HC Deb 30 July 1877 vol 236 cc167-8
MR. WHALLEY

Mr. Speaker, I wish to ask permission of the House to make a short personal explanation. In the debate on Friday last, on two occasions, I had the misfortune to be called to Order; and on the first Resolution you, Sir, were pleased to say my conduct afforded a very strong argument in favour of that Resolution. On the second occasion, I was called to Order when I was replying to the statement of the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer that that Resolution was also mainly attributable to myself, acting in conjunction with some other hon. Members in keeping the House waiting uselessly through the night on a recent occasion. I would only ask permission —without in the slightest degree presuming to offer any observation upon, much less objection to, your ruling, Sir, —to say that in both cases when I was out of Order I was venturing to ask— having regard to the special circumstances of the case, and that the responsibility to some extent of these two changes in our Rules was thus cast upon me—to be allowed to state, with regard to the first, that I was saying at the time that it was not right that the rights of minorities in this House should be fettered by the action of a few Roman Catholics. ["Oh, oh!"] My object, I would venture to state, is not to offer any sort of objection, or to make any special observation other than to show that my action on these occasions was, I may say, bonâ fide, and that I was endeavouring to the best of my ability, my judgment, and my conscience —["Order, order!"]—

MR. SPEAKER

I would point out to the hon. Member and the House generally that it would cause great inconvenience to the House if every hon. Member who had been called to Order was on a future occasion allowed to explain.

MR. WHALLEY

And as regards the second occasion and the statement of the right hon. Gentleman—

MR. SPEAKER

After the intimation from the Chair, I must ask the hon. Gentleman to resume his seat. Should he continue his observations I must declare him out of Order. I call upon the hon. Gentleman the Member for Tralee (the O'Donoghue).