Show tA A Government Subterfuge T < OT > OS May 4 HightHon WH Smith First Lord of the Treasury announced in tho Commons this afternoon that the Government I Gov-ernment has resolved that the statement I by the Times characterizing Dillons denial ff connection with Sheridan the Invincible Invinci-ble was not I breach of privilege and was not sustained by precedent as such Smith said it would bo against the dignity of the House to summon the Times editor to the bar without previous inquiry The Government Gov-ernment feeling it to be its duty to endeavor endea-vor to solve the question had instructed the Attorney General to prosecute the Times for libel on Dillon who was at liberty to select such counsel as ho saw fit LONDON May 4T P OConnor condemned con-demned the Governments prosposal He said he commisserated the Government on their humiliating and degrading position Their nroposal was really for a cul Insivo action at law made by the valor of libel OConnor hero produced pro-duced a copy of the Time containing the libel on Dillon and and fiqurshing it aloft he said I purchased this copy of the Times at one of tho bookstalls owned by the Rt Hon First Lord of the Treasury I is he speaking for the government who says no breach of privilege was committed Irish cheers He is therefore deeply interested as a parly in the case against the editor of the Times The two men ought to be in the dock together The Irish members mem-bers reject his proposal as unfair unjust and unprecedented The House of Commons ought not to be taken in by a collusion action Here DeLislo Conservative Conserv-ative the member for Middle Leicestershire arose to a point of order He said he had heard Tanner Tan-ner Homernler the member for Middle Cork say The Conservatives were a damned of cads Irish voices oso you are Speaker Peel The clerk of the house will please see that these words are taken down Tanner denied that he had used the word damned he repeated however that the Conservatives were a lot of cads The speaker said he must withdraw with-draw the expression and apologize Tanner said he would do so Sir William Vernon Harconrt denounced the Governments proposal Sir Edward Clark Solicitor General moved an amendment to the Governments proposal to the effect that House did not consider the Times statements state-ments concerning Dillon a breach of privilege privi-lege Sir Edward declared that there was no record of Parliament having committed a man to custody for a breach of privilege such as this 1 |