§ MR. TOTTENHAMasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If he will draw the attention of the Irish Land Commissioners to the fact that a person against whom an unrefuted charge of disloyalty to Her Majesty the Queen has been made still remains officially reporting in their Court; and, if he will represent to them the undesirability of employing the staff of a political journal, taking a strong view of the working and policy of the Act, in a position which necessarily gives special and exceptional facilities for obtaining information?
MR. O'BRIENBefore the right hon. Gentleman answers, I would like to ask him whether the official reporters to the Privy Council and the Green Street Commission Court are not gentlemen connected with the permanent staffs of certain Conservative newspapers; and whether, as a matter of fact, there are any professional shorthand writers available for such a purpose in Dublin except gentlemen connected with the Dublin Press?
§ MR. CALLANAnd, before he answers, I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether what is called the "unrefuted charge" is anything more than an imputation conveyed by the hon. Gentleman, having been borrowed from the end of a Question put by another Member of this House?
§ MR. TREVELYANSir, in the absence of the mention of any name, I must infer that the hon. Member for Leitrim (Mr. Tottenham) intends this Question to refer to Mr. Ryan, about whom he has already made inquiry. If so, I can only say that I have already 780 given to the House all the information which I have on the subject; and I do not think the question is of such a character as would justify me in making to the Land Commissioners any such representation as is here suggested. I think the House viewed the matter in that sense when it was previously before them.
§ MR. TOTTENHAMThen, Sir, are we to understand that the charge which I have distinctly made in the Question cannot be refuted?
§ MR. TREVELYANWhy, Sir, what was the charge? It was that the reporter of a Dublin paper remained seated when the Queen's health was being drunk. [Cries of "Shame!"] I may say I join in that cry of shame. I made careful inquiries from a source of the most undeniable nature with regard to the obtaining of information; and I was informed that Mr. Ryan had never, on any occasion, that my informant or his informants were aware, given any open manifestations of disloyalty. The only possible way I have of getting any further information is to ask Mr. Ryan himself, and I must decline to do that. It is very questionable whether the Irish Government in Ireland, or whether the English Government in this country, should make inquiries if ever there was a report that a person did not take off his hat during the singing of the National Anthem.
§ MR. TOTTENHAMThen, Sir, are we to understand that the members of the staff of a political journal are the proper persons to be official reporters?
§ MR. TREVELYANAll, or almost all, journals may be said to be political; and when persons are retained for the purpose of taking shorthand notes by members of a Judicial Body I do not think the Executive ought to make any inquiries.
§ MR. CALLANMight I ask the hon. Member for Leitrim (Mr. Tottenham) whether what he calls an "unrefuted charge"—[Cries of "Order!"]
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid, the hon. Member was not entitled to put a Question to the hon. Member which did not relate to a Public Bill or Motion.