§ Viscount Morpeth moved, that the amendments made by the House of Lords to the Irish Constabulary Bill be further considered. The noble Lord said, that several amendments had been carried in the House of Lords with respect to this Bill, and this was done with a view to the saving of the public expense, or because it was considered wrong to grant an extensive patronage to the Crown. To these amendments the Government had agreed, and were only going to make an alteration (and to which he understood no opposition would be offered elsewhere), in order to make the Bill more efficacious and more conformable to the state of Ireland. Now it could not be expected in this state of things that opposition to the Bill would come from the other side of the House. They were now within two days of the recess, and if the House did not consent to the amendments before the recess, the consequence must be, that all the constabulary in Ireland would be left in a state of suspense. A distinguished officer was now in London, and waiting from day to day until the royal assent should be given to the Bill. Upon that side of the House they were willing to adopt the amendments, and if any had reason to complain of these amendments, it was they who should do so, as the arrangements for the constabulary force were now waiting to be fully completed. He hoped that where the public was so deeply concerned, no further opposition would be offered.
Lord Colesaid, that if the Friendly Brothers were to be excluded from the operation of the Bill, he should offer no further opposition to it.
§ The Chancellor of the Exchequerremarked, that the noble Lord had stated the question contended for by the Opposition correctly. It was this—whether an important measure to the public was to pass, or the wishes of a few individuals attended to?
§ Mr. Shawthought it would be much better to decline the Lords' amendment in the case of the Freemason Societies, than to retain it and refuse to extend it to the Friendly Brothers Societies.
§ Lord John Russellwished to call to the recollection of the House, that in many previous Bills an exemption had been made in favour of Freemason Societies, while as yet the Friendly Brothers Societies were comparatively unknown.
§ Dr. Baldwinobserved, that he was well acquainted with the majority of the members of the City of Cork Friendly Brother Societies, and could, without hesitation, state that they were almost to a man persons of Orange politics. There was not a Catholic among them. He therefore hoped the Government would continue to resist the proposition.
Lord Colesaid, he would try to meet the difficulty by adopting the suggestion of the learned Recorder for Dublin, and move that the Lords' amendment to Clause 16 be not agreed to, or in other words, that the exemption in favour of Freemason Societies be withdrawn from the clause.
§ The motion negatived.
§ Lord Cole then moved that the Friendly Brothers Societies be included in the exemption.
§ The House divided. Ayes 12; Noes 30; —Majority 12.
§ The Lords' amendments agreed to.
| List of the AYES. | |
| Balfour, T. | Lowther, J. H. |
| Beckett, rt. hon. Sir J. | Plunket, hon. R. E. |
| Bramston, T. W. | Rushbrooke, Colonel |
| Buller, Sir J. Y. | Shaw, rt. hon. F. |
| Estcourt, T. | |
| Ferguson Sir R. | TELLERS. |
| Jones, T. | Cole, Lord |
| Lefroy, A. | Jackson, Sergeant |
| List of the NOES. | |
| Aglionby, H. A. | Hawkins, J. H. |
| Baines, E. | Hay, Sir A. L. |
| Baldwin, Dr. | Howard, P. H. |
| Baring, F. T. | Jervis, J. |
| Bernal, R. | Lee, J. L. |
| Blamire, W. | Lefevre, C. S. |
| Bowring, Dr. | Lemon, Sir C. |
| Bridgeman, H. | Loch, J. |
| Brotherton, J. | Marjoribanks, S. |
| Cavendish, hon. C. | Morpeth, Lord |
| Cayley, E. S. | Murray, rt. hon. J A. |
| Chalmers, P. | O'Brien, W. S. |
| Churchill, Lord C. | O'Ferrall, R. M. |
| Crawford, W. S. | O'Loghlen, M. |
| Ebrington, Lord | Palmerston, Lord |
| French, F. | Parrott, J. |
| Gordon. R. | Pease, J. |
| Grey, Sir G. | Pendarves, E. W. W. |
| Hawes, B. | Price, Sir R. |
| Pryme, G. | Walker, C. A. |
| Rice, rt. hon. T. S. | Warburton, H. |
| Rolfe, Sir R. M. | Williams, W. A. |
| Russell, Lord J. | Wilson, H. |
| Ruthven, E. | Wood, C. |
| Talbot, J. H. | Wrightson. W. B. |
| Thomson, rt. hon. C P. | TELLERS. |
| Thompson, Colonel | Stanley, E. J. |
| Thornley, T. | Troubridge, Sir T. |