§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ MR. CHARLES LEWIS, in moving that the said Order be discharged, said, the Bill had been put down on the Paper on several occasions, but had not yet been printed. The provisions of the measure, however, he supposed from the title, were of a very peculiar character, and he therefore begged to move its rejection.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the said Order be discharged."—(Mr. Charles Lewis.)
§ SIR JOSEPH M'KENNAobjected to the Order for the second reading of the Bill being discharged, simply because the hon. Member having charge of the measure happened to be absent from the House. He was surprised that the hon. Member for Londonderry (Mr. Charles Lewis) should make such a Motion at that hour of the day (5.40), because it was generally expected that opposed Business would not be proceeded with at so late an hour of the day. He had had some experience of the House; but he only remembered such a Motion as this being made once before, when the Speaker himself stood up in defence of the absent Member, and said that such a course ought not to be taken in the absence of the hon. Member who had charge of the Bill. What the merits of the Bill were he did not know, and, therefore, would express no opinion; but he must deprecate the taking of such an extreme step as that proposed by the hon. Gentleman the Member for Londonderry.
§ MR. BIGGARhoped they would not agree with the Motion which the hon. Member had just made. The hon. Member was proceeding to comment upon the provisions of the Bill and absenteeism in Ireland, when——
§ LORD ARTHUR HILL-TREVOR rose to Order. He wished to ask whether the hon. Member for Cavan was in Order in departing from the Motion which was before the House?
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid, the hon. Gentleman was not out of Order in the observations which he made upon the Bill. The question before the House was that the Order for the second reading of the Bill should be read and discharged, and the hon. Gentleman had a right to discuss the subject-matter of the Bill.
§ MR. BIGGARresuming, said, the question of the absentee landlords in Ireland was a question which admitted of considerable discussion.
And it being a quarter of an hour before Six of the clock, the Debate stood adjourned till To-morrow.