§ MR. KIMBER (Wandsworth)asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether the attention of the Government has been drawn to a statement in The Weekly News, a newspaper alleged to be the property of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, who is a Member of this House, which, after referring to the 7th and 11th sections of the Crimes Act, which enable the Lord Lieutenant to ordain it to be unlawful to publish the proceedings of certain Associations, and that any person publishing such proceedings renders himself liable to six months' imprisonment, proceeds to give the following notice:—
We, therefore, give notice to all whom it may concern that if any branch of the National League be ordered out of existence by the Viceroy, and if its Committee or Members continue to meet, as we are satisfied they ought to do, we shall publish reports from them sent to us by their secretaries or other authorized officers, precisely as if no Coercion Act ever existed;and, whether, since the proprietor of this paper is a Justice of the Peace, Her Majesty's Government intend to take any steps in the matter?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. H. SMITH) (Strand, Westminster)The attention of the Government has been called to the notice referred to by my hon. Friend. It is believed that The Weekly News belongs to Mr. T. D. Sullivan, who is a Member of this House, and who is, as Lord Mayor of Dublin, an ex officio Justice of the Peace. If any such action as is referred to in the notice is taken, the Government will take such steps as are necessary to vindicate the law.