§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONSir, I wish to appeal to the right hon. Member for Limerick (Mr. Monsell) in regard to the Bill which, according to arrangement, he is to bring on at to-morrow morning's sitting. That arrangement was made, as he will recollect, at the request of my right hon. Friend the Member for Bucks (Mr. Disraeli). I am sorry to say that my right hon. Friend is now suffering from a severe attack of the gout, and that there is no possibility of his being in the House tomorrow. Under those circumstances, and as I know my right hon. Friend was de- 1036 sirous to express his views on this subject, I hope the right hon. Gentleman opposite will not object to postpone the further progress of his Bill to some future day. I would not ask for a long postponement; but, under the circumstances, I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will consent not to bring on his Bill to-morrow.
§ MR. MONSELLI am sure, Sir, there is nobody in this House more willing than myself to meet the reasonable wishes of the right hon. Member for Bucks. He always shows the greatest courtesy to every Member of this House, and everybody would desire to meet his wishes. It was communicated to me early this evening that the right hon. Gentleman desired that I should postpone this Bill. I replied that I should be most happy to meet the wishes of the right hon. Gentleman if he could assure me that he would be prepared to propose a clause enacting a common oath for all Members, which would contain none of those clauses which my Bill proposed to omit. It was quite obvious that no other course would meet with the assent of the majority of this House, and therefore any attempt to postpone the Bill except on that understanding would be perfectly useless. I stated further, what of course every one must acknowledge, that at this critical period of the Session to postpone the Bill without some such understanding as that would be to sacrifice the Bill. The right hon. Gentleman has informed me that he is not willing to agree to those conditions, and therefore, regretting most sincerely the absence of the right hon. Gentleman, I shall be obliged to proceed with the Bill to-morrow.