The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-02-05 00:00:00

THE IRISH COERCION BILL.

The Bill for the Better Protection of Person and Property
in Ireland was issued on Saturday. The publication of a
Bill before leave has been given to introduce it is unusual ;
and an official explanation has been given that the Bill was
issued by the Queen's Printer by inadvertence, in the expec-
tation that leave to introduce it would have been given at
the close of the debate on Friday's sitting. On the back of
the Bill are the names of Mr. Forster, Mr. Gladstone, and Sir
William Harcourt :

"Be it enacted by the Queen's Most Excellent
Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the
Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this
present Parliament assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows :

"Clause I.—(1) Any person who is declared by the
warrant of the Lord-Lieutenant to be reasonably sus-
pected of having, either before or after the passing of
this Act, been guilty as principal or accessdry of high
treason, treason-felony, or treasoßable practices,
wherever committed, or of any crime punishable by
law committed in a prescribed district, being an
act of violence or intimidation, or the inciting
to an act of violence or intimidation, and tending to
interfere with or disturb the maintenance of law and
order, may be arrested in any part of Ireland, and
legally detained during the continuance of this Act in
such prison in Ireland DA may from time to time be
directed by the Lord-Lieutenant without bail or main-
prize, and shall not be discharged or tried by any
Court without the direction of the Lord-Lieutenant,
and every such warrant shall be conclusive evidence
of all matters therein contained and of the jurisdiction
to issue and execute such warrant, and of the legality
of the arrest and detention of the person mentioned in
such warrant.

"(2) Any person detained in pursuance of a warrant
under this Act shall be treated as a person accused of
crime, and not as a convicted prisoner.
"(3) A list cf all persons for the time being detained
in prison under this Act, with a statement opposite
each person's name of the prison in which -he is
detained for the time being, and of the ground stated
for his arrest in the warrant under which he is de-
tained, shall be laid before each House of Parliament
within the first seven days of every month during
which Parliament is sitting.
" (4) ' Prescribed district' means any part of Ireland
in that behalf specified by an order of the Lord
Lieutenant for the time being in force; and the Lord.
Lieutenant, by and with the advice of the Privy
Council in Ireland, may from time to time make, and
when made revoke and alter any such order.
"Clause II.—(1) Any warrant or order of the
Lord Lieutenant under this Act may be signified
under his hand, or the hand of the Chief Secretary
to the Lord Lieutenant, and a copy of every warrant
under this Act shall within seven days after the exe-
cution thereof be transmitted to the Clerk of the
Crown for the county of City of Dublin, to be filed
by him in his public office in that city.
"(2) The Lord-Lieutenant, by and with the advice
of the Privy Council in Ireland, may from time to
time make, and when made revoke and alter, an
order prescribing the forms of warrants for the pur-
poses of this Act; and any forms so prescribed shall
when used be valid in law.

_
"(3) Every order under this Act shall be published
in the Dublin Gazette and the production of a printed
copy of the Dublin Gazette,
purporting to be printed
and published by the Oueen'i3 authority, containing
publication of any order under this Act shall be con-
clusive evidence of the contents of such order,,and of
the date thereof, and of the same having been duly
made.
"(4k The expression 'Lord Lieutenant' means the
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland or other chief Governor or
Governors of Ireland for the time being.
"Clause lll.—This Act shall Continue in force
until the thirtieth day of September, one thousand
eight hundred and eighty-two, and no longer."