§ MR. CRILLY (Mayo, N.)On behalf of Mr. Flynn, I beg to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that at Rathmore (county Kerry) Petty Sessions, on Thursday 11th instant, before Mr. Leonard, J.P., who is Agent to the Kenmare Estate, and Mr. M'Dermott, RM., two men, Daniel O'Keefe and John Moynihan, were charged "with forming part of a disorderly crowd and cheering for the Plan of Campaign," and were sent to gaol for six months in default of giving bail; was there any evidence of disorder other than cheering as above mentioned; has his attention been called to the evidence of the two police witnesses, to the effect that the defendants called for "cheers for the Plan of Campaign and William O'Brien," and to the evidence of the witnesses for the defendants, to the effect that these men were members of the Rathmore Football Club, calling themselves "Blackwater Campaigners," and that having won a football match there were cheers called for and given for the "Blackwater Campaigners;" and, whether, taking the circumstances into account, he will cause inquiry to be made into the case, with a view to the remission or reduction of this sentence?
§ *MR. MADDENIt appears that the men named were summoned under the ordinary law for being concerned with a number of others in disorderly conduct in a public place, and that the conduct in question consisted of forming part of a disorderly crowd who were making a demonstration in favour of the illegal conspiracy known as the Plan of Campaign. The information before me does not furnish details of the evidence of witnesses for the defence referred to in the third paragraph. The Court ordered the men to give bail to be of good behaviour for six months. They declined to do so, electing to go to prison in default. It is open to them to obtain their immediate release by giving this guarantee of future good behaviour.
§ MR. CLANCY (Dublin co.)Will the hon. and learned Gentleman state what were the disorderly demonstrations 1250 which these men were said to be guilty of?
§ *MR. MADDENOn the information before me, shouting in the public streets of the town and cheering in the public streets for the Plan of Campaign. It was a disorderly crowd.
MR. MAC NEILL (Donegal, S.)Does the right hon. Gentleman the Chief Secretary now adhere to the statement that no one has been imprisoned for cheering the Plan of Campaign?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.In the first place, no one is in prison, except for the fault of giving bail; in the second place I entirely adhere to my statement, and in the third place I say that the mere fact that a disorderly mob shouts for the Plan of Campaign does not make the conduct of that mob innocent.