§ MR. DILLONI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will state who is responsible for directing prosecutions under the Crimes Act, and on what ground Messrs. McCormack and Rafferty were prosecuted at Frenchpark last week in respect of a meeting held in December last, three months before the district was proclaimed; and, whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the chief evidence against them were the speeches of other men who are now in prison; and will he say who directed the Crown Prosecutor to refuse a fortnight's adjournment; and for what reason a fortnight's adjournment was refused to men who had been summoned four months after the alleged offence had been committed.
§ MR. ATKINSONThe Executive Government, advised by the law officers, is responsible for prosecutions instituted under the Crimes Act. The ground for prosecuting the persons named in the Question was that they had taken an active part in an unlawful assembly. The evidence against them was that which went to prove that the assembly was unlawful, including, of course, the speeches made at it. An application for adjournment was made to suit the personal convenience of the solicitor for the accused. It was resisted by the 629 counsel representing the Crown on the ground that the parties had had ample time to prepare their defence, and the application was refused by the presiding magistrates.
§ MR. DILLONThe Crown Prosecutor said he had orders from headquarters to oppose the adjournment, who directed him?
§ MR. ATKINSONThe Executive.