§ MR LEONARD COURTNEY (Cornwall, Bodmin)presented a Petition from a number of ladies interested in the question of the extension of the Parliamentary Franchise to women and asked that it might be read by the Clerk at the Table.
The Petition (which was read by the Clerk, Sir REGINALD PALGRAVE) was in the following terms:—
That your petitioners view with indignation and alarm the existing procedure of the House of Commons, which reduces legislation to a mere game of chance—[laughter]—and permits the repeated and insulting postponement of the consideration and satisfaction of the just claims of Women to citizenship. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that your honourable House Will so reform your procedure as to secure in the future fair consideration of public questions with some regard to their relative intportance—[laughter],—and will on Wednesday, July 7th, affirm the right of women to citizenship by passing through the stages of Committee, and of third reading the Parliamentary Franchise (Extension to Women) Bill." [Laughter.]
*MR. J. W. LOWTHER (CHAIRMAN OF WAYS AND MEANS)On a point of order, Sir, I wish to ask you whether a petition couched in language of this sort ought to be received by the House, and whether any form exists winch would enable a petition of this kind to be rejected? I have not heard the whole of the terms of the petition, but from a sentence or two that I caught it seems to me that it is not at all in a proper form to be presented to the House. ["Hear, hear!"]
§ *MR. SPEAKERIt is a matter for the House, and not for me, to say whether the Petition should he upon the Table. Certainly it does appear to me to be couched in language to which we are not accustomed. ["Hear, hear!"]
MR. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis)I entirely sympathise with that view, and I wish to ask whether I should be in order in moving that the Petition 1210 be rejected. [An hon. MEMBER: "Not received."] I beg to move "That the Petition be not received." ["Hear, hear!"]
§ *MR. SPEAKERI have not had an opportunity of looking into the matter, but I am not aware that there is any precedent for a Motion of that kind at this stage. I Would therefore suggest to the hon. Gentleman that, the opinion of the House having been indicated, he should let the matter drop. ["Hear, hear!"]
§ MR. COURTNEYPerhaps I may be permitted to say a word without going into the question of the language of the Petition. If the Petition is to be received I need hardly say any more, but, with regard to the proposal of the hen. Member for Lynn Regis, I would venture to pant out, that it is not, proper to object to a Petition that has not been printed and the terms of which cannot he fully realised by hon. Members.
§ *MR. SYDNEY GEDGE (Walsall)As a matter of order, Sir, I should like to ask whether an hon. Member is not answerable for the language of a Petition which he presents. Is an hon. Member compelled to present any Petition which is sent to him, whether it be right or wrong in its form? If its forte be wrong, would it not be within the compass of his duty to refuse to present it?
§ *MR. SPEAKERAn hon. Member who presents a Petition must exercise Iris own discretion in doing so. The right hon. Gentleman has in this case exercised his own discretion.