RESOLUTION. FIRST READING. (Hansard, 7 February 1873)

§ MR. FAWCETT,

in moving that the Chairman be directed to move the House, that leave be given to bring in a Bill to abolish Tests and alter the Constitution of the Governing Body in Trinity College and the University of Dublin, wished to explain why he proposed to introduce a measure on a subject on which the Government had already given Notice that they intended to legislate. If the Bill were now brought forward for the first time, and it were simply a measure of his own or of those Members whose names appeared on the back of it, no doubt they might appear open to the charge of presumption, but the Bill was really not so much their Bill as the Bill of the House; because its principle had on the second reading been affirmed by an exceptionally large majority. He wished it, however, to be distinctly understood that he had no desire to embarrass the Government; his only object was to obtain as early as possible a settlement of this question, which was urgently demanded. If the Government measure to be introduced on Thursday next should be approved by the country, no one would more gladly withdraw his Bill than he should; if, on the other hand, the measure introduced should not be approved by the country, then, as his Bill would be before the House, and having been already accepted by a large majority, they would, even if the measure of the Government proved unsatisfactory, still have the opportunity of legislating on the subject, and thus give peace and repose to a College and University which had suffered severely from the threatened disturbance hanging over them for many years. To show that he had no wish to impede the Government, he should fix the second reading of his Bill on a day before which it would be known what reception had been given to the Government measure. He should not fix the second reading before the 12th of March. Under these circumstances, he hoped he should be acquitted of presumption in seeking to introduce a Bill on a subject on which the Government had already given Notice of their 178 intention to legislate, and that no opposition would be given to the introduction of his Bill.