The order for going into committee on the Roman Catholic
Oaths Bill gave rise to a spirited debate on Tuesday night, in which Mr. Horsman made another most successful hit. Taking up of course the aide of the Roman Catholics very heartily, he spoke of the difficulty with which- his own conscience had been embarrassed in swearing that the Pope had no spiritual' jhrisdictionSis Engittnd, and asked whether this was tree. Mr: Wiliteside insisted that it was, but Mr. Horsman replied with great dignity that such.. an answer was impossible for Mr. Newdegate, who was always warning us of the great danger caused by the extension of that jurisdiction.. Mr. Newdegate accordingly got up to explain that he teak the oath in the sense of "legal jurisdiction," whereon Mr. Horsman. came down sharply with a reminder that the Roman Catholics have to state that they swear "in the plain, ordinary sense of the words, without any evasion, equivocation, or mental reservation whatsoever." To have convicted Mr. Newdegate so neatly of that "mental reservation" with which he is always reproaching the Catholics, was a great triumph for Mr. Horaman, and the House cheered enthusiastically as the member for North Warwickshire fell so comfortably into the pit laid for him. The majority for going into committee was 67-193 to 126.
