HC Deb 25 February 1884 vol 284 cc1857-9
MR. SEXTON

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is true, as stated in a Resolution, moved and seconded by Town Commissioners of Enniskillen, and unanimously adopted by a public meeting of Catholics, held at Enniskillen on Monday last, under the presidency of the Catholic Vicar General of the diocese, that, out of the total number of magistrates in the county Fermanagh, seventy, not even one is a Catholic; whether the Catholic people of the county form a great majority of the whole population; whether, of the seventy magistrates, sixty-three have attached their names to a public manifesto, condemning the Government for having deprived Lord Rossmore of the commission of the peace; and, whether the state of things indicated by these facts will be allowed by the Lord Chancellor of Ireland to continue?

MR. TREVELYAN

Sir, the Resident Magistrate, Captain M'Ternan, is the only magistrate in the County of Fermanagh who is a Roman Catholic. According to the latest Census Reports, 53 per cent of the population are Roman Catholics; 63 of the magistrates of the county signed the protest referred to. It is the intention of the Government to proclaim, under the Crimes Act, districts where Party riots or Party disturbances are likely to occur, if they are not already so proclaimed, so that cases arising out of such disturbances may be dealt with under Section 8 of that Act. I may take this opportunity to state that when I was in Ireland the general subject of the constitution of the magistracy had engaged my most serious attention and consideration, that I conferred with the Lord Chancellor of Ireland thereon, and that he assured me that no exertion or pains on his part would be spared, so far as he could act, to redress inequality, and to remove or prevent any injustice that might be brought under his notice.

MR. SEXTON

With reference to the recent declaration of the Solicitor General for Ireland, that if the names of proper persons were submitted to the Lord Chancellor he would at once appoint them, I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman, whether, if a representative public meeting like this forwards by public resolution the names of suitable persons to the Lord Chancellor, he will consider them?

MR. TREVELYAN

Sir, to the first part of the Question of the hon. Member I think I can respond at once that if the names of proper persons are submitted to the Lord Chancellor he will appoint them; but I should be very unwilling to name any special method of recommendation, and I might even go so far as to say that I do not think the recommendation of a public meeting of one religious body, whether Catholic or otherwise, is a good method of submitting such names, and I may tell the hon. Member that we have already acted on that opinion with a Memorial having a similar object in view which was not Roman Catholic.

MR. O'DONNELL

With regard to the proclamation of places in which riots have taken place, or are apprehended, will the Government take into consideration the propriety of distinguishing between places into which rioters have been imported, and places in which riots have occurred through the misconduct of outsiders; and in that case will the proclamation be applied to the place from which the rioters have been imported, and not the place in which the riots occurred?

MR. TREVELYAN

That depends, Sir, upon what magistrates there are in the places.