HC Deb 14 July 1893 vol 14 cc1573-83
MR. W. E. GLADSTONE

I rise, in conformity with the Notice I have given, to move— That an Address of Congratulation be presented to Her Majesty on the Marriage of His Royal Highness the Duke of York, and that congratulatory Messages be addressed to Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales and Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York. Mr. Speaker, in replying to a question put by the right hon. Gentleman opposite, I stated that the course of precedent was not absolutely uniform in this matter. There has been some diversity. Still, I think there is no question whatever that, although the House has no financial office to perform in the way of provision for the Royal pair, yet it is quite plain that, according to the spirit of our proceedings down to the present time, notice ought to be taken in the manner and to the extent which I have embodied in the Notice I have given on the Paper, considering that the case is one in the line of the direct succession to the Crown. I wish to impress that fact, because I think that, notwithstanding some divergences to which I have referred, it is quite plain that they would not, and ought not, to affect the proceedings that I invite the House to concur in. I need not say that the practice of presenting these Addresses is one in which the House has usually—indeed, I think not only usually, but on every occasion—both cordially and, above all, unanimously concurred. I most earnestly trust, notwithstanding an intimation that has reached me, that that unanimity will be maintained upon the present occasion. We are a body of 670 gentlemen, and it is the fact that the—I will not say erratic, because that would not be respectful, but the special—course pursued even by a single Member, though I think it beyond all doubt that it would even quicken and stimulate the general feeling, and though it would detract nothing from the force of any Address that the House might adopt, yet there is one thing it would do, and that a most unfortunate thing—it would take away from the grace and dignity of the loyal act on the part of the House of Commons. Therefore, I earnestly trust, and I cannot help feeling a certain confidence, that even if there be an hon. Gentleman who is disposed to think proceedings of this kind unnecessary and gratuitous, yet he will bear in mind that these are not questions of purely irresponsible or individual opinion; that much is due to the Body to which we all belong; and that when that Body, with all but unanimity in the most literal sense, is distinctly set upon taking a particular course in conformity with tradition and in conformity with something more, I think, than decorum—in conformity with loyal sentiment—it would be a most unfortunate proceeding if even an individual were found to dissent, with the effect that I have described—namely, of making a real and sensible deduction from the grace of the act, while certainly rather tending to produce in the mind of the House of Commons a sentiment of regret, and possibly something more than regret, that the traditional practice had been departed from upon such slight grounds of objection and by such slight authority. Having expressed that hope, for which I trust I shall be pardoned, because I admit that it is not the usual practice of a Minister making a Motion to deprecate an Amendment to that Motion; but the circumstances are peculiar, and justify what I have said. It is evidently necessary that it should be said now, as there will be no other opportunity. Having gone so far, I will proceed to make a very few remarks in commending this Address to the favourable notice of the House. In the first place, we propose to approach Her Majesty in the usual manner with an Address to Her Majesty. The House has had, upon numerous occasions—I might call them innumerable—to approach Her Majesty with expressions of its loyalty and sympathy, sometimes in joy and sometimes in sorrow; but upon all occasions that has been done by the House of Commons, not as a mere matter of form, but with regard to the sentiments which animated the internal mind of every Party and every section of the House—it has been done with real satisfaction, and with the consciousness that such an approach to the illustrious occupant of the Throne is not only a thing becoming in itself, but is really required, first of all, by the force of tradition and pro- priety; and, secondly, by the internal sentiment of interest and sympathy which we feel in everything that affects the welfare of the Royal Family. Consequently, I am sure that the House will present this Address to the Sovereign with a degree of cordiality that has never been surpassed. The interest which attaches to Her Majesty's reign—Her Majesty's illustrious reign—grows with every addition to its progressive length, and that interest will never have been expressed with greater warmth and greater sincerity, as I believe, than when we send to Her Majesty on the present occasion our congratulations, and the expression of our heartiest hopes and good wishes for the event which has occurred. Then we propose acting upon precedents which are rare, but which exist—I mean they are rare, inasmuch as it is rarely that any person except the occupant of the Throne comes within the scope of proceedings such as this. We propose, likewise, to send a dutiful and respectful Message of Congratulation to their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales in regard to their son. It is impossible to dismiss altogether from recollection the time, not very distant, when the parental feelings of the Prince and Princess of Wales suffered the infliction of a very deep wound. I have no doubt that is still a subject of the lively sympathy of this House with their Royal Highnesses. Such recollections on their part are of a character that do not readily pass away, but that does not diminish our joy when we observe that there has dawned upon them an occasion of genuine hope and gladness; and, with that occasion, we desire to take the opportunity of expressing the sentiments which we feel with regard to them, desiring, with regard to the Heir Apparent and his illustrious Consort, as well as to the Sovereign, to claim some participation in whatever vitally affects their fortunes in testimony of that unity which ought to unite, and which happily does unite, the several Powers by the joint action of which this great country is governed. In particular, I would venture to say that I am sure this House will feel special satisfaction that, in going through a trial so severe as has been the trial of the Princess of Wales, we rejoice that her health and strength have been found equal to the occasion, for I need hardly say to the House, what every man's own internal mind will echo, that she is one with respect to whom every subject of Her Majesty, both high and low, will feel that she has given him a sort of title, not only to admire, but to love. It is also proposed by us to send a Message of dutiful respect, and of cordial goodwill, to their Royal Hignesses the Duke and Duchess of York. No Prince, I think, has ever had, so far as he is personally concerned, a brighter opening, a brighter spring allotted to his young life than has been the case with the Duke of York. Young as he is, he has established strong titles, both to the respect and to the affection of the country. We appreciate him, and regard him for the devotion with which he has applied himself to the noblest and the most national of the public professions of the country, and not for that only, but for the high excellence and intelligence which on all occasions he has exhibited, and not least of all for his singularly frank and genial and kindly disposition. We have, Sir, every assurance that he has found a Consort worthy of him in all respects. To His Royal Highness and to that Consort I ask the House by means of this Motion to convey the expression of our deep satisfaction with a marriage based, as we believe, upon those considerations by which every marriage, high and low, ought exclusively to be governed; and to carry to them the expression of our fervent desire that it may be the foundation of a durable happiness in life. The Motion with regard to Her Majesty is in these terms:— That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty to congratulate Her on the Marriage of His Royal Highness the Duke of York with Her Serene Highness Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, and to assure Her Majesty of the satisfaction felt by this House at an event which is of such deep interest to Her Majesty, and which is destined, as they trust, to secure the domestic happiness of Their Royal Highnesses. That Address, Sir, if carried, will be presented by those Members of this House who are Members of Her Majesty's most honourable Privy Council. It is further proposed— That a Message be sent to Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales to congratulate Their Royal Highnesses on the Marriage of His Royal Highness the Duke of York, and to assure Their Royal Highnesses of the satisfaction which this House feels at an event so gratifying to the parental affection of Their Royal Highnesses, and of such promise for the future happiness of Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York. Then, Sir, lastly it is proposed— That a Message be sent to Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York to offer the cordial congratulations of this House on Their Royal Highnesses' Marriage, and an expression of its earnest desire that this union may supply a firm foundation for Their Royal Highnesses' domestic happiness.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR (Manchester, E.)

The right hon. Gentleman who has just made this Motion as Leader of the House has performed his task with such admirable felicity, and has given such clear expression to the feelings with which I am sure this Motion is regarded in every part of the House, that I only rise now to second it in order to give some clear manifestation of that unanimity with which on the present occasion we are all animated. We are, I think, fortunate above many other nations in this, that on such an occasion we can forget the ceaseless strife and battle of Party controversy, and we can join together with one heart and one spirit in offering our congratulations upon an event of national interest and national importance. The right hon. Gentleman has indicated his apprehension that there may possibly be found one individual in this House who is not prepared to join—I will not say with the majority, but with the whole of the rest of this House—in conveying this Message of Congratulation to the Royal personages concerned. I hope that his fears on this occasion will not be realised. But however that may be, I can assure him that my firm conviction is that not only is there no Party in this House which will not join heartily in voting for these Resolutions, but that there is no Party in this House or in the country which does not sympathise with the course we have been asked to pursue. It is a peculiarity, I think, of our English public sentiment that we look upon the affairs of Her Majesty and of the Royal Family with something of a personal regard, something beyond the mere political appreciation of their high duties. We feel for them in their sorrows, and we sympathise with them in their joys, and it is partly as the expression of this per- sonal feeling that I think the House of Commons, as representing the country, is doing no less than its duty in taking the step on which we are now engaged. Sir, with that personal feeling there has always been inextricably combined a deep sense of the fact that the Sovereign is the embodiment of our traditional liberties, and that the Crown represents in a peculiar manner that Empire and that Constitution which are our proudest heritage. Therefore, Sir, it surely had been unseemly if we had allowed this occasion to pass by, this occasion on which a Prince in the direct succession to the Throne is married to a Princess of English birth and training, without our expressing to Her Majesty, to the Prince and Princess of Wales, and to the Royal couple themselves, our strong interest and our deep congratulations. Sir, we wish the Royal couple every good thing. We hope that this auspicious occasion may be for them the beginning of a long life of domestic happiness, and we believe that the events which we are now celebrating will not only conduce to their personal happiness, but will build up the security of the Crown in the affections of the people for many, many years to come. For this reason, Sir, I, speaking for my friends upon this side of the House, express our cordial acceptance of the step which the right hon. Gentleman, as Leader of the House, has most fitly determined to recommend to the House on the present occasion.

Motion made, and Question proposed, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty to congratulate Her Majesty on the Marriage of His Royal Highness the Duke of York with Her Serene Highness Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, and to assure Her Majesty of the satisfaction felt by this House at an event which is of such deep interest to Her Majesty, and which is destined, as they trust, to secure the domestic happiness of Their Royal Highnesses. That a Message be sent to Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales to congratulate Their Royal Highnesses on the Marriage of His Royal Highness the Duke of York, and to assure Their Royal Highnesses of the satisfaction which this House feels at an event so gratifying to the parental affection of Their Royal Highnesses, and such promise for the future happiness of Their Family. That a Message be sent to Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York to offer the cordial congratulations of this House on Their Royal Highnesses' Marriage, and an expression of their earnest desire that this union may supply a firm foundation for Their Royal Highnesses' domestic happiness."—(Mr. W. E. Gladstone.)

MR. W. REDMOND (Clare, E.)

said, he desired at the outset to assure the Prime Minister that, so far as he was concerned, the unanimity which he desired in the matter should not be broken. He had no desire—and, indeed, no earthly right to object to the action which the House was asked to take on the Royal Wedding. It appeared to him that, from the point of view of the vast majority of the Members of the House, the course proposed by the Prime Minister was perfectly natural. He did not desire to say a single discourteous word of any person, much less of the distinguished personages to whom it was proposed to present an Address on the present occasion. But he felt it was a duty incumbent upon him to give expression to what he knew to be beyond all question a very strong feeling amongst certain portions of the Irish people. The Irish people, no matter what else might be said against them, were a chivalrous and sympathetic people. They were quite ready to join in sympathy upon occasions of that kind; but the House could not at the same time expect them altogether to forget that while suffering and sorrow had fallen to the lot of the Royal Family in this country, that suffering and sorrow had fallen in a bitter and great degree upon many persons in Ireland who were looked up to with respect and esteem by a large section of their fellow-countrymen. He would not be honestly doing what he thought was his duty if he did not say he thought it was, in his opinion, a great pity that this Royal Wedding had not been signalised, as similar events in other countries had been signalised, by a gracious act of amnesty. Her Majesty's Government would have been well advised if they had sent a message to the people of Ireland on this happy occasion, so full of hope—a message that the prison doors had been thrown open and the Irish political prisoners released. It would have been a gracious act, and one which would, he believed, more than anything else, have tended to good feeling between England and Ireland. Even the other day in America, at the Columbian celebrations, the Chicago Anarchists were amnestied, and men who had been engaged in dreadful acts, which led to loss of life of officers of the law in the execution of their duty, had the prison doors thrown open to them. He was not there to apologise for any crime whatever; but let justice be done, at any rate, between Irishmen and Englishmen. The English dynamiters at Walsall were convicted and got five, seven, and ten years' penal servitude for acts exactly similar to those for which Irishmen had been sentenced to penal servitude for life. A very short time ago he had been in Limerick, and saw in that city a scene of wretchedness and misery which would have touched the heart of the strongest man in the House. He saw the poor old mother of one of these prisoners, who had been in gaol for 10 long years, and while children who had never looked upon the face of their near and dear relative prattled round her knee, she appealed to him with tears in her eyes if nothing could be done to allow her to see her son before she died. He spoke the sentiments of the vast mass of the Irish people in this matter as the Chief Secretary must know, and he declared that there would be a feeling of bitter disappointment in Ireland, as the Royal Wedding had not been signalised by the release of the political prisoners. The Corporation of the City of Dublin had refused to vote an Address, not because they were discourteous or ungenerous, but because, as a Representative Body, they felt bound to give expression to what was a deep-seated feeling of the Irish people in regard to the political prisoners. If it were not too late he would appeal to the Prime Minister and to the generous men in the House that those wedding celebrations should not be allowed to pass by without throwing open the prison doors, and so commence a new life in Ireland.

MR. KEIR HARDIE (West Ham, N.)

said, he regretted being under the necessity of striking a discordant note. He asked the House to believe that it was no spirit of churlishness which prompted him to do so. His sympathies were as keen as those of any Member, and just because they were so he was impelled to call attention to the fact that, whilst that House to-day had time and to spare to offer congratulations to those who stood in no need of them, it had no time to consider the case of those who mourned, the poor and the needy and they who have no helpers. Twice during the present Session he had asked—once the Prime Minister and once the President of the Local Government Board—if time would be given to consider the case of the thousands of men who were unemployed, in this great city, and on both occasions the answer had been that it would be impossible to interrupt the ordinary course of Public Business. But when it was found that the course of Public Business was being interrupted for the purpose of to-day's Motion he was driven to the conclusion that not the want of desire to interfere with the ordinary course of Public Business, but the want of will to do something for the suffering, was what prompted the refusal on each occasion. Now they had all been seeing and taking part in the celebrations of the past week, and he might be allowed to present the other side of the picture. The day before the Royal Wedding one of the papers published what it called the "Shocking death of a woman at Edmonton." A woman named Wills, aged 46, was found lying dead on a heap of rags in a room in which there was not a particle of furniture, and a post-mortem examination showed a total absence of food from the stomach. The same day the papers contained an affecting letter from a clerk, who had committed suicide, to his wife. It began by stating— I am starving; I have no home; I am separated from you and the child; I am tired of life. In the midst of scenes like these, which could be duplicated and multiplied, the nation was called upon to rejoice, and the House was asked to go through the mummery of passing Addresses of Congratulation which not one-half the Members believed in their hearts were called for. ["No, no!"] Supporters of the Opposition might say "No" with a clear conscience; but others when they were outside were not so tender in their feelings of loyalty as they were in the House that day. His intention had been to move as an Amendment— That there is nothing in connection with the recent Royal Marriage which calls for special notice by this House"; but, as it would be useless to attempt to go to a Division, he would content himself with entering his protest against the time of the House being wasted as it had been done by moving this Address and Messages while so much remained to be done. Yesterday he headed a deputation to the Board of Guardians of West Ham, representing 3,000 men, who anxiously begged to be allowed to work; but the Guardians had no means of setting them to work. In a few days the Government would be asked to pass a measure to empower the Guardians to deal with the question; and he trusted that right hon. Gentlemen would remember that the first act of chivalry ought to be to do justice to the poor and those who, on account of their poverty, were unable to help themselves. He hoped the Government would be loyal in deed as well as in mind, and would do something to remove a cancer which was eating into the national life, undermining the loyalty of the people, and making peace, prosperity, and happiness all but impossible.

MR. J. CHAMBERLAIN (Birmingham, W.)

I share the regret which was expressed in anticipation by the Prime Minister that anything which could even appear to detract from the grace of our proceedings should take place to-day. I certainly should not say that any discordant note had been struck by the hon. Member for Clare. When the hon. Member for West Ham commenced his speech I hoped I might say the same with regard to him. Both these hon. Members have causes to champion with which they have long been consistently connected. I do not myself feel inclined to blame them for having thought there was an opportunity on which they might raise those causes. The hon. Member for Clare disclaimed, in language which I think the House will appreciate, any intention to oppose this Motion on its merits; or to grudge the congratulations which the House is about to offer. The hon. Member for West Ham spoke of it as "mummery." Sir, I venture to say to him that even the poor for whom he pleads, even the miserable for whom he professes to speak, would not grudge the action of the House on this occasion. The marriage of two young people under auspicious circumstances is a subject for kindly feeling and for hearty congratulation from all classes, in whatever position the couple may happen to be placed; but this is essentially so when, as now, the persons with whom we are concerned are in a position in which they are in the view of the whole nation, so that everything they do is matter of public knowledge and public concern. On all previous occasions the House has sympathised with the Queen and with the Royal Family in both their joys and their sorrows, and I can only say for myself and those who act with me that we cordially agree in the Resolutions proposed by the Prime Minister. Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty to congratulate Her Majesty on the Marriage of His Royal Highness the Duke of York with Her Serene Highness Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, and to assure Her Majesty of the satisfaction felt by this House at an event which is of such deep interest to Her Majesty, and which is destined, as they trust, to secure the domestic happiness of Their Royal Highnesses.—(Mr. W. E. Gladstone.) To be presented by Privy Councillors. Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That a Message be sent to Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales to congratulate Their Royal Highnesses on the Marriage of His Royal Highness the Duke of York, and to assure Their Royal Highnesses of the satisfaction which this House feels at an event so gratifying to the parental affections of Their Royal Highnesses, and of such promise for the future happiness of Their Family.—(Mr. W. E. Gladstone.) Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That a Message be sent to Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York to offer the cordial congratulations of this House on Their Royal Highnesses' Marriage, and an expression of their earnest desire that this union may supply a firm foundation for Their Royal Highnesses' domestic happiness.—(Mr. W. E. Gladstone.) Ordered, That the said Messages be severally presented by Lord Burghley, Sir Joseph Pease, Sir John Mowbray, Mr. Whitbread, and Mr. Leveson Gower.