§ MR. HAVILAND-BURKEsaid, he rose to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether it is a fact within his knowledge that an address of sympathy has been presented to Mr. Madden, late a Magistrate of the counties of Monaghan, Leitrim, Cavan, and Fermanagh, and late a Deputy Lieutenant of the county of Monaghan; and, if so, whether that address has been signed by any Magistrate or Deputy Lieutenant of those counties; and, whether it is the fact as reported that such address contained expressions of sympathy couched in language similar in spirit to that for which Mr. Madden was dismissed?
§ MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUEI believe, Sir, judging from the ordinary channels of information, that an address has been presented to Mr. Madden, signed by a considerable number of Irishmen. As to whether that address 1628 contains expressions couched in language similar to that for which Mr. Madden was dismissed I cannot inform the hon. Member; and I must add that it was not my duty to inform myself on the part of the Question respecting these particular expressions, because the case raised by this address is of a totally different character from that raised by the case of Mr. Madden. Everyone, magistrate or not, is allowed, in his capacity as a private person, to use expressions, however peculiar or however strong, as to the conduct of the Government; but the expressions used by Mr. Madden were made use of in an official document in answer to an official letter from the Lord Lieutenant, calling upon him to act as sheriff of his county, and that is a case which must be judged by an entirely different standard from the standard to be applied to cases such as the hon. Member refers to.