§ COLONEL STANLEYsaid, it might be for the convenience of the House, with reference to this Bill, which was one of the Orders of the Day, if he called attention to an Amendment which stood on the Paper in the name of an hon. and learned Member opposite (Mr. O'Shaughnessy), namoly—
That, having regard to the intended permanent character of the provisions of this Bill, and the consequent necessity for their careful consideration, it is desirable to provide for the administration of the Law pending the passing of this Bill by renewing the existing Mutiny Acts for a period of three months.Although every effort had been made to place the Bill in the hands of hon. Members as speedily as possible, he was unable to proceed with it that night; and, accepting the Amendment to which he had referred in the same spirit in which he presumed it was proposed—namely, as one meant for the convenience of the House—he would not offer any opposition to that Amendment on the part of the Government, on the understanding, which he took to be implied in it, that the Bill for the continuance of the Mutiny Act for three months, pending the consideration of the Army Discipline and Regulation Bill, should be a simple Continuance Bill, to be 284 passed without Amendment. After the promise given by his noble Friend who preceded him in his present Office, he had felt bound to do all that he could to spare the House the necessity of passing the Mutiny Acts again in the existing form. But having redeemed that promise to the best of his power, he could not help feeling that it would be convenient to accept the Amendment of the hon. Member opposite, with the understanding he had mentioned. With the leave of the House, therefore—the number of men having been voted—he would on Monday next introduce a mere Continuance Bill such as he had described. He might add that there were several precedents for the passing of a mere Continuance Bill of that kind.