§ MR. PARNELLsaid, he wished to ask a Question on a point of Order connected with the Business of the House. It would be in the recollection of the House that, yesterday, his Colleagues and himself felt it their duty to oppose the second reading of the Appropriation Bill, as they desired to have an opportunity of taking the opinion of the House with reference to a recent occurrence in "another place." The Irish Representatives had no wish to avenge upon Members of that House the occurrences which had happened "elsewhere;" and, for his own part, he considered it a peculiarly odious necessity to have to oppose the second reading of the Appropriation Bill, and thereby to detain many Members one or two days longer in town than might otherwise have been necessary. He wished now to ask 1059 the Speaker, Whether it would he in Order for him, or any Member of that House, to raise the question of the registration of voters in Ireland by moving an Instruction to the Committee on the Motion for going into Committee on the Appropriation Bill, to the effect that the 8th clause of the Bill, with reference to the registration of voters, should be added to the Appropriation Bill, limiting that clause, to some extent, as regarded its duration?
§ MR. SPEAKERThe Question is, Whether it will be in Order, ongoing into Committee on the Appropriation Bill, to move an Instruction to introduce the provision stated by the hon. Member into that Bill? If such an Instruction were moved, I should not consider it my duty to decline to put it from the Chair; but I am bound to say that such a Motion would be in the nature of a tack to a Money Bill. I can say positively that no such proceeding has taken place in this House for a period of 150 years. The House of Lords, as this House is aware, has always respected the rights and Privileges of this House, and has abstained from amending Money Bills. So, in like manner, has this House abstained from sending up Money Bills containing anything in the nature of a tack to a Money Bill.
§ MR. MELDONasked, Whether a Motion had not been put from the Chair this Session the like of which had not been put before for 200 years?
§ MR. SPEAKERI do not quite understand to what the hon. and learned Member refers.
§ MR. MELDONsaid, that, on a recent occasion, when the Prime Minister moved that an hon. Member be not further heard, it transpired that such a course had not been adopted for 200 years; but, notwithstanding that, the Question was put to the House.
§ MR. SPEAKERIt does not seem to me that the observation of the hon. and learned Member has any bearing upon the Question before us.
§ MR. PARNELLsaid, he was much obliged to the Speaker for the consideration given to his Question. As he interpreted the reply of the Speaker to be an expression of opinion that it would be within the competence of the House to add to the Appropriation Bill the clause to which he had referred, he begged to give Notice that he should 1060 move, on the Motion for going into Committee on the Bill, that it be an Instruction to the Committee that the 8th clause of the Registration of Voters (Ireland) Bill of his hon. and learned Friend the Member for Kildare (Mr. Meldon) be added to the Appropriation Bill. As, by the ruling of the Speaker, the question could be raised on the Committee stage of that Bill, he should ask his hon. Friends not to persevere with their opposition to the second reading.
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONSir, I should like, before the hon. Member for Cork (Mr. Parnell) finally decides on the course he intends to take with regard to this matter, to make a suggestion for his consideration and for the consideration of the hon. Gentlemen who act with him. I understand, from what was stated yesterday, that the desire of the hon. Member and his Friends was to obtain some expression of opinion from the Government as to the action taken by the House of Lords in relation to a certain Bill, and to endeavour to obtain a binding pledge from the Government that they would do their best to pass the Registration of Voters (Ireland) Bill into law. On that subject I believe there is very little difference of opinion between the hon. Member and Her Majesty's Government; and I should like to suggest to the hon. Gentleman whether all the objects he really has in view will not be gained by the proposal of a substantive Motion declaring the duty of the House in reference to the measure; and I think it is quite possible the Government might assent to such a Motion being placed upon the Records of the House. This suggestion is one which I hope the hon. Gentleman will take into consideration before he decides to take a course which, though not exactly out of Order, is somewhat irregular. If the hon. Gentleman thinks fit to adopt the course I have suggested, the Government will be willing to make such arrangements by which the Motion could be discussed before the final stage of the Appropriation Bill.
§ MR. PARNELLsaid, he had no desire to raise the question in an indirect way, and readily admitted that the course suggested by the noble Lord was preferable to that originally thought of, and would afford the House a fair opportunity of expressing an opinion with reference to the recent occurrence in "another place." 1061 If the noble Lord would undertake to give them an opportunity of proposing a Resolution before the Committee stage of the Appropriation Bill, he would be perfectly willing to agree to the suggestion that had been made.
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONsaid, that he would announce the time when the Motion might be brought forward before the second reading of the Appropriation Bill that night.