It might have been thought that the principle of Mr. Bradlaugh's position needed only to be stated to be accepted by men of honourable feeling and average intelligence. After all, as Mr. Labouchere, in course of conversation on this very point, once remarked to me: "a statement is either true or false, and expletives cannot affect it." The legal precedents, invoked, although they did not actually mention {146} the parliamentary oath, had been considered sufficient by the last Liberal law officers. Sir Henry Brand, however, had "grave doubts," and desired to refer the claim to the House's judgment. Lord Frederick Cavendish, on behalf of the Treasury Bench, seconded by Sir Stafford Northcote, the leader of the Opposition, moved that the point be referred to a Select Committee. Lord Percy and Mr. David Onslow attempted in vain to adjourn the debate. On May 10, Lord Richard Grosvenor, the Government Whip, announced the names of the proposed Committee: Mr. Whitbread, Sir J. Holker, Mr. John Bright, Lord Henry Lennox, Mr. W. H. Massey, Mr. Staveley Hill, Sir Henry Jackson, Sir Henry James (the Attorney-General), Mr. Farrer Herschell (the Solicitor-General), Sir G. Goldney, Mr. Grantham, Mr. Pemberton, Mr. Watkin Williams, Mr. Spencer Walpole, Mr. Hopwood, Mr. Beresford Hope, Major Nolan, Mr. Chaplin, and Mr. Serjeant Simon. In spite of the fact that the actual motion was not to come on till the next day, Sir Henry Drummond Wolff endeavoured at once to raise a debate on the legitimacy of the Committee, and the next day succeeded in doing so. The debate was characterised by "great violence and recklessness," but the Government succeeded in getting their Committee appointed by a majority of seventy-four. The report of the Committee was presented on May 20. Eight members were in favour of Mr. Bradlaugh's right to affirm, and eight members against: Mr. Spencer Walpole, the Chairman, took the responsibility of giving his casting vote for the Noes. All the Noes with the exception of Mr. Hopwood were Conservatives, the rest of the Liberals voting on the affirmative side. Bradlaugh now claimed the right to take the oath, as the right to affirm was denied him.