§ Order read for Attendance of Mr. R. S. France.
§ MR. FORSYTHSir, Mr. France is one of my constituents, and he has placed in my hands a statement which is rather long, but which he wishes me to read to the House.
§ MR. SPEAKERBefore the hon. Member proceeds, I must put to the House the Motion that Mr. France be called in.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed. "That Mr. R. S. France be called in."—(Sir John Hay).
§
Whereupon Mr. FORSYTH read the statement accordingly, wherein were the following words—
But if in that Letter I made use of any term stronger than is allowed by the rules of this Honorable House, I most readily withdraw
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it. I never intended to reflect, in any way, upon the House of Commons, nor upon the honour of the Chairman of the Committee, and I at once most cheerfully apologise if it is considered that I have done so, and withdraw the expressions.
§ MR. FORSYTHSir, having read this statement, which is much longer than I could have wished, I have only further to state that Mr. France is a large quarry proprietor. He considers himself to have suffered from the course adopted by the Committee, and through the intervention of Professor Abel, and he makes various charges against that gentleman, which, however, have nothing to do with the question before the House. He withdraws and apologises for any expressions in his letter—those expressions which the House has most properly taken notice of, and which I could not justify—which may have violated the Privileges of this House, or reflected on my right hon. Friend the Chairman of the Committee on Explosive Substances. I do not think he could do more, and I trust that under these circumstances the House will not think it necessary to call him to the Bar. I move, therefore, as an Amendment, that the Order for Mr. France's attendance be discharged.
No hon. Member seconding the Amendment—
§ MR. DISRAELIIt appears to me, Sir, that this case, as far as the House is concerned, is a very simple one. After a statement made by the Chairman of one of our Committees, the House unanimously resolved that Mr. France should appear before you, Sir, to-day. Mr. France has not appeared, and the House ought to express its sense of the laches on his part. He has, instead of coming here, sent an apology for expressions which were considered by this House as offensive, and respecting which they demanded an explanation, thus giving him an opportunity of making his explanation personally. By the course he has seen fit to take, Mr. France has, in my opinion, aggravated his offence. I, therefore, Sir, think it is our duty to insist upon Mr. France appearing at the Bar.
§ MR. FORSYTHI rise, Sir, to explain. Mr. France is here, and has been here from the first, and perfectly willing to appear; but he was told that 754 if he sent in the statement which I have read, it would be in conformity with the Rules of the House, and therefore it would not be necessary for him to appear in person.
§ MR. SPEAKERThe Question is that Mr. France be called in.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ MR. SPEAKERRichard Samuel France, are you the writer of a letter dated the 20th May last, addressed to Sir John Dalrymple Hay, a Member of this House, and the Chairman of a Select Committee inquiring into Explosive Substances?
§ MR. SPEAKERDid you send copies of that letter to Members of the House of Commons serving on that Committee?
§ MR. SPEAKERHave you any explanation to offer with reference to that Letter?
Mr. R. S. FRANCEAll the explanations I have to offer are contained in the statement I have prepared, and which I believe has been read to the House.
§ MR. SPEAKERHave you anything to add to it?
Mr. R. S. FRANCENo, Sir. If the whole of my statement has been read, I have nothing to add to it, except that if I have used any terms stronger than are allowed by the House, or if I have at all seemed to reflect upon the honourable Chairman, or upon any Member of the Committee, or of the House, I shall be most happy to withdraw them. No intention to use such terms or to make such reflections crossed my mind at the time I wrote the Letter.
§ MR. SPEAKERIf no hon. Member wishes to put further questions to Mr. France, the proposal I have to put is that Mr. France do now withdraw.
§ Question agreed to: Mr. FRANCE was accordingly directed to withdraw.
§ MR. DISRAELISir, I have waited because I thought it probable that some one of the hon. Members more directly interested than I am would have made a proposal to the House. I have myself listened impartially to what has been said, and with no previous knowledge of the facts, and I must say it appears to me that on the whole the conduct of Mr. 755 France has not been satisfactory; and though this House is always ready to act on a merciful and even generous view of questions such as this which is now before us, it appears to me that this matter would not conclude in a satisfactory manner unless Mr. France is admonished by the Speaker for his conduct. I move, therefore, that Mr. France be again summoned, and that you, Sir, admonish him.
Ordered, That Mr. R. S. France be called to the Bar of this House, and there admonished by Mr. Speaker for having written and circulated the said Letter, in breach of the Privileges of this House.
Mr. FRANCEhaving been accordingly called in, was admonished by Mr. Speaker as follows—
"Mr. R. S. France, the House has had under its consideration a Letter addressed by you to Sir John Hay, the Chairman of a Committee of this House. In that Letter you directly impute to him, in his capacity as Member of this House, and as Chairman of the Select Committee, unfair conduct; and you indirectly impute similar unfair conduct to every Member of the Committee of which he was Chairman. In so doing you have committed a breach of the privileges of this House, an offence which this House will ever be prompt to punish in vindication and in defence of its just rights and privileges. The House has heard an explanation given by you with regard to the writing of that Letter. That explanation is not wholly satisfactory to this House; but this House is willing to accept those portions of that explanation which contain an apology for the language you have used directed against the privileges of this House; and this House is not unwilling that the matter should go no further. I am therefore directed, as their Speaker, to admonish you as to your future conduct, trusting that this admonition will prevent the recurrence of such conduct on your part."
§ And then Mr. R. S. FRANCE withdrew.
§ MR. DISRAELII move, Sir, that these proceedings be entered on our Journals.
§ MR. WHITWELLwished to ask whether the whole of the Letter which had been read by the hon. and learned Member for 756 Marylebone, and which contained grave charges against certain Government officials, was to be entered in the Journals of the House? To place these charges on the Journals of the House would be giving them a position which might be likely on some future occasion to injure the character of the Gentlemen to whom the allusions had been made.
§ MR. SPEAKERThe letter which has been read must be regarded as a part of the statement made by Mr. France, and I apprehend that, under these circumstances, the material part, which contains Mr. France's withdrawal of the expressions which were offensive to the House, must certainly appear upon the Journals of the House.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ Ordered, Nemine Contradicente, That what has been now said by Mr. Speaker, in admonishing E. S. France, be entered in the Journals of this House.