§ LORD GEORGE HAMILTONIt would be for the convenience of the House to have some information as to the order in which the various subjects raised on the Queen's Speech are to be taken. The right hon. Gentleman the President of the Board of Trade, on Friday night, informed the House that he would take an early opportunity of making a statement in explanation of the riots at Aston. [Cries of "No!"] Well, I have the words by me, and I believe I have accurately described what the President of the Board of Trade said. It is quite clear that if an early statement is to be made, it must be made on the Queen's Speech, because, after the Queen's Speech is disposed of, all the time of the House will be occupied with the Franchise Bill, and, therefore, if it is not pressing the President of the Board of Trade too much, I should like to know on which of the three days left to us he proposes to make his promised statement?
§ MR. CHAMBERLAINThe noble Lord opposite (Lord George Hamilton) has misunderstood what I said; but that is not his fault, because I observe that I was incorrectly reported in one of the newspapers. In the other papers I was correctly reported. What I really said was, that I should be happy to defend myself and my constituents against any attacks which might be made upon me and them whenever the occasion should arise. I am waiting for the occasion.
§ LORD GEORGE HAMILTONThe statement I referred to I believe to be accurate; but, of course, if the right hon. Gentleman the President of the Board of Trade denies it, I can say nothing further. As reported in the paper which claims to have the largest circulation in London, the statement of the right hon. Gentleman was—
I must say that while the proceedings at Birmingham have been to some extent a matter for discussion, I shall be prepared to take an early opportunity of stating to the House what I have heard with reference to them from my constituents, some of whom were eye-witnesses of the proceedings.
§ MR. CHAPLINI wish to remind the right hon. Gentleman the President of the Board of Trade of a fact which he seems to have forgotten—namely, that an attack was made upon him only the other night by the hon. Member for Portsmouth (Sir H. Drummond Wolff). The right hon. Gentleman turned off that attack by calling my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth a "jackal." I should like to know what guarantee we have, when the conduct of the right hon. Gentleman is next attacked, that he may not probably call the hon. Member attacking him a hyæna? Probably he will evade the point, and we shall never have his promised explanation at all. [Cries of "Order!"] I am perfectly in Order. Hon. Members who cry out "Order!" appear to me to be singularly ignorant of the procedure of this House. The right hon. Gentleman the President of the Board of Trade has distinctly stated that, when challenged, he would be prepared to defend his own conduct and that of his constituents who have been accused of behaving so outrageously. Well, he has been challenged. He has evaded one challenge, and we have no guarantee that he will not evade another. I shall consider the right hon. Gentleman to be distinctly departing from his pledge unless, without further delay, he makes the defence to which he has pledged himself.
§ MR. CHAMBERLAINI do not know whether the speech to which we have just listened is a Question; but if it be a Question, it is a very fair one, and I will endeavour to answer it. The hon. Member opposite (Mr. Chaplin) and the House will see that in reference to this matter I am probably the only person who will be attacked, and the 263 only person who can offer any defence. I think, therefore, that it is only fair that I should wait for an attack or an accusation by somebody who has some personal knowledge of the events in question. When the hon. Member for Portsmouth (Sir H. Drummond Wolff) attacked me the other day, in rather wild and burlesque language, I recollected that he, at all events, was not present at Aston.
§ LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILLHe was present. He was at the meeting.
§ MR. CHAMBERLAINI was not aware that the hon. Member was present at Aston, and I thought that it was only fair and respectful to the House that I should wait for the charges and accusations which had been made against me, outside the House, by the noble Lord the Member for Woodstock (Lord Randolph Churchill), and which I thought he would have the courage to repeat in the House. Whenever the noble Lord rises in his place and repeats those charges, I shall be perfectly prepared to meet them.
§ SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFFNotwithstanding the speech which the right hon. Gentleman has made, with his usual insolence—[Cries of "Order!" and "Withdraw!"]
§ MR. SPEAKERI hope the hon. Gentleman will withdraw that expression.
§ SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFFI withdraw the word "insolence" at once, and I will say the speech which the right hon. Gentleman has made with his usual courtesy. I was present during the whole of the proceedings at Aston Park. I witnessed the riots, which were incited by the right hon. Gentleman himself—incited by the Body of which he is the ruling spirit, with the hon. Member for Ipswich (Mr. Jesse Collings), and which the right hon. Gentleman afterwards, with the hon. Member for Ipswich, commended publicly at different meetings. I made this charge against the right hon. Gentleman on my own responsibility, having witnessed the riots, and, therefore, the excuse he makes to-day is one hardly worthy of attention.
§ LOBD RANDOLPH CHURCHILLAllow me to make a personal explanation. The right hon. Gentleman has charged me with want of courage in not stating in the House the charge which 264 I made outside the House. Undoubtedly, I stated at Birmingham that the right hon. Gentleman was the real author of the riots. No denial having been made to that charge—[Cries of "Oh!"]—none whatever; the statement was made perfectly publicly; it was reported in almost every newspaper—and no denial having been made to that charge by the right hon. Gentleman, I considered that he accepted the responsibility. But another reason why I did not wish to initiate the discussion on this subject myself was very much the same reason as that which the right hon. Gentleman has given—namely, because I am the only person who can defend my own view of the matter, just as the right hon. Gentleman appears to be the only person who can defend his view. But if the right hon. Gentleman is afraid of giving me the advantage of a reply, and if he declines to answer any charges made by any other hon. Member except myself, if I am in Order, I will guarantee to the House that I will take the earliest opportunity I can to draw the badger.
§ MR. NEWDEGATEAs Member for the County of Warwick, I think I can throw some light upon this subject.
§ MR. SPEAKERI must remind the hon. Member (Mr. Newdegate) that this is not a time to discuss the matter. We are now considering the proceedings on the Address, and that is not a time for discussing the alleged riots at Birmingham.
§ MR. NEWDEGATEI bow, Sir, to your ruling. I wished merely to say that I am informed that the right hon. Gentleman was not present at Birminghim, and that Mr. Schnadhorst was not present; but that the rioters came from South Staffordshire, and were led by Mr. Tangye.
§ Mr. CHAMBERLAINrose amid cries of "Order!"
§ MR. SPEAKERThe right hon. Gentleman can speak, with the permission of the House.
§ MR. CHAMBERLAINThe noble Lord has just brought a very strong charge against me as a Minister of the Crown, and I may say that, while I shall be prepared to enter into details on the proper occasion, for the present I content myself with absolutely denying that charge.