§ THE LORD MAYOR OF DUBLIN (Mr. DAWSON),who was clothed in his robes of office, said: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a Petition from the Corporation of Dublin against the Bill now passing through this House for the prevention of crime in Ireland. The Corporation of Dublin represent the mercantile, commercial, and trading classes of Ireland, who have a deep anxiety for the peace, the prosperity, and contentment of that country. They are fully convinced, as this Petition 1749 states, that the present state of Ireland results from the imposition and action of unjust laws, and they are of opinion that the present measure will not tend to lull or pacify their anxiety, but rather to increase the disturbed condition of Ireland. They view with extreme apprehension the abolition of trial by jury, a step fraught with danger, and one which has been condemned by the highest jurists and statesmen in England, and has been also condemned by the majority of the Judicial Bench in Ireland. ["Order!"] They fear that by this temporary exercise of a—
§ MR. SPEAKERThe right hon. Member is entitled to read the prayer of the Petition, but is not entitled to debate the Petition nor the subject of it.
§ THE LORD MAYOR OF DUBLIN (Mr. DAWSON)The Petitioners state that they pointed out to this honourable House on previous occasions the abortiveness of coercive measures in Ireland — ["Order!"] — and the result has proved that —["Order, order!"] — I will read the prayer of the Petition:—
That we, the Municipal Council, principally composed of merchants and traders and representatives of the mercantile community"—
§ [Renewed cries of" Order!"]
§ MR. SPEAKERI understand the right hon. Member to be reading the prayer of the Petition, and in so doing he is quite in Order.
§ MR. SEXTONOn the point of Order I would ask if the right hon. Member is not entitled to summarize the heads of the Petition as well as to read its prayer? [Cries of" Read!"]
§ THE LORD MAYOR OF DUBLIN (Mr. DAWSON)I will read the prayer—
Your petitioners therefore humbly pray your honourable House not to pass the Prevention of Grime Bill, or so to modify it as to leave untouched Constitutional liberty whilst only dealing with the repression of crime. We further pray your honourable House at once to enact such legislation as will stay the fearful sufferings now entailed by the numerous evictions that are daily taking place, and so to amend the Land Act as to prevent the recurrence of those evictions. We also pray your honourable House speedily to take into your earnest consideration the advisability, as well in the interest of the Empire as of Ireland, of the restoration to Ireland of her legislative independence.