§ LORD WAVENEY, who had given Notice of his intention to move a Resolution to the effect that all boroughs of not more than 1,000 registered voters at the time of passing any Bill for redistribution of seats in Parliament in Ireland shall be incorporated into the representation of the counties wherein they are situate by the addition of so many Members to the county representation as these boroughs shall have aforetime returned to Parliament, to be elected then and thenceforward on the county franchise, said, that in the absence of the Lord President of the Council he should postpone his Motion until the 6th of May.
§ THE EARL OF REDESDALE (CHAIRMAN of COMMITTEES)said, he must object to the Motion of the noble Lord being proposed in any way, in that it was entirely uncalled for. There was, at the present moment, before the House of Commons a Bill dealing with the question of the franchise; and as it would be wholly irregular to move such a Resolution as the noble Lord had placed on the Paper, he hoped he would not, in the circumstances, attempt to proceed with it.
§ LORD WAVENEYsaid, he would remind the noble Earl that a Resolution on a similar subject had been moved by the noble Earl opposite (the Earl of Limerick). He (Lord Waveney) did not admit that the present Resolution was either irregular or unconstitutional. He should certainly persevere with it, if only as a protest against the supineness attributed to their Lordships' House in originating important matters of legislation.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYsaid, that whatever irregularity there was in the course which the noble Lord proposed to take seemed to consist in this—that it looked like an effort to anticipate the decision which their Lordships would have come to in regard to a Bill at present before the other House. Did the noble Lord consider how far that course would be a convenient one? To his mind it did not seem very convenient for this House to proceed by way of Resolution, when the more obvious and convenient course was to wait until the 260 Bill came before them. His object in rising, however, was for the purpose of protesting against the too great breadth of the demurrer which had been raised by the noble Earl at the Table (the Earl of Redesdale). He doubted whether the position the noble Earl had taken could be supported by precedents. Their Lordships knew that it was quite competent for a Bill to be introduced in the House of Lords dealing with a matter which was also the subject of a Bill in the other House; and he never knew that there was anything to prevent their passing a Resolution in regard to a matter which was the subject of a Bill elsewhere. In fact, he remembered an occasion, and the noble Earl (Earl Granville) would probably be able to corroborate him, on which Lord Grey moved a Resolution for the appointment of a Committee on the subject of Reform at the very time that the Reform Bill was under the consideration of the other House. It would also be in the recollection of their Lordships that quite recently in the other House of Parliament a Motion was brought forward which, if carried, would have had the effect of removing a very valuable portion of their Lordships' House, and would therefore have materially interfered with its constitution.
§ THE EARL OF REDESDALE (CHAIRMAN of COMMITTEES)said, he was of opinion that anything which affected the constitution of the other House of Parliament ought not in their Lordships' House to be dealt with by means of Resolution, but should form matter of a Bill. As to the action of the other House, to which the noble Marquess had referred, he believed that nothing could have been more disorderly or contrary to Order than the Resolution recently moved; and he hoped their Lordships would not follow the precedent set by the other House.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, it appeared to him that this was nothing more than a mere technical irregularity, even if that; for he was not aware there was any Redistribution Bill before the other House.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYYes; there is Sir John Hay's.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, however that might be, the course proposed to be adopted by the noble Lord (Lord Waveney) would certainly not be convenient. It would be perfectly impos- 261 sible for Members of the Government to discuss the provisions of a Bill which was not before them, although they were pledged to discuss it on a future day.