§ MR. T. L. CORBETT (Down, N.)moved for leave to introduce a Bill to appoint 800 Commissioners to inquire as to the growth in numbers of conventual and monastic institutions in Great Britain and Ireland; and whether any further regulations of such institutions are required. He said that these institutions had increased in England and Wales from fifty-two in 1850 to 1,057 in 1905, while in Ireland there were 592 such places, and sixty-two in Scotland. At present there was no regulation and no inspection of these institutions. They were a law unto themselves. England was, he believed, the only country in which such a condition of things existed. The result of the action of foreign Governments had been an immense influx of expelled orders into this country during the last twelve or eighteen months, and if His Majesty's Government would but grant the inquiry the Bill proposed, the figures would be found startling. He believed he was not overstating the case when he said that there were tens of thousands of men and women within the walls of these institutions who had no appeal to, and no protection from, the common law of the State. [An HON. MEMBER: "Bosh!"] He was not sure that "Bosh!" was a Parliamentary expression, but if the hon. Member who used it doubted the truth of the statement just made, lot him agree to an inquiry. The granting of unchecked and unbridled power to the heads of these institutions meant, at all events, the possibility of tyranny and cruelty.
§ THE SPEAKERreminded the hon. Member that ho had exceeded the limit of time usually accorded to Motions of this character.
§ MR. T. L. CORBETTThen, Sir, I will only formally move.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That leave be given to bring in a Bill, to appoint Commissioners to inquire as to the growth in numbers of Conventual and Monastic Institutions in Great Britain and Ireland; and whether any further regulations of such Institutions are required."—(Mr. T. L. Corbett.)
MR. T. P. CONNOR (Liverpool, Scotland)submitted that the conduct of the hon. Member was an abuse of the rules of the House.
§ MR. T. L. CORBETTasked whether the hon. Member was in order in charging him with having abused the rules of the House.
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid the frequent repetition of the use of this form would have a tendency to become an abuse, but, so long as the rule was only put into force occasionally, he could not say it was an abuse of the forms of the House. There had not been an instance of this kind for some little time, and therefore he could not consider that the action of the hon. Member was an abuse. But if it were frequently put into practice, he should have to say that the hon. Member for the Scotland Division was right in the terms he had used.
§ MR. T. L. CORBETTDoes the hon. Member withdraw the expression?
§ MR. SPEAKERThere is nothing to withdraw.
§ MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN (Kilkenny)Except the Bill.
MR. O'CONNORsaid the Nationalists had listened to a speech which was in some respects an attack on that which they held most dear. Two sets of figures sufficiently indicated to the House the reason of this proposal. This was the 26th June, and it had been announced by the Government that the Session would come to an end about the 4th August. The hon. Gentleman must therefore be perfectly aware that there was not the smallest chance of his Bill becoming law this session. Therefore the hon. Gentleman did not bring in his Bill with any hope of its passing into law. He would
§ tell the House why the hon. Gentleman brought in this Bill. It was now exactly seventeen days from the 12th July. For the benefit of English Members he might say that on the 12th July, 1690, there was fought the Battle of the Boyne. The liberties that were then supposed to be assailed had already been gained, and the hatred that was then established had been removed; therefore there was no reason why any tolerant or fair-minded man should seek by such commemorations as the hon. Gentleman would take part in to revive the sad and unhappy memories of dead conflicts and what ought to be dead religious controversies. The hon. Gentleman had brought in this Bill in preparation for the 12th July. In Ireland there was going on a movement which every honest man, Protestant or Catholic, ought to help, and which every decent Catholic and Protestant in Ireland did help, namely, the closing of the era of religious conflict, religious hatred, and religious passion, through which seas of human blood had been shed in Ireland, and the dawn of a placid epoch. There was, however, still left a gang in Ireland, some of them Irish and some of them not, some of them sincere with the fanaticism of bigotry, some of them sincere with the exploitation of politics, who were deter-mined to bring these embers into flame again, and once more to divide Catholic and Protestant. The hon. Gentleman was one of that gang. He much mistook the temper of this House if it did not ignominiously reject this ignoble attempt to revive the embers of dying bigotry.
§ Question put.
§ The House divided:—Ayes, 72; Noes, 231. (Division List No. 151.)
805| AYES. | ||
| Allen, Charles P. (Stroud) | Crossley, William J. | Hill, Sir Clement (Shrewsbury |
| Anstruther-Gray, Major | Davies, David(MontgomeryCo. | Hobhouse, Charles E. H. |
| Barlow, Percy (Bedford) | Davies, W. Howell (Bristol, S.) | Houston, Robert Paterson |
| Barrie, H. T. (Londonderry, N. | Dixon, Sir Daniel | Illingworth, Percy H. |
| Beck, A. Cecil | Everett, R. Lacey | Kennaway, Rt. Hon. Sir John H. |
| Boulton, A. C. F. (Ramsey) | Fell, Arthur | Kincaid-Smith, Captain |
| Brigg, John | Fletcher, J. S. | Liddell, Henry |
| Cecil, Lord John P. Joicey- | Fuller, John Michael F. | Lynch, H. B. |
| Chamberlain, Rt Hon. J.(Birm. | Gardner, Ernest (Berks, East) | M'Calmont, Colonel James |
| Channing, Francis Allston | Greenwood, G. (Peterborough) | Mansfield, H. Rendal(Lincoln) |
| Clarke, C. Goddard | Gurdon, Sir W. Brampton | Marks, G. Croydon(Launceston) |
| Clough, W. | Hazel, Dr. A. E. | Massie, J. |
| Cochrane, Hon. Thos. H. A. E. | Hedges, A. Paget | Middlemore John Throgmorton |
| Corbett, C.H.(Sussex, EGrinst'd | Helmsley, Viscount | Morgan, G. Hay (Cornwall) |
| Craig, Captain James(Down, E.) | Herbert, T. Arnold (Wycombe) | Morpeth, Viscount |
| Napier, T. B. | Saunderson, Rt. Hn Col. Edw. J. | Warde, Col. C. E. (Kent, Mid) |
| Nicholson, Wm. G.(Petersfield) | Sears, J. E. | Wedgwood, Josiah C. |
| O'Neill, Hon. Robert Torrens | Seaverns, J. H. | Whitbread, Howard |
| Parkes, Ebenezer | Shaw, Charles Edw. (Stafford) | Willoughby de Eresby, Lord |
| Perks, Robert William | Smith, Abel H.(Hertford, East) | Wilson, P. W. (St. Pancras, S.) |
| Renton, Major Leslie | Smith, F.E.(Liverpool, Walton) | Winfrey, R. |
| Ridsdale, E. A. | Taylor, Austin (East Toxteth) | Yoxall, James Henry |
| Roberts, Charles H. (Lincoln) | Thomson, W. Mitchell-(Lanark) | |
| Roberts, John H. (Denbighs.) | Villiers, Ernest Amherst | TELLERS FOR THE AYES—Mr. |
| Robinson, S. | Walrond, Hon. Lionel | T. L. Corbett and Mr. Sloan. |
| NOES. | ||
| Abraham, William (Rhondda) | Duncan, J. H. (York, Otley) | Lough, Thomas |
| Agnew, George William | Dunne, Major E Martin (Walsall) | Lundon, W. |
| Alden, Percy | Edwards, Enoch (Hanley) | Luttrell, Hugh Fownes |
| Ambrose, Robert | Ellis, Rt. Hon. John Edward | MacNeill, John Gordon Swift |
| Atherley-Jones, L. | Essex, R. W. | MacVeagh, Jeremiah(Down, S.) |
| Baker, Joseph A.(Finsbury, E.) | Farrell, James Patrick | MacVeigh, Charles(Donegal, E.) |
| Balfour, Robert (Lanark) | Fenwick, Charles | M'Crae, George |
| Baring, Godfrey(Isleof Wight) | Ffrench, Peter | M'Hugh, Patrick A. |
| Barker, John | Field, William | M'Killop, W. |
| Barlow, John Emmott (Somers't | Findlay, Alexander | M'Micking, Major G. |
| Barnard, E. B. | Flavin, Michael Joseph | Maddison, Frederick |
| Barnes, G. N. | Flynn, Jams Christopher | Masterman, C. F. G. |
| Barry, E. (Cork, S.) | Foster, Rt. Hon. Sir Walter | Meagher, Michael |
| Beale, W. P. | Fowler, Rt. Hon. Sir Henry | Meehan, Patrick A. |
| Beaumont, W. C. B. (Hexham) | Fullerton, Hugh | Mond, A. |
| Benn, John Williams(Devonp'rt | Ginnell, L. | Montgomery, H. H. |
| Benn, W.(T'w'rHamlets, S. Geo. | Glover, Thomas | Mooney, J. J. |
| Bertram, Julius | Haldane, Rt. Hon. Richard B. | Morgan, J. Lloyd (Carmarthen) |
| Bethell, T. R. (Essex, Maldon) | Hall, Frederick | Morton, Alpheus Cleophas |
| Billson, Alfred | Halpin, J. | Murnaghan, George |
| Birrell, Rt. Hon. Augustine | Hammond, John | Murphy, John |
| Black, Arthur W.(Bedfordshire | Harwood, George | Murray, James |
| Blake, Edward | Hayden, John Patrick | Nicholls, George |
| Boland, John | Hazleton, Richard | Nicholson, Charles N(Doncast'r |
| Brace, William | Henderson, Arthur (Durham) | Nolan, Joseph |
| Bramsdon, T. A. | Henderson, JM.(Aberdeen, W.) | Norton, Capt. Cecil William |
| Brocklehurst, W. D. | Herbert, Colonel Ivor(Mon., S.) | O'Brien, Kendal(Tipperary Mid |
| Brunner,. J.F.L.(Lanes., Leigh) | Higham, John Sharp | O'Brien, Patrick (Kilkenny) |
| Bryce, Rt. Hn. James(Aberdeen | Hobart, Sir Robert | O'Connor, James(Wicklow, W.) |
| Bryce, J.A.(Inverness Burghs) | Hogan, Michael | O'Connor, John (Kildare, N.) |
| Burke, E. Haviland- | Hope, John Deans(Fife, West) | O'Connor, T. P. (Liverpool) |
| Burt, Rt. Hon. Thomas | Howard, Hon. Geoffrey | O'Doherty, Philip |
| Buxton, Rt. Hn. SydneyCharles | Hudson, Walter | O'Donnell, T. (Kerry, W.) |
| Byles, William Pollard | Jenkins, J. | O'Dowd, John |
| Cairns, Thomas | Johnson, John (Gateshead) | O'Hare, Patrick |
| Cameron, Robert | Johnson, W. (Nuneaton) | O'Kelly, James (Roscommon, N. |
| Campbell-Bannerman, Sir H. | Jones, David Brynmor(Swansea | O'Shaughnessy, P. J. |
| Causton, Rt. Hn. Richard Knight | Jones, Leif (Appleby) | O'Shee, James John |
| Cheetham, John Frederick | Jones, William(Carnarvonshire | Palmer, Sir Charles Mark |
| Cherry, Rt, Hon. R. R. | Jowett, F. W. | Parker, James (Halifax) |
| Clancy, John Joseph | Joyce, Michael | Paul, Herbert |
| Coats, Sir T. Glen(Renfrew, W.) | Kearley, Hudson E. | Paulton, James Mellor |
| Cogan, Denis J. | Kelley, George D. | Pearce William (Limehouse) |
| Condon, Thomas Joseph | Kennedy, Vincent Paul | Pease, J. A. (Saffron Walden) |
| Cornwall, Sir Edwin A. | Kilbride, Denis | Philipps, J. Wynford(Pembroke |
| Cotton, Sir H. J. S. | King, Alfred John(Knutsford) | Pollard, Dr. |
| Cowan, W. H. | Kitson, Sir James | Power, Patrick Joseph |
| Crombie, James William | Laidlaw, Robert | Price, Robert John(Norfolk, E.) |
| Crosfield, A. H. | Lamb, Edmund G. (Leominster | Rainy, A. Rolland |
| Dalziel, James Henry | Lamont. Norman | Raphael, Herbert H. |
| Davies, Ellis William (Eifion) | Law, Hugh A. (Donegal, W.) | Rea, Russell (Gloucester) |
| Davies, Timothy (Fulham) | Lawson, Sir Wilfrid | Reddy, John E. (Waterford) |
| Delany, William | Lea, Hugh Cecil(St. Pancras, E.) | Redmond, William (Clare) |
| Devlin, Charles Ramsay(Galway | Leese, Sir Joseph F(Accrington | Rees, J. D. |
| Dewar, Arthur (Edinburgh, S.) | Lehmann, R. C. | Richards, Thomas(W. Monm'th |
| Dillon, John | Lever, A. Levy (Essex, Harwich | Richardson, A. |
| Dolan, Charles Joseph | Lever, W. H. (Cheshire, Wirral) | Rickett, J. Compton |
| Duffy, William J. | Levy, Maurice | Robertson, Rt Hn. E.(Dundee) |
| Duncan, C. (Barrow-in-Furness | Lewis, John Herbert | Robertson, Sir G. Scott(Bradf'rd |
| Roche, Augustine (Cork) | Strauss, E. A. (Abingdon) | White, Luke (York, E. R.) |
| Roe, Sir Thomas | Stuart, James (Sunderland) | White, Patrick (Meath, North) |
| Rogers. F. E. Newman | Sullivan, Donal | Whiteley, George(York, W.R.) |
| Rose, Charles Day | Summerbell, T. | Whitley, J. H. (Halifax) |
| Runciman, Walter | Sutherland, J. E. | Wilkie, Alexander |
| Russell, T. W. | Talbot, Lord E. (Chichester) | Williams, J. (Glamorgan) |
| Scarisbrick, T. T. L. | Taylor, John W. (Durham) | Williams, Llewelyn(Carmarth'n |
| Schwann, C. Duncan (Hyde) | Tennant, Sir Edward(Salisbury | Williams, Osmond (Merioneth) |
| Scott, A. H.(Ashton under Lyne | Thomas, David AIfred(Merthyr | Williamson, A. |
| Seddon, J. | Tomkinson, James | Wilson, Hon. C.H.W.(Hull, W.) |
| Seely, Major J. B. | Ure, Alexander | Wilson, John (Durham, Mid.) |
| Shaw, Rt. Hon. T. (Hawick B.) | Walker, H. De R. (Leicester) | Wilson, W. T. (Westhoughton |
| Shipman, Dr. John G. | Wallace, Robert | Woodhouse, Sir JT(Huddersf'd |
| Smeaton, Donald Mackenzie | Walton, Sir John L. (Leeds, S.) | Wyndham, Rt. Hon. George |
| Smyth, Thomas F.(Leitrim, S.) | Ward, John (Stoke-upon Trent | Young, Samuel |
| Snowden, P. | Wardle, George J. | |
| Soames, Arthur Wellesley | Wason, John Cathcart(Orkney) | TELLERS FOR THE NOES—Sir |
| Stanley, Hn. A. Lyulph(Chesh.) | Watt, H. Anderson | Thomas Esmonds an Cap- |
| Stewart, Halley (Greenock) | White, J. D. (Dumbartonshire | tain Donelan. |