§ MR. PAUL (Edinburgh, S.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether the Government will consider the desirability of providing some method for obtaining the signatures of Members to those Bills and Motions which excite the most general interest, and for doing away with the ballot, which often prevent the most important questions from coming on at all?
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEI think the hon. Member gives to myself and my colleagues credit for more power to deal with difficulties of procedure than, perhaps, we actually possess. This is one of the most difficult questions in relation to procedure that could possibly be raised. I do not myself pretend to see my way through it. I admit that there are very strong arguments to be made in favour of some proposal of this sort; but, so far as I have yet seen, I am not sure that the arguments in the other direction are not stronger still. At any rate, I think the subject will be be thoroughly investigated when the attention of the House is directed to it.