§ As amended, further considered.
§ NEW CLAUSE.—(Joint Sittings.)—Brought up [8th May], and read the first time.
§ If any Bill, having been passed by the House of Commons in three successive sessions, is sent. up to the House of Lords at least one month before the end of each el those sessions, is rejected by the House of Lords it shall be lawful for His Majesty upon an Address being presented to him in that behalf by either House of Parliament, during the third of the sessions by Order in Council to direct that each of the two Houses of Parliament, shall nominate one hundred Members in numbers proportionate in each House to the political parties represented in that House.
§ Members of both Houses present at any such joint sitting may deliberate and shall vote together upon the Bill as last proposed by the House of Commons and upon amendments (if any) which have Veen made therein by one House of Parliament and not agreed to by the other; and any such amendments as are affirmed by a majority of a total number of Members of the House of Lords and of the House of Commons present at such joint sitting shall be taken to have been carried, and if the Bill with the amendments (if any) is affirmed by a majority of the Members pre- 1046 sent at such sitting, the Bill shall be taken to have been duly passed by both Houses of Parliament and shall be presented to His Majesty, and shall become an Act of Parliament on the Royal Assent being signified thereto.—[Mr. James Hope.]
§ Question again proposed, "That the Clause be read a second time."
§ Debate resumed.
§ Mr. JAMES HOPEWhen I was called upon somewhat unexpectedly to Move this new Clause late last night, owing to the lapse of former Amendments, I was not clear in my mind as to the Colonial precedents. I find there were two precedents, those of Australia and South Africa. The Constitution of those Dominions has a short provision for the solution of deadlocks with regard to Bills by Joint Session. There is some difference between the two. In the case of Australia in the event of absolute deadlock between the two Houses in the matter of a Bill there is first, to be a General Election, and then if the deadlock continues after a General Election it can be resolved by moving for a Joint Session. In the case of South Africa, however, there is no provision for an intervening election, and the Joint Session comes into operation exactly as is proposed in the case of this Clause, and therefore I submit the Government might very well follow, in the case of this Bill at home, the precedent that they themselves set in the South African Constitution which they set up. I gather from former Debates that there is no insuperable objection to this proposal in principle on the part of the Government. On 29th March last year, and again on 31st March, both the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary expressed themselves as favourable to the principle of Joint Sessions if you assume that reform of the House of Lords has taken place. That being so, I submit that we have another illustration of the great inconvenience we are suffering owing to the attitude of the Government. Here is a principle which they have themselves established in a Colonial Constitution which they admit to be. a good one, and yet which they declare themselves debarred from giving effect to simply because the House of Lords has not been reformed, although the very essence of their proposal as set forth in the Preamble is that the House of Lords shall be reformed.
I suppose, however, I must address myself to the position as we find it and 1047 consider this proposal in the light of the constitution of the House of Lords as it now is. I submit that there is no insuperable difficulty in applying this provision of Joint Sessions, even as things are now, before any reform has taken place in the House of Lords. The difficulties which have been suggested on former occasions were two. They were, first of all, the difficulty of numbers, and, secondly, the difficulty of the present complexion of the House of Lords being so much inclined towards one political party. The Postmaster-General will notice that this Clause gets over the difficulty of numbers because it is not, proposed that the whole 1,200 or 1,300 Members of both Houses of Parliament should meet but that there shall be 100 from each side. I do not think I need say more on that point. Then, as to the difficulty of the political complexion, that is also minimised at any rate by the fact that it is perfectly possible for the majority in this House to select their 100 on such principles as seem good to themselves. Of course, if each House took a very extreme view of what they might do, under their powers if this Clause were passed, they might each send one hundred, representing a majority only, or, on the other hand, they might, by such conferences and negotiation as are common when a Joint Committee is established at present, take care that the 200 should fairly represent, not the balance of parties in one House or in the other, but should be a fair representation of the divided opinion of the country. In any proposal of this kind, if there is goodwill on neither side, the result must be abortive, but we have to suppose a situation ill which there will be goodwill on both sides, and in which the Constitution, am amended, may be made to work by the exercise of that amount of common sense which we display, I hope, in ordinary business negotiations out side the House. But, of course, if the worst came to the worst, the majority in this House could perfectly well protect itself by appointing its 100 in the proportion that the majority bear to the whole House, or even in a greater proportion, so as to bear down the preponderance on the other side. Therefore I submit that the Government, if they accept this proposal, would always have it in their power to protect themselves from any undue preponderance on the part of the other House.
I should like, in moving this Clause, to safeguard myself on one point. I regard 1048 this as a proper method of solving what I may call normal deadlocks on ordinary legislation. I should not propose it as a means of solving great constitutional questions. Of course, the Government refused to accept such questions yesterday, so that we have to take that decision into account, and propose Amendments in view of it. I think the Postmaster-General, if I had not said that, might perhaps have twitted me with ignoring the position on the fundamental constitutional point which was taken up by our side of the House yesterday. I submit that in cases of ordinary deadlock, in matters of ordinary legislation, where no other solution can be found, the Referendum is not suitable, and I consider that the proposals of the present Bill might work absolutely against the sense of the majority of this country. In a case of this kind we ought to find some third way. That third way is suggested by the very precedent laid down by the Government themselves in their South African Act. It can he made to work in practice, and I have every confidence in it.
§ The POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Mr. Herbert Samuel)This proposal for a Joint Session was discussed in Committee. It was pointed out on that occasion that it would not import any measure of political equality to bring in the whole body of the House of Lords, with the vast majority that it contains on one side, to decide in Joint Session with this House measures which were in dispute between the two Chambers. Since you have a majority of at least four to one in favour of one party in the other House, and that House consists of over 600 Members, to bring in these 600 Members to vote with the 670 in this House would merely be to import a Conservative majority of 300 or 400, to swamp whatever might be the majority in favour of Liberal measures in this House. To meet that objection the hon. Member makes the proposal in this form that the 100 Members are to be chosen as a delegation from each House. They are to be selected in numbers proportionate in each House to the political parties represented in that House, and. these 200 are to sit together to decide the matter by joint vote. It must be quite plain to the very acute mind of the hon. Member that, so far as political equality and inequality go, the position will be precisely the same under his Clause as it would have been under the proposal which was made in the Committee stage.
§ Mr. JAMES HOPEThis is the Second Reading of the Clause. If the right hon. Gentleman will accept the principle, we could introduce Amendments which would entirely meet his point.
§ 4.0 P.M.
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI really think the House must discuss the Clause as it is proposed, and not in some subsequent and completely different form. The very essence of this proposal is that there should be an equal number from each House, and that these numbers should be representative of the character of each House. If they are not representative of the balance of political forces in the two Houses, it was the duty of the hon. Member to have placed his proposal upon the Order Paper in the form in which he really desired it to be considered and discussed. If you have 200 Members drawn, 100 from each House, in proportion to the parties in the Two Houses, the inequality will be precisely the same as if you had the whole body of 1,200 or 1,300 sitting together and consisting of the parties in the proportion in which they now are. The hon. Member makes this proposal to apply to the circumstances as they now are and to the House of Lords as it is now composed, pending some reconstruction of that House. The Prime Minister has said on more than one occasion that if we had a thorough reform of the House of Lords and a reduction of numbers under a democratic Constitution, the Government would be debarred from dismissing from consideration the suggestion for having in certain cases a Joint Sitting as a means of resolving deadlocks. But we have to deal with the Constitution as it now is, and we have to discuss the Amendment as it is placed before us. The effect would be at the present time that 100 Members from the House of Lords would consist in round figures of eighty Members representing the Opposition, and twenty Members supporting the Government proposals. The delegation from the House of Commons would consist of fifty-nine Members supporting the Government proposals and forty-one Members representing the Opposition. There would, therefore be seventy-nine supporters of the Government, and 121 opponents of the Government. [An HON. MEMBER "Hear, hear."] The hon. Gentleman opposite says "Hear, hear," for that is a consummation which he no doubt would very gladly welcome. But he can hardly expect the House of Commons to accept that 1050 as a desirable method of settling deadlocks on questions where the two Houses are in disagreement. Even if you had two-thirds of the 100 Members of this House drawn from our party and one-third from the other, and if you had the disproportion so great, that the Government supporters would consist of sixty-six and the Opposition Members of thirty-three, thereby giving to the Government a representation of two to one in the delegation, it would still be very far from being able to overcome the great majority imported into the deliberations of the joint body from the other House.
The hon. Member has quoted the constitution of South Africa as a precedent, and he asked why, when the Government have adopted this device in their newest constitutional arrangements, they should not adopt it here. The circumstances in South Africa are entirely different. Here you have a Second Chamber mainly hereditary. There you have a Second House four-fifths of the Members of which are elected, and one-fifth nominated, and that as a temporary expedient only, by the Governor-General. Here you have two Houses not very different in numbers—600 in the House of Lords and 670 in the House of Commons. In South Africa you have 121 as against 40, so that it is obvious when they sit together in Joint Session the weight to be attached to the vote is only one-third of that in the Lower House. The arrangement may be practicable in South Africa, and it might be practicable here, if we had a completely reformed Second Chamber, as an expedient for settling the constitutional difficulties before us. The hon. Gentleman by his Amendment proposes that the Members shall be chosen in numbers proportionate to each House and the political parties represented in each House. Although it would be untrue to say that the Constitution knows nothing of parties—the Constitution knows a great deal of parties—it is quite true to say that statute law knows nothing of parties. I do not suppose that the words "political party" appear in any statute of the realm. Certainly there is no definition of what is to be regarded as a political party.
At what moment are we to say that a group of Members represent a party and are to be represented in any arrangement of the kind suggested in the Amendment? Were the Peelites a party after the break up of the Tory party on the Repeal of the Corn Laws? Were the so-called Adullamites to be regarded as a separate party 1051 in connection with the Reform Bill of 1867? Were the Liberal Unionists a separate party after they co-operated with the Conservatives in the Parliament that began in 1886? Are they still at this moment a separate party entitled to separate representation and delegation in the 100 Members to be drawn from this House? It would appear that if you recognised the parties in this House in the delegation you would have to take one-seventh of the total. It would be easy to take one-seventh of the Liberal party, one-seventh of the Unionist party, one-seventh of the Irish Nationalist party, and one-seventh of the Independent Nationalist party, but when we came to deal with the Independent party, which is not merely represented by, but consists of, the hon. Member for South Hackney (Mr. Bottomley), how is he to secure a delegation of one-seventh from that party? Are we to ignore the claim of the hon. Gentleman for representation, or to send him intact to form part of the delegation for us? If chosen he would be represented very much out of proportion to the number of his party, and if we took one-seventh of that party it would be one from which even Shylock would shrink.
The fact is that parties in this country propagate by appearing first on the surface of the parent organism. They gradually form into something in the nature of a swelling, and in due course they form a separate organism and eventually start a separate life. But there is a period during which no one can say whether a particular group of Members is or is not a party and if we insert in the Statute words requiring that certain Members should be chosen in proportion to the parties into which the Members of the House are divided, you would be faced continually by practical difficulties which it would be almost impossible to overcome. I conclude by saying that, if it were the case that we were dealing with a Second Chamber reduced in numbers and constituted on a democratic basis, the proposal for a Joint Sitting as a means of solving deadlocks in the first Session of a new Parliament, if they occurred, would be one which the Government might not treat as unworthy of the attention of the House. But the suggestion of the hon. Member is that we should take the present House of Lords as it stands and make an arrangement for Joint Sittings on the footing of equality, not merely in the first year if a deadlock should arise, but after 1052 a Bill has passed this House three times over a period of two years. That is a proposition which the Government are unable to accept.
§ Mr. BONAR LAWThe right hon. Gentleman in the interesting speech to which we have just listened has evidently been replying to a remark made by the hon. Member for South Hackney (Mr. Bottomley), for he has tried to be amusing and to raise a smile which would not do credit to a saint in a glass window. The right hon. Gentleman's point about the Member for South Hackney appeals to me in this way, though I am not sure it is quite the way he meant it, that if he could divide the hon. Member by seven, that party would be fairly represented by brains. In the latter part of his speech, I must say, the right hon. Gentleman indulged in a degree of refinement which it is very difficult to follow. He says that parties are absolutely unknown to statute law. That is perfectly true, and so is the regulation of the two Houses absolutely unknown to statute law. The Parliament Bill is unknown to statute law, and it is because it creates new conditions that we are trying to meet them. But apart from that, the difficulty he dwelt upon is one which does not exist. The dividing of parties now, and the proportionating of parties, is a regular part of our system. It is done invariably in the appointment of Select Committees, and obviously the difficulty is one that does not exist at all. I must admit that I agree with a good deal of the criticism of the right hon. Gentleman as applied to the present House of Lords.
I do not suggest that this Amendment would work well. That is not my contention, or the contention of the hon. Gentleman who moved it. What he says is that you have left us no alternative, and what we suggest is that even an arrangement of this kind is better than the arrangement left to us by the Government in the Bill Take their own case. After the two years, supposing that the House of Lords is as unreasonable as the House of Commons is showing itself in this Bill, it seems to me that the House of Lords will then be able to put things into such a complete deadlock as to force an election by refusing to pass any Bill. Obviously some businesslike arrangement is necessary in order to avoid deadlocks of that kind arising which would embarrass any Government, even a Liberal Government. To say that the Amendment does not suit the present composition of the House of Lords is begging the whole question. My hon. Friend has 1053 pointed to the case of South Africa. Why was that arrangement made there? It was made because some Second Chamber was considered necessary, and, in the second place, because this was supposed to be a good method of dealing with any difficulty that might arise. What the right hon. Gentleman has said is just another proof of their method of proceeding by putting the cart before the horse in all their dealings in connection with this Bill. I intend to vote for the Amendment. I admit that under present circumstances it would not work very well, but, as my hon. Friend pointed out, it is a Clause which is capable of amendment, and I say without any hesitation that any arrangement, however bad, is better than the arrangement the Government leave in their Bill.
§ Colonel GRIFFITH - BOSCAWENI think the House will take note that every Amendment put forward from this side is met with purely technical objections. The objections raised by the Postmaster-General were of a purely technical character. He criticised in detail the particular scheme proposed by my hon. Friend, and made no attempt to go into the merits of the question at all. He has referred to the difficulty of parties. The hon. Member for Bootle (Mr. Bonar Law) showed how absurd that objection is when he pointed out that it is he practice every day in connection with the appointment of Committees to have representation of parties. To-day three Standing Committees have been sitting in this House, and they have been chosen to represent proportionately the parties in this House. What can be done in the case of Standing Committees can surely be done in the case of Joint Sittings between the two Chambers. But it is always the case when an Amendment is brought forward suggesting an improvement on the crude proposals of the Bill that the Government say the particular proposal will not do, and that the details will not work. When the question of Joint Sittings was before the Committee ten days ago what was the answer of the Prime Minister? He said, "You have made no provision whatever for making a representation or delegation
§ from each House. You are simply proposing a Joint Session of the two Houses, and that would be cumbrous and impossible." Now, my hon. Friend brings forward an Amendment acting upon the suggestion of the Prime Minister, and he does put in some machinery for a delegation from each House, and immediately the Postmaster-General answers that this particular kind of machinery is not the kind wanted. We want to put before the country, whether by Referendum, or Joint Session, or any other constitutional improvement, the questions which are brought before the two Houses, and we wish to graft on to the Bill an Amendment which will effect that object. The Government refuse it altogether. The Members on the benches behind the Treasury Bench are silent, and purely technical objections are urged front the Front Bench. The absurdity of rejecting; the Amendment in the cavalier method shown by the Government is apparent when it is remembered that the scheme proposed by my hon. Friend (Mr. James Hope) is practically identical with what was proposed in the celebrated Campbell-Bannerman Resolutions. He proposed that where there was a difference between the two Houses there should be a Joint Sitting of a certain number of Members of each House proportionate to the character of the House. Why have the Government entirely abandoned that scheme, which was practicable, and was the best solution of deadlocks between the two Houses? Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman brought in his proposals upon which this Bill is supposed to be founded in 1907. Why is it impossible to have any kind of Joint Sessions at the present time if it was possible then? The fact is the Government absolutely refuse to consider any Amendment upon its merits. They are determined to force this Bill through just as it is, and we are bound to point out in this House' and in the country the most unconstitutional method which the Government are pursuing.
§ Question put, "That this Clause be read a second time."
§ The House divided: Ayes, 183; Noes, 295.
1057| Division No. 228.] | AYES | [4.20 p.m. |
| Acland-Hood, Rt. Hon. Sir Alex. F. | Astor, Waldort | Baring, Maj. Hon. Guy v. (Winchester) |
| Amery, L. C. M. S. | Bagot, Lieut.-Col. J. | Barnston, H. |
| Anson, Sir William Reynell | Baird, J.L. | Barrie, H. T. (Londonderry, N.) |
| Anstruther-Gray, Major William | Balcarres, Lord | Bathurst Charles (Wilts, Wilton) |
| Archer-Shoe, Major Martin | Balfour, Rt. Hon. A. J. (City, Lond.) | Beach, Hon. Michael Hugh Hicks |
| Arkwright, John Stanhope | Banbury, Sir Frederick George | Beckett, Hon. W. Gervase |
| Ashley, W. W. | Banner. John S. Harmood- | Benn, Arthur Shirley (Plymouth) |
| Benn, Ion Hamilton (Greenwich) | Hamersley, Alfred St. George | Orde-Powlett, Hon. W. G. A. |
| Bennett-Goldney, Francis | Hamilton, Lord C. J. (Kensington) | Ormsby-Gore, Hon. William |
| Bentinck, Lord H. Cavendish- | Hamilton, Marquess of (Londonderry) | Paget, Almeric Hugh |
| Bigland, Alfred | Harris, Henry Percy | Parkes, Ebenezer |
| Bird, A. | Henderson, Major H. (Berks, Abingdon) | Pease, Herbert Pike (Darlington) |
| Boscawen, Col. A. S. T. Griffith- | Hickman, Colonel Thomas E. | Peel, Capt. R. F. (Woodbridge) |
| Boyle, W. L. (Norfolk, Mid) | Hill, Sir Clement | Perkins, Walter F. |
| Boyton, J. | Hillier, Dr. Alfred Peter | Peto, Basil Edward |
| Bridgeman, W. Clive | Hills, J. W. | Pole-Carew, Sir R. |
| Bull, Sir William James | Hoare, S. J. G. | Pollock, Ernest Murray |
| Burdett-Coutts, William | Hope, Harry (Bute) | Pretyman, Ernest George |
| Burn, Colonel C. R. | Hope, James Fitzalan (Sheffield) | Pryce-Jones, Col. E. (M'tgom'y B'ghs.) |
| Butcher, J. G. | Horner, Andrew Long | Quilter, William Eley C. |
| Campion, W. R. | Houston. Robert Paterson | Rawson, Colonel R. H. |
| Carlile, Edward Hildred | Hume-Williams, William Ellis | Rice, Hon. W. |
| Cassel, Felix | Hunt, Rowland | Roberts, S. (Sheffield, Ecclesall) |
| Castlereagh, Viscount | Hunter, Sir C. R. (Bath) | Ronaldshay, Earl of |
| Cater, John | Ingleby, Holcombe | Sanders, Robert A. |
| Cautley, H. S. | Jardine, E. (Somerset, E.) | Sandys, G. J. (Somerset, Wells) |
| Cecil, Evelyn (Aston Manor) | Joynson-Hicks, William | Scott, Sir S. (Marylebone, W.) |
| Cecil, Lord Hugh (Oxford Univ.) | Kerr-Smiley, Peter | Spear, John Ward |
| Chaloner, Colonel R. G. W. | Kerry, Earl of | Stanley, Hon. G. F. (Preston) |
| Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. J. A. (Worc'r) | Kimber, Sir Henry | Starkey, John R. |
| Chaplin, Rt. Hon. Henry | Kinloch-Cooke, Sir Clement | Staveley-Hill, Henry |
| Clay, Captain H. Spender | Kirkwood, J. H. M. | Steel-Maitland, A. D. |
| Clive, Captain Percy Archer | Knight, Captain E. A. | Stewart, Gershom |
| Craig, Captain James (Down, E.) | Larmer, Sir J. | Sykes, Alan John |
| Craig, Norman (Kent, Thanet) | Law, Andrew Bonar (Bootle, Lancs.) | Talbot, Lord Edmund |
| Craik, Sir Henry | Lee, Arthur Hamilton | Terrell, G. (Wilts, N.W.) |
| Crichton-Stuart, Lord Ninian | Lewisham, Viscount | Thomson, W. Mitchell- (Down. N.) |
| Cripps, Sir C. A. | Locker-Lampson, G. (Salisbury) | Thynne, Lord Alexander |
| Croft, Henry Page | Locker-Lampson, O. (Ramsey) | Touche, George Alexander |
| Dairymple, Viscount | Lockwood, Rt. Hon. Lt.-Col. A. R. | Tryon, Capt. George Clement |
| Dickson, Rt. Hon. C. Scott | Long, Rt. Hon. Walter | Valentia, Viscount |
| Dixon, C. H. | Lyttelton, Rt. Hon. A. (S. Geo., Han. S.) | Walker, Col. William Hall |
| Douglas. Rt. Hon. A. Akers- | Lyttelton, Hon. J. C. (Droitwich) | Walrond, Hon. Lionel |
| Du Cross, Arthur Philip | MacCaw, Wm. J. MacGeagh | Ward, A. S. (Herts, Watford) |
| Eyres-Monsell, Bolton M. | Mackinder, Halford J. | Warde, Col. C. E. (Kent, Mid) |
| Faber, Capt. W. V. (Hants, W.) | Magnus, Sir Philip | Wheler, Granville C. H. |
| Falle, B. G. | Malcolm, Ian | White, Major G. D. (Lancs., Southport) |
| Finlay, Sir Robert | Mallaby-Deeley, Harry | Williams, Col. R. (Dorset, W.) |
| Fletcher, John Samuel (Hampstead) | Mason, James F. (Windsor) | Willoughby, Major Hon. Claude |
| Forster, Henry William | Meysey-Thompson, E. C. | Wilson, A. Stanley (York, E.R.) |
| Gardner, Ernest | Middlemore, John Throgmoron | Winterton, Earl |
| Gastrell, Major W. H. | Mildmay, Francis Bingham | Wolmer, Viscount |
| Gibbs, G. A. | Moore, William | Wood, Hon. E. F. L. (Yorks, Ripon) |
| Gilmour, Captain J. | Morrison-Bell, Major A. C. (Honiton) | Wood, John (Stalybridge) |
| Goldsmith, Frank | Morrison-Bell, Capt. E. F. (Ashburton) | Worthington-Evans, L. |
| Goulding, Edward Alfred | Mount, William Arthur | Wortley, Rt. Hon. C. B. Stuart- |
| Grant, J. A. | Newdegate, F. A. | Yate, Col. C. E. |
| Greene, Walter Raymond | Newman, John R. P. | Yerburgh, Robert |
| Gretton, John | Newton, Harry Kettingham | Younger, George |
| Gwvnne, R. S. (Sussex, Eastbourne) | Nicholson, Wm. G. (Petersfield) | |
| Haddock, George Bahr | Nield, Herbert | TELLERS FOR THE AYES.—Mr. |
| Hambro, Angus Valdemar | O'Neill, Hon. A. E. B. (Antrim, Mid.) | Peel and Mr. Harry Lawson. |
| NOES | ||
| Abraham, William (Dublin Harbour) | Boland, John Pius | Cotton, William Francis |
| Abraham, Rt. Hon. William (Rhondda) | Booth, Frederick Handel | Craig, Herbert J. (Tynemouth) |
| Acland, Francis Dyke | Bowerman, C. W. | Crawshay-Williams, Eliot |
| Adamson, William | Brace, William | Crumley, Patrick |
| Addison, Dr. C. | Brady, Patrick (Mayo, North) | Cullinan, John |
| Adkins, W. Ryland D. | Brigg, Sir John | Dalziel, Sir James H. (Kirkcaldy) |
| Agnew, Sir George William | Brocklehurst, W. B. | Davies, Timothy (Lincs., Louth) |
| Ainsworth, John Stirling | Brunner, John F. L. | Davies, Sir W. Howell (Bristol, S.) |
| Alden, Percy | Bryce, J. Annan | Davies, M. Vaughan- (Cardigan) |
| Allen, Charles Peter (Stroud) | Burke, E. Haviland- | Delany, William |
| Ashton, Thomas Gair | Burns, Rt. Hon. John | Denman, Hon. Richard Douglas |
| Asquith, Rt. Hon. Herbert Henry | Burt, Rt. Hon. Thomas | Devlin, Joseph |
| Baker, H. T. (Accrington) | Buxton, Noel (Norfolk, North) | Dickinson, W. H. |
| Baker, Joseph A. (Finsbury, E.) | Buxton, Rt. Hon. Sydney C. (Poplar) | Dillon, John |
| Barlow, Sir John Emmott (Somerset) | Byles, William Pollard | Donelan, Captain A. |
| Barnes, G. N. | Carr-Gomm, H. W. | Doris, William |
| Barran, Sir John N. (Hawick Burghs) | Chancellor, H. G. | Duffy, William J. |
| Barran, Rowland Hirst (Leeds, N.) | Chapple, Dr. W. A. | Duncan, C. (Barrow-in-Furness) |
| Barry, Redmond John | Churchill, Rt. Hon. Winston S. | Duncan, J. Hastings (York, Otley) |
| Barton, W. | Clancy, John Joseph | Edwards, Allen C. (Glamorgan, E.) |
| Beale, W. P. | Clough, William | Edwards, Enoch (Hanley) |
| Beauchamp, Edward | Clynes, J. R. | Edwards, Sir Francis (Radnor) |
| Senn, W. (T. Hamlets, S. George) | Collins, G. P. (Greenock) | Edwards, John Hugh (Glamorgan, Mid) |
| Bentham, G. J. | Collins, Stephen (Lambeth) | Elibank, Rt. Hon. Master of |
| Bethell, Sir J. H. | Compton-Rickett, Rt. Hon. Sir J. | Elverston, H. |
| Birrell, Rt. Hon. Augustine | Condon, Thomas Joseph | Esmonde, Dr. John (Tipperary, N.) |
| Black, Arthur W. | Cornwall, Sir Edwin A. | Esmonde, Sir Thomas (Wexford, N.) |
| Essex, Richard Walter | Lynch, A. A. | Rea, Walter Russell (Scarborough) |
| Falconer, James | Macdonald, J. Ramsay (Leicester) | Redmond, John E. (Waterford) |
| Farrell, James Patrick | Macdonald, J. M. (Falkirk Burghs) | Redmond, William (Clare) |
| Fenwick, Charles | McGhee, Richard | Rendall, Athelstan |
| Ferens, T. R. | Maclean, Donald | Richards, Thomas |
| Ffrench, Peter | Macnamara, Dr. Thomas J. | Richardson, Thomas (Whitehaven) |
| Field, William | MacNeill, John Gordon Swift | Roberts Charles H. (Lincoln) |
| Flavin, Michael Joseph | MacVeagh, Jeremiah | Roberts, G. H. (Norwich) |
| Gelder, Sir W. A. | M'Callum, John M. | Roberts, Sir J. H. (Denbighs.) |
| George, Rt. Hon. D. Lloyd | M'Laren, Walter S. B. (Ches., Crewe) | Robertson, Sir G. Scott (Bradford) |
| Gill, A. H. | M'Micking, Major Gilbert | Robertson, J. M. (Tyneside) |
| Ginnell, Laurence | Manfield, Harry | Robinson, Sidney |
| Glanville, H. J | Marks, George Croydon | Roche, Augustine (Louth) |
| Goddard, Sir Daniel Ford | Marshall, Arthur Harold | Roche, John (Galway, E.) |
| Goldstone, Frank | Martin, Joseph | Roe, Sir Thomas |
| Greig, Colonel James William | Mason, David M. (Coventry) | Rose, Sir Charles Day |
| Griffith, Ellis J. | Masterman, C. F. G. | Rowlands, James |
| Guest, Hon. Frederick E. (Dorset, E.) | Meehan, Francis E. (Leitrim, N.) | Rowntree, Arnold |
| Gwynn, Stephen Lucius (Galway) | Meehan, Patrick A. (Queen's Co.) | Runciman, Rt. Hon. Walter |
| Hackett, J. | Menzies, Sir Walter | Samuel, Rt. Han. H. L. (Cleveland) |
| Hall, Frederick (Normanton) | Millar, James Duncan | Samuel, J. (Stockton) |
| Hancock, J. G. | Molloy, M. | Scanlan, Thomas |
| Harcourt, Rt. Hon. Lewis (Rossendale) | Melteno, Percy Alport | Schwann, Rt. Hon. Sir C. E. |
| Harcourt, Robert V. (Montrose) | Money, L. G. Chlozza | Scott, A. MacCallum (Glasgow, Bridgeton) |
| Hardie, J. Keir | Montagu, Hon. E. S. | Sheehy, David |
| Harmswarth, R. Leicester | Mooney, John J. | Sherwell, Arthur James |
| Harvey, T. E. (Leeds, West) | Morton, Alpheus Cleophas | Smith, Albert (Lancs., Clitheroe) |
| Harvey, W. E. (Derbyshire, N.E.) | Munro, R. | Smyth, Thomas F. |
| Harwood, George | Murray, Capt. Hon. A. C. | Stanley, Albert (Staffs, N.W.) |
| Haslam, James (Derbyshire) | Nannetti, Joseph P. | Strachey, Sir Edward |
| Haslam, Lewis (Monmouth) | Needham, Christopher T. | Strauss, Edward A. (Southwark, West) |
| Havelock-Allan, Sir Henry | Neilson, Francis | Summers, James Woolley |
| Haworth, Arthur A. | Nicholson, Charles N. (Doncaster) | Sutton, John E. |
| Hayden, John Patrick | Nolan, Joseph | Taylor, John W. (Durham) |
| Helme, Norval Watson | Norman, Sir Henry | Taylor, Theodore C. (Radcliffe) |
| Henderson, Arthur (Durham) | Norton, Captain Cecil W. | Tennant, Harold John |
| Henry, Sir Charles | O'Brien, Patrick (Kilkenny) | Thomas, James Henry (Derby) |
| Herbert, Col. Sir Ivor | O'Connor, John (Kildare, N.) | Thorne, G. R. (Wolverhampton) |
| Higham, John Sharp | O'Connor, T. P. (Liverpool) | Toulmin, George |
| Hinds, John | O'Doherty, Philip | Trevelyan, Charles Philips |
| Hodge, John | O'Donnell, Thomas | Ure, Rt. Hon. Alexander |
| Holt, Richard Durning | O'Dowd, John | Walsh, J. (Cork, South) |
| Hope, John Deans (Haddington) | Ogden, Fred | Walsh, Stephen (Lancs., Ince) |
| Howard, Hon. Geoffrey | O'Grady, James | Ward, John (Stoke-upon-Trent) |
| Hudson, Walter | O'Kelly, James (Roscommon, N.) | Ward, W. Dudley (Southampton) |
| Hughes, S. L. | O'Malley, William | Wardle, George J. |
| Hunter, W. (Govan) | O'Neill, Dr. Charles (Armagh, S.) | Warner, Sir Thomas Courtenay |
| Isaacs, Sir Rufus Daniel | O'Shaughnessy, P. J. | Wason, Rt. Hon. E. (Clackmannan) |
| John, Edward Thomas | O'Shee, James John | Wason, John Cathcart (Orkney) |
| Johnson, W. | O'Sullivan, Timothy | Watt, Henry A. |
| Jones, Sir D. Brynmor (Swansea) | Palmer, Godfrey | Webb, H. |
| Jones, Edgar (Merthyr Tydvil) | Parker, James (Halifax) | Wedgwood, Josiah C. |
| Jones, H. Haydn (Merieneth) | Pearce, Robert (Staffs., Leek) | White, Sir George (Norfolk) |
| Jones, Leif Stratton (Notts, Rushcliffe) | Pearce, William (Limehouse) | White, Sir Luke (York, E.R.) |
| Jones, William (Carnarvonshire) | Pease, Rt. Hon. Joseph A.(Rotherham | White, Patrick (Meath, North) |
| Jewett, F. W. | Phillips, John (Longford, S.) | Whitehouse, John Howard |
| Joyce, Michael | Pickersgill, Edward Hare | Whittaker, Rt. Hon. Sir Thoman P. |
| Kellaway, Frederick George | Pirie, Duncan V. | Whyte, A. F. (Perth) |
| Kelly, Edward | Pointer, Joseph | Wiles, Thomas |
| Kennedy, Vincent Paul | Pollard, Sir George H. | Wilkie, Alexander |
| Kilibride, Denis | Ponsonby, Arthur A. W. H. | Williams, John (Glamorgan) |
| King, J. (Somerset, N.) | Power, Patrick Joseph | Williams, P. (Middlesbrough) |
| Lambert, George (Devon, S. Morton) | Price, C. E. (Edinburgh, Central) | Wilson, Hon. G. G. (Hull, W.) |
| Lardner, James Carrige Rushe | Price, Sir Robert J. (Norfolk, E.) | Wilson, John (Durham, Mid.) |
| Law, Hugh A. (Donegal, West) | Priestley, Sir Arthur (Grantham) | Wilson, J. W. (Worcestershire) |
| Lawson,Sir W. (Cumb'rld,Coekerm'th) | Priestley, Sir W. E. B. (Bradford, E.) | Wilson, W. T. (Westhoughton) |
| Leach, Charles | Primrose, Hon. Neil James | Winfrey, Richard |
| Levy, Sir Maurice | Pringle, William M. R. | Wood, T. McKinnon (Glasgow) |
| Lewis, John Herbert | Raffan Peter Wilson | Young, Samuel (Cavan, East) |
| Logan, John William | Rainy, A. Rolland | |
| Low, Sir F. (Norwich) | Raphael, Sir Herbert Henry | TELLERS FOR THE NOES.—Mr. |
| London, T. | Rea, Rt. Hon. Russell (South Shields) | Illingworth and Mr. Gulland. |
| Lyell, Charles Henry |
§ NEW CLAUSE.—(Enacting Formula.)— Brought up, and read the first time.
§ "The enacting formula of every Bill which becomes an Act of Parliament under the provisions of this Act shall be as follows (that is to say):—
§ Be it enacted by the King's Most Excellent Majesty by and with the advice 1058 and consent of the House of Commons, and by the authority of one House of Parliament only."—[Mr. Pollock.]
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause be read a second time."
§ Mr. POLLOCKI bring this forward because the Attorney-General (Sir Rufus 1059 Isaacs) admitted when the matter was brought up in Committee that it would be necessary to have some form of words to meet the difficulty which arises by reason of a Bill being passed under the provisions of this Clause over the heads of the House of Lords. The original Bill, as brought in each Session, must have the old enacting formula, but when it ultimately passes into law over the heads of the House of Lords the case will be different, and the consent of the House of Lords ought not to be recorded in the enacting formula. The only alterations that can be introduced are the alterations provided for in Sob-section (3) of Section 2 of the Bill—namely, alterations in respect of lapse of time, and such matters as arise in respect of alterations made by the House of Lords themselves.
§ Sir WILLIAM BULLI beg to second the Motion.
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThis Amendment is an instance of the way in which hon. Members opposite bring forward matters which have been already discussed in Committee. This precise Amendment was discussed in Committee, and the Attorney-General gave a full reply, explaining the reasons why it would not be acceptable.
§ Sir ROBERT FINLAYThe right hon. Gentleman has omitted to mention that
§ the Attorney-General said that such a change was necessary.
§ Lord HUGH CECILThe Amendment was so little discussed on the Committee stage because everyone recognised that the Government had no answer, so entirely were they defeated in argument. We have no opportunity of revising, as we ought to have under the forms of the House, that imperfect discussion. The Government say that this is an illustration of the way the Opposition are bringing forward their Amendments time after time. We bring them forward time after time because the Government are incapable of answering our arguments. The Government may take what course they think fit. Let the country understand that this is what the Prime Minister of a self-respecting, responsible Assembly—[HON. MEMBERS: "Order, order."]
§ Mr. SPEAKERI might remind hon. Members that it is bad enough to closure discussion at half-past four. The best thing they can do is to carry out the order of the House.
And it being half-past Four of the clock, Mr. SPEAKER proceeded, in pursuance of the Order of the House of 8th May, to put forthwith the Question already proposed from the Chair.
§ Question put, "That the Clause be now read a second time."
§ The House divided: Ayes, 199; Noes, 311.
1063| Division No. 229.] | AYES | [4.30 p.m. |
| Acland-Hood, Rt. Hon. Sir Alex. F. | Bull, Sir William James | Eyres-Monsell, Bolton M. |
| Amery, L. C. M. S. | Burdett-Coutts, William | Faber, Captain W. V. (Hants, W.) |
| Anson, Sir William Reynell | Burn, Col. C. R. | Falle, B. G. |
| Anstruther-Gray, Major William | Butcher, J. G. | Finlay, Sir Robert |
| Archer-Shee, Major Martin | Campion, W. R. | Flannery, Sir J. Fortescue |
| Arkwright, John Stanhope | Carilie, Edward Hildred | Fleming, Valentine |
| Ashley, W. W. | Cassel, Felix | Fletcher, John Samuel (Hampstead) |
| Astor, Waldorf | Castlereagh, Viscount | Gardner, Ernest |
| Bagot, Lieut.-Colonel J. | Cator, John | Gastrell, Major W. H. |
| Baird, J. L. | Cautley, H. S. | Gibbs, G. A. |
| Balcarres, Lord | Cave, George | Gilmour, Captain J. |
| Balfour, Rt. Hon. A. J. (City, Lond.) | Cecil, Evelyn (Aston Manor) | Goldsmith, Frank |
| Banbury, Sir Frederick George | Cecil, Lord Hugh (Oxford University) | Goulding, Edward Alfred |
| Banner, John S. Harmood | Chaloner, Colonel R. G. W. | Grant, J. A. |
| Baring, Maj. Hon. Guy V. (Winchester) | Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. J. A. (Worc'r) | Greene, W. R. |
| Barnston, Harry | Chaplin, Rt. Hon. Henry | Gretton, John |
| Barrie, H. T. (Londonderry, N.) | Clay, Captain H. Spender | Gwynne, R. S. (Sussex, Eastbourne) |
| Bathurst, Charles (Wilts, Wilton) | Clive, Captain Percy Archer | Haddock, George Bahr |
| Beach, Hon. Michael Hugh Hicks | Courthope, George Loyd | Hall, D. B. (Isle of Wight) |
| Beckett, Hon. W. Gervase | Craig, Captain James (Down, E.) | Hambro, Angus Valdemar |
| Benn, Arthur Shirley (Plymouth) | Craig Norman (Kent, Thanet) | Hamersley, Alfred St. George |
| Benn, Ion Hamilton (Greenwich) | Craik, Sir Henry | Hamilton, Lord C. J. (Kensington) |
| Bennett-Goldney, Francis | Crichton-Stuart, Lord Nilian | Hamilton, Marquess of (Londonderry) |
| Bentinck, Lord Henry Cavendish | Cripps, Sir C. A. | Harris, Henry Percy |
| Bigland, Alfred | Croft, Henry Page | Henderson, Major H. (Berks, Abingdon) |
| Bird, A. | Dairymple, Viscount | Hickman, Col. Thomas E. |
| Boscawen, Col. A. S. T. Griffith. | Dickson, Rt. Hon. C. Scott | Hill, Sir Clement L. (Shrewsbury) |
| Boyle, W. L. (Norfolk, Mid) | Dixon, C. H. | Hillier, Dr. Alfred Peter |
| Boyton, J. | Douglas, Rt. Hon. A. Akers- | Hills, J. W. |
| Bridgeman, W. Clive | Du Cros, Arthur Philip | Hill-Wood, Samuel |
| Hoare, Sir J. G. | Moore, William | Spear, John Ward |
| Hohler, G. F. | Morrison-Bell, Capt. E. F. (Ashburton) | Stanier, Beville |
| Hope, Harry (Bute) | Morrison-Bell, Major A. C. (Honiton) | Stanley, Hon. Arthur (Ormskirk) |
| Hope, James Fitzalan (Sheffield) | Mount, William Arthur | Stanley, Hon. G. F. (Preston) |
| Horne, W. E. (Surrey, Guildford) | Newdegate, F. A. | Starkey, John B. |
| Horner, Andrew Long | Newman, John R. P. | Staveley-Hill, Henry (Staffordshire) |
| Houston, Robert Paterson | Newton, Harry Kottingham | Steel-Maitland, A. D. |
| Hume-Williams, William Ellis | Nicholson, Wm. G. (Petersfield) | Stewart, Gershom |
| Hunt, Rowland | Nield, Herbert | Swift, Rigby |
| Hunter, Sir C. R. (Bath) | Norton-Griffiths, John | Sykes, Alan John |
| Ingleby, Holcombe | O'Neill, Hon. A. E. B. (Antrim, Mid) | Talbot, Lord Edmund |
| Jardine, E. (Somerset, E.) | Orde-Powlett, Hon. W. G. A. | Terrell, George (Wilts, N.W.) |
| Joynson-Hicks, William | Ormsby-Gore, Hon. William | Thomson, W. Mitchell- (Down, North) |
| Kerr-Smiley, Peter Kerr | Paget, Almeric Hugh | Thynne, Lord Alexander |
| Kerry, Earl of | Parkes, Ebenezer | Touche, George Alexander |
| Kimber, Sir Henry | Pease, Herbert Pike (Darlington) | Tryon, Capt. Gorge Clement |
| Kinloch-Cooke, Sir Clement | Peel, Captain R. F. (Woodbridge) | Walker, Col. William Hall |
| Kirkwood, J. H. M. | Peel, Hon. W. R. W. (Taunton) | Walrond, Hon. Lionel |
| Knight, Captain E. A. | Perkins, Walter F. | Ward, A. S. (Hurts, Watford) |
| Larmor, Sir J. | Peto, Basil Edward | Warde, Col. C. E. (Kent, Mid) |
| Law, Andrew Donor (Bootle, Lancs.) | Pole-Carew, Sir R. (Cornwall, Bodmin) | Wheler, Granville C. H. |
| Lawson, Hon. H. (T. H'mts., Mile End) | Pollock, Ernest Murray | White, Major G. D. (Lanes, Southport) |
| Lee, Arthur Hamilton | Pretyman, Ernest George | Williams, Col. R. (Dorset, W.) |
| Lewisham, Viscount | Pryce-Jones, Col. E. (M'tgom'y B'ghs) | Willoughby, Major Hon. Claude |
| Locker-Lampson, O. (Ramsey) | Quitter, William Eley C. | Wilson, A. Stanley (York, E.R.) |
| Lockwood, Rt. Hon. Lt.-Col. A. R. | Rawson, Colonel R. H. | Winterton, Earl |
| Long, Rt. Hon. Walter | Rice, Hon. Walter Fitz-Uryan | Wolmer, Viscount |
| Lyttelton, Rt. Hon. A. (S. Geo., Han. S.) | Roberts, S. (Sheffield, Ecclesall) | Wood, Hon. E. F. L. (Yorks, Ripon) |
| Lyttelton, Hon. J. C. (Droitwich) | Rolleston, Sir John | Wood, John (Stalybridge) |
| MacCaw, William J. MacGeagh | Ronaldshay, Earl of | Worthington-Evans, L. |
| Mackinder, Halford J. | Rothschild, Lionel de | Wortley, Rt. Hon. C. B. Stuart- |
| Magnus, Sir Philip | Royds, Edmund | Yate, Cot. C. E. |
| Malcolm, Ian | Rutherford, W (Liverpool, W. Derby) | Yerburgh, Robert |
| Mallaby-Deeley, Harry | Sanders, Robert A. | Younger, George |
| Mason, James F. (Windsor) | Sanderson, Lancelot | |
| Meysey-Thompson, E. C. | Sandys, G. J. (Somerset, Wells) | TELLERS FOR THE AYES.— |
| Middlemore, John Throgmorton | Scott, Sir S. (Marylebene, W.) | Viscount Valentia and Mr. H. W. Forster. |
| Mildmay, Francis Bingham | ||
| NOES | ||
| Abraham, William (Dublin Harbour) | Carr-Gomm, H. W. | French, Peter |
| Abraham, Rt. Hon. William (Rhondda) | Chancellor, H. G. | Field, William |
| Acland, Francis Dyke | Chapple, Dr. W. A. | Flavin, Michael Joseph |
| Adamson, William | Clancy, John Joseph | Gelder, Sir W. A. |
| Addison, Dr. C. | Clough, William | George, Rt. Hon. D. Lloyd |
| Adkins, W. Ryland D. | Clynes, J. R. | Gill, A. H. |
| Agnew, Sir George William | Collins, G. P. (Greenock) | Ginnell, Laurence |
| Ainsworth, John Stirling | Collins, Stephen (Lambeth) | Glanville, H. J |
| Alden, Percy | Compton-Rickett, Rt. Hon. Sir J. | Goddard, Sir Daniel Ford |
| Allen, Arthur A. (Dumbarton) | Condon, Thomas Joseph | Goldstone, Frank |
| Allen, Charles Peter (Stroud) | Cornwall, Sir Edwin A. | Greig, Colonel James William |
| Armitage, R. | Cotton, William Francis | Griffith, Ellis J. |
| Ashton, Thomas Gair | Craig, Herbert J. (Tynemouth) | Guest, Hon. Frederick E. (Dorset, E.) |
| Asquith, Rt. Hon. Herbert Henry | Crawshay-Williams, Eliot | Gwynn, Stephen, Lucius (Galway) |
| Baker, H. T. (Accrington) | Crumley, Patrick | Hackett, J. |
| Baker, Joseph A. (Finsbury, E.) | Cullinan, John | Hall, Frederick (Normanton) |
| Balfour, Sir Robert (Lanark) | Dalziel, Sir James H. (Kirkcaldy) | Hancock, J. G. |
| Barlow, Sir John Emmott (Somerset) | Davies, David (Montgomery Co.) | Harcourt, Rt. Hon. Lewis (Rossendale) |
| Barnes, G. N. | Davies, Timothy (Lincs., Louth) | Harcourt, Robert V. (Montrose) |
| Barran, Sir John N. (Hawick B.) | Davies, Sir W. Howell (Bristol, S.) | Hardie, J. Keir |
| Barran, Rowland Hirst (Leeds, N.) | Davies M. Vaughan- (Cardigan) | Harmsworth, R. Leicester |
| Barry, Redmond John | Dawes, J. A. | Harvey, T. E. (Leeds, West) |
| Barton, W. | Delany, William | Harvey, W. E. (Derbyshire, N.E.) |
| Beale, W. P. | Denman, Hon. Richard Douglas | Harwood, George |
| Beauchamp, Edward | Devlin, Joseph | Haslam, James (Derbyshire) |
| Benn, W. (T. H'mts., St. George) | Dickinson, W. H. | Haslam, Lewis (Monmouth) |
| Bentham, G. J. | Dillon, John | Havelock-Allan, Sir Henry |
| Bethell, Sir J. H. | Donelan, Captain A. | Haworth, Arthur A. |
| Birrell, Rt. Hon. Augustine | Doris, William | Hayden, John Patrick |
| Black, Arthur W. | Duffy, William J. | Helme, Norval Watson |
| Boland, John Plus | Duncan, C. (Barrow-in-Furness) | Henderson, Arthur (Durham) |
| Booth, Frederick Handel | Duncan, J. Hastings (York, Otley) | Henry, Sir Charles |
| Bowerman, C. W. | Edwards, Allen C. (Glamorgan, E.) | Herbert, Col. Sir Ivor |
| Brace, William | Edwards, Enoch (Hanley) | Higham, John Sharp |
| Brady, Patrick Joseph | Edwards, Sir Francis (Radnor) | Hinds, John |
| Brigg, Sir John | Edwards, John Hugh (Glamorgan, Mid.) | Hodge, John |
| Brocklehurst, W. B. | Elibank, Rt. Hon. Master of | Holt, Richard Durning |
| Brunner, J. F. L. | Elverston, H. | Hope, John Deans (Haddington) |
| Bryce, J. Annan | Esmonde, Dr. John (Tipperary, N.) | Howard, Hon. Geoffrey |
| Burke, E. Haviland | Esmonde, Sir Thomas (Wexford, N.) | Hudson, Walter |
| Burns, Rt. Hon. John | Essex, Richard Walter | Hughes, S. L. |
| Burt, Rt. Hon. Thomas | Falconer, J. | Hunter, William (Lanark, Govan) |
| Buxton, Noel (Norfolk, N.) | Farrell, James Patrick | Isaacs, Sir Rufus Daniel |
| Buxton, Rt. Hon. Sydney C. (Poplar) | Fenwick, Charles | John, Edward Thomas |
| Bytes, William Pollard | Ferens, T. R. | Johnson, W. |
| Jones, Sir D. Brynmor (Swansea) | Needham, Christopher T. | Rowntree, Arnold |
| Jones, Edgar (Merthyr) | Neilson, Francis | Runciman, Rt. Hon. Walter |
| Jones, H. Haydn (Merioneth) | Nicholson, Charles N. (Doncaster) | Samuel, Rt. Hon. H. L. (Cleveland) |
| Jones, Leif (Notts, Rushcliffe) | Nolan, Joseph | Samuel, J. (Stockton) |
| Jones, William (Carnarvonshire) | Norman, Sir Henry | Scanlan, Thomas |
| Jones, W. S. Glyn- (Stepney) | Norton, Captain Cecil W. | Schwann, Rt. Hon. Sir C. E. |
| Jowett, F. W. | O'Brien, Patrick (Kilkenny) | Scott,A. MacCallum (Glasgow, Bridgeton) |
| Joyce, Michael | O'Connor, John (Kildare, N.) | Sheehy, David |
| Keating, M. | O'Connor, T. P. (Liverpool) | Sherwell, Arthur James |
| Kellaway, Frederick George | O'Doherty, Philip | Simon, Sir John Allsebrook |
| Kelly, Edward | O'Donnell, Thomas | Smith, Albert (Lancs., Clitheroe) |
| Kennedy, Vincent Paul | O'Dowd, John | Smith, H. B. (Northampton) |
| Kilbride, Denis, | Ogden, Fred | Smyth, Thomas F. |
| King, J. (Somerset, N.) | O'Grady, James | Snowden, P. |
| Lambert, George (Devon, Morton) | O'Kelly, James (Roscommon, N.) | Stanley, Albert (Staffs., N.W.) |
| Lambert, Richard (Wilts, Cricklade) | O'Malley, William | Strachey, Sir Edward |
| Lansbury, George | O'Neill, Dr. Charles (Armagh, S.) | Strauss, Edward A. (Southwark, West) |
| Lardner, James Carrige Rushe | O'Shaughnessy, P. J. | Summers, James Woolley |
| Law, Hugh A. (Donegal, West) | O'Shee, James John | Sutton, John E. |
| Lawson, Sir W. (Cumb'rl'nd, Cockrm'th) | O'Sullivan, Timothy | Taylor, John W. (Durham) |
| Leach, Charles | Palmer, Godfrey | Taylor, Theodore C. (Radcliffe) |
| Levy, Sir Maurice | Parker, James (Halifax) | Tennant, Harold John |
| Lewis, John Herbert | Pearce, Robert (Staff, Leek) | Thomas, James Henry (Derby) |
| Logan, John William | Pearce, William (Limehouse) | Thorne, G. R. (Wolverhampton) |
| Low, Sir F. (Norwich) | Pease, Rt. Hon. Joseph A. (Rotherham) | Toulmin, George |
| Lundon, T. | Phillips, John (Longford, S.) | Trevelyan, Charles Philips |
| Lyell, Charles Henry | Pickersgill, Edward Hare | Ure, Rt. Hon. Alexander |
| Lynch, A. A. | Pirie, Duncan V. | Walsh, J. (Cork, South) |
| Macdonald, J. Ramsay (Leicester) | Pointer, Joseph | Walsh, Stephen (Lancs., Ince) |
| Macdonald, J. M. (Falkirk Burghs) | Pollard, Sir George H. | Ward, John (Stoke-upon-Trent) |
| McGhee, Richard | Ponsonby, Arthur A. W. H. | Ward, W. Dudley (Southampton) |
| Maclean, Donald | Power, Patrick Joseph | Wardle, George J. |
| Macnamara, Dr. Thomas J. | Price, C. E. (Edinburgh, Central) | Warner, Sir Thomas Courtenay |
| MacNeill, John Gordon Swift | Price, Sir Robert J. (Norfolk, E.) | Wason, Rt. Hon. E. (Clackmannan) |
| M'Callum, John M. | Priestley, Sir Arthur (Grantham) | Wason, John Cathcart (Orkney) |
| M'Kean, John | Priestley, Sir W. E. B. (Bradford, E.) | Watt, Henry A. |
| M'Laren, H. D. (Leics.) | Primrose, Hon. Neil James | Webb, H. |
| M'Laren, F. W. S. (Linc. Spalding) | Pringle, William M. R. | Wedgwood, Josiah C. |
| M'Laren, Walter S. B. (Ches., Crewe) | Radford, G. H. | White, Sir George (Norfolk) |
| M'Micking, Major Gilbert | Raffan, Peter Wilson | White, Sir Luke (York, E.R.) |
| Manfield, Harry | Rainy, A. Rolland | White, Patrick (Meath, North) |
| Marks, George Croydon | Raphael, Sir Herbert Henry | Whitehouse, John Howard |
| Marshall, Arthur Harold | Rea, Rt. Hon. Russell (South Shields) | Whittaker, Rt. Hon. Sir Thomas P. |
| Martin, Joseph | Rea, Walter Russell (Scarborough) | Whyte, A. F. (Perth) |
| Mason, David M. (Coventry) | Redmond, John E. (Waterford) | Wiles, Thomas |
| Masterman, C. F. G. | Redmond, William (Clare) | Wilkie, Alexander |
| Meehan, Francis E. (Leitrim, N.) | Rendall, Athelstan | Williams, J. (Glamorgan) |
| Meehan, Patrick A. (Queen's Co.) | Richards, Thomas | Williams, P. (Middlesbrough) |
| Menzies, Sir Walter | Richardson, Thomas (Whitehaven) | Wilson, Hon. G. G. (Hull, W.) |
| Millar, James Duncan | Roberts, Charles H. (Lincoln) | Wilson, John (Durham, Mid.) |
| Molloy, M. | Roberts, G. H. (Norwich) | Wilson, J. W. (Worcestershire, N.) |
| Molteno, Percy Alport | Roberts, Sir J. H. (Denbighs.) | Wilson, W. T. (Westhoughton) |
| Money, L. G. Chiozza | Robertson, Sir G. Scott (Bradford) | Winfrey, Richard |
| Montagu, Hon. E. S. | Robertson, J. M. (Tyneside) | Wood, T. McKinnon (Glasgow) |
| Mooney, J. J. | Robinson, Sidney | Young, Samuel (Cavan, East) |
| Morrell, Philip | Roche, Augustine (Louth) | Young, William (Perth, East) |
| Morton, Alpheus Creophas | Roche, John (Galway, E.) | |
| Munro, R. | Roe, Sir Thomas | TELLERS FOR THE NOES.—Mr |
| Murray, Captain Hon. A. C. | Rose, Sir Charles Day | Illingworth and Mr. Gulland. |
| Nannetti, Joseph P. | Rowlands, James |