§ Motion made and question proposed: "That it is a high infringement of the liberties and the privileges of the Commons of the United Kingdom for any Lord Lieutenant or Governor of any county to avail himself of any authority derived frim his Commission to influence the election of any Member to serve for the Commons in Parliament."
31Captain CRAIGI rise to move as an Amendment, after the words Lord Lieutenant, "for any Lord Lieutenant or Governor of any county to avail himself," to insert the words "of Ireland."
I move this Amendment so that in future it would be impossible, according to our ideas of a fair sense of justice, for the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to interfere in political matters. I take the earliest possible opportunity of pointing out that the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland or the Viceroy as, in many of our possessions abroad, is supposed to stand in every respect just as the Sovereign, and consequently the further he is removed from the political arena the easier it is for His Majesty's representatives abroad or in Ireland to secure that which is His Majesty's due. I think the House will agree leaving aside any particular Lord Lieutenant, that it is only fair and proper to prevent anyone who occupies that high position from interfering in the slightest degree during the heat of a General Election. In the Sessional Order it is pointed out that it is a high infringement of the liberties and the privileges of the House for any Lord Lieutenant of a county to interfere or to avail himself of any authority derived from his commission. The Lords Lieutenant of counties, although necessarily in high positions and possessing influence in their own particular parts of the country, do not possess the very high authority which the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland possesses in consequence of the channels of information open to the person occupying that high position. All the information from the departments over which the Lord Lieutenant and his colleague the Chief Secretary for Ireland presides are open to the Lord Lieutenant, and consequently, in the heat of the General Election, it would be possible for him to spread forth information which was gathered from the channels of these various departments.
It strikes me as most unfair and as grossly unjust that this high position should be used for the purpose of swaying the electors one way or the other. I do not think you could get stronger words expressive of that opinion than the words used by the present Lord Lieutenant of Ireland himself. He said, "It was improper that the King's representative should even indirectly be brought into political conflict, especially as he is debarred from making observations in public from a subject which was brought 32 before him in his official capacity." These are the words of Lord Aberdeen. His Majesty's representative in Ireland, condemning the holder of that office if he should take any sides in party politics, and I think this House could not in any better way carry out his views than by accepting my Amendment to this Standing Order so that the matter may be settled once and for all. I think there should be one fixed rule for all, and any Lord Lieutenant who conscientiously lives up to the very high traditions of his office should refrain from interfering in the slightest degree in party politics, and there should be one order in regard to them all so that a Radical Lord Lieutenant of Ireland may not be permitted any further privileges than are taken by a Conservative or Unionist Lord Lieutenant. They should be on the same level; and where His Majesty's representative is concerned it should be out of his reach and power to make abuses such as unfortunately occurred at the last General Election. I might have availed myself of an alternative method of attaining the particular object I had in view. I might have brought forward my Motion as the hon. Member for South Down (Mr. MacVeagh) did his, but I think my object will be served and will be divested of all personality if I move in this short and simple way. I sincerely hope that the House will show that they consider it unfair for any Lord Lieutenant to take advantage of his high position to try to sway public opinion, either in Scotland or in Ireland, towards his own political bias. I beg to Move.
§ Mr. SPEAKERDoes any hon. Member second?
§ 5.0 P.M.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI hope the hon. Member will not persist in this Amendment. I really do not know precisely on what grounds it is brought forward. I do not know why this provision was allowed to remain in the Sessional Order which we mutilated, and, I thought, completely disavowed last Session. If the Standing Order has any object at all it is to prevent a Gentleman holding His Majesty's Commission as Lord Lieutenant of a county from exercising within that county authority derived from his position for the purpose of influencing an election. I am not aware that any such allegations have been made in the case of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 33 and I think the hon. and gallant Member himself has quite repudiated any such suggestion.
Captain CRAIGI do not wish to have any misunderstanding on this point. The present Lord Lieutenant of Ireland did interfere in the grossest possible way during, the election in West Aberdeenshire, not only as Viceroy of Ireland, but also as Lieutenant of the County, by sending a telegram which no other Lieutenant I have ever heard of would venture to do.
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe hon. and gallant Member has confirmed entirely what I have just said. If Lord Aberdeen tried to influence an election in Aberdeenshire, where I believe he is Lord Lieutenant, then he comes within the Standing Order which is expressly directed against such cases. Therefore, it is not necessary to amend it by inserting any reference to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. On the other hand, if the hon. and gallant Member wishes to extend to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, within the compass of his Commission, the same disability which this Sessional Order imposes upon the Lords Lieutenant of counties within the compass of their Commissions, of course it must be confined to actions in Ireland for the purpose of influencing Irish elections. It is not suggested that the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland did anything of the kind. Therefore, upon the hon. and gallant Member's own showing, his Motion is entirely unnecessary. If it were germane to this Motion, I should be perfectly ready to defend what my colleague, Lord Aberdeen, said and wrote, but I do not think it is. I suggest to the House that, having got rid, as we did last year, of the main part of this Sessional Order, we may as well this year get rid of the rest of it, and instead of amending it in the manner which the hon. and gallant Member suggests, I should advise the House to refuse to pass the Order at all, and thus complete the work of destruction which we so wisely began last Session. I do not know whether the hon. Member for Oxford University (Lord Hugh Cecil) will agree with the course I now recommend. Certainly the Motion that Lords Lieutenant of counties have any special power or prerogative to influence elections by virtue of their office is one which, under modern conditions, is altogether obsolete. Therefore, I advise the House to get rid of the Order altogether.
Mr. BALFOURI am afraid I do not see the consistency of the policy now 34 suggested by the Prime Minister with that which he suggested a few moments ago in reply to the hon. Member below the gangway. As I understand it, the allegation is that Lord Aberdeen, as Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, interfered with an election in Aberdeen, and, as far as newspaper reports may be taken as accurate, there can be no doubt that he did.
Mr. BALFOURI will read the passage:—
Lord Aberdeen sent the following further telegram to Mr. Henderson: On Home Rule for Ireland I repeat and emphasise the opinion of my former telegrams, especially regarding apprehension of religious intolerance. Numerous Protestant ministers in Roman Catholic parts of Ireland support me in this view.His Excellency also wired to the Press Association.I understand that was done in support of a Radical candidate who was before the county of which Lord Aberdeen is Lord Lieutenant. I do not pass any very severe censure upon Lord Aberdeen, but I do say he has broken the Standing Order, and when the right hon. Gentleman expresses surprises that this relic of the Standing Order still remains, and expresses ignorance as to the reason why it remains, if my memory serves me right, he absolutely passed an Amendment preserving this portion of the Order. The Lord Lieutenant in the county in which he is Lord Lieutenant has a Commission from His Majesty, and in virtue of that Commission certain functions fall to him which may be turned to political purposes. It is imaginable that he might use his influence, for instance, in connection with a Territorial Force or something of that sort. The House laid it down that the position of a gentleman holding the King's Commission in a county should put him in a different position in that county from those in any other place. It was for that reason the Standing Order was put in its present form, and in that form it has undoubtedly been broken by Lord Aberdeen. The Prime Minister has laid down the broad proposition that he desires that these Standing Orders should be revised, but his suggestions are not quite consistent. Let us survey the whole situation, and then let us proceed to make our Standing Orders what they ought to be, if not by the Committee of Privileges, by some other body. If the Standing Orders are broken, then let us proceed with the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, as we have just proceeded with regard to Lord Roden, and let us apply the eloquent peroration of the hon. Member below the Gangway (Mr. MacVeagh) 35 about treating both peasant and peer in the same way to distinguished representatives of the Crown in Ireland, and have both cases put before the Committee of Privileges. I believe myself that the result of such an investigation will be not to do any injury either to Lord Roden or the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, but it will make it perfectly clear that some further revision of these rules is desirable. When that has been done let us set about in an orderly and businesslike manner to make our Standing Orders accord with modern practice, but do not let us on the same day declare that Lord Roden has broken our Standing Order, and his case must be examined by the Committee of Privileges, and not take the same course in regard to Lord Abedeen when it is perfectly obvious that the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland has done the same thing. I hope the Prime Minister, if he desires to preserve an impartial attitude, will consent to submit both cases to the Committee of Privileges and reserve any Amendment of the Standing Orders.
§ Mr. SWIFT MacNEILLAs I understand it the Prime Minister has actually moved the non-renewal of this Standing Order. [HON. MEMBERS: "No, no."] Then shall I be in order in moving it now?
§ Mr. SPEAKERWe must dispose of the Amendment first, and when I put the Sessional Order as a whole, the hon. Member can vote against it.
§ Lord HUGH CECILI presume it would be in order to move a motion in similar terms to that which has been moved by the hon. Member for South Down calling the attention of the Committee of Privileges to the action of Lord Aberdeen. I hope the Government will give us some indication of the view they take upon this matter. The two cases before us are perfectly parallel. A breach of one Sessional Order has been dealt with in a particular way, and now we have to consider the breach of another Sessional Order. I presume the Prime Minister will have no objection to such a motion. Possibly the right hon. Gentleman proposed to get rid of this Order because that course would avoid a subsequent motion. If so the right hon. Gentleman's acuteness of mind has saved him from the moral obliquity of his heart. He appears to think that anything in the Constitution which inconveniences the Liberal Party ought to be abolished and anything that is convenient 36 ought to be retained. It is perfectly plain that the same method of Parliamentary procedure due to Lord Roden is also due to Lord Aberdeen. Before the House proceeds to a division on this Sessional Order I think we ought to have placed before us the view of the Government.
Captain CRAIGI ask leave of the House to withdraw my Amendment, in order that the matter may be dealt with by the Committee of Privileges.
§ Motion, by leave, withdrawn.
§ Mr. MacNEILLThis Sessional Order has been one of the Rules of the House since 1642, but it has never been acted upon in any way. The Leader of the Opposition has spoken very strongly about the action of Lord Aberdeen in influencing an election, but has apparently forgotten the case of one of his own Ministers, Mr. Graham Murray, now Lord Dunedin, who was the Member for Buteshire and at the same time Lord Lieutenant for Buteshire. Therefore he was himself a Standing Order against this Standing Order. Is it possible that Mr. Graham Murray did not interfere at least in his own election? When the right hon. Gentleman preaches righteousness he should remember his own historic past. Only once, in 1779, has this Order been invoked and that was against the Duke of Chandos, who, it was alleged, had tried to influence an election, but nothing was ever done to him. I ask the House to lay aside all these gingerbread devices, which are no good to anybody.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI have already indicated my opinion that this Sessional Order, in its present truncated form, is of little or no value, and personally I shall not be sorry to see it removed from our Sessional Orders. Let me point out that it only applies to a Lord Lieutenant exercising the authority derived from his commission in the county of which he is Lord Lieutenant. The case of Lord Aberdeen seems to have been prophetically dealt with last year by the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition, who, when it was pointed out by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War (Mr. Haldane) that the Lord Lieutenant had no control over the Territorial troops, said:—
No they have no control, bin I am not sure that it, is not that a Lord Lieutenant may not make a speech. It is not that he may not give his arguments on any question of public policy to his friends and neighbours, but it is that he must not use any authority that he happens to possess from that position to influence the election."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 21st February. 1010, col. 31.]37 That is the interpretation the right hon. Gentleman last Session put upon the Sessional Order, and, as he apparently now puts on it a totally different one, it would really seem there is so much latent ambiguity in the language of the Order itself, that the House might be wise in getting rid of it. May I say, in order to save another speech, that if a Motion is made by the hon. Member or anyone else that Lord Aberdeen's conduct be referred to a
§ Committee of Privileges, I shall heartily support that Motion.
§ Question put, "That it is a high infringement of the liberties and privileges of the Commons of the United Kingdom for any Lord Lieutenant or Governor of any county to avail himself of any authority derived from his Commission to influence the election of any Member to serve for the Commons in Parliament."
§ The House divided: Ayes, 216; Noes, 269.
41| Division No. 1.] | AYES. | [5.20 p.m. |
| Acland-Hood, Rt. Hon. Sir Alex, F. | Eyres-Monsell, Bolton M. | M'Calmont, Colonel James |
| Aitken, William Max. | Fell, Arthur | M'Laren, Walter S. B. (Ches., Crewe) |
| Allen, C. P. (Stroud) | Fetherstonhaugh, Godfrey | M'Micking, Major Gilbert |
| Anstruther-Gray, Major William | Fitzroy, Hon. Edward A. | M'Mordie, Robert |
| Archer-Shee, Major M. | Flannery, Sir J. Fortescue | Magnus, Sir Philip |
| Arkwright, John Stanhope | Fletcher, John Samuel | Malcolm, Ian |
| Astor, Waldorf | Forster, Henry William | Mallaby-Deeley, Harry |
| Bagot, Lieut.-Colonel J. | Gardner, Ernest | Mason, David M. (Coventry) |
| Baird, John Lawrence | Gastrell, Major W. Houghton | Mason, James F. (Windsor) |
| Baker, Sir Randolf L. (Dorset, N.) | Gibbs, George Abraham | Menzies, Sir Walter |
| Balcarres, Lord | Gilmour, Captain John | Meysey-Thompson, E. C. |
| Balfour, Rt. Hon. A. J. (City Lond.) | Goldman, Charles Sydney | Molteno, Percy Alport |
| Banbury, Sir Frederick George | Goldney, Francis Bennett | Moore, William |
| Baring, Captain Hon. Guy Victor | Goldsmith, Frank | Morpeth, Viscount |
| Barnston, H. | Gordon, John | Morrison-Bell, Capt. E. F. (Ashburton) |
| Barrie, H. T. (Londonderry, N.) | Goulding, Edward Alfred | Morton, Alpheus Cleophas |
| Barton, William | Guinness, Hon. Walter Edward | Needham, Christopher T. |
| Bathurst, Hon. Allen B. (Glouc., E.) | Gwynne, R. S. (Sussex, Eastbourne) | Neville, Reginald J. N. |
| Bathurst, Charles (Wilts, Wilton) | Hall, Fred (Dulwich) | Newman, John R. P. |
| Beach, Hon. Michael Hugh Hicks | Hambro, Angus Valdemar | Norton-Griffiths, J. |
| Beauchamp, Edward | Hamilton, Lord C. J. (Kensington) | O'Neill, Hon. A. E. B. (Antrim, Mid) |
| Beckett, Hon. William Gervase | Hardy, Laurence | Orde-Powlett, Hon. W. G. A. |
| Bentinck, Lord Henry Cavendish | Harris, Henry Percy | Ormsby-Gore, Hon. William |
| Bigland, Alfred | Harvey, T. E. (Leeds, W.) | Paget, Almeric Hugh |
| Bird, Alfred | Haslam, Lewis (Monmouth) | Parkes, Ebenezer |
| Black, Arthur W. | Helmsley, Viscount | Peel, Capt. R. F. (Woodbridge) |
| Boscawen, Sackville T. Griffith- | Henderson, Major H. (Berks., Abingdon) | Perkins, Walter Frank |
| Bottomley, Horatio | Hickman, Colonel Thomas E. | Peto, Basil Edward |
| Boyle, W. Lewis (Norfolk, Mid) | Hill, Sir Clement L. | Pole-Carew, Sir R. |
| Boyton, James | Hillier, Dr. Alfred Peter | Pollard, Sir George H. |
| Brassey, H. Leonard Campbell | Hills, John Waller | Pollock, Ernest Murray |
| Bridgeman, William Clive | Hohler, Gerald Fitzroy | Quitter, William Eley C. |
| Burdett-Coutts, William | Holt, Richard Durning | Raffan, Peter Wilson |
| Burgoyne, Alan Hughes | Hope, Harry (Bute) | Rawson, Col. Richard H. |
| Burn, Colonel C. R. | Hope, James Fitzalan (Sheffield) | Remnant, James Farquharson |
| Butcher, John George | Horner, Andrew Long | Rendall, Athelstan |
| Campbell, Rt. Hon. J. H. M. | Houston, Robert Paterson | Rice, Hon. Walter Fitz-Uryan |
| Campion, W. R. | Hume-Williams, William Ellis | Richardson, Albion (Peckham) |
| Carlile, Edward Hildred | Hunter, Sir Charles Rodk. (Bath) | Roberts, S. (Sheffield, Ecclesall) |
| Carr-Gomm, H. W. | Ingleby, Holcombe | Robertson, John M. (Tyneside) |
| Cassel, Felix | Jardine, Ernest (Somerset, E.) | Rolleston, Sir John |
| Castlereagh, Viscount | Jardine, Sir John (Roxburghshire) | Ronaldshay, Earl of |
| Cautley, Henry Strother | Jessel, Captain Herbert M. | Rowlands, James |
| Cave, George | John, Edward Thomas | Royds, Edmund |
| Cawley, H. T. (Lancs. Heywood) | Kellaway, Frederick George | Rutherford, John (Lancs., Darwen) |
| Cecil, Lord Hugh (Oxford Univ.) | Kerr-Smiley, Peter Kerr | Rutherford, Watson (L'pool, W. Derby) |
| Chaloner, Col. R. G. W. | Kerry, Earl of | Samuel, Sir Harry (Norwood) |
| Chambers, James | Keswick, William | Samuel, J. (Stockton-on-Tees) |
| Chancellor, Henry George | Kebty-Fletcher, J. R. | Sanderson, Lancelot |
| Chaplin, Rt. Hon. Henry | Kimber, Sir Henry | Sandys, G. J. (Somerset, Wells) |
| Clay, Captain H. H. Spender | King, Joseph (Somerset, North) | Scott, Leslie (Liverpool, Exchange) |
| Clyde, James Avon | Kinloch-Cooke, Sir Clement | Sherwell, Arthur James |
| Collings, Rt. Hon. J. (Birmingham) | Knight, Captain Eric Ayshford | Smith, Harold (Warrington) |
| Cooper, Richard Ashmole | Kyffin-Taylor, G. | Spear, John Ward |
| Craig, Charles Curtis (Antrim, S.) | Lawson, Hon H. (T. H'm'ts., Mile End) | Stanier, Beville |
| Craig, Norman (Kent, Thanet) | Lee, Arthur Hamilton | Stanley, Hon. G. F. (Preston) |
| Craik, Sir Henry | Lewisham, Viscount | Staveley-Hill, Henry |
| Crichton-Stuart, Lord Ninian | Lloyd, George Ambrose | Steel-Maitland A. D. |
| Cripps, Sir Charles Alfred | Locker-Lampson, G. (Salisbury) | Stewart, Gershom |
| Croft, Henry Page | Locker-Lampson, O. (Ramsey) | Strauss, Edward A. (Southwark, West) |
| Dalziel Davison (Brixton) | Long, Rt. Hon. Walter | Swift, Rigby |
| Dickson, Rt. Hon. C. S. | Lyttelton, Rt. Hon. A. (S. Geo. Han. S.) | Sykes, Alan John |
| Dixon, Charles Harvey | Lyttelton, Hon. J. C. (Droltwich) | Talbot, Lord Edmund |
| Doughty, Sir George | Mackinder, Halford J. | Terrell, George (Wilts, N. W.) |
| Douglas, Rt. Hon. A. Akers- | Macmaster, Donald | Terrell, Henry (Gloucester) |
| Thompson, Robert (Belfast, North) | Whitehouse, John Howard | Worthington-Evans, L. |
| Thynne, Lord Alexander | Whyte, A. F. | Wortley, Rt. Hon. C. B. Stuart- |
| Touche, George Alexander | Williams, Col. R. (Dorset, W.) | Wyndham, Rt. Hon. George |
| Tullibardine, Marquess of | Willoughby, Major Hon. Claude | Yate, Col. C. E. (Leics., Melton) |
| Valentia, Viscount | Wilson, A. Stanley (York, E. R.) | Younger, George |
| Ward, A. S. (Herts, Watford) | Wolmer, Viscount | |
| Whaler, Granville C. H. | Wood, John (Stalybridge) | TELLERS FOR THE AYES.—Captain Craig and Mr. Lonsdale. |
| White, Major G. D. (Lancs., Southport) | Wood, Samuel H. (Derbysh., High Peak) | |
| NOES. | ||
| Abraham, William (Dublin Harbour) | Farrell, James Patrick | M'Kean, John |
| Abraham, Rt. Hon. William (Rhondda) | Fenwick, Charles | McKenna, Rt. Hon. Reginald |
| Acland, Francis Dyke | Ferens, Thomas Robinson | M'Laren, H. D. (Leices.) |
| Adamson, William | Ffrench, Peter | M'Laren, F. W. S. (Linc., Spalding) |
| Addison, Dr. C. | Field, William | Marks, George Croydon |
| Agar-Robartes, Hon. T. C. R. | Fiennes, Hon. Eustace Edward | Marshall, Arthur Harold |
| Alden, Percy | Fitzgibbon, John | Masterman, C. F. G. |
| Allen, A. A. (Dumbartonshire) | France, G. A. | Mathias, Richard |
| Anderson, Andrew Macbeth | Furness, Stephen | Meagher, Michael |
| Asquith, Rt. Hon. Herbert Henry | Gibson, Sir James Puckering | Meehan, Francis E. (Leitrim, N.) |
| Balfour, Sir Robert (Lanark) | Gill, A. H. | Meehan, Patrick A. (Queen's Co.) |
| Barran, Rowland Hirst (Leeds, N.) | Ginnell, Laurence | Middlebrook, William |
| Barry, Redmond John | Glanville, H. J. | Molloy, Michael |
| Beale, W. P. | Goddard, Sir Daniel Ford | Mond, Sir Alfred |
| Beck, Arthur Cecil | Goldstone, Frank | Money, Leone G. Chiozza |
| Benn, W. (T. Hamlets, St. Geo.) | Greig, Colonel James William | Montagu, Hon. E S. |
| Bentham, G. J. | Guest, Major Hon. C. H. C. (Pembroke) | Morgan, George Hay |
| Bethell, Sir John Henry | Guest, Hon. Frederick E. (Dorset, E) | Morrell, Philip |
| Birrell, Rt. Hon. Augustine | Gulland, John William | Munro, Robert |
| Booth, Frederick Handel | Gwynn, Stephen Lucius (Galway) | Murray, Capt. Hon. Arthur C. |
| Boyle, Daniel (Mayo, North) | Hackett, John | Nolan, Joseph |
| Brace, William | Kaldane, Rt. Hon. Richard B. | Norman, Sir Henry |
| Brady, Patrick Joseph | Hall, Frederick (Normanton) | Nugent, Sir Walter Richard |
| Brigg, Sir John | Hancock, J. G. | O'Brien, Patrick (Kilkenny) |
| Brunner, John F. L. | Harcourt, Rt. Hon. Lewis (Rossendale) | O'Connor, John (Kildare, N.) |
| Bryce, J. Annan | Harcourt, Robert V. (Montrose) | O'Doherty, Philip |
| Burke, E. Haviland- | Hardie, J. Keir | O'Donnell, Thomas |
| Burt, Rt. Hon. Thomas | Harvey, A. G. C. (Rochdale) | O'Dowd, John |
| Buxton, Noel (Norfolk, N.) | Harvey, W. E. (Derbyshire, N. E.) | O'Grady, James |
| Buxton, Rt. Hon. S. C. (Poplar) | Harwood, George | O'Kelly, Edward P. (Wicklow, W.) |
| Byles, William Pollard | Havelock-Allan, Sir Henry | O'Malley, William |
| Cameron, Robert | Haworth, Arthur A. | O'Neill, Dr. Charles (Armagh, S.) |
| Cawley, Sir Frederick (Prestwich) | Hayden, John Patrick | O'Shaughnessy, P. J. |
| Chapple, Dr. William Allen | Hayward, Evan | O'Shee, James John. |
| Churchill, Rt. Hon. Winston S. | Helme, Norval Watson | O'Sullivan, Timothy |
| Clancy, John Joseph | Henderson, Arthur (Durham) | Palmer, Godfrey Mark |
| Clough, William | Henry, Sir Charles S. | Parker, James (Halifax) |
| Clynes, John R. | Higham, John Sharp | Pearce, Robert (Staffs., Leek) |
| Collins, Godfrey P. (Greenock) | Hinds, John | Pearce, William (Limehouse) |
| Collins, Stephen (Lambeth) | Horne, C. Silvester (Ipswich) | Pearson, Weetman H. M. |
| Compton-Rickett, Rt. Hon. Sir J. | Hudson, Walter | Pease, Rt. Hon. Joseph A. (Rotherham) |
| Condon, Thomas Joseph | Hughes, Spencer Leigh | Phillips, John (Longford, S.) |
| Corbett, A. Cameron | Hunter, William (Lanark, Govan) | Pointer, Joseph |
| Cornwall, Sir Edwin A. | Illingworth, Percy H. | Ponsonby, Arthur A. W. H. |
| Cotton, William Francis | Isaacs, Sir Rufus Daniel | Power, Patrick Joseph |
| Crawshay-Williams, Eliot | Johnson, W. | Price, C. E. (Edinburgh, Central) |
| Crooks, William | Jones, Sir D. Brynmor (Swansea) | Price, Sir Robert J. (Norfolk, E.) |
| Crumley, Patrick | Jones, Edgar (Merthyr Tydvil) | Priestley, Sir Arthur (Grantham) |
| Cullinan, John | Jones, H. Haydn (Merioneth) | Priestley, Sir W. E. B. (Bradford. E.) |
| Dalziel, Sir James H. (Kirkcaldy) | Jones, W. S. Glyn- (T'w'r H'mts, Stepney) | Primrose, Hon. Nell James |
| Davies, Ellis William (Eifion) | Joyce, Michael | Pringle, William M. R. |
| Davies, Timothy (Lincs., Louth) | Keating, Matthew | Radford, George Heynes |
| Davies, S. W. Howell (Bristol, S.) | Kelly, Edward | Rainy, Adam Rolland |
| Davies, M. Vaughan (Cardigan) | Kemp, Sir George | Raphael, Sir Herbert Henry |
| Dawes, J. A. | Kennedy, Vincent Paul | Rea, Rt. Hon. Russell (South Shields) |
| Delany, William | Lamb, Ernest Henry | Rea, Walter Russell (Scarborough) |
| Devlin, Joseph | Lambert, George (Devon, S. Molton) | Reddy, Michael |
| Dewar, Sir J. A. (Inverness-shire) | Lambert, Richard (Wilts, Cricklade) | Redmond, John E. (Waterford) |
| Dillon, John | Lansbury, George | Redmond, William (Clare, E.) |
| Donelan, Captain A. | Lardner, James Carrige Rushe | Redmond, William Archer (Tyrone, E.) |
| Doris, William | Leach, Charles | Richardson, Thomas (Whitehaven) |
| Duffy, William J. | Levy, Sir Maurice | Roberts, George H. (Norwich) |
| Duncan, C. (Barrow-in-Furness) | Lewis, John Herbert | Roberts, Sir J. H. (Denbighs.) |
| Duncan, J. Hastings (York, Otley) | Low, Sir Frederick (Norwich) | Robertson, Sir G. Scott (Bradford) |
| Edwards, Enoch (Hanley) | Lundon, Thomas | Robinson, Sydney |
| Edwards, Sir Frank (Radnor) | Lyell, Charles Henry | Roch, Walter F. (Pembroke) |
| Edwards, John Hugh (Glamorgan, Mid.) | Lynch, Arthur Alfred | Roche, John (Galway, E.) |
| Elibank, Rt. Hon. Master of | Macdonald, J. R. (Leicester) | Roe, Sir Thomas |
| Elverston, Harold | Macdonald, J. M. (Falkirk Burghs) | Rose, Sir Charles Day |
| Esmonde, Dr. John (Tipperary, N.) | MacGhee, Richard | Rowntree, Arnold |
| Essex, Richard Walter | Maclean, Donald | Runciman, Rt. Hon. Walter |
| Esslemont, George Birnie | MacVeagh, Jeremiah | Samuel, Rt. Hon. H. L. (Cleveland) |
| Falconer, James | M'Callum, John M. | Scanlan, Thomas |
| Schwann, Rt. Hon. Sir Charles E. | Thomas, J. H. (Derby) | Wilkie, Alexander |
| Scott, A. M'Callum (Glasgow, Bridgeton) | Thorne, G. R. (Wolverhampton) | Williams, J. (Glamorgan) |
| Seely, Col., Rt. Hon. J. E. B. | Toulmin, George | Williams, Llewelyn (Carmarthen) |
| Sheehy, David | Trevelyan, Charles Philips | Williams, P. (Middlesbrough) |
| Shortt, Edward | Ure, Rt. Hon. Alexander | Williamson, Sir A. |
| Simon, Sir John Allsebrook | Verney, Sir Harry | Wilson, Hon. G. G. (Hull, W.) |
| Smith, Albert (Lancs., Clitheroe) | Wadsworth, J. | Wilson, Henry J. (York, W.) |
| Smith, H. B. Lees (Northampton) | Walton, Sir Joseph | Wilson, J. W. (Worcestershire, N.) |
| Smyth, Thomas F. (Leitrim, S.) | Ward, W. Dudley (Southampton) | Wilson, T. Fleming (Lanark) |
| Soares, Ernest Joseph | Wardle, George J. | Wilson, W. T. (Westhoughton) |
| Spicer, Sir Albert | Warner, Sir Thomas Courtenay | Winfrey, Richard |
| Strachey, Sir Edward | Wason, Rt. Hon. E. (Clackmannan) | Wood, T. M'Kinnon (Glasgow) |
| Summers, James Woolley | Wason, John Cathcart (Orkney) | Young, William (Perth, East) |
| Sutherland, John E. | Wedgwood, Josiah C. | Yoxall, Sir James Henry |
| Sutton, John E. | White, Sir George (Norfolk) | |
| Taylor, Theodore C. (Radcliffe) | White, Sir Luke (York, E. R.) | TELLERS FOR THE NOES.—Mr. MacNeill and Mr. John Ward. |
| Tennant, Harold John | White, Patrick (Meath, North) | |
| Thomas, Abel (Carmarthen, E.) | Whittaker, Rt. Hon. Sir Thomas P. |
Question, "That the Debate be now-adjourned,"—[Mr. James Campbell]—put, and agreed to.
Captain CRAIGI beg to move, "That it having been reported to this House that Lord Aberdeen has infringed the liberties of this House by influencing the election of the Member of Parliament for the West Division of Aberdeen, that the action of Lord Aberdeen be referred to the Committee of Privileges to inquire into the same."
§ Mr. SAMUEL ROBERTSI beg to second the Motion.
Sir HENRY DALZIELI do not propose to say much with regard to the attitude of the Prime Minister in regard to this Motion, but I think there is no justification for the line of action which has been taken. I venture to submit that absolutely no evidence whatever has been submitted for the Motion before the House. I regret very much that my hon. Friend the Member for West Aberdeenshire is not here. I am sure he would have been here had he known that this Motion was to be brought forward. I think he should have received notice that this Motion was to be brought forward.
Captain CRAIGI gave notice immediately after this occurred that on the first meeting of Parliament I should raise the question.
Sir HENRY DALZIELNotice may have been given in the last Parliament when there was but a small House. Had a postcard been sent my hon. Friend would probably have been here. But what are the circumstances? So far as I recollect, a certain statement has been made as to what would probably occur in certain circumstances if some form of self-government was given to Ireland, and the Lord: Lieutenant was asked if, in his official I capacity, whether such a statement was justified? Lord Aberdeen replied to those questions, but at the same time realised that it would be improper for him in his 42 position to interfere with the course of the election. There is nothing in the letter which was read which shows that Lord Aberdeen, by virtue of his office as Lord Lieutenant, in any way interfered with the election for West Aberdeen. The right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition, himself stated last year that it should be understood that the Lord Lieutenant was only to be debarred interfering by virtue of his office. The Lord Lieutenant is head of the legal judicial bench, but his position as such does not mean that he is to be dumb. It has not been proved that in his capacity as Lord Lieutenant he interfered with the election.
Mr. BALFOURThe House has already dealt with the case of Lord Roden on the single statement of the Member for South Down, and we should stultify ourselves if we refused to take the same action in the case of a highly-placed official like Lord Aberdeen. Of course, there is no spirit of hostility to Lord Aberdeen.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI am for once in agreement with my right hon. Friend as well as with my hon. Friend the Member for Kirkcaldy Burghs. I decried the act with the utmost impartiality. I cannot say that there is nothing in the letter which has been read which ought to be inquired into by the Committee of Privileges. If we are to act in a scrupulous spirit of fairness and impartiality, both cases should go to the Committee of Privileges.