The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-06-20 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

In the HOUSE OF LORDS, June 15. Lord Cranbrook, in
moving the adjournment until Friday next, intimated
that the Marquis of Salisbury Nvou!d then make a state-
ment to the House.

TIIE MINISTERIAL CRISIS.

1 in the ITousa OF CommoNs,Mr. Gltelstone said: Mr.
Speaker. I have received authentic. information that
..Lord .Salisbury has undertaken the formation of a
'Government, and I have likewise rt ceived an expres,ion
el a desire, to which I am sure the House will be as
ready to confotm as I set, that the House should, at
its rising, adjourn until Friday next. That, accord-
ingly, it is my intention to move, and I believe it will
be quite conformable to precedent as it is to the
reason of the case in this necessarily early stage of
the arrangeraents. That being so, we have before
us the questioa whether it is desirable to pro-
ceed with the Lords' Amendments to the Redistribu-
tion of Seats BR, a matter on which, as I have said
before, I am in the hands of the House. But my
opinion is that, upon the whole, it would be for the
public interest and for the satisfaction of all parties
that we should proceed to complete the measure.
(Hear, hear.) There is another arrangement of less
magnitude, but which touches matters of feeling in
relation to Royalty, of such a nature as leads me to
mention it with a view of suggesting that another
exception may be taken to- the usual practice. The
House several weeks ego determined by a very large
majority on the introduction of the usual Annuity
Bill for tho marriage of her Royal Highness the
Princess Beatrice. That Annuity Bill has reached
its second reading, and although it is true that a
limited opposition was made to it on the first stage,
that opposition has not been continued on the subses
quent stages, in which the House has given the measure
its unanimous assent. As there are practical arrange-
ments connected with the passing of that measure, and,
as it touches the relations of the House towards the
Throne, and the loyal feelings of the House, my opinion
is that it would be the feeling and general disposition
of the House to approve my course if I should this
evening move the third reading of that bill. There is
another portion of the arrangement to which my sug-
gestion does not extend. (Radical cheers.) The custom
has always been, besides the annuity to propose a grant
of a capital sum; but, in the present instanee,
which is precisely based upon former prece-
dents-, owing to the course of business, the
first step has not been taken in procuring
the voting of that capital RIM. In my own mind
I have no doubt that that capital sum will be
voted with the same loyal readiness as was the
annuity; but the House has come to no decision upon
it. The House has not yet become a party to it. The
proposal itself is a responsible act, and I think it is
better that in dealing with a responsible act, however
sure we may be of the decision of the House, we
should reserve it to the House to be dealt with in the
usual manner, upon the proposal of a responsible
Government, therefore,.l do not intend, so far as I am
concerne.d, to take any step with regard to the pro-
posal. But with respect to the second reading of the
Annuity Bill, I think the House will be inclined unani-
mously, as it4irhas upon the later stages of the bill, to
the opinion teat, under the circumstances, it is just to
make that another exception to the usual method of
proceeding, by allowing it to go forward to the House
of Lords by reading it a third time to-night. Sir, I beg
to move that the House at ita rising do adjourn to
Friday.
Sir S. Northcote: I suppose we may infer, from the
speech of the right hon. gentleman, that he proposes
taking the first and fifth orders of the day, and that
after the firet order he will move the adjournment of
the Muse. 'lf so, I think that Would be a convenient
arrangement.
Mr. Gladstone: Yea.

Mr. J. Collings: May I ask whether it would be
possible to make a further exception in a matter re-
garding which very great interest is felt throughout the
country, and to allow the introduction of a bill for the
abolition of disqualification on account of the receipt
of nlelioal. rt'lief„(lloioal cheers.) I am sure that
that exception would- be received with a great deal
gratification throughout the country. Ido not know to
what extent the bill will be opposed on either side of the
House, but it will be simply carrying out an act
of justice in preventing the disqualification of a large
number of th 6 new voterB.

Mr. Gladstone: I certainly should say that I don't,
see how such an exception could be made. (Hear
hear). That measure would be included in the cate-
gory of general legislation, with which the House i 3
not now disposed to deal. Of course, it is perfectly
competent for my hon. friend to propose it, and for the
House to pronounce upon it; but that would be break-
ing through the important rule from which only
very special grounds have led me to ask for two excep-
tions.

Mr. Labouchere : As I opposed the first stage of the
Princess Beatrice Annuity Bill and was defeated, I do
not propose to oppose the subsequent stages. But
there is another question which I wish to put. We
have recently seen authoritative newspaper statements
that there is some species of negotiation going on
between the leaders of the present Opposition and her
Majesty's government, and that ber Majesty's gonrn.
meiit are about to give Certain assurances to the Nis-
servative party, that should they take office they would
not oppose them. (" Oh, oh.") In the" Standard" it
is stated that they must do this as patriots, because
Ministers have brought the country into such a deplor-
able state that they ought to be thankful to any one
who gets the country out of that state. In the
" Tithes " it is stated that Ministers ought to take
this course, that they'. intend to take it, and that
without their taking this course the present Opposi-
tion will not take office, because the Ministry them-
selves have committed a species of suicide. I think
it is desirable that this suggestion should be put at
rest at once. We know perfectly well the hon. and
right hon. gentlemen opposite during the present Ses-
sion, and especially on Monday, have done their best in
order to turn out her Majesty's advisers. They were
warned beforehand that if they did so they would have
to accept office. Under those circumstances I beg to
ask the Prime Minister whether there is any truth in
these statements, and whether anythiug beyond that
aid will be afforded to the leaders of. the Conservative
Party to -carry on the Government which the Conserva-
tive Party have afforded to her Majesty's present ad-
visers during the present Session. It would set at rest
a very strong feeling which is felt in the country, if the
right hon. gentleman could give some sort of assurance
that these statements however authoritative they may
appear, have no sort of foundation.
Mr. Gladstone: With regard to what has fallen
from my hon. friend all that I can say, and that I need
say, is that I am not conscious of any such communi-
cations as he has referred to. I can commit nobody, I
can promise nothing, I can refuse nothing. I simply
say I have absolutely no knowledge of such communi-
cation. Sir, lam afraid I have led myself into a diffi-
culty as regards the matter of form, and it may be
requisite to take a different course with regard to the
adjournment. Substantially, the meaning is that no
opportunity shall be given by the making of a House
for business before Friday. But we are now going to
consider and perhaps dispose of the Lords' amend-
ments. They will be referred in the shape in which
they will at once ieceive the assent of the House of
Lords. I deem it probable that the Lords will deal
with them either this day or to-morrow, and, at any
rate, the bill will be in a condition to receive the Royal
Assent before Friday.
Lord R. Grosvenor interposed, and informed the
right hon. gentleman that the House of Lords had
adjourned. '

iNIr. Glqdstone : I have just received intelligence that
the Lords have adjourned till Friday. (A laugh.) That
cuts short my discourse, and therefore I adhere to my
original motion.

The Speaker: Does the right hon. gentleman proposo
Friday?
Mr. GlaAstone : Yes, sfr.
The motion was then put and agreed to.
TIIE SEATS DILL.

On the proposal being made that the House consider
the Lords' Amendments to the Seats Bill,
Sir 11. Wolff moved the adjournment of the debate,
pointing out that the Lords had introduced certain new
clauses accelerating the period of the registration,
appointing additional revising barristers, &c., which
would impose a change on the people, and insisting that
these quzstions ought not tole discussed in the absence
of wrespocsible Government.
Sir 0. Dilke replied that these new clauses had
been inserted at the inetance of Lord Salisbury with
the view of obviating the inconvenience which it had
;been shown to him would occur from prolonged delay;
and the government, which bad intended to bring
them in as atseparate bill, had acquiesced in this mode
of dPaling with the matter.. . .

Sir S. .1N orthcote confirmed this, but Mr. Gorst argued
that there was no necessity for haste in the matter.
The Attorney-General, on the other hand, assured
the House that there was no time to lose, and that
much inconvenience had already arisen.
Lord It. Churchill, rguing in favour of delay, main-
tained that the Government were responsible for any
inconvenience which might arise, inasmuch as they had
prepared the defeat which had led to the present
emergency; but was stopped by the Speaker,' who
ruled that this lire of argument was eat of order.
Mr. Gladstone pointed out that an adjournment to
Friday • would be Of no use, as it must be a fortnight
before a iesponsit le Government could take the lead
of biisinees; but, while sympathizing with some of the
objections taken, he pointed out that similar circum-
• stances could never occur again, and there was no
danger in creating a precedent.
Sir M. Hicks-Beach maintained that in the difficult
position in which the House was placed it should not be
asked to take any contentious point; and Sir W. Har-
court, in replying, while admitting the difficulty of the
position, remarked that it arose out of the dis-
agreement of the Conservative leaders among them•
.
selves. •

Mr. Corr en suggested that the new clauses should be
postponed and dealt with in a separate bill, and this was
supported by Mr. 0. Lewis, Lord-J. Manners, and others,
and, after some further conversation, the House divided
on the question of adjournment, Which was negatived
by 84 to 35.
.The House then considered the Lords' Amendments,
.which were all agreed to with the exception of the in-
corporation of Jedburgh with the Border Burghs,
which, on the motion of Mr. Trevelyan, was disagreed
from; and another, changing the name of a division of
Yorkshire from Spen Valley to Birstal, was also re-
versed.