The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-03 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-LAST EVENING. 11
SUSPENSION OF THE HABEAS CORPUS ACT IN

IRELAND.
Lord NAAS moved the second reading of the bill for
further suspending the Habeas Corpus Act in Ireland, as-
suring the house that nothing but the belief of its absolute
necessity would have induced the Government to ask for a
continuance of these extraordinary powers, which had
been so boldly and prudently used by the late Government

that they had produced a great sense of security among
the loyal and well-disposed portion of the community.
Altogether 756 persons had been arrested, and 320 were
still in custody, who must be discharged unconditionally
on the Ist of September if this Act won allowed to expire.
The Government desired to deal with these men in a spirit

of forgiveness, but before discharging them desired to have
these powers continued, so that they might take securities
from them that they would leave the country and engage
no more in their treasonable designs. To show that Fe-
nianism was not yet extinct he pointed to the raid on
Canada and recent meetings in the United States, and
mentioned that within a very recent period drilling had
been going on in various parts of Ireland. It was hop3d
that when, by the continuance of these powers, the Ame-
rican agents were driven and kept out of the country the
people would at last become awake to the hopelessness of
this conspiracy. Lord Naas next adverted to Mr. Ma-
guire's resolutions, expressing a modified concurrence in
some of them in any other sense but as an amendment to
this bill—but dwelling chiefly on the last two, which
point to Liberal legislation as the true cure for Irish ills.
He pointed out that Fenian agitation was not directed
against any causes which could be remedied by legislation ;
that the Fenian a repudiated the authority of the Roman
Catholic Church, and contemplated a general confiscation
of the land, so that no change in the Established Church or

in the tenure of land could content them. That, however,
43 assured the house, would make no difference in the
earnest desire of the Government to introduce and promote

any legislation which might be advantageous to Ireland.
Mr. MAGUIRE moved a string of resolutions affirming
that the circumstances of Ireland have changed since the
act was first passed, that the supremacy of the law had been
sufficiently vindicated by the ordinary tribunals, that poli-
tical excitement had faded away, and recommending a libe-
ral and remedial policy instead of repressive measures. Re
asserted that there were not above 50 men now in prison
who would not gladly give any assurance in their power
to get out, that Penianism was dying out both in America
and Ireland, referred to the records of the assizes to show
that crime was greatly on the decrease, and after dilating
at great length on the land question, which he asserted lay
at the root of the difficulty, ho exhorted the Government
with great fervour to come forward next session with large
and liberal measures of conciliation.
Mr. GLADSTONE, agreeing with Mr. Maguire that the
land question was the chief cause of Irish evils, and sharing
in the desire to see it justly settled at the earliest moment,

supported the bill, pointing out that in former cases the
powers now asked had generally been taken for a longer
period than six months, and expressing a confident belief
that they would be excised in a lenient spirit. In discuss-
ing Mr. Maguire's resolutions he pronounced a glowing
eulogium on the good faith of the American Government
during the late raid on Canada, and an equally vigorous
denunciation of the malignant wickedness of that enter-
prise ; and, while agreeing iu the general spirit of the reso-
lutions, he argued that they were no reply to this demand
of the Government. The members of the late Government,
having consulted together, were of opinion that had they
remained in office it would hale been their duty to make a
similar request ; consequently they were ready to take their
share of responsibility for this measure.
The bill was opposed by Sir G. Bowyer, Mr. O'Beirne,
and Mr. Dillon, who argued that no sufficient case of
urgency had been made out, and supported by Sir F. Hey-
gate, who believed that it would bring about a feeling of
confidence which would induce a return of English capital
to the country.
Mr. OSBORNE charged the condition of Ireland on Eng-
lish legislation, and particularly on the measures of re-
pression which had been adopted, and taunted the English
Government with not daring to call out the Irish Militia
or put arms in the hands of Irish Volunteers. He pointed
to Canada as a proof that Irishmen when well governed
were orderly and loyal ; and described Fenianism as a com-
munistic attempt at rebellion, pillage, and murder, the
most dangercus feature of which was that the well-to-do
farmers iu the south sympathised with it, and would join
the movement en masse on their first success. Passing to
the remedial measures which should be introduced, ho re-
pudiated the "cuckoo-cry" of "identical institutions," and
insisted that the Establiskment —with which successive
Governments had been prevented from dealing by the
bigotry of Scotch and English members—should be re-
formed, and if this were delayed too long it would be abo-
lished, the Ecclesiastical Titles Act repealedf and Trinity
College thrown open to men of all religions. lie recom-
mended, also, the substitution of a Royal Prince or a Royal
residence for the Lord-Lieutenant, an official of no power
or authority ; and a settlement of the land question. Ad-
mitting that the winter could hardly be got through with-
out some measure for dealing with the American agents,
he declined to intrust these large powers to the present
Government, and in support of this he commented on the
declarations and surroundings of various members of it.
In Mr. Disraeli's knowledge of the Irish question, and in
his ability to deal with it, were he not trammelled by the
bucolic respectability behind him, he had the fullest trust,
and, in concluding a witty and effective speech, he called
on him to initiate a policy which, though it might shock a
faction, would regenerate a people.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL for IRELAND (Mr.
Walsh), after some preliminary remarks in defence of
Trinity College and the landlords of Ireland, repeated that
these extraordinary powers were absolutely necessary to
enable the Government to deal with the 300 desperadoes
remaining in the gaols, and who, unless this bill passed,
would in three weeks be let loose in Ireland. These men
were the very worst of all the prisoners ; they were ad-
venturers who had returned from America after the war,
from the great towns of England, and they had not been
released because they could find no one to be security for
their good behaviour, or refused to leave the country. To
show that the virulence of Fenianism had not abated, he
related the particulars of several recent assaults committed
in Dublin, and, while advocating for Ireland a comprehen-
sive policy which would foster industry and enterprise, he
deprecated the revival of perennial agitation, and the intro-
duction into the debate of so wide a range of irritating
topics.
After some remarks from Sir J. Gray and Mr. Watkin
in support of the resolutions, and from Mr. Pim in support
of the Bill, Mr. M'Laren defended the Scotch members
from the charge of bigotry brought against them by Mr. B.
Osborne, and on a division Mr. Maguire's resolutions were
rejected by 105 to 31.
The Bill was then read a second time.
The other orders were disposed of, and the House ad-
ourned at 20 minutes to two o'clock.