§ MR. T. D. SULLIVANasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether newspaper proprietors imprisoned under the Coercion Act will be allowed to supervise the matter prepared for insertion in their 1825 journals; and, in case such permission will not be accorded to them, whether the Government will relieve them of legal responsibility for all matters appearing in their journals during the period of their incarceration?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTEREvery written communication by an editor in prison will come under the supervision of the Governor of the gaol. I am informed by the hon. and learned Attorney General that no Court would hold an editor legally responsible for articles in his newspaper if by action of law he has no power of controlling or supervising those articles.
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORasked, whether the Act did not contain a proviso allowing a prisoner to follow his ordinary avocation?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERreplied, that if writing was the ordinary avocation of the prisoner it would be supervised by the Governor.
§ MR. A. M. SULLIVANasked, whether, if he supervised a political article, the Governor of the prison would not share to a certain extent the political responsibility of it when it was published?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERI believe that political articles will not be allowed to be sent out by the Governor.
§ MR. T. D. SULLIVANSo much for the freedom of the Press.
§ MR. A. M. SULLIVANwished to know how, in such a case, an editor in prison could follow his ordinary avocation?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERHe cannot be allowed to write political articles, or articles relating to his imprisonment. The House must not forget that it was for articles in newspapers, as well as for other reasons, that some of these prisoners were arrested. The Government cannot be expected to stultify itself by allowing political articles to be sent out of prison.
§ MR. PARNELLinquired, whether the right hon. Gentleman wished it to be understood—the articles for which one of the prisoners was arrested being articles inciting to violence—that he considered that all political articles written in Ireland were articles inciting to violence?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERNo; I answer the Question of the hon. Member in the negative.
MR. J. COWENasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, whether it was not 1826 the fact that while Leigh Hunt, Robert Carlile, and Feargus O'Connor were in prison they were allowed to edit newspapers? How did the right hon. Gentleman distinguish between those editors and the present prisoners?
§ MR. O'DONNELLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, whether this censorship of the Press had been adopted since the alliance of Her Majesty's Government with the policy of Russia?
§ MR. HEALYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, whether he would state which of the gentlemen arrested under the Coercion Act were newspaper editors?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERI must have Notice given of all these Questions.