Oral Answers to Questions — Ireland. – in the House of Commons at on 8 December 1920.
Captain Charles Foxcroft
, Bath
asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been drawn to the statement recently published in the Press, from a New York correspondent, to the effect that Mr. de Valera, the so-called president of the Irish Pepublic, expressly approves of the wholesale murder of British officers and, at the same time, asks the American public to demonstrate its horror at the massacre of Irish civilians by English soldiers; and whether, in the interests of Anglo-American friendship, he will request the Government of the United States of America to take official notice of Mr. de Valera's anti-British activities?
Mr Bonar Law
, Glasgow Central
The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the second, that the matter is under consideration.
Sir Harry Brittain
, Acton
Is it not a fact that the American citizens themselves on their own soil are showing their disapprobation very strongly of this man?
Mr Bonar Law
, Glasgow Central
Undoubtedly there is a very severe campaign being carried on in America against this country, but so far we have found that we can trust American opinion.
Mr Horatio Bottomley
, Hackney South
Will the right hon. Gentleman consider whether the time has not arrived to make a serious representation to America that any further toleration of the activities of this man and the conferring upon him of municipal honours is an unfriendly act?
Mr Bonar Law
, Glasgow Central
I think there is no doubt that from the diplomatic point of view we would have a right to take the course suggested by my hon. Friend, but it is not a question of a right; it is a question of what is expedient.
Colonel C. LOWTHER:
Do not the Laws of extradition apply, and enable us to arrest this man?
Laws are the rules by which a country is governed. Britain has a long history of law making and the laws of this country can be divided into three types:- 1) Statute Laws are the laws that have been made by Parliament. 2) Case Law is law that has been established from cases tried in the courts - the laws arise from test cases. The result of the test case creates a precedent on which future cases are judged. 3) Common Law is a part of English Law, which has not come from Parliament. It consists of rules of law which have developed from customs or judgements made in courts over hundreds of years. For example until 1861 Parliament had never passed a law saying that murder was an offence. From the earliest times courts had judged that murder was a crime so there was no need to make a law.