§ * MR. CORRIE GRANT (Warwickshire, Rugby)asked the Home Secretary whether his attention had been called to the proceedings at Ingatestone last night, when the doors of the hall in which a meeting was about to be held were broken open, the two agents in charge of the meeting assaulted, thrown down, trampled upon, dragged out with ropes, and one of them, Mr. James Martin, seriously injured; that three policemen of the Essex constabulary were present the whole time, but did not interfere, and did not arrest any of the rioters; whether the Home Secretary would at once inquire of the chief constable of Essex what police assistance he requires from London or elsewhere in maintaining order in his district.
§ EARL WINTERTON (Sussex, Horsham)asked the Home Secretary whether he did not say in reply to a Question in reference to riotous conduct in the Mid- 672 Devon election that it was impossible for the Home Secretary to interfere with the jurisdiction of the local constabulary.
§ MR. CROOKS (Woolwich)Before the right hon. Gentleman answers the Question of the noble Lord, will he state whether the police decided that these rioters at Ingatestone were young men of the loafing class or "gentlemen of high spirit and culture"?
§ MR. GLADSTONEIn answer to the noble Lord, I am not at present aware that there is any parallel between the case of Newton Abbot and the case of Ingatestone. As regards the Question of my hon. friend, t am only cognisant of the facts as stated in the newspapers, but of course I will at once make inquiries.
§ MR. FORSTER (Kent, Sevenoaks)asked whether the right hon. Gentleman was not aware that all who sat on the Opposition benches in that House deeply deplored the occurrences referred to, and the fact that a few persons had been guilty of so flagrant a breach of decency and good order? They all regretted the examples which had been sot in other elections in other parts of England.
§ * MR. GLADSTONEsaid he quite accepted what had fallen from his hon. friend opposite. So far as he was concerned, he deplored and condemned all these violent exhibitions of party feeling.
§ MR. RAMSAY MACDONALD (Leicester)inquired if the Home Secretary's attention had been called to the fact that these gentlemen had been, carted about from one part of the constituency to another, and could he say at whose expense the carting was being done?
§ MR. J. MACVEAGHCan the right hon. Gentleman tell me what the English papers would have said if this had happened in Ireland?
§ MR. CORRIE GRANTsaid he had just received a telephone message from the son of the injured man, Mr. Martin, announcing that the very grave apprehensions formed last night as to Mr. Martin's state had been removed, and that he had improved.