Mr. Courtenaysaid, he wished to put a question to the hon. member for Yorkshire. It was, whether he intended to take any parliamentary notice of the paragraphs in a pamphlet which he had read in the course of the debate, reflecting so strongly on the character of the House.
Mr. S. Worthyreplied, that he had merely referred to them in the course of argument, and did not intend to found any proceeding upon them.
Mr. Courtenaysaid, that he felt it his 956 duty, as a member of parliament, to take notice of the publication, as the hon. member for Yorkshire declined doing so. He should therefore move that it be declared a breach of privilege.
§ Mr. Broughamsaid, that upon a notice So suddenly given, he could not but implore his hon. and learned friend to check his present indignation, and to consult his pillow before he pressed his motion on the House". If it was persisted in, it would compel the House to go into a question of privilege, and then they must notice all the other publications which contained similar misrepresentations of their motives and conduct. The hon. member for Yorkshire had allowed that he had merely read the paragraphs in the way of argument. Were they never, then, to read publications like these to the House, without being under the necessity of dragging the authors to their bar? If they entered into every question of privilege, they would be brought into a distressing situation; they would either be induced to do too much, or would be compelled to do nothing at all. There certainly were occasions on which their privileged ought to be asserted; but the seldomer this was done, the better would it be for themselves and the country.
Mr. Courtenaysaid, that as the publication had been brought before parliament, he felt himself bound to call upon the House to assert its privileges by summoning the author of it to their bar. He therefore gave notice, that to-morrow evening he should move a resolution to that effect.
§ Mr. Broughamentreated his hon. and learned friend to reflect well before he determined on such a proceeding. The House had a number of privileges which had been violated at many recent meetings, and some of those violations were infinitely worse than those of which complaint was now made If they went into this breach of privilege, they must also go into the others; and then he conceived that they must issue warrants, not only against those who moved the resolutions which contained such breach of privileges, but against every man at the meeting who consented to them; for they would not surely contend that those who adopted the resolutions were not as guilty as those who proposed them.
§ The notice of motion was then entered. After which the House adjourned.