The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-11-01 00:00:00

LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL AND

MR. CHAMBERLAIN.
The attendance in the House of Commons on
Friday night was very small at question time, and
became smaller still as soon as what was nominally
tha business of the evening commenced. On the
motion of Lord Richard Grosvenor, a new writ was
ordered to be issued for Scarborough in the place of
Mr. Dodson. Mr. Trevelyan, appearing at the table
to answer a Question put by Mr. Healy, was received
with loud cheers from all parts of the House where
English members sit, Conservatives joining as
heartily as Liberals in this testimony of personal
esteem. When the cheers had died away, they were
heartily taken up by the Irish members, not to be
behind in offering their congratulations to the right
hon. gentleman on his elevation to Cabinet rank.
Shortly after a question put by Sir Frederick Milner
addressed to Mr. Chamberlain as to the correctness
of a report sof a passage in one of his speeches at
Birmingham led to a lively scene. Mr. Chamberlain
suggested that it would have been better to have read
the whole of the passage brought forward. Sir F.
Milner had accidentally omitted the reference to a
speech made by Lord Randolph Churchill last year in
Edinburgh when he declared that he would not
believe in the reality of the popular demand for
the franchise till some palings were pulled
down. Lord Randolph, rising amid laughter
and cheers, asked whether it was in order to
put in the mouth of a member words he had
not spoken. The Speaker said if Lord Randolph
disclaimed the accuracy of tho report Mr.
Chamberlain would doubtless accept the disclaimer.
Mr. Chamberlain pledged himself as• to the substan-
tial accuracy of the words he had quoted. Hereupon
Sir Henry Wolff hotly interposed with what the
Speaker ruled was no point of order. Referring to
the riots at Birmingham Mr. Chamberlain said the
facts formed a matter of discussion. He would be
glad, if an opportunity presented itself, to state what
had been reported to him by eye-witnesses amongst
his constituents. At present he was of opinion that
the only persons who kad been guilty of disgraceful
conduct in connection with political meetings
at Birmingham were some roughs paid by the
Conservative party as " chuckers out." Lord
Randolph ChurAill once snore rose and
asked whether before the debate on the Address
closed Mr. Chamberlain would reply to the charges
of complicity in the riots, an opportunity for which
bad been given him the previous night, and which he had
d:elined. Mr. Chamberlain said nothing would give
him greater pleasure. "I did not," he continued, with
quiet manner that failed to pre-age what was corning,
" reply last night, because the hon. member
for Portsmouth appeared to be the jackal of the
notri!e lord." Roars of laughter greeted this sally,
rising to a higher pitch when Lord Randolph
Churchill, reciprocating Sir Henry Wolff's assistance
rose, and "in the interests of Parliamentary decency,"
asked whether it was in order for one membee to
apply to another the term jackal. The Speaker
hoped the noble lord would not take the term in a
too literal sense, a suggestion gravely put which
caused a burst of laughter, amid which the
purists of order, who sit in the neighbourhood
of Mr. Healy, cried " Shame ! " though with
what application was not clear. Sir Stafford
Northcote, desiring to throw oil on the troubled
waters, hoped that Mr. Chamberlain would withdraw
the phrase. Mr. Chamberlain explained that be had
never thought of using it otherwise than in a figura-
tive sense, precisely in the same way as on a recent
occasion Sir Stafford Northcpte had described Lord
Randolph Churchill as a " lionnet." He however, if
the phrase gave pain, at once withdrew it. The scene,
which lastNl only a few minutes, but never flagged in
liveliness, was brought to an appropriate conclusion
by Sir Henry WolE, amid renewed laughter, loftily
declaring that nothing Mr. Chamberlain could say
would affect him in the least. After this Mr. A
O'Connor resumed the debate on the Maamtrasna
murder, and the House emptied.