^ j / J / j SELECT COMMITTEE ON FICTITIOUS VOTES, IRELAND. , able8cc5m„^ it; POn " le gr° Und S'ated in the last ?- Yes, being a market- 3826 Are you of opinion that any other class of the constituency are !;„ i, l„ ,„ r^ plte' officers! 15 " ° f ; ESS^ E 3 3827. The poor freemen are of the working classes ' They are thp3i T[ iey mfay be, considered as the representatives of the working classes in descend^ 0" many ° f ^ reduood P°° r and ** 3^ 29. But they are the descendants of those who are the working classes Yes formerly Cork was a great place for manufactures, and numbers of those people m right of servitude acquired their freedom. 3830. Do not you think that the poorer order of the constituency in the liberties, those men who register out of land, are liable to the influence of their priests .'— I think the people that register in the liberties out of land are decidedly tne best class we have in this or any other county. 3831. Do not you think they are considerably under the influence of their priests ?— No, I think they are a fine bold yeomanry ; they are the finest fellows; you would be delighted to see them come in in their frieze" coats, men paying 90/'. or 100 /. a vear rent, and contributing largely to the revenues of the city.' 3832. Did you ever know the Roman- catholic priesthood accompany this bold yeomanry in their frieze coats to the hustings ?— I did. 3833. Are they not in the habit of coming in in that way, under the command of their priests, as it were ?— It is a kind of triumph. 3834. A triumphal procession into the town, headed by the priests ?— Very often it has been so at elections. 3835. Have you any doubt that the Roman- catholic clergy exercise very con- siderable influence over that class of men ?— They are very intimate with them, and trom the constant intercourse they have with the clergy, I think they have a great influence. 3836. Do not you know that they exercise a considerable influence on behalf of those called the Liberal candidates ?— They do. 3837. Do not they exercise it with very great effect?— If a landlord should wish to take a man away, they have interfered, to say that his franchise was his own ; that I have known. 3838. Do not you know that they have anticipated the landlord, and that they have used their influence as early as they possibly could ?— I believe they use their influence to prevent money being taken from the opposite side; they caution them against bribery. In that way they have obtained a great influence. 3839. Do not you believe that the Roman- catholic priests do interfere with that class of persons in the city, when an election is in prospect, as early as they can, to encourage them to vote for the Liberal candidates ?— No ; I think their interference is more against the opposite party tampering with them, because I think the people's own inclination goes the right way. 3840. Do you mean to say, that they do not interfere till the landlord has pre- viously interfered ?— Yes, they do; because there are other persons besides the landlord, there are agents going about, and when the tempter is abroad, the clergy- man tries to stay his progress. , , , 3841 Do you mean to say that the clergyman does not go abroad and endea- vour to influence the voters/ before the tempter goes abroad?- He may attend a oeneral meeting in his capacity as a voter, and in that way he does influence them, certainly ' The way that the priests go they would certainly be inclined to go. 3842 Have you any doubt that they pay domiciliary visits to those persons at their houses, independently of exhorting them at public meetings r 10 prevent their being tampered with, they do. „, lpnftQP than to 3843. Do vou mean to say that they do not go for any other purpose than to prevent their being tampered with ?- I do not think they go, except when it is noto- rious that a tampering has been going on. , „ 3844. Do you mean that the Committee should understand, that the Roman- cathohc clergy do not interfere till they know that there is tampering taking place ? — lhey maymterfere, by calling upon the voters generally to support a paiticulai interest. 3845. Have 0.46. Y 4 !/ J Mr. D. .1leaghtr. 28 February 1838.