§ 119. Mr. GINNELLasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he 1506 will explain why the London newspapers to which Mr. Sheehy-Skeffington sent a pacifist letter a month before the insurrection in Ireland were not allowed to publish that letter; whether any Irish Members of this House were consulted and approved of the Government preventing publication of that letter; and, suppression being regarded in Ireland as confirmation of the intention of the Government to carry out a pogrom of Nationalists, whether he can now make any statement towards removing that impression?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. Herbert Samuel)There is no foundation for the hon. Member's allegation. No letter from Mr. Sheehy-Skeffington was submitted for censorship, and no newspaper was prohibited from publishing any letter from him. The letter has, in fact, lately been published, and its character does not, in my opinion, conform to the hon. Member's description of it.
§ Mr. GINNELLCan the right hon. Gentleman say to what higher authority the editor of the "Daily Chronicle" sent this letter, a month previous to its publication, if not to the right hon. Gentleman or to the Censor?
§ Mr. STANTONCould we not put a cold-water tap on the hon. Member—he gets everyone's blood up?
§ Mr. SAMUELThe hon. Member refers to a recent number of the "Daily Chronicle," in which the editor stated that the letter had been sent to him but had not been published by him. He had, however, communicated it to a higher authority. I do not know to what higher authority, but it was not referred to me or the Censor.