HC Deb 22 March 1881 vol 259 cc1650-1
MR. JESSE COLLINGS

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, with respect to Mr. P. J. Sheridan, now lying in Kilmainham Gaol on the charge of Being reasonably suspected of inciting certain persons to intimidate certain other persons from the pursuit of their legal occupations, Whether he will furnish the House with the particular words or speeches which constitute the grounds of suspicion; and, whether he will furnish to each man imprisoned under the Coercion Act particulars similar to those stated above, and will consent to receive from him a written statement in reply?

MR. W. E. FORSTER

Sir, I must answer my hon. Friend's Question in the negative. It is a request that I will furnish particulars of the crimes of which we have reasonable grounds for believing the persons referred to to have been guilty. The hon. Member must recollect that the House, after full discussion, determined that it was not expedient and consistent with the public interest that a public statement of such particulars should be made.

MR. O'CONNOR POWER

In reference to this subject, I may ask the right hon. Gentleman a Question with reference to a reply he gave to a former Question asked by the hon. Member for Wicklow (Mr. Corbet) in my behalf in this House. The Question was with reference to threatening language used by a member of the Castlebar Board of Guardians towards another member of that Board. The right hon. Gentleman replied on that occasion that the Local Government Board had no knowledge of the matter, which probably arose from the fact that the Chief Secretary did not inquire respecting it. In consequence of the answer he gave on that occasion, I now beg to ask him, Whether he approves of gentlemen in that position using threatening language towards each other, especially as in the case where that gentleman foretold the very day and hour at which a fellow-member was to be arrested?

MR. W. E. FORSTER

Sir, I was wondering how the hon. Member would connect this subject with the preceding Question. I must not be supposed to have stated that the Local Government Board have no power to interfere with Boards of Guardians, or that I approve of a great deal of the language used at Boards of Guardians and other places, and much of which I should hope no other Member would approve of. As regards the statement that somebody I never heard of prophesied that a certain person would be arrested, the fact of anybody making such a statement could have had nothing whatever to do with the arrest.