MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT. (Hansard, 20 March 1883)

MR. GLADSTONE
I rise, Sir, to move that this House at its rising do 945 adjourn till Thursday, the 29th of March. I wish, upon this Motion, to refer to that which has reached me, not by any Notice upon the Paper, but from what I think sufficient information, that it was the intention of the right hon. Gentleman the Member for South-West Lancashire (Sir R. Assheton Cross) to raise a question upon this Motion, on what is called the question of the Cuban refugees. Until last night, as far as I am concerned, and, indeed, until this morning, I was perfectly prepared to accept that discussion, and to interpose no obstacle to its coming on. Yesterday evening, however, my noble Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Earl Granville) received a telegram from Madrid, and I saw that telegram this morning, which impressed both of us with the belief that it would not be politic, with regard to the ends which the Government has in view, and which I believe to be the same as those of the right hon. Gentleman, that that discussion should take place at the present time. The nature of that telegram is such as to give us, I will not say a certainty, but, undoubtedly, a prospect of a settlement of the matter approaching to the settlement that we have desired. I cannot, of course, control the action of the right hon. Gentleman opposite, who will exercise, as he is entitled to do, his own independent judgment on the subject; but it is the judgment of my noble Friend, and certainly it is also my own judgment, that the prospects of adjusting the difficulty would be injured, and not promoted, by a discussion of the subject at the present moment. The right hon. Gentleman will, no doubt, feel that, having that information, it was my duty to state it to the House.

§ SIR R. ASSHETON CROSS
Sir, I have listened with attention to the statement of the Prime Minister, and I should be very sorry indeed to do anything, or take any course, at all calculated to defeat the object which we all have in view. But this is a very serious question; and I shall ask the Prime Minister, before deciding on what course I ought to take, whether, in case I do not bring the subject up now, he will give me an oppor- 946 tunity of discussing it afterwards, in case the negotiations do not result in the favourable issue which he has shadowed forth? The statement of the Prime Minister has taken me somewhat by surprise, because I was here until a quarter to 3 this morning, and no telegram of any kind was put into my hands. [Lord EDMOND FITZMAURICE dissented]. Perhaps the noble Lord will pardon me for a moment—no telegram was shown me which would lead me to any conclusion at all like that indicated by the Prime Minister; and if the telegram which was shown me was really the only thing the Government had to satisfy—[Lord EDMOND FITZMAURICE: It is not the same.] In that case my observation falls to the ground. In the telegram which I saw there was nothing to lead me to change the course which I am ready to take. But, before deciding that matter, I must, as I before observed, ask the Prime Minister whether he will give me a subsequent opportunity of raising the question in case the objects in view are not attained? I think that I ought to add that, in common courtesy, I ought to have been allowed to see the telegram before the Prime Minister made the announcement.

§ LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICE
said, that it had been his desire to show the telegram, upon which the conclusion of the Prime Minister was based, to the right hon. Gentleman opposite (Sir E. Assheton Cross); but he was unable to see him, for he was not in the House at the time the telegram arrived. He had not, however, been able to keep the telegram the whole evening, and he communicated to the right hon. Gentleman, as soon as he did see him, the same request as that now made by the Prime Minister, and also the subject of the telegram. When he spoke to the Prime Minister yesterday, he simply expressed his own individual opinion, as he had had no opportunity of communicating with the Members of the Government.

§ LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL
said, he hoped that his right hon. Friend the Member for South-West Lancashire would seriously consider before he decided to accede to the request of the Prime Minister not to bring on his Motion. He did not suppose such a request had ever before been made. The question of the Cuban refugees was one of great import- 947 ance, and, though it had been before the House since last October, it was always with the greatest difficulty that they could obtain any information in regard to it from the Government. At last his right hon. Friend had found an opportunity, and there were odds against his finding it again; and the Prime Minister had asked him not to bring on his Motion. Why? Because a telegram had arrived from Madrid. The right hon. Gentleman, however, gave no information to the House, and did not inform them what the policy of the Government was. He therefore hoped his right hon. Friend would be careful not to lose the opportunity he now possessed of calling attention to the matter. There were many matters in connection with this question which, from the first, had been very unsatisfactory, and there were also many hon. Members on his side of the House who considered that the tone of the Government and of Lord Granville towards the Spanish Government had, from the first, been as weak and cringing as it possibly could be, and differed widely from that which had been adopted by former Foreign Ministers; whereas, if he had adopted a firmer tone, the probability was the refugees would now be at liberty. He considered that if the tone of Lord Granville now had been the tone adopted from the first, these unfortunate men would have been given up long ago. Those men had been grossly ill-treated by the Spanish Government, and this country had suffered a tremendous disgrace and shame. Under the circumstances, in the absence of any information from the Government as to what their policy was, or as to what the Spanish Government intended to do, he did not think his right hon. Friend ought to withdraw his Motion.

MR. GLADSTONE
I hope the noble Lord the Member for Woodstock (Lord Randolph Churchill) will permit me to observe that the question is not now whether the policy of the Government, or of Lord Granville, has been of a weak and cringing tone. The question now raised is, whether there is any possibility or probability of satisfactorily dealing with this matter. If there be, what I have said will not in the least degree justify a weak and cringing policy on the part of the Government; but it is a good reason for a separate 948 consideration of two matters, which are in their nature distinct. It would be entirely out of place for me now to enter upon a vindication of the policy of the Government. I have no fault to find with the right hon. Gentleman opposite (Sir R. Assheton Cross) as regards his answer to my appeal. With regard to the right hon. Gentleman not seeing the telegram, I was neither so virtuous nor so vigorous as the right hon. Gentleman and my noble Friend (Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice); for whereas they did not leave the House till 3 o'clock, I had left at a quarter-past 2, and, owing to that circumstance, I did not see the telegram. But since seeing it, I have both formed my own opinion and ascertained the opinion of Lord Granville and the Government. I think it would be a mistake wore we to lay before the House, distinctly and in detail, any of the grounds upon which the opinion of the Government has been formed. That opinion is really a matter for the responsibility of the Government, and it is for the right hon. Gentleman to consider what degree of weight he shall attach to it. That is his part; we have done ours. The right hon. Gentleman says this is his opportunity, and he wishes to have some assurance from us as to the recurrence of that opportunity. I hope the right hon. Gentleman will co-operate with us, and will not think it too much if we ask that he should take his chance of obtaining an independent opportunity. But if the right hon. Gentleman fails in obtaining an independent opportunity, and fails in obtaining it in a short time, and still finds occasion to raise the question, undoubtedly it will be our duty to assist him in obtaining that opportuinty.

§ SIR R. ASSHETON CROSS
I will to-day endeavour to obtain a place upon the Paper; and, as I have the statement of the right hon. Gentleman that I shall have an opportunity of bringing on the question, I do not feel justified, after his statement, in carrying the matter further.

§ SIR R. ASSHETON CROSS
said, that, having been unable to secure a place for his Motion relating to the Cuban refugees, he had put down the Motion for Friday, the 30th of March, on going into Committee of Supply, and 949 he would then press the Prime Minister for a day for the discussion of the Motion.