§ MR. McKEAN (Monaghan, S.)I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Prime Minister a Question of which I have given him private notice. It is as 1530 follows:—If his attention has been called to the recent violent expulsion from France of Monsignor Montagnine, Auditor of the Papal Nuncio to that country, to the seizure of his private papers and correspondence and to the publication of their contents; also if the right hon. Gentleman has been made aware of other similar proceedings connected with the Separation Law of 1905 involving the suppression of public worship as practised by the great majority of the French people; to the prosecution of numbers of French ecclesiastics for merely performing their ordinary duties, duties which are allowed to be discharged in this and every other free country unhampered by any artificial and irritating restraints; and whether under such circumstances the right hon. Gentleman will advise his Majesty, King Edward, to annul and dissolve the alliance between this country and France generally known as the entente cordiale unless and until the French Government undertakes to respect the rights of conscience on the part of, and the rights of property belonging to, French citizens? [Laughter]—"Loud, laughter bespeaks the vacant mind."
MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKERSeeing that the alleged facts complained of are not matters for which the Prime Minister is in any way responsible, and seeing that the Question seems to be couched in the form rather of an argumentative speech, I am of opinion that such a Question should not be asked unless it is submitted at the Table.
§ MR. McKEANI have submitted the Question to the Prime Minister, and I understood the right hon. Gentleman would answer it. If he is not responsible for the facts, he is responsible for the Government of this country.