Yesterday week there was another long debate on the Irish
Crimes Bill in relation to the law of criminal conspiracy, Mr. Reid moving a proviso that stood in the name of Sir Charles Russell, that an agreement or combination to do that which would not be punishable as a crime if done by separate persons, should not be punishable as a criminal conspiracy. But this simply meant that because not paying your own debt is not a crime, an agitation or combination amongst several debtors to bind each other not to pay their debts should not be a crime. Of course, the object was to protect the "Plan of Campaign" from being treated as criminal, and the argument was urged just as if the combination not to fulfil a contract already made was the same thing ae a combination not to make a new contract except on certain favourable terms. The former would be criminal, whether in England or Ireland. The latter is not criminal, and the Bill does not make it so. The amendment was defeated by a majority of 83 (263 to 180). In the course of the debate, Mr. Healy was called to order for charging the Tory Members with being in a half-drunken condition.
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