§ MR. DILLON (Mayo, E.)I desire, Sir, to offer a few words of explanation in regard to a matter concerning myself. I have here a newspaper—The Trowbridge Chronicle—in which I find the following statement:—
In answer to a Question in the House of Commons regarding an attack made upon a party of school children in the neighbourhood 940 of Belfast, it was stated that several children were struck with stones, and one young lady, a teacher, who was the daughter of Lord Sligo's agent, was seriously hurt. 'Hear, hear !'' shouted the Irish Members; 'Hear, hear !'' shouted Mr. John Dillon, amid cries of 'Shame !'' from all parts of the House. Mr. John Dillon shoots for joy because a poor school teacher has been cruelly struck down with a stone in an attack upon some school children.Now, Sir, I make it a rule never to take notice of the language of newspapers of this character; and the only reason why I have thought it right to bring this peculiarly offensive and disgusting falsehood before the House is because it is not only untrue, but——
§ MR. HALSEY (Herts, Watford)It is true.
§ MR. DILLONWho says it is true? Mr. Speaker, I distinctly heard the Solicitor General for England say, "It is true." I say that it is absolutely false.
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL (Sir EDWARD CLARKE) (Plymouth)The hon. Member is entirely mistaken. I did not utter a single word.
§ MR. DILLONThen the exclamation came from some hon. Member immediately behind the hon. and learned Gentleman.
§ MR. HALSEYI was the hon. Member who said it was true. It is true, and I adhere to it. All I have to say is that I distinctly remember the occurrence. I was in my place at the time, and I distinctly heard what took place.
§ MR. DILLONThen I say it is false, whoever said it.
§ MR. R. G. WEBSTER (St. Pancras, E.)I may say that I also distinctly heard it.
§ MR. J. M. MACLEAN (Oldham)I also heard it, and say it is true.
§ CAPTAIN PRICE (Devonport)I heard it also.
§ MR. DILLONI repeat that it is false, whoever says it. The reason why I have brought the matter under the attention of the House is that I suspected it was some hon. Member of the House who supplied the statement to the newspaper. I have had reason to suspect it, and it is an instance of the infamous and atrocious falsehoods by which it is intended to hunt us out of public life.
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder, order !' The hon. Member is not entitled to make such charges against Members of this House.
§ MR. DILLONYou have hoard, Sir, the atrocious nature of the charge made against me.
§ MR. SPEAKERI have heard the hon. Member make charges on a subject which is not within my knowledge, and which has given offence to the hon. Member; but he has himself no right to make such a charge against other hon. Members as that which he has just made.
§ MR. DILLONYou have heard hon. Members make a charge against me which I have distinctly declared to be untrue. The charge I make is this. I was reading out this passage from a newspaper, and I had reason to suppose that the information on which the passage was founded was supplied by a Member of this House. No more atrociously offensive accusation could be made against any Member of this House; and while I was reading it, I heard an hon. Member distinctly say across the House, "It is true," thus fully bearing out the suspicion which existed in my mind. Immediately afterwards, four hon. Members stood up on that side of the House, and repeated distinctly, "It is true." Now, what I want to put to you, Sir, is this. Are we Irish Members to have any protection in this House, or are we not? You have heard the charges made, and I leave it to hon. Members to say whether it could enter into the imagination of man to make a charge more offensive. I have heard you call Members to Order, and afford protection to other Members against the use of language which, by the side of this charge, sinks into absolute insignificance; and yet, Sir, four hon. Members stand up and say that an accusation which I have distinctly repudiated is true.
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder, order !' I am the judge of Order in this House. I did not understand that any of the hon. Gentlemen who rose imputed to the hon. Gentleman that what he was then stating was not true. I understood that they gave their version of what passed; and after the statement of the hon. Gentleman, I am quite satisfied that, the whole House will believe him when he says that he did nothing of the kind attributed to him in that paper; and I am confident that not one of these four Gentlemen will say that his statement is not to be believed.
§ MR. DILLONI would respectfully ask you, Sir, this question. I read out the charge made against me—a charge of a most foul and dishonouring character. I said that that charge was untrue; and then these four hon. Gentlemen rose in their places, one after another, and gave mo the he direct, and said that it was true.
§ MR. J. M. MACLEAN,on rising, was received with cries of "Oh !' from the Irish Benches. The hon. Member said: I demand to be heard. [Cries of "Order !'] Surely we are not to sit still here for over while such monstrous accusations are made against us in this House by hon. Members from Ireland. [Cries from the Opposition Benches below the Gangway of"Order!'] Order, yourself.
§ MR. SPEAKERI must ask hon. Gentlemen to conduct the proceedings of this House with proper decorum. If the hon. Gentleman wishes to make an explanation, I am sure the House will listen to him.
§ MR. J. M. MACLEANI have no explanation to make, Sir; but I rise to state what actually passed on these Benches just now. The hon. Member for East Mayo was making a statement in regard to himself, and what we rose to testify to was the fact that when the question was raised in the House, laughter came from those Benches at the mention of an assault made upon this girl. We indignantly called out "Shame !' at the time. That passage appeared, I believe, in the newspapers on the following day. I have not got them at hand, but I have no doubt the passage appeared in The Times and other newspaper reports. Laughter was undoubtedly raised by certain Irish Members. As the hon. Member for East Mayo says that he did not join in it, of course I acquit him; but laughter was raised on these Benches, and we met it with the cries of "Shame !' which it deserved.
§ Mr. DILLON and Mr. R. G. WEBSTERrose together. [Cries of "Order !']
§ MR. SPEAKERcalled upon Mr. Dillon.
§ MR. R. G. WEBSTERI rise to corroborate the statement of my hon. Friend. [Cries of "Order !'] I am rising to a point of Order——
§ MR. SPEAKERMr. Dillon.
§ MR. DILLONI was in possession of the House, but I gave way to the hon. Member for Oldham (Mr. J. M. Maclean), because I understood that he rose to a point of Order; and I gave way to him because he seemed anxious to make au explanation. He has, however, misrepresented what occurred. I am most anxious that the House should clearly understand what it is that I ask at your hands. The statement in the newspapers was this—
In answer to a Question in the House of Commons regarding an attack made upon a party of school children in the neighbourhood of Belfast, it was stated that several children were struck with stones, and one young lady, a teacher, who was the daughter of Lord Sligo's agent, was seriously hurt. 'Hear, hear !'' shouted the Irish Members; 'Hear, hear !'' shouted Mr. John Dillon, amid cries of 'Shame !'' from all parts of the House. Mr. John Dillon shouts for joy because a poor school teacher has boon cruelly struck down with a stone in an attack upon some school children.That, Sir, was the statement which I was reading, and hon. Members opposite said that it was true. Four hon. Members got up one after another, and, in the face of my contradiction, they stated it was true. I say that if accusations of that character are allowed to be hurled against us in this House, there is an end to all public decency and order.
§ MR. SPEAKERThe language quoted from the newspaper is not justified by what has been said in this House. Hon. Members have said that they did hear laughter, but that laughter need not be interpreted in the offensive sense in which the newspaper makes use of it. As I said before, the hon. Member repudiates the statement contained in the newspaper, and I am sure the House will accept his repudiation.
§ MR. DILLONI must respectfully ask the protection of the Chair. There is no question here of laughter. The statement the hon. Members affirm, in spite of my contradiction, is that I cried "Hear, hear !' with savage exultation because a young girl had been struck down with a stone. I do not want to use un-Parliamentary language; but I put it to you, Sir, whether it is fair, or even justice, to be compelled to listen to these charges.
§ Mr. SPEAKEROrder, order !' Fair and even justice I shall administer. I have endeavoured to point out to the hon. Member that I put an interpreta- 944 tion, on the meaning of the four hon. Members who rose, and one of them has since stated distinctly that he acquits the hon. Gentleman of the imputation made by this newspaper. I now beg the House to allow the matter to drop.
§ MR. DILLONagain rose amid cries of "Order !' He said: I regret to have to address you again in reference to this matter; but I must ask you, Sir, whether you will require those hon. Members to withdraw?
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder, order !'
§ MR. DILLONWell, then, all I can say is——
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder, order !' I have settled the point.
§ MR. DILLONAil I can say is there is one measure of justice in this House for——
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder, order !'
§ MR. DILLONThere is one measure of justice for one Party, where Irish Members are concerned, and another for another. [Cries of "Order !']
§ MR. SPEAKERI did not catch the observation of the hon. Member. I have settled the point of Order. I think that I have settled it in a way that will be satisfactory to the House.