§ At the conclusion of Questions—
§ MR. GRAYSON (Yorkshire, W. R., Colne Valley)said: I rise to move that this House do immediately adjourn to consider a matter of urgent public importance. I refer to the question of the unemployed.
§ *MR. SPEAKERI must remind the hon. Member that no Motion for the Adjournment of the House is possible under the Resolution which the House passed. When the Licensing Bill stands first upon the Orders a Motion for the Adjournment may not be made, but it is open to the hon. Member to make it on any day when the Licensing Bill does not stand as first Order.
§ MR. GRAYSONIn the circumstances I feel—the crisis of unemployment is so great, when people are starving at this moment in the streets—that we must ignore those rules.
§ *MR. SPEAKERI am afraid the House is bound by the restrictions which the House itself made.
§ MR. GRAYSONThen I must personally refuse to be bound by such rules. It is all very well for you well-fed men to shout "Sit down," but I will not, and I decline to be a party to the Licensing 496 Bill taking up the attention of the House while the people are demanding human legislation.
§ *MR. SPEAKERI must ask the hon. Member to resume his seat while I am standing.
§ MR. GRAYSONWith all deference to you, Mr. Speaker, I cannot possibly sit down in this House to allow discussion, in the ordinary routine way, to go on. I feel too much my duty.
§ *MR. SPEAKERDo I understand the hon. Gentleman refuses to sit down when I rise?
§ MR. GRAYSONWell, Sir, if you rise to give me an explanation I will sit down, but I refuse to sit down while the next business is called in this House. With all respect—[Cries of "Order," on both sides of the House.]
§ *MR. SPEAKERI have given the hon. Gentleman, with every courtesy, the explanation of the circumstances which prevent him, under the Rules the House itself has passed, from raising the question he desires to raise at the present moment, and I have pointed out to him that possibly another opportunity may occur for him to raise it. I would suggest to him that he should wait until that day arises, when he will be able to raise the question.
§ MR. GRAYSONBut in the intermediate period people are starving, and I feel this is a matter which one must insist upon. [Cries of "Order" and "Sit down."]
§ MR. GRAYSONI refuse to sit down.
§ *MR. SPEAKERIf the hon. Gentleman persists, I must ask him to discontinue his speech.
§ MR. GRAYSONI feel I cannot discontinue my speech.
§ *MR. SPEAKERThen I must ask the hon. Gentleman to withdraw from the House.
§ MR. GRAYSONIf you send your machinery of force to move me I will go.
§ *MR. SPEAKERIf the hon. Gentleman will not withdraw of his own accord I must ask the Serjeant-at-Arms to remove him.
§ MR. GRAYSONI am willing to leave the House, because I feel degraded in a company that will not consider the unemployed. I believe that I have the unemployed mandate behind me asking for legislation from the House at this moment. [Cries of "Withdraw" and "Order."] Oh, yes, you well-fed human beings can say "Order, but the un-employed have been goaded into disorder. I refuse absolutely to be bullied into silence.
§ *MR. SPEAKERDo I understand that the hon. Member declines to withdraw?
§ MR. GRAYSONI absolutely refuse to be bullied into silence.
§ *MR. SPEAKERSerjeant-at-Arms, will you kindly remove the hon. Member?
§ MR. GRAYSONI leave the House with pleasure. You are traitors to your class. You will not stand up for your class. You traitors.
§ The hon. Member then withdrew.