§
MR. DALZIEL (Kirkcaldy Burghs) rose to draw attention to what he regarded as a question of Privilege, and to move:
That Lord Alington, a Peer of Parliament, has, by his action in connection with the recent election in North Dorset, been guilty of a breach of the Privileges of this House.
The House had by an overwhelming majority declared its opinion that for a Peer to interfere, in a Parliamentary
72
election was a breach of its Privileges, and he thought that when he produced the evidence on which he based his Motion, it would be obvious that there had been committed a breach of Privilege. During a recent election in North Dorset, Lord Alington, after the issue of the Writ, sent the following letter to his tenants—
Though I am unable to take any active part in the coming election in North Dorset, I
73
should wish the very good feeling which has always existed between my family and yourself to be further maintained by the support of Sir Randolf Baker, who,"—[he presumed "whom" was meant]—"I hope to see successful.
Now that was not a latter written without due knowledge that it was a breach of Privilege, for subsequently to sending it out, Lord Alington made a speech in which he declared that he had done nothing unconstitutional, nothing to be ashamed of, but something to glory in, and every time an election came he would Issue a similar letter. Clearly the Rule had been broken in this particular case, and if no notice were taken of this proceeding the adoption of the Resolution which the House had just passed would be a sham and a farce. This was a broad question of principle, and Lord Alington, who formerly was one of the, most popular Members of the House of Commons, by his own action in voting for the Sessional Order, showed that he attached importance to it. Now what was the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the House going to do in reference to this matter? For him to decide, to do nothing after the decision just come to was to take up an untenable position. Lord Alington had been using his powers as a Peer and as a landlord to induce his tenants to support a certain candidate, and they were bound to take notice of that fact. If they did not they would simply be inviting Peers to come on every platform and take part in every election. They ought emphatically to condemn the action of Lord Alington. He did not suggest that the noble Lord should be, brought to the Bar of the House, although he would like to point out that if some unfortunate journalist had written a paragraph reflecting on the honour of any hon. Member, he would have been promptly summoned to the Bar and threatened with imprisonment in the Clock Tower for having been guilty of a breach of the Privileges of the House. Why should they make a difference in the case of a Peer who openly violated an Order of the House? In view of the fact that there would probably be a general election in the near future—he was glad to see that the Member for West Birmingham nodded his head in favour of that proposition—
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAIN (Birmingham, W.)I should like to know what I nodded my head at.
§ ME. DALZIELI understood the right hon. Gentleman to assent to what I was saying—that he was desirous of a general election.
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINI do not admit that I assented to that.
§ MR. DALZIELI am sorry I misinterpreted the right hon. Gentleman. I can only repeat that if we take no notice of Lord Alington's conduct, the Order becomes a sham and a farce, and it is ridiculous for the Leader of the House, session after session, to ask us to pass it.
§ SIR WILFRID LAWSONseconded.
Motion made, and Question proposed, "That Lord Alington, a Peer of Parliament, has, by his action in connection with the recent Election in North Dorset, been guilty of a breach of the Privileges of this House."—(Mr. Dalziel.)
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not think the House would gain anything by pursuing this matter further. I remember that some years ago Lord Rosebery was attacked, after making a speech when an election was proceeding, and Sir William Harcourt, who was then leading the House, moved the previous Question. That, I think, is the course the House ought now to adopt. If the House adopts the Motion of the hon. Gentleman we can take no further action. We announce publicly that our Privileges have been violated, but we can do nothing more; we call public attention to the evil, but we do nothing to redress the injury which we have publicly advertised. We cannot summon a Member of the other House to attend at the Bar, and we cannot give him into custody. I therefore object to the House passing this Resolution. I regard the Standing Order as being, in practice, merely an indication of the view of the House that Peers ought not to act as commoners in the ordinary political contests of the country. It suggests that they should not so act after a Writ has been issued. But surely the 75 hon. Member opposite does not wish to press the Order to its logical conclusion and to say that no Peer shall have any part at any time in dealing with affairs of the county or electoral division in which he resides, or in which his property is situated? All that is desired is to maintain the contention—it is nothing more than that—that it is desirable overt action shall not be taken by any Peer while an election is actually in progress. It would not be a dignified proceeding for this House to
§ announce publicly that an injury has been done it, and that it can do nothing to redress it. Under these circumstances, and bearing in mind that the Standing Order does practically attain the object for which it was framed, I beg to move the previous Question.
§ Question put, "That the Question be not now put."
§ The House divided:—Ayes 257; Noes, 191. (Division List No. 2.)
79| AYES. | ||
| Agg-Gardner, James Tynte | Cook, Sir Frederick Lucas | Haslam, Sir Alfred S. |
| Agnew, Sir Andrew Noel | Corbett, T. L. (Down, North) | Hay, Hon. Claude George |
| Aird, Sir John | Craig, Charles C. (Antrim, S.) | Heath, A. Howard (Hanley) |
| Allhusen, Augustus Henry E. | Crossley, Rt. Hon. Sir Savile | Heath, Sir James (Staffords. NW |
| Allsopp, Hon. George | Dalkeith, Earl of | Heaton, John Henniker |
| Anson, Sir William Reynell | Dalrymple, Sir Charles | Helder, Augustus |
| Arkwright, John Stanhope | Davenport, William Bromley- | Henderson, Sir A. (Stafford, W. |
| Arnold-Forster, Rt. Hon. H. O. | Denny, Colonel | Hermon-Hodge, Sir Robert T. |
| Arrol, Sir William | Dickson, Charles Scott | Hoare, Sir Samuel |
| Atkinson, Rt. Hon. John | Dimsdale, Rt. Hn. Sir Joseph C. | Hobhouse, Rt Hn H. (Somers't E |
| Aubrey-Fletcher, Rt. Hn Sir H. | Disraeli, Coningsby Ralph | Hogg, Lindsay |
| Bagot, Capt. Josceline FitzRoy | Dixon-Hartland, Sir F. Dixon | Hope, J. F. (Sheffield, Bright side |
| Bain, Colonel James Robert | Dorington, Rt. Hn. Sir John E. | Hornby, Sir William Henry |
| Balcarres, Lord | Doughty, Sir George | Horner, Frederick William |
| Balfour, Rt. Hn. A. J. (Manch'r) | Douglas, Rt. Hon. A. Akers- | Hoult, Joseph |
| Balfour, Rt Hn Gerald W (Leeds) | Doxford, Sir William Theodore | Houston, Robert Paterson |
| Balfour, Kenneth R. (Christch. | Duke, Henry Edward | Howard, J. (Midd. Tottenham |
| Banbury, Sir Frederick George | Durning-Lawrence, Sir Edwin | Hozier, Hon. James Henry C. |
| Barry, Sir Francis T. (Windsor) | Egerton, Hon. A. de Tatton | Hudson, George Bickersteth |
| Bartley, Sir George C. T. | Elliot, Hon. A. Ralph Douglas | Hutton, John (Yorks. N. R.) |
| Bhownaggree, Sir M. M. | Fardell, Sir T. George | Jebb, Sir Richard Claverhouse |
| Bigwood, James | Fergusson, Rt. Hn. Sir J. (Manc'r | Jeffreys, Rt. Hon. Arthur Fred. |
| Blundell, Colonel Henry | Finch, Rt. Hon. George H. | Jessel, Capt. Herbert Merton |
| Bond, Edward | Finlay, Sir R. B. (Inv'rn'ss B'ghs | Kenyon-Slaney, Rt. Hn. Col. W. |
| Boscawen, Arthur Griffith- | Firbank, Sir Joseph Thomas | Kerr, John |
| Boulnois, Edmund | Fisher, William Hayes | Keswick, William |
| Bousfield, William Robert | Fitzroy, Hon. Edw. Algernon | Kimber, Sir Henry |
| Bowles, Lt.-Col. H. F. (Middles'x | Flannery, Sir Fortescue | King, Sir Henry Seymour |
| Bowles, T. Gibson (King's Lynn | Flower, Sir Ernest | Knowles Sir Lees |
| Brassey, Albert | Forster, Henry William | Lambton, Hon. Frederick Wm. |
| Brodrick, Rt. Hon. St. John | Foster, P. S. (Warwick, S. W.) | Laurie, Lieut.-General |
| Brotherton, Edward Allen | Galloway, William Johnson | Law, Andrew Bonar (Glasgow) |
| Brown, Sir Alex. H. (Shropsh.) | Gardner, Ernest | Lawrence, Sir Joseph (Monm'th) |
| Brymer, William Ernest | Garfit, William | Lawson, Hn. H. L. W. (Mile End) |
| Burdett-Coutts, W. | Gibbs, Hon. A. G. H. | Lawson, J. Grant (Yorks., N. R. |
| Campbell, Rt. Hn. J A. (Glasgow) | Gordon, Hn. J. E. (Elgin & Nairn) | Lee, Arthur H. (Hants., Fareham |
| Campbell, J. H. M. (Dublin Univ. | Gordon, Maj Evans-(T'rH'mlets | Lees, Sir Elliott (Birkenhead) |
| Carlile, William Walter | Gore, Hon. S. F. Ormsby- | Legge, Col. Hon. Heneage |
| Carson, Rt. Hon. Sir Edw. H. | Gorst, Rt. Hon. Sir John Eldon | Llewellyn, Evan Henry |
| Cautley, Henry Strother | Goschen, Hon. George Joachim | Lockwood, Lieut.-Col. A. R. |
| Cavendish, R. F. (N. Lancs.) | Goulding, Edward Alfred | Loder, Gerald Walter Erskine |
| Cavendish, V. C. W. (Derbyshire) | Graham, Henry Robert | Long, Col. Chas. W. (Evesham) |
| Cecil, Evelyn (Aston Manor) | Gray, Ernest (West Ham) | Long, Rt. Hn. Walter (Bristol, S. |
| Chamberlain, Rt. Hn. J. (Birm.) | Greene, Sir EW (B'rySEdm'nds) | Lonsdale, John Brownlee |
| Chamberlain, Rt Hn J. A. (Worc. | Greene, Henry D. (Shrewsbury) | Lowe, Francis William |
| Chaplin, Rt. Hon. Henry | Hain, Edward | Loyd, Archie Kirkman |
| Chapman, Edward | Halsey, Rt. Hon. Thomas F. | Lucas, Col. Francis (Lowestoft) |
| Coates, Edward Feetham | Hambro, Charles Eric | Lucas, R. J. (Portsmouth) |
| Cochrane, Hon. Thos. H. A. E. | Hamilton, Rt Hn Lord G (Midd'x | Lyttelton, Rt. Hon. Alfred |
| Cohen, Benjamin Louis | Hamilton, Marq. of (L'nd'nd'y) | Macdona, John Cumming |
| Collings, Rt. Hon. Jesse | Hardy, L. (Kent, Ashford) | MacIver, David (Liverpool) |
| Colomb, Rt. Hn. Sir John C. R. | Hare, Thomas Leigh | M'Arthur, Charles (Liverpool) |
| Compton, Lord Alwyne | Harris, F. Leverton (Tynem'th | M'Iver,Sir Lewis (Edinburgh,W |
| Majendie, James A. H. | Ratcliff, R. F. | Talbot, Lord E. (Chichester) |
| Malcolm, Ian | Reid, James (Greenock) | Taylor, Austin (East Toxteth) |
| Marks, Harry Hananel | Remnant, James Farquharson | Thornton, Percy M. |
| Martin, Richard Biddulph | Renwick, George | Tollemache, Henry James |
| Massey-Mainwaring, Hn. W. F. | Ridley, S. Forde | Tomlinson, Sir Wm. Edw. M. |
| Maxwell, W. J. H (Dumfriesshire | Robertson, Herbert (Hackney) | Tritton, Charles Ernest |
| Meysey-Thompson, Sir H. M. | Rolleston, Sir John F. L. | Tuff, Charles |
| Mildmay, Francis Bingham | Rollit, Sir Albert Kaye | Tufnell, Lieut.-Col. Edward |
| Milvain, Thomas | Rothschild, Hon. Lionel Walter | Tuke, Sir John Batty |
| Montagu, G. (Huntingdon) | Round, Rt. Hon. James | Turnour, Viscount |
| Moon, Edward Robert Pacy | Royds, Clement Molyneux | Valentia, Viscount |
| Moore, William | Rutherford, John (Lancashire) | Vincent, Col. Sir C. EH (Sheffield) |
| Morgan, D. J. (Walthamstow) | Rutherford, W. W. (Liverpool) | Vincent, Sir Edgar (Exeter) |
| Morpeth, Viscount | Sackville, Col. S. G. Stopford- | Walrond, Rt, Hn. Sir W. H. |
| Morrison, James Archibald | Sadler, Col. Samuel Alexander | Wanklyn, James Leslie |
| Morton, Arthur H. Aylmer | Sassoon, Sir Edward Albert | Welby, Lt.-Col. A. C. E (Taunton |
| Mowbray, Sir Robert Gray C. | Seely, Charles Hilton (Lincoln) | Welby, Sir Charles G. E. (Notts.) |
| Muntz, Sir Philip A. | Seton-Karr, Sir Henry | Wharton, Rt. Hon. John Lloyd |
| Murray, Charles J. (Coventry) | Sharpe, William Edward T. | Whiteley, H. (Ashton und. Lyne |
| Nicholson, William Graham | Sinclair, Louis (Romford) | Whitmore, Charles Algernon |
| Palmer, Sir W. (Salisbury) | Skewes-Cox, Thomas | Williams, Colonel R. (Dorset) |
| Parker, Sir Gilbert | Sloan, Thomas Henry | Willoughby de Eresby, Lord |
| Parkes, Ebenezer | Smith, Abel H. (Hertford, East) | Wilson, John (Glasgow) |
| Pease, Herbert P. (Darlington) | Smith, H. C (North'mb.Tynesde | Wilson-Todd, Sir W. H. (Yorks.) |
| Pemberton, John, S. G. | Smith, Rt Hn J Parker (Lanarks) | Wodehouse, Rt. Hn. E. R. (Bath) |
| Percy, Earl | Spear, John Ward. | Worsley-Taylor, Henry Wilson |
| Pierpoint, Robert | Spencer, Sir E. (W. Bromwich) | Wortley, Rt. Hon. C. B. Stuart- |
| Pilkington, Colonel Richard | Stanley, Rt. Hon. Lord (Lancs. | Wrightson, Sir Thomas |
| Platt-Higgins, Frederick | Stewart, Sir Mark J. M 'Taggart | Wylie, Alexander |
| Pryce-Jones, Lt.-Col. Edward | Stirling-Maxwell, Sir John M. | Wyndham, Rt, Hon. George |
| Purvis, Robert | Stock, James Henry | |
| Pym, C. Guy | Stone, Sir Benjamin | TELLERS FOR THE AYES—Sir |
| Randles, John S. | Stroyan, John | Alexander Acland-Hood |
| Rasch, Sir Frederic Carne | Strutt, Hon. Charles Hedley | and Mr. Ailwyn Fellowes. |
| NOES. | ||
| Abraham, William (Cork, N. E.) | Crombie, John William | Hardie, J. Keir (Merthyr Tydvil) |
| Abraham, William (Rhondda) | Davies, Alfred (Carmarthen) | Harrington, Timothy |
| Ainsworth, John Stirling | Davies, M. Vaughan-(Cardigan) | Hayden, John Patrick |
| Allen, Charles P. | Delany, William | Hayter, Rt. Hon. Sir Arthur D. |
| Ambrose, Robert | Devlin, Chas. Ramsay (Galway | Helme, Norval Watson |
| Asher, Alexander | Devlin, Joseph (Kilkenny, N.) | Hemphill, Rt, Hon. Charles H. |
| Asquith, Rt. Hn. Herbert Henry | Dilke, Rt. Hon. Sir Charles | Henderson, Arthur (Durham) |
| Atherley-Jones, L. | Dillon, John | Higham, John Sharpe |
| Barlow, John Emmott | Donelan, Captain A. | Hobhouse, C. E. H. (Bristol, E.) |
| Barran, Rowland Hirst | Doogan, P. C. | Holland, Sir William Henry |
| Barry, E. (Cork, S.) | Douglas, Charles M. (Lanark) | Humphreys-Owen, Arthur C. |
| Bayley, Thomas (Derbyshire) | Duncan, J. Hastings | Hutchinson, Dr. Charles Fredk. |
| Bell, Richard | Dunn, Sir William | Isaacs, Rufus Daniel |
| Black, Alexander William | Ellice, Capt EC (S Andrw's Bghs | Jacoby, James Alfred |
| Blake, Edward | Ellis, John Edward (Notts.) | Jones, David B. (Swansea) |
| Boland, John | Emmott, Alfred | Jones, William (Carnarvonsh.) |
| Brigg, John | Esmonde, Sir Thomas | Kearley, Hudson, E. |
| Bright, Allan Heywood | Evans, Sir Francis H (Maidstone | Kennedy, V. P. (Cavan, W.) |
| Broadhurst, Henry | Eve, Harry Trelawney | Kilbride, Denis |
| Brunner, Sir John Tomlinson | Fenwiek, Charles | Kitson, Sir James |
| Bryce, Rt, Hon. James | Ferguson, R. C. Munro (Leith) | Labouchere, Henry |
| Buchanan, Thomas Ryburn | Field, William | Lambert, George |
| Butcher, John George | Findlay, Alex. (Lanark, N. E.) | Langley, Batty |
| Caldwell, James | Flynn, James Christopher | Layland-Barratt, Francis |
| Cameron, Robert | Foster, Sir Walter (Derby Co.) | Leese, Sir Joseph F (Accrington) |
| Campbell, John (Armagh, S.) | Fowler, Rt. Hon. Sir Henry | Levy, Maurice |
| Campbell-Bannerman, Sir H. | Freeman-Thomas, Captain F. | Lewis, John Herbert |
| Causton, Richard Knight | Gladstone, Rt. Hn. Herbert John | Lloyd-George, David |
| Cawley, Frederick | Goddard, Daniel Ford | Lough, Thomas |
| Channing, Francis Allston | Grant, Corrie | Lundon, W. |
| Cheetham, John Frederick | Grey, Rt. Hn. Sir E. (Berwick) | Lyell, Charles Henry |
| Churchill, Winston Spencer | Griffith, Ellis J. | Macnamara, Dr. Thomas J. |
| Condon, Thomas Joseph | Gurdon, Sir W. Brampton | MacNeill, John Gordon Swift |
| Craig, Robert Hunter (Lanark) | Haldane, Rt. Hon. Richard B. | MacVeagh, Jeremiah |
| Cremer, William Randal | Harcourt, Lewis Vernon | M'Arthur, William (Cornwall) |
| M'Crae, George | Reckitt, Harold James | Thomson, F. W. (York, W. R.) |
| M'Hugh, Patrick A. | Redmond, John E. (Waterford) | Toulmin, George |
| M'Killop, W. (Sligo, North) | Richards, T. (W. Monmouth) | Trevelyan, Charles Philips |
| Mooney, John J. | Rickett, J. Compton | Waldron, Laurence Ambrose |
| Morgan, J. Lloyd (Carmarthen) | Roberts, John H. (Denbighs.) | Wallace, Robert |
| Morley, Rt. Hn. John (Montrose) | Robertson, Edmund (Dundee) | Walton, Joseph (Barnsley) |
| Moulton, John Fletcher | Robson, William Snowdon | Warner, Thomas Courtenay T. |
| Murnaghan, George | Roche, John | Wason, Eugene (Clackmannan) |
| Nannetti, Joseph P. | Rose, Charles Day | Wason, John C. (Orkney) |
| Newnes, Sir George | Runciman, Walter | Weir, James Galloway |
| Nolan, Col. John P. (Galway, N.) | Russell, T. W. | White, George (Norfolk) |
| Nolan, Joseph (Louth, South) | Samuel, H. L. (Cleveland) | White, Luke (York, E. R.) |
| Norman, Henry | Schwann, Charles E. | White, Patrick (Meath, North) |
| Norton, Capt. Cecil William | Seely, Maj. J. E. B. (Isle of Wight | Whiteley, George (York, W.R.) |
| Nussey, Thomas Willans | Shaw, Thomas (Hawick, B.) | Whitley, J. H. (Halifax) |
| O'Brien, James F. X. (Cork) | Sinclair, John (Forfarshire) | Whittaker, Thomas Palmer |
| O'Brien, Patrick (Kilkenny) | Slack, John Bamford | Williams, Osmond (Merioneth) |
| O'Brien, P. J. (Tipperary, N.) | Smith, Samuel (Flint) | Wills, Arthur W. (N. Dorset |
| O'Connor, J. (Wicklow, W.) | Soames, Arthur Wellesley | Wilson, Chas. Henry (Hull, W.) |
| O'Connor, T. P. (Liverpool) | Spencer, Rt. Hn. C. R. (Northants | Wilson, Fred. W. (Norfolk, Mid. |
| O'Dowd, John | Stanhope, Hon. Philip James | Wilson, John (Durham, Mid.) |
| O'Malley, William | Stevenson, Francis S. | Wilson, John (Falkirk) |
| O'Shaughnessy, P. J. | Strachey, Sir Edward | Wilson, J. W. (Worcestersh., N.) |
| Parrott, William | Sullivan, Donal | Wood, James |
| Partington, Oswald | Taylor, T. C. (Radcliffe) | Woodhouse, Sir J T (Huddersf' d) |
| Paulton, James Mellor | Tennant, Harold John | Yoxall, James Henry |
| Perks, Robert William | Thomas, A. (Carmarthen, E.) | |
| Price, Duncan V. | Thomas, Sir A. (Glamorgan, E. | TELLERS FOR THE NOES—Mr. |
| Price, Robert John | Thomas, D. A. (Merthyr) | Dalziel and Sir Wilfrid Law- |
| Rea, Russell | Thomas, J. A. (Glamorgan, Gow'r | son. |
Motion made, and Question, "That this House do now adjourn"—(Sir A. Acland-Hood)—put, and agreed to.