New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-16
IRISH OBSTRUCTION.
.xn HOW 1T WAS PUT DOWN.

aav night Is criticised NANNY lroin WV -
,isv-mildly by the Opposition, on mis'ahen nv
.ho, the Government had something to do with
a. sereey by the Irish, because 1t spoilt theu
." In this last lies the justification of DIR. Play
e. .nd the majority of the House The Irish mad
- nm their minds that they would not be allowed
L. over again the game of last year They
- understood that the House would not long
salorate OPEN fragrant obstruction such as that
Inch the Speaker by bold. wise decision crushed
'. .ha end of the memorable forty-one hours
-.,;rc They set themselves, therefore, to devise
snbtle form of impeding business 1t is worth
.-hls 70 note the distinction between the two.
obstruction was carried on last year IN very
.o.rss form. The Irish were but prentice hands
1hev resorted to dilatory motions, motions to al
..n-n or motions TO report progress, and the ike
rbev made speeches of inordi-ate length, and VIII
tbe least possible relevancy to the matter in hand
They mt IN their dullest men men who really can
not sneak at all men like Mr.. Biggar with no order
bpt TO waste time Mr.. Biggars way was TO read
blue books Mr. Finigan, Mr.. Arthur OConor and
others of Nj ParnelPs walkng-sticks and old um
breas were pressed into the same sort OF service
II was wearisome beyond endurance but the House
endured it again and again. At one time the lrlsh
believed that they had won their battle, that, as
somebody said, they would bore the House INTO
oonceding Home Rule. But the moment came
when the spirit Of an assembly still composed to no
small extent of English gentlemen rose against this
dnI dictatlon sense of public duty became
stronger than adherence to tradition Inc moment
,bo Vorse and the Speaker recognized that they
,rora really face to face with revolution, they
ourIed it with hardly an enort.
warned nv that experience Mr. Parnell adopted
This year new line Of tactics. AT one TINE ne he'-
+ated TO resort to obstruction at all Upon his re-
lease from Kilmainham, he was probably sincerely
dismissed TO observe the truce he had entered upon
u his GUN language be wanted breathing time. But
events and his followers were too strong Tor him.
In order TO preserve the sembanee of leadership he
had TO part with the substance. Toby" said Mr.
Gladstone. what would you do if your tail tried
70 wag vous" Sir" answered Toby q" / would SIT
upon It," MI Parnelfs attempt to sit on his tan
proved failure. The tail continued TO wag. But
Mr. Parnell who is a parlamentarian OF very con-
siderable expertness being thus obliged to carry odt
violent wishes devised what may be called a
scheme of secret obstruction. He knew very well
that the long tolerance of last year was due TO
the want of a precedent IN dealing with
state of things which itself was without pre-
cedent. He knew that if a similar state of things
a similar use of public obstruction, REQUIRED, the
precedent created last year would be resorted to
with little scruple delay So in place of dllaory
and purely formal motions and interrnnable
haranpues he substituted system of motions not
less dila DRY, but, to speak, substantial Ihey
took the form of amendments to the bill 1t was de-
sired TO obstruct-the Prevention of Crime bill.
Amendments. and numerous amendments, are no
new thing But amendments designed to amend are
one thing: amendments designed TO prevent the
passage or progress Of bill are another. And the
amount and character of those proposed must be
looked at in order to determine what the real object
of them was.
Now on Saturday morning the Prevention of
Crime hill had been In committee twenty-tbree
days The seventeenth clause clause relating
soply TO the manner in which tie money charge
imposed by previous clauses should be raiSed-had
occupied the committee for nineteen hours. Inc
clause as Sir William HarcOurt said, with perfect
accuracy and truth. involved no constitutional
principle, no novel principle of any kind lie might
have added that it involved no complication OF de-
tail OF machinery such as might justify elaborate
discussion. The House. a whole had taken no
part in amending discussing the clause Said DR..
Playfair &" A limited number of members have sys-
tematIcaly frustrated the progress of business by
mass of amendments some of which are practical
and fair but of Inch by far the greater number
are only intended to raise by new forms questions
which have been decided by large majonties They
have been made an occasion for endless arguments
and are evidently deliberately planned IN order TO
waste time"
If that be a true statement, not much more need
be said in justification of what followed. is II a
true statement The immense majority OF the
House of Commons says yes. The country, which
has given its hearty approval to the final act OF the
Chairman of the House, says yes. Every impartial
observer who understands the facts says yes OBJ
struction did exist, had existed for days all the
more dangerous and mischievous because 1t was
velled ana subtle. RemOnstrance had been tried,
and was rejected with contempt Everything had
been tired short of the final remedy, and but one
question remained VIZ: Was II better to permit OBJ
struction to continue to allow bill OF the gravest
importance and urgency to be defeated, 10 suffer
minority of one-twentieth the whole House TO I'M
pose It's Will on the majorty-was it better TO do
this or to suspend this obstructive minority for the
sittingi
DR.. Plsyfalr, on whom the decision rested, has
been the most long-suffering OF chairmen. He has
been charged with weakness and want of courage
with everything except a dictatOral spirit. he had
now borne with obstruction till the patience of the
House was wearing out-was worn out, may say.
The Government came In justly or unJustiy, Tor
much obloquy on account of its inactiOn. The Lib
eral majority, IL is secret was IN state OF some
thing approaching TO mUtiny on this question.
Member alter member had gone 10 the whips with
complaints. There men who SAID that if the
House was to be the playthIng of factiOus minor
ity, the majority might well 20 home Mr. Glad
stone, hoping against hope held against any re-
sort 10 measures of discipline long after his col
leagues were convinced that such measures had be-
come imperative. Not even the events of the last
weeks, not the murderous speeches III the House or
the murderous acts out of il, not the defiance
ana brutal lnyectlve OF the very men for whose
and he hoped, had banished from his mind that be-
lief In the possibility of loSal political cooperation
between Liberals and Parnellites which had borne
such strange fruit in the Kilmanham compact At
l.