§ MR. W. KENNY (Dublin, St. Stephen's Green)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, if, in accordance with his assurance given in the House on the 13th August, 1894, he has brought under the notice of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland the conduct of Mr. Neary, a newly created Justice of the Peace, in attending and speaking at a public meeting at Muckinagh, in the County of Roscommon, convened for the purpose of denouncing and boycotting a person who had taken an evicted farm; and whether Mr. Neary still continues in the Commission of the Peace, and, if so, what warning, if any, has he received from the Lord Chancellor?
§ MR. J. G. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)Before the right hon. Gentleman answers, may I call attention to the statement in the question as to the object of the meeting, which is out of order as being a matter of opinion and not one of fact?
§ THE SPEAKERI suppose the hon. Member who puts it down vouches for the statement as being one of fact.
§ MR. W. KENNYI put a question on the paper on the 13th of August last in the very words of this question, and the Chief Secretary admitted that, as a statement of fact, it was correct.
MR. J. MORLEYThe Lord Chancellor duly communicated with the gentleman named in the question, pointing out that his action on the occasion referred to was inconsistent with the position of a Magistrate, and warning him against a repetition of such action. Mr. Neary is still in the Commission of the Peace.
§ MR. W. KENNYWill any further step beyond the warning from the Lord Chancellor be taken to ensure that Mr. Neary will not be at the same time an instigator of outrage and an Administrator of the Criminal Law? [Cries of "Order!" the Nationalist Members.]