§ MR. PICKERSGILL (Bethnal Green, S.W.)asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether his attention had been drawn to the concluding paragraph of Sir Charles Warren's letter in The Times, in which he said—
I can only express my astonishment at the statements attributed to Mr. Matthews last night; and I venture to assert that an entirely different impression would be conveyed to the public mind about my action if the correspondence were to be made known;and, whether the right hon. Gentleman was prepared to take up the challenge thus publicly thrown down, and lay the correspondence upon the Table of the House?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. MATTHEWS) (Birmingham, E.)I have seen the letter in question. I have already read to the House the correspondence in which Sir Charles Warren declined to accept the instructions of the Secretary of State. That is the correspondence to which I referred in the statement I made on the subject to the House.
§ MR. CUNNINGHAME GRAHAM (Lanark, N. W.)asked, whether the right hon. Gentleman's attention was called to the following statement in Sir Charles Warren's letter:—
In many cases, while accepting directions given me which were to all appearance contrary to the Statute, I have entered a protest, and while protesting I have taken legal advice.Would the right hon. Gentleman give the House some information on this point, so that the House might know 1520 who was responsible for certain recent events?
§ MR. MATTHEWSsaid, if the hon. Member put a Question on the Paper he would answer it.