§ LORD WAVENEYinquired, Whether there would be any difficulty in examining luggage of passengers on sea-going steamers before disembarkation; and whether it would not be practicable to examine all luggage tendered for deposit at cloak rooms at railways or other public places? He was aware of the difficulty there might be in making any premature statement; but he put these Questions in the interest of the public, for in the present agitated state of the public mind, when they were discovering, day after day, a determination on the part of a certain mysterious body of conspirators to inflict grave injury upon persons and property, and to carry devastation, if possible, and certainly cause distrust and suspicion among the community at large, he thought something should be done to prevent a recurrence of such outrages, to counteract the risk 329 to public safety, and to obviate the possibility of, he would not say plunging the country into war, but a state of suspicion and diplomatic friction with the Government of the United States of America. The change which he thought desirable was that all parcels brought to a railway station for safekeeping should be thoroughly examined before they were received on deposit instead of after. He had been told that there might be some difficult in carrying out the examination of luggage as suggested in his Questions, owing to the number of parcels; but he submitted that no local difficulties ought to be allowed to stand in the way of any possible precautions against a great public peril. The terror and apprehension caused in the public mind should be removed as soon as possible; and if this were done, the conspirators would not likely take part in any enterprize which involved so much danger. In the proportion of three to two the Railway Companies would, he believed, carry out a preliminary examination of all luggage left at their stations. He considered that if they continued to permit these terrors to be cast broadcast amongst the population, a very serious responsibility would rest upon them. In the plan which he suggested an attempt was made to meet the evil before it reached our shores, and if it reached our shores, the resolute, stout-hearted action of the Railway Companies would intercept this mischief at its source, and minimize the risk which the public suffered at present. At the present moment, it was comparatively easy to evade the vigilance of the Custom House authorities, as, notwithstanding all their precautionary measures, contraband goods found their way from the ship to the quay, and from the quay to all parts of the country; and, in his opinion, all ocean-going steamers should be carefully searched on arrival. These precautions would, he thought, be quite justified. He was the more concerned because of his strong sense of the deterioration that had been wrought in the public spirit of Ireland by the committal of outrages.
§ EARL GRANVILLEIn answer to the Question of my noble Friend behind me, your Lordships will not be sorry to hear that the objects implied in the Question put to me have not escaped the attention of Her Majesty's Government, and especially of the Home Office. All 330 I think it necessary to add is this. The noble Marquess opposite (the Marquess of Salisbury) and I have sometimes had friendly discussions as to whether reticence is reasonable or unreasonable on the part of Her Majesty's Government, as to which we may not be always in agreement; but I appeal with some confidence to the noble Marquess and noble Lords behind him, and to noble Lords behind me, whether it is not desirable that some reticence should be observed both in respect of questions and of answers as to the precautions which the Executive are bound to take in regard to the dastardly outrages which are being perpetrated.