New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-27
PARLIAMENTARY PRIVILEGE.
BRITISH HOUSE OF COMMONS AND THE
PRESS.

INTERESTED IN CURTAlLINQ THE LIBERTY OF TIE
PRESS,
trRox TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRrBuSZ.]
LONDON, April 15.-The undoubted capacity of
the House Of Commons for making itself ridiculous
in its collective character has seldom been sig
na1y shown than in its dealings with the press. And
OF all IFS dealings with the press has been much
more ridiculous than Its decision on Tuesday night
to summon the printers Of The Daily Nccs and Of The
Times before IL for breach Of privilege Among the
rusty weapons 10 the arnory Of this-fOr the most
part-Wspectabe assembly, Privilege is the one
wbichis most often rcfurbshed aud brandshed about
the heads of nnlucky and unintentiOnal transgres-
The alleged breach of privilege in this case
the publication OF letter from tho Honduras Minister
at Paris, attacking Capt Bedford PIN, a member Of
the House OF Commons. This letter had been adj
dressed to tho Chairman of the Committee on Foreign
Loans The Committee on Foreign Loans il a Com
mittee appointed early this session. the motion of
Sir Henry James, late Attorney General to inquire
into the circumstances under which certain loans to
cert,in Foreign States had been brought out in Lon
don. the States in question being the Republics of
Central and South America. Capt. Bedford PIN,
naval officer had appeared and testified before this
Committee respecting Honduras, and in the course
Of his testimony made certain charges against
NJ. Victor Herran, the Honduras Minister above
mentioned. 1t Is Mr.. Herran's letter, replying to
these charges which is the occasion of tho proceed
iDgs in tho House.
The occasion, | say, hut by no means the cause.
the principal cause. That lies further back. Thereal
offender is the Committee itself. The Committee has
set about its work in temper which has carried dis
may into certain commercial circles, and which
threatens more than pretcntious house with dis
astrous exposure. Men of great wealth, and of still
unquestioned position in the City, see ruin before
them il these inquiries are allowed to proceed I'M
checked They have been moving heaven aud earth
not tO speak of the other placetO check them, and,
~ Mr.. Watkin Williams and Sir William liareO1rt
told the House plainly, this motion is only one of
many attempts to render the proceedings of the COM
mitee futile, and bring them TO premature end.
Bearing much in mind, let what the at
tempt H. and to what sort of an attack the freedom
OF the Press in subjected.
The person who has taken charge of the dignity Of
the House of Commons this occasion is Mr.. Charles
Lewis, q Tory attorney, who has sat for the City
of Londonderry since 1872. He IL, ~ Sir William
Iarco,rt limited last week, of those ambitious
men no think the best way to get on is to make
yourself disagrceable to the leaders of your own
partya restless, fussy man. who is in danger Of be-
coming bore. lIc is, presumably, friend Of Capt.
Bedford Pim and he may be his solicitor, fos amght
know. He has done him the extraordinary service
of recalling general attention 10 the letterin which he
says Capt Pinwos belcd, and has caused this letter
which most people bad never real had forgotten
Ia be coDspicuously repubished part of the Par
liamentary reports. His complaint to the HOuss was
that il had previously been published ia Tho Times
and Dolly Necs a. part Of tho proceedings OF the
Committee. Upon this he founded motion that
those papers had been guilty of breach Of privi-
lege averring at the time that his object was,
not discipline those papers, but to compel the
pvipt al: thptnf Tn All
question.
BIT there was and could be no mystery abOut the
matter. The proceedings Of tho Committee have
been open. The public has been admitted tables,
chairs aud stationery had been provided for report
ers full reports appeared daily in all the papers.
The letter of Nh. Herran read aloud By MEM
Der Of the Committee, and was published precisely
as the transactions were published. MIR. Lewis
chooses however, TO take the ground that the letter
was not properly given in evidence, and SO did not
become part of the proceedings before the Commit
tee, as ii that matter about which reporter
could he expected to judge.
That the publication j. technically breach OF
privilege is conceded But it is not, to use Sir
William IIarcourt's phrase a breach of privilege
because that which Ia Published is libel, but be-
cause il is published at all. The libel is matter for
the courts not for the House There is resolution
of the House declaring that evidence and documents
before q Committee Of the House ought not to he
published. The House, or the Committee, could have
prevented the publication of this letter and Of any
of the proceedings. 10 they can OF the debates IN
tho House. The publication Of tho report OF this
debate is q breach of privilege. For some reason
best known ~ itself, the House keeps up variety
of autiq,mted regulations, musty relics IT past
az. Once or twice in generation it flies into
passion with somebody or something, and mOinen-
tariIy enorces the rules which il broken every
day with entire cOmpaisance. But il the press should
take its revenge by obeyng the rules and supprss-
ing the debates, honorable members would be the
first 10 complain.
The technical breach Of privilege may I've passed
by, therefore, as q thing Of no moment whatever.
Yet the House adopted the resolution, and then
adopted two others directing the printers Of The
Times and The Daily Meas To attend at the bar Of the
House OIL Friday next, at bafpast four o'clock. Mr..
Lewis SAYS lac shall then ask them from whom they
received the letter. Mr.. Disraeh supported the
motion, and in supporting il made speech which
can only be called astounding. lie supported it on
the ground that the letter was libel, and that by
summoning tho printers there Was some hope that
the means by which il got into print could TO ascer
tanned. Yet he admitted that some member or nlein-
beers Of the Committee itself must know about It, and
he appealed To the Chairman, Mr. Lowe to state the
facts. Iord Harrington replied for Mr.. Lowe that
IL woul he clearly out Of order for him to reply or to
discuss in the House the proceedings Of Committee
which had not vet reported This admitted, and
vet Mr. Disraeli said he should vote for the motion,
when Mr. Lowe answered-shOuld vote, that ID, to
call to the bar of the House two persons whom he
himself described as honest and Innocent in order to
wiring out of them information they probably do not