§ MR. CONYBEARE (Cornwall, Camborne)asked for the Speaker's ruling upon a point of Order—namely, whether it was competent for an hon. Member to withdraw a Bill the second reading of which he had moved any more than he could withdraw an Amendment he had moved to a Bill, without the consent of the House; and whether it was not competent for any Member to resist such a Motion for withdrawal, and, if he desired, to press such opposition to the withdrawal of the Bill to a Division; or, if such Motion for withdrawal were made after midnight, the ordinary Rule did not apply, which referred to Motions objected to. He ventured to ask for this ruling, because it appeared in the Votes that the Bill the second reading of which was moved by the noble Lord 48 opposite (Lord Randolph Churchill) was withdrawn; while in the report which appeared in The Times and other daily papers it was stated that the objection he had raised was sustained.
§ MR. SPEAKERI overruled the objection taken by the hon. Member, because when an hon. Member proposes to withdraw a Bill it is a purely formal Motion, to which I did not think an objection could hold good.