§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether Lord Elgin will make representations to the Cape Government, similar to the representations made by the right hon. Member for West Birmingham, when Colonial Secretary, to the Government of the South African Republic after the Jameson Raid of 1895, urging that clemency should be extended to Fereira after participating in the raid on the Cape Colony of which he was a leader; and whether Lord Elgin will instruct Lord Selborne to use his best offices with the Prime Minister of Cape Colony to secure an amnesty to these offenders.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL; Why not? Why should such an Answer be given, having regard to what occurred in connection with the Jameson Raid?
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe hon. Member asked me as to a question of fact, and I answered him. If he wants the reasoning on which the decision was arrived at, perhaps he will give notice of another Question?
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLI will, and I hope the hon. Gentleman will be more expansive next time.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether Lord Elgin will consider the propriety of representing to the Cape Government the advisability of appointing a committee of inquiry into the circumstances of the recent raid in Cape Colony, with power to enter into a searching investigation of the causes which led to the raid, and to report whether the raiders were solely responsible for that deplorable incident or were the agents of others.
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe Secretary of State sees no ground for making any such suggestion to the Cape Government.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLDid not the hon. Gentleman hear the statement in this House that this raid was organised 998 for the purpose of distracting attention from the Chinese labour question.
§ MR. CHURCHILLI have heard such statements, but the hon. Member is too shrewd to attach any importance to them.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLOh, I'm a simple-minded man!