The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-06-12 00:00:00

THE GREAT DIVISION.

The scene at the division will be one which will
never be forgotten by those who had the privilege of
witnessing it. The House was filled from floor to
ceiling. The Peers' Gallery overflowed with members
of the Upper House, and beside and hehind were
serried ranks of spectators in the galleries assigned to
Ambassadors and distinguished strangers; while the
Speaker's and Strangers' Galleries were crammed to
suffocation. Members of the House after filling their
usual seats below crowded at the bar, and completely
filled the side galleries reserved for their use. When
Mr. Gladstone sat down at 7 minutes past 1, having
spoken nearly one hour and three-quarters, the Speaker
immediately put the question, and a tremendous
shout went up when he asked those in favour of
the bill to say "Aye." This was imme,
diately followed by an even louder cry
against the bill. The speaker had no hesitation in
declaring that the "Ayes" had it, but the decision
was formally challenged, amid cheers, counter-cheers,
and cries of " Agreed" from the Irish benches. Then
the bells rang, the bar became more crowded than
ever, and the Speaker put the question again, with a
similar result. Without a moment's delay the Speaker
instructed the "Ayes" to go to the right and the
" Noes " to the left, naming as tellers for the former
Mr. A. Morley and Mr. Marjoribauks, and for the
"Noes" Mr. Brand and Mr. Caine, tbe hon. member
for Barrow's name being received with ironical cheers
by the Irish, the membersfiled out with extraordinary
rapidity, and by a quarter past one members began
to return to their seats, Sir Charles Dilke leading the
Ministerialists. As a large number of Liberals passed
the threshold of the " No" lobby they were eagerly
watched by the rapidly assembling House.
In another few minutes the space below the bar
became inconveniently crowded, but way was made
for Mr. Gladstone, who was received with an Irish
cheer as he returned from the division lobby. A dif-
ferent reception was given to Mr. Chamberlain by the
same group, but he took no notice of it whatever as
he passed along in front of the Treasury Bench. A
scene of tremendous excitement then took place. It
was believed that the Government was beaten, for the
Ayes tellers had returned some seconds before the
Noes had finished entering. Mr. Majoribanks
took his seat on the Treasury Bench and
had notified to his colleagues that the Ayes
numbered 311. Presently Mr. Arnold Morley
was seen struggling through the bar, and gave
the number of Noes to the clerk. Mr. Morley
and Mr. Majoribanks, without waiting at the
table, took up their positions on the left of the
gangway, facing the Speaker. The Clerk handed the
paper to Mr. Brand, and then the long pent-up excite-
ment culminated with a loud, long, and triumphant
cheer from the Unionists. It was in vain that the
Speaker rose and beckoned for silence. Cheers suc-
ceeded cheers, and the four tellers stood in line wait-
ing for the fatal numbers to be announced. At 20
minutes past 1 silence was temporarily restored, and
Mr. Brand, in tones so clear as not to be misunder-
stood, announced, "Ayes to the right, 311 ; Noes to
the left, 341." It would be almost impossible to de-
scribe what followed. The rank and file of the Con-
eervative party shouted themselves hoarse with
heering, at the same time waving their hats
triumphantly and jumping on their seats in
exultation. There was also some cheering on
the Liberal benches, but Mr. Chamberlain
and Mr. Caine sat immovable, and Ministers
apparently accented their defeat with resignation.
The Irish waited patiently for the Conservatives to
exhaust their strength, and then, rising en masse, as if
by concerted signals, sent up a still louder shout. A
voice sang out, "Three cheers for the Grand Old
Man." The whole House seemed to rise at the call,
and Liberals and Parnellites vied in applauding the
mover of the bill. The galleries seemed to join in the
honour paid to the Prime Minister, for the whole
House appeared :charged with electricity. A second
voice called "groans for Chamberlain," and, although
this was responded to by a few, there were cries of
"order," and the speaker again demanded silence,
Mr. Gladstone having risen for the purpose
of making a statement. The right hon. gentle-
man, once again cheered loudly and heartily,
moved, in a voice scarcely shaken by emotion, that
the House should adjourn until Thursday. For a
few seconds there was what threatened to be a scene,
Mr. T. P. O'Connor and Mr. Healy rising and ex-
citedly addressing the House, but the Speaker would
not allow any interference with the usual course
adopted on such occasions, and Mr. Gladstone's
motion was at once adopted. Members then began
to leave the House amidst discordant cries against
the dissentient Liberals. Within a few minutes the
historical scene, certainly the greatest witnessed since
the passing of the Reform Act of 1832, was numbered
among the incidents of the past, the controversy being
carried from the House to the lobby, whence, it is
believed, it will be taken to the country.
In the Central hall or outer lobby the scene during
the last hour of the debate and at the time of the
division was such as has, perhaps, never been wit-
nessed there. Some hundreds of men, mostly it
would seecl.of thie middle and lower middle class,
were assembled there, keeping up a continual fire of
discussion, till at 1 10 a sudden movement towards
the inner lobby announced that the division was about
to begin. The bell rang, and a spontaneous cheer
from the crowd showed how glad men were that the
long suspense was about to end. Twenty minutes
passed, and then a voice cried something, of which
the only audible word was "beaten ;" and im-
mediately a wild cheer rang out, which drowned the
feeble groans of the few Home Rulers present. Then
began the rush to the telegraph office ; almost the first of
the members of Parliament to reach it being Mr. Craig-
Seller, who, with triumph in his face, cried out the
numbers "won by thirty." The cheers were
redoubled; then someone started "God Save the
Queen," which was taken up warmly by the whole
assembly. Then for a few moments there was silence,
till of a sudden a frantic cheer, a rush of the crowd,
and a tumult of waving hats and umbrellas, an-
nounced that some leading member of the victorious
side was coming through. It was Lord Hartington;
and so vehement was the welcome of his friends that
the police had to form a ring round him, or he would
have been crushed by the eager throng. Soon after-
wards the lobby was cleared, and its occupants
passed out to join their cheers to the more mingled
cries of the crowd outside.

Count Pourtales, of the French Embassy, was
present in the House of Commons and witnessed the
division, the result of which he immediately tele-
graphed to the French Foreign Office.