MR. O'CONNOR POWERasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether, since the Compensation for Disturbance Bill and the Royal Commission refer to many Irish rents as excessive, the Government will bring in a short Bill to suspend evictions, or will refuse to lend the assistance of the military and the police to the landlords, with a view of avoiding further effusion of blood?
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORI wish to ask, in reference to that unfortunate affray near Ballaghadereen, county of Mayo, Whether it is true that the number of wounded is not two, as the right hon. Gentleman stated, but something between 20 and 30; whether it is true that the process-server fired and reloaded his revolver several times; and, whether the object of the crowd originally was to get possession of the ejectment processes; and, whether the tenants on the estate were all miserably poor, and all of them, up to September last, were in receipt of relief?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERI think the House will see that it is utterly impossible for me to answer such a Question 771 as that without any Notice whatever. The hon. Member did not even give me private Notice. How is it possible for me, simply sitting here, to know the exact position of these tenants? Of course, I should have to send to Ireland to obtain it. I wonder the hon. Member did not, at least, give me private Notice of the Question. With regard to the circumstances of the collision, if the House does not object to my repeating what I stated yesterday, I must reiterate the statement that the attack was made upon four police going in company with the process-server, before they reached the place in which there was a considerable body of police for the purpose of protecting the process-server in serving the processes. But at the time of the affray there were only four policemen present. With regard to the Question which the hon. Member has put down on the Paper, it would be very difficult for me to answer fully without anticipating what we might expect on the immediate discussion upon the Land Bill of the Government, and especially without anticipating the Statement of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. With regard to whether the Government intend to bring in a short Bill to suspend evictions, it is not the intention of the Government to do so. If they were to do so, it could only be by displacing the Land Bill for a long time, in all probability putting off the power of being able to bring that Bill before the House. As regards the second part of the Question, which the hon. Member words in this manner—Whether the Government
Will refuse to lend the assistance of the military and the police to the landlords, with a view of avoiding further effusion of blood?I suppose the hon. Member means whether we would give directions to the constabulary and the military not to assist the officers of the law in the recovery of rent or debts by legal process. The Government have not the power of doing that; and if they had the power of doing that, they could not do it without an entire disappearance a law in any district in which it was done.