The Sun.
London, England, 1870-03-25 00:00:00

THE ULSTER PROTESTANTS.

Sir THOMAS BATESON said he wished to make an expla
nation. In his speech on the Peace Preservation Bill h.
had stated that Mr. Gladstone had described the conduct
of the Orangemen of Ulster as odious and dreadful. The
First Minister of the Crown then asked him on what
occasion he had used the words, and he now quoted the
words from a report in the Times of a speech delivered
during his Lancashire tour.
Mr. GLADSTONE, in reply, said that the words were
used in reference to a geueral practice, and he deprecated
the commemoration of civil strife 200 years old.
PEACE PRESERVATION (IRELAND) BILL.

On the motion for going into committee on this bill,
Colonel S. KNOX said he should support the measure,
as one rendered necessary by the " felonious conduct" of
the Government with regard to the Irish Church.
The House then went into committee on the bill.
Clauses 1 and 2 were agreed to without observation.
Clauses 3 and 4 were agreed to after a verbal amend-
ment had been made to the latter by the Solicitor-General
for Ireland.

On clause 5 being proposed,
Colonel FRENCH thought the power given by the clause
was not clear, as to upon whom the expense was to fall
upon sending additional police to disturbed districts.
Mr. C. FORTESCUE said the powers given by the clause
were additional to those which already existed and did not
in the slightest degree, do away with any power, already
possessed by the Lord Lieutenant.
The clause was agreed to.
Clause 6 was agreed to after Mr. C. FORTESCUE had
made an amendment with respect to the persons alluded
to, and those not allowed to carry arms in a procalimed
district.

On clause 7, which inflicted a punishment of two years'
imprisonment for any person carrying arms other than
those set out in the bill,
Mr. G. MooRE moved as an amendment that the
punishment should be one year, with hard labour, instead
of two years, as set out in the bill. The two years, if
inflicted, would never be carried out.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said he hoped the amendment
would not be pressed, because the judge had the discretion
of making the punishment but two months if he felt so
disposed.
Mr. MoORE thought that it would be best to fix a term
of punishment which if inflicted by the judge would surely
be carried out. It was ridiculous to say that a punish-
ment of two years would ever be carried out if inflicted
merely for the possession of arms.
After a few observations from Mr. Downing,

Mr. C. FORTESCUE thought it would be best to allow
the clause to stand as it was at present drawn. It would
b 3 advantageous to give the judge the power asked for,
because same very strong cases might arise. It was by no
means a novel proposal, as it had existed for many year
in the Crime and Outrage Act.

The committee divided, when there appeared—

I ')r the amendment
.zigainst it

. 31
. 333

Majority against it 302
The clayse was then agreed to.

Clauses 8 and 9 were agreed to.
Mr. DOWNING moved an amendment on clause 9 as fol-
lows :—" Line 6, after " fit," insert, "between the hours
of sunrise and sunset."

Mr. FORTESCUE said the object of the clause to in-
crease the power of the police and the local authorities
was of the greatest value. At present the power of the
police with regard to matters at night was insufficient. The
powers,it was proposedto give them would no doubt be ex-
ercised. under a sense of the gravest responsibility.
7111.9ppinp4draent,,,was not agreed to.

In Clause 13, Mr. Callam proposed the following amend-
ment :—Page 4, line 38, leave out " proclaimed," and after
district insert " specially proclaimed."
Mr. DOWSE defended the clause, as introducing a wise
and judicious change in the law. The coroner had at pm
sent such power as it was proposed under the clause to give
to magistrates.
Sir JOHN GRAY complained that under the clause a
justice might summon any person under any circum-
stances. A clergyman who had received the confession of
a dying man might be summoned.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL for IRELAND said he could not
advise the house to consent to the proposed amendment.
The amendment was negatived without a division.
Mr. TORRENS said it appeared to him that they were
about to do in Ireland that which no person would allow
for a moment in England. They were going to give to
every or any justice of the peace the power to call any
person before them and question them without any limi-
tation. The clause seemed to him to be a
revival of the office of the Holy Inquisition. The
proposal was, in fact, a drag-net, to get up evidence at
any:cost. He thought that some precaution ought to be
taken to prevent any abuse of the power given.
Lord JOHN MANNERS thought that if it was to become
necessary, to have a bill like the present for England,
no one, he believed, would object so such a clause as the
nrilizent

—Upon the ctauSb empowenirthe—ATlZlTUrNeltenetvfor
Ireland to change the venue in trials for outrage in specially
proclaimed districts, the Solicitor-General for Ireland even-
tually allowed the clause to be altered by taking the power
of changing the venue out of the hands of the Attorney-
General and t!ansferring it to the full Court of Queen's
Bench, which should be allowed to sit in the vacations.

Mr. SYNAN objected to Clause 27, relating to the suppres-
sion and forfeiture of newspapers containing treasonable or
seditious matter, on the ground that it created a law for Ire-
land different from that of England. The result of restrict-
ing the liberty of the press would be to make the union be-
tween England and Ireland a mere parchment union. He
moved therefore, as an amendment, that the words " trea-
sonable or seditious" be omitted, iu order that it might be
left to juries to decide what those words meant.
Tho O'DonoGituz supported the Government, and said
that there were at present in Ireland a knot of sctibhlers
who had arrogated to themselves, with most unwarrantable
effrontery, the attributes of nationality, whose business it
was to revive the memory of O'Connell, and to trade upon
the generous and confiding nature of the Irish people.
Mr. G. HARDY gave his hearty assent to the clause.
Upon a division the amendment was negatived by 330
to 15.

Mr. BOUTEME then moved to leave out the word "sedi-
tious" in clause 27, on the gr-und that a great deal of vexa-
tious and oppressive interference might result from retaining
the word. Referring to a decision given by Lord bolt in Queen
Anne's reign, respecting some adverse comments passed on
the English navy by a newspaper editor, the hon. gentleman
maintained that though what was called seditious in that
day might be considered mere harmless criticism now, yet
that in the eye of the law it was still sedition ; and that,
viewed in this light, there was not a newspaper in Ireland
which might not be legally considered to contain seditious
matter.
Mr. A. HERBERT supported the clause.

Sir R. PALMER criticised at some length the argument of
Mr. Bouverie, and affirmed that Lord Holt's definition of
sedition could not bo considered as law at the present day.
Free comment on the acts of the Government was not merely
a liberty enjoyed by the press through the connivance of
juries, but was their inalienable and lawful right.
Itir. W. TORRENS opposed the clause, and predicted that
if it became law it would be despised, evaded, and set at
nought.

Mr. NEWDEGATE thought the measure would prevent sedi-
tion if it were carried out ; but he apprehended more danger
from secret consp.racy than from open expressions of dis-
content.

Mr. G. MooRE then mived that the Chairman report pro-
gress, though a largo majority welt) clamorously pressing
fora division upon the clause. His motion was eventually
defeated by 265 to 19, but with the consent of the Treasury
B .nelt progress was subsequently reported.
The remaining business having been disposed of, the
House adjourned.

THE LA. ['EST EDITION of " THE SUN."
J. 11..1131ES begs to inform his friends and the public
generally that he supplies the LATEST EDITION of "THE
SON " as soon as pablished.—No.lo, Hampstead-road, N.W.

rIMIE LAIEST EDITION of " THE SUN "
111, supplied as soon as published, every Evening, by S.
WILsON, newsagent, and special agent for the North-western
District, 21, Delancey-street, Camden town, N