REGISTRATION OF VOTERS (IRELAND) BILL. (Hansard, 28 August 1880)

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON
said, in accordance with the pledge he had given, he was bound to move that the House do now adjourn. He had promised that nothing but Government Busi-ness should be considered that evening. He regretted very much that the only Bill which suffered would be the Registration of Voters (Ireland) Bill. If the noble Lord the Member for Woodstock (Lord Randolph Churchill) had withdrawn his opposition to the Bill, as requested by the hon. Member for Cork, he was afraid the Bill could not have been entirely disposed of at the present occasion. He might take that opportunity of stating that his right hon. 603 Friend the Chief Secretary for Ireland had had that Bill under his consideration, and he was disposed to give it all the support in his power. If the House now adjourned the Bill would become a dropped Order and would be put on the Paper for Monday, and the Government would endeavour to proceed with the Bill on that day, and if not on Monday at a convenient hour on Tuesday.

§ MR. MELDON
said, he would like to say a single word on that question. The Bill stood in a most peculiar position. It was two months since the Bill reached its present stage. In the Session of 1875 the Bill—

§ MR. SPEAKER
said, the hon. and learned Member was not in Order in discussing the Bill on the Motion for adjournment.

§ MR. MELDON
said, the Bill had the support of the Attorney General for Ireland from the start. It was a Bill which, now that the Government approved of it, should really be taken charge of by them, and after its present stage they should relieve the Irish Members of any responsibility now that he had been deprived of the only opportunity of bringing it on—he might have done so the previous night. He had got his opportunity, after a great of delay, and he considered the Government would not have treated him fairly if they did not relieve him of the responsibility.

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON
said, the Government had taken into consideration the position of this Bill, and they would endeavour to make it a Government measure as far as they were able.

§ MR. MELDON
asked that it should not be allowed to be a dropped Order that night.

§ MR. PARNELL
said, it would be better for the hon. and learned Member for Kildare to leave the matter with the Government, as the noble Lord had made so satisfactory a statement.