The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-04-09 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

MR. CONYBEARE AND THE /SPEAKER.

In the Mum OF COMMONS, on April 4th, Mr.
Ohaplin called attention, as a question of privilege, to a
Speech delivered on sa urday by Mr. Cony beare,
member for the Camborne Division of Cornwall,
reflecting upon the conduct of the Speaker of the
HouFe, and asked whather the speech did not consti.
tute a grave breach of privilege.
The Speaker replied that, of course, it was a matter
affecting privilege; but whether it was a breach of
privilege or not was for the House to decide. His own
wish was to pass over, as he could afford to do, any
personal reflections on himself; but in this case it was
not only a reflection on himself, but on the House
through the elected Speaker of the House. If
any hon. member thought fit to impugn his conduct in
the Chair, it was competent for him to bring the sub.
ject under the notice of the House by a distinct notice
and motion. He could understand that, in the heat of
party feeling, when men's passions were roused, words
might escape which members in their cooler moments
would repudiate, and he hoped the words of the
member for Cambotne were not premeditated or de.
liberate. It was his desire while occupying the Chair
to allay party feeling, and, notwithstanding the sneer
of an hon. member, to allay any heat or passion.
(The right hon. gentleman was understood to
refer to a conspicuous Irish member.) But it was a
strange thing that, when within a few weeks he
had been invested by the Standing Order of the
House, with absolute discretion as to whether he should
give or withhold his consent to a motion for closing
debate, an hon. member should think it incumbent
upon him to charge him with having become a partisan
on one side or the other. He would only say further,
that he was content to leave his conduct in the Chair
to the judgment of every fair•minded and honourable
man.

Mr. Conybeare observed that he had seen no report
whatever of what he had said, and if on examining the
reports he found that4hey were an accurate representa-
tion of what he said, and that he had in any way spoken
in a manner that reflected on the Speaker, he should at
once humbly express his regret at having unintentionally
done so. The House had been assured by the First Lord
of the Treasury that the Closure Rule would only be
used to check obstruction, and he was endeavouring to
raise the Constitutional question whether the Liberal
Party were right or wrong in that interpretation, and
to show that there was a feeling in tho country that
the interpretation placed on the Rule on Friday would
be such as to bring the Speaker's conduct into question.
But he was not indulging in any such feeling himself.
His object was to bring out the danger which ho
thought had actually arisen, and which had been fore-
cast by Mr. Gladstone, and if in doing this he had said
any thing that could by possibility contain a reflection,
which he did not intend to make, on the authority and
conduct of the Speaker, he could only say that he was
sorry for it.
Mr. W. H Smith declined to enter into the question
of the conduct of the Government referred to by Mr.
Conybeare. Understanding, however, the hon. mem-
ber to have unequivocally withdrawn any imputation
upon the Chair, he begged to assure the Speaker of the
complete and absolute confidence which that side of
the House had in the right hon. gentleman's im-
partiality, a feeling which he was sure was shared by
right hon. and hon. gentlemen opposite.
Mr. J Morley remarked that when he read the
language ascribed to Mr. Conybeare he felt very
profound regret. His hon. friend had, however, made
a complete and satisfactory withdrawal of the meaning
which the words he used at first sight seemed to bear.
It was hardly necessary to say that the Liberal Party
would deprecate as strongly as the other side any words
which expressed "a want of faith in the absolute im-
partiality of the Speaker or doubt of his desire to use
his great authority and position to allay party heats
and calm down passion.
Mr. Chaplin having intimated that after the state.
ment of Mr. Conybeare he did not propose to make a
motion on the subject, the incident terminated.
On the order for going into Committee of Supply,
Mr. Duff called attention to the administration of
harbour loans, and moved a resolution on the subject,
but withdrew it after some discussion. Mr. S. Smith
proposed a motion in favour of relaxing the restrictions
of the Local Government Board on the emigration of
pauper children. This also was withdrawn. Eventually
the motion for Supply was withdrawn.