HC Deb 20 June 1881 vol 262 cc859-60
MR. LABOUCHERE

said, he desired to ask a Question of the Speaker in regard to certain Petitions presented to this House. Many Members of the House, as well as himself, had lately presented Petitions with reference to the case of Mr. Bradlaugh, praying that he might be allowed to take his seat. In the prayer of these Petitions the following statement appeared:— That, by resolution of your honourable House of April 27, the said Charles Bradlaugh has been prevented from complying with the law, and has been hindered from taking his seat. Your Petitioners therefore pray that your honourable House will cause the law to be obeyed, and justice to be done, or that it will forthwith allow Mr. Bradlaugh to take his seat on his making solemn affirmation of allegiance. It would appear that one of these Petitions had been sent to the hon. Member for Greenwich (Baron Henry de Worms) for presentation, who seemed to have hesitated to present it, and to have taken the opinion of the Speaker on the subject, and, on June 14, the hon. Member wrote to one of his constituents who had sent the Petition to him for presentation in these terms— Being unwilling to act on my own interpretation of the passage I have quoted, I sub- mitted the Petition to the highest authority in the House of Commons (the Speaker), and he expressed his entire agreement in the view I have taken, and confirmed my opinion that the Petition cannot be presented. He wished now to ask whether, in the communication which Mr. Speaker was stated to have made to the hon. Member for Greenwich, the right hon. Gentleman meant that the Petition in question was so worded that a Member of the House was justified in exercising his discretion in presenting it or not, or whether, if it were presented, it could not be received by the House?

MR. SPEAKER

The hon. Member for Greenwich (Baron Henry de Worms) called my attention to this Petition last week. I examined the Petition, and certainly the prayer of it contained the words which have been quoted by the hon. Member for Northampton; and it seemed to my mind that they bore the construction that this House, in the course it has taken in regard to Mr. Bradlaugh, has taken a course which is illegal. I stated to the hon. Member for Greenwich that if that was his view of the construction to be placed on the Petition, he would be justified and warranted in declining to present it. The hon. Member for Northampton further asks me whether the Petition could not be received by the House? That is a matter for the determination of the House. I only stated to the hon. Member for Greenwich that he would be justified in declining to present the Petition.