§ MR. W. REDMOND (Fermanagh, N.)I wish to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland a Question of which I have given him private Notice. I wish to ask him, Whether the attention of the Government has been called to the following paragraph in the report of Mr. Murray, a reporter on The Freeman's Journal, in reference to yesterday's proceedings. The paragraph is this—
Colonel Turner was about three yards from the entrance, and he directed the police to take the names of the people who had been at the meeting. Some of the policemen were engaged doing, this when I heard Colonel Turner order the police to draw their batons. The order was executed with savage alacrity, and the police rushed in among the people. I was standing along with some representatives of the Press at the gate, within a few feet of Colonel Turner, who was in a state bordering on frenzy, his eyes protruding, and apparently beside himself with agitation. The policeman who was in front rushed at me and dealt me a staggering blow with his baton on the top of the head, which made me reel backwards, the blood flowing profusely down my face. The people were beaten in the most wanton and unmerciful manner, a portion of the police running amuck among the meeting right and left with ferocious savagery. However, not content with this, Colonel Turner ordered the hussars to charge the people, and they instantly made their way into the small yard with drawn sabres, cutting at the people. Mr. John G. Bill, the representative of The Irish Times—
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder, order! The hon. Member is exceeding the limits of a Question. No Notice has apparently been given by the hon. Member that he intended to put such a Question.
§ MR. W. REDMONDOf course, Mr. Speaker, I bow to your ruling; but I had given the right. hon. Gentleman Notice. The purport of my Question is this—Whether the attention of the right hon. Gentleman has been called to the fact that two representatives of the Press were yesterday seriously wounded by hussars and police; and whether it is the intention of the Government to bring to punishment the persons who assaulted the representatives of the Press, who were merely doing their duty; or whether it is the intention of the Government to cause an inquiry to be made into this most wanton attack on the representatives of the Press, who were not doing anything to provoke it?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)I must repeat the answer which I gave a few moments ago, when I had to state that, unfortunately, I could not answer Questions to-day on official authority, as no official Report has reached me.
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNOR (Liverpool, Scotland)Are we to understand that the right hon. Gentleman—departing from the precedent of every other Gentleman who has filled the Office of Chief Secretary—has not thought it worth his while to telegraph to Ireland for the purpose of supplying information to the House of Commons with regard to the very exciting events of yesterday?
MR. MAC NEILL (Donegal, S.)Has the right hon. Gentleman any Reports?
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder, order.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI believe I have acted in the same manner as every one of my Predecessors has acted in similar circumstances. It is, of course, impossible that officials who were engaged on Sunday can have prepared their full Reports by this time.
§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR (Donegal, E.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether it is the intention of the Government to take proceedings against the publisher and vendors of The Times newspaper of to-day, in consequence of its publishing reports of meetings in the proclaimed districts of Ireland? [No reply.]