor. 12771. But why do you suppose it is necessary that this lower class of free- holders must be actuated by improper motives; you stated already that they read and write and are very intelligent; under those circumstances, do you suppose them incapable of forming a sound opinion as to who they shall vote for ?— No, I do not; but I consider, from the frailty of human nature, they must swerve from that will, which, if the temptation were not before their eyes, they might practise. 12772. Then you do not consider your own opinion may be influenced by the frailties of human nature ?— Of course I am a man like others, and there- fore frail like others. 12773. You cannot then give the same credit to them for acting from proper motives ?— Yes, of course ; but if I were judging of this or that question indivi- dually, I might doubt my own integrity 01* judgment, but when I find a great many others superior in intelligence who are all of the same opinion, it confirms me in the opinion I entertain. 12774. Then you consider no man can entertain a different opinion from yours unless he is actuated by some improper motive ?— My former answer I conceive did not bring me to that conclusion. 12775. Then you do conceive the Roman- catholic voters would not vote against your opinions unless they were influenced by some improper motive of intimidation or seduction ?— I do. 12776. Mr. Milnes Gaskell.~\ Did you ever know an instance of any Roman- catholics whose inclination was to vote against you and with their landlords ?— Yes, and they did so. 12777. Whose own wish was to vote for their landlords without any influence being used by the landlord or yourselves ?— No, I never knew an instance of that where no intimidation was used. 12778. Chairman.] Do you think that impossible ?— Yes, I think it is morally impossible. 12779. You think it is religiously impossible ?— I think it is, if we take the Catholics among the lower order of people. If they belong to the lower order of Protestants, from being reared in the manner they are, with the prejudices they generally have, they go with their own party; the Catholics have prejudices of their own also, and viewing as inconsistent people going against their own party ; I come to that conclusion. I know of no instance, and I think it is morally impossible, that Catholics would go, independent of any expectation, with their landlords, against what their interests would demand of them in politics 01* religion. 643. M M 12780. Do