Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-03-18
Resent Sexes in the British Houss Of Com


correspondence y. 7. Nafion.l
LONDON, Feb. IL.
Last week was the most remark
able one of the history of our Parliament
since the great civil war Mere questions of
form and procedure have produced hotter
excitement than ever before. and the changes
made in the rules of the House of Commons
have been both greater and more sudden
than any one had vcnturrd To dream of two
months AGO. You have already read in the
daily newspapers an outline OF the struS-
Gle which brought abou. these changes and
the highly dramatic scene in which it
closed
Obstruction as Parliamentary weapon
was invented by some young Tories in the
year 1872, in oidrr to resist the passage of a
hill for reforming the army. 1t was revived
by Mr.. Parncll and n handful OF associates
IN 1876. AID praciiccd with much tenacity
and ingenuity during that and the three fol
lowing yeas 1t consisted partly in exceed
inSly long speeches, partly in moving re-
peated adjOulnmcnls or bringing forward a
string Of small and usually frivolous amend
mcnts, and was designed by its authors,
members of the extreme Irish party, TO in
duce England, when she saw how easy it
was for Irish members Ia turn the Imperial
Parliament into ridiculc and stop its action,
to consent to allow the Irish to have a Par
Lament of their own in Dublin. Great irri-
tation was produced, but owing to the good
naturcd casygOingncss of the then leader of
the House of Commons and the extreme
conservatism of that body in all that concerns
lis forms, very little was done to check the
growing evil Emholdened by success, the
Home Rule members conceived themselves
to be masters OF the altualion, and boosted
that they would surpass all their former per
lormanccs in delaying the progress of the
hill for slIspending hahcls corpus in ireland.
In this uneasy state of opinion, every one
feeling that a struggle was at hand, the ses-
sion began on January &. The condition of
Ireland was discussed at unprecedented
length. Never before did debate on the
Queens speech last for eight days. Already
English members were getting irritated, and
caught up eagerly the omnous hints which
Mr.. Gladstone threw ont that il such con-
tinucd and vcXatious delays were interposed
some new remedies must he applied. Then
the Irish Protection of Property Bill was
brought in, and the contest began in good
earnest For the first few days people lis
tened with patience 10 the long harangues in
which the same statements and arguments
were persstenily repeated by Mr.. Parnell
and his friends. Some English members
| joined in the debate, and few of these even
| Joined in opposing the bill At length, how
| ever, the discussion became confined solely
to the Home Rule party, or rather TO that ex-
| trcme section of them which numbers about
| thirty seven members. Night after night a
division was expected night after night it
had to he put off because they continued TO
| speak, or moved repeated APPOINTMENTS. At
length one Monday 1t became known that
the government had put It's foot down and
| determined To close the debate. When the
usual hour for AL iOurnment arrived, the mo-
| ton for adjournment was ncgativcd. Fresh
motions were made al intervals during that
night and all next day, but still the
sitting went on. Long and weary
were The speeches, rarely enliyened even by
a passagc-at arms between Mr.. Forster and
the Irish members, still more rarely ny a
| joke. Both sides had made arrangements for
keeping things going, the Parnellites for hav-
ing speakers always ready, the Government
| fol having always men enough to command
majority. This was provided for by sending
some home to bed with injunctions to return
early in the morning, and keeping the rest up
| all NIGHT. So it had been on Monday night,
so it was again on Tuesday night. The ex-
citemcnt on Tuesday night, when the House
had now sat for greater number of contin-
uous hours than ever before. spread from the
| chamber itself all over London. Every one
asked how it would end, and the great lamp
which burns in the t0pmOst chamber OF the
| tower OF the Houses OF Parliament so long as
| the House of Commons is in session, was
eagerly watched till late, in the hope that its
extinction would denote that some solution
of the difficulty hadbecn attained. However,
| il burnt on Till the mOrning-a cold, foggy
morning, which froze the few curious watch
ers still left outside in the street or on West
minister Bridge. About eight O'Clock n. M.
| it began to bc known that something was 60
ing 10 happen. Members who. after sitting
ali night through, were sinking off to
bed were stopped by the whips
and told they had better stay now Ito see the
end of it," The Home Rule members were
still full of spirit, with plenty OF talk left IN
them but the temper Of the Engllshmen and
| Scotchmen had been rapidly chang
| ing. WEAKNESS had long since produced
| impotence Impotence was now rapidly
ripcning into anger. At nine o'clock many
had gone into the bFealfas.-room, and were
venting their bitterness over tea and chops,
when one of the whips rushed IN and
swept them with him into the House, where
daylight was now beginning to overpower
| llt HAs, s.Utl WI NfilNlSbJHt, l'IIt
had suddenly rcHppeared At once the
Speaker rose ard, in words which YOU have
already read, stopped the debate, and put
the question TO the vote. Mr.. Parnell was
absent at the moment SO, when the second
question was put, Mr.. Mccarthy, who is
second in command of the extreme Home
Rule party, rose to protest, and being silenc-
ed, Quilted the House with his followers, all
CRYING ''Privilegcl" The pent-up feelings
of the English and Scotch members had now
found expression. Passionate cheers had
welcomed the Speakers interposition, and
these were repeated again and again when
the first reading of the bill was carried, and
when Mr.. Gladstone gave notice that he
would on the following day move resolutions
enabling the House TO entrust the Speaker
with almost diciatoIial powers for the con
troll of debate To the already strong ex
cltement there was added the Intoxicating
sense Of power. The foes who had been 81
long battling all efforts TO restrain them wert
now felt TO be nj the mercy of the majority
Its delight, its sense of relief overlooked il
mutual congratulations and in praise of thu
Speakers courage.
The scene next day, when Mr.. Parnell
and his friends, having openly deiiet
the authority Of the Speaker. werl
one by one removed, was not only
mere painful but far less dramatic an,
impressive than the one Of the Wednesday
morning when a POWER never before cNercis
ed in the six centuries since the English Par
lament began was put forth in such sud
den and ,iT clivc way. Its legality is TIN
subject Of much discussion. Some urg
that the chairman of any assembly whateve
must he held to have 4 reserve of authorit,
sufficient to justify him into taking any step
necessary to see that the functions of the as
scmbly are performed, and that when new
difficulties, new forms of evil and DANCE
arise, the remedies which he is required Il
apply must necessarily be new. Others III
sist that in the centuries during which
record has been kept of the proceedings o
Parliament and the decisions Of the Speaker
his powers have become us strictly defined
by precedent rs are those Of 4 judge IN ON
of our law-courts, and that IN cXerclsin!
authority in so unaCcustomed form he /
going so far beyond precedent rs to be in
vesting his office with a new character
On the whole most people approve hi
action. 1t will no doubt, if questioned, bt
supported hy large vote. But some hav'
misgivinss, fearing that the power now lodS
ed in the hands Of singularly fair ant
equally minded president may one day b'
abused by some partisan Speaker, soaded ol
10y an impctuous majority
In the meantime Ireland has suiierc,
greatly, and not altogether Justly, in Englisl
opinion. Mr. parncll had good cards in hi
hands hut now, whether by his owl
want of strarC or by the passion o
his followers, these cards have been thrown
away. In protesting against the suspension
of the constitutional right of habcas corpu
| in ireland Irish n1rmhrrs had a great deal o