On Thursday, Sir Henry James moved a clause which would
take away from the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland the power which he now possesses of suspending the Habeas Corpus Act by proclamation. The English Executive has no such power, why should the Irish P Mr. Healy declared that the Lord-Lieutenant would only be able to act in this matter on the advice of the Imperial Executive; but Mr. Courtney promptly corrected him, and showed that unless the new clause was accepted, the Irish Executive would be able to repeal the Habeas Corpus Act by a stroke of the pen. Mr. Sexton, however, persisted in opposing the new clause, on the ground that rebellion and invasion were Imperial matters, that these were the only grounds on which the proclamation could be issued, and that therefore the power of proclama- tion would, under Home-rule, belong to the Imperial Executive. Mr. Gladstone, who had apparently been moved by the Areiglt of the Unionist argument, most dexterously turned Mr. Sexton's speech against the Irish contention. He declared himself convinced by it that rebellion and invasion were purely Imperial matters, that therefore they ought to le dealt with only by Imperial legislation, and therefore he accepted Sir Henry James's amendment. Later, Mr. Mild- may's amendment making it less easy for the Irish Executive to act tyrannically towards individuals, was defeated by 40 (198 to 158).
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