§ "To amend the Sovereign's Accession Oath as regards the statements in it concerning the Roman Catholic-Religion," presented.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read the first time."—(Mr. William Redmond.)
§ *Mr. WILLIAM JOHNSTON (Belfast, S.)I rise to oppose this Bill. The First Lord of the Treasury told us yesterday that there would he no objection to the appointment of a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament to consider this question. I think it entirely premature to introduce a Bill dealing with the matter, until the presentation of the report of the Joint Committee of the two Houses appointed to consider whether any alteration of the King's Oath is necessary. The hon. Member who is going to introduce this Bill would like to obliterate from the Oath taken by His Majesty on his Accession and Coronation, the word "Protestant," and everything that would maintain the Protestant succession to the Crown of these realms, I feel very strongly on this question, and that it is extremely undesirable in the present state of political opinion and the state of affairs in Europe, that the one throne in Europe which is securely fixed in the affections of the people should be tampered with. I do not say if the Oath taken by His Majesty in the House of Lords were to be considered now for the first time that the form of words in it would exactly suit the present day; but I feel sure that our ancestors who assisted to build up the great fabric of the British Constitution, and based it on the Protestant religion, were fully justified in the protest that they made against the efforts which had been persistently used from time to time to destroy the civil and religious liberties of the people, and to establish the Roman Catholic religion. I will not take up the time of the House —[Cries from the Irish benches of "Go on!"]—for I hope I know what is due to the House. I know hon. Members are 1357 anxious to consider other important matters, and I am not one of those who will trespass on the time of the House of Commons at any undue length. Still I feel bound on this occasion to enter a protest against any attempt to tamper with the Protestantism of the British Constitution.