§ Order for Committee read.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That Mr. Speaker do now leave the Chair."—(Mr. J. Holms.)
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Debate be now adjourned."—(Mr. Healy.)
§ MR. J. HOLMSappealed to hon. Members to allow the House to go into Committee on this Bill, which had already received the sanction of the House.
§ MR. SEXTONsaid, the hon. Gentleman who had last spoken wanted to put the House off the scent. Irish Business of urgent importance had to be brought before the House to-night, and Irish Members had been waiting for hours. Two hours ago they would have been justified in asking that other Business should cease.
§ MR. R N. FOWLERsaid, he believed this Bill was not opposed, and he hoped the Motion for going into Committee would be acceded to.
§ Question put.
§ The House divided:—Ayes 11; Noes 80: Majority 69.—(Div. List, No. 209.)
§ MR. BIGGARbegged to move, "That this House do now adjourn."
§ MR. SPEAKERpointed out that the hon. Member for Wexford, having already moved the adjournment of the debate, was out of Order in seconding the present Motion.
§ No other hon. Member rising to second the Motion, it was not put.
§ Original Question put.
§ The House divided:—Ayes 79; No 1: Majority 78.—(Div. List, No. 210.)
§ Main Question "That Mr. Speaker do now leave the Chair," put, and agreed to.
§ Bill considered in Committee.
§ (In the Committee.)
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Preamble be postponed."
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Chairman do report Progress, and ask leave to sit again."—(Mr. Healy.)
§ MR. BIGGARsaid, there was room for an enormous deal of alteration and amendment in the Bill. It was a Bill that ought not to have passed the second reading, as it did, without discussion. He supported the adjournment, in order to have an opportunity of looking the Bill over.
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORhoped the Government would not put the Committee to the trouble of a division. He should vote against them if they did. Eleven hours from the present time there was to be a Morning Sitting, when Members from Ireland were to bring before the House a most important Motion, dealing with the whole question of the Irish Executive, and some of them required a little preparation.
§ MR. R. N. FOWLERsaid, that this was a purely formal matter. The Bill had previously been assented to, and the names to be submitted were those of gentlemen of high position in the City of London. The selection had been 1172 made without reference to politics, but solely with reference to their practical knowledge of the City of London; and he appealed to the House to allow the Motion to pass.
§ LORD FREDERICK CAVENDISHsympathized with hon. Members who desired not to be detained; and if this Bill had been allowed to go through Committee, instead of occupying half-an-hour, it would not have occupied a minute.
§ MR. CALLANappealed to the hon. Member for Cavan to allow the Bill to go on.
§ MR. BIGGARsaid, it seemed to him there was something very peculiar under this Bill; and he thought they ought to have the names before them before going on with it.
§ Question put.
§ The Committee divided:—Ayes 9; Noes 78: Majority 69.—(Div. List, No. 211.)
§ Question again proposed, "That the Preamble be postponed."
§ MR. O'DONNELLhoped the Government would concede what was asked. He observed that when the Liberals were in Opposition the iniquity of the Land Tax was a fertile theme of indignant denunciation; but now the House was told that this Bill could be passed through without oven the preliminary communication to the House of the names of the Commissioners to be appointed. It was not creditable on the part of the Liberals to treat the question in that manner; and he hoped the Government would accede to the request, and hasten on to the Motion which the Irish Members had at heart. It did not show a great amount of courage on the part of the Government to persist in forcing opposition to the Irish question at such an hour in the morning. He did not wish to carry his opposition to the length of endeavouring to throw out the Bill; but he thought it should be brought on at another time, and that no further opposition should be advanced against the discussion of the Irish Motion.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Chairman do now leave the Chair."—(Mr. O'Donnell.)
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERI think everyone is aware that we might now have been hearing the hon. Member for Long- 1173 ford (Mr. Justin M'Carthy) but for the Motions which have been made. No one doubts that if the usual course had been adopted, the Bill before us would have passed as a matter of course. It has been very late for some hours for the hon. Member to bring forward his Motion, but he will be able to speak in reply afterwards; and if the hon. Member who has just sat down thinks I intend to take an advantage I will state that, wishing myself to be prepared to take part in the debate to-day, I shall go to bed.
§ MR. HEALYthought that as the spirit of contention had left the House they might proceed more quietly. He pointed out that at half-past 2 the right hon. Gentleman on the opposite side had moved that the Speaker should leave the Chair; and he stated that the Irish Members were determined, when matters of this kind were brought on at that hour in the morning, to oppose them. There was not the slightest necessity for the Government to go on with this measure, and it was they who delayed Business. Whenever an appeal was made to the Irish Members under such circumstances, they would be obliged to remind the Government that they had wasted three months of the Session in legislation of a most invidious character; and when Motions of this kind were made at 2 o'clock in the morning, he should exhaust his rights as far as he could in opposition.
§ Question put.
§ The Committee divided:—Ayes 9; Noes 77: Majority 68.—(Div. List, No. 212.)
§ Question again proposed, "That the Preamble be postponed."
§ MR. HEALYsaid, the hon. Member for Longford (Mr. Justin M'Carthy) had informed him that he would be obliged to go home and postpone his Motion, if he (Mr. Healy) persisted in dividing the House. If he could see his way out of that difficulty he would stop all night; but if Motions to take such measures at that time were made, he should pursue the same course as he now had.
§ Question put, and negatived.
§ Preamble agreed to.
§ Bill reported, without Amendment; to be read the third time To-morrow, at Two of the clock.