The Portland daily press., 1882-07-03
IN THE COMMONS.
An All Night Session on the Re-
preston Bill.
PARNELL AND OTHER HOME RULERS
SUSPENDED.
English members Fall Into Their Own
Trap.

lIdp.
| LONDON, July 1.-The House of Commons,
| in committee, continued in session throughout
| the night on clause II of the repression bill.
| At 7.3O o'clock this morning Sir William Har-
| court, home secretary, said that time, equiva-
| lent to two working days had been consumed
| in the discussion eff a clause of secondary inn
| portance 1t would be for the House and the
country to say whether means might not be
| adopted to end this state of things.
Mr.. Parnell said the Home Rule members
would appeal to their conntrymen at home
and abroad He contended that no opposi tion
could be more reasonably conducted against
such an atrocious measure. At $50 O'Clock
| DIR. Lyon Playfair chairman of tho commit
| tse said there had been deliberately planned
obstruction to the business of the House.
| Messrs. Biggar, Callan, Commins, Dillon,
Healx Lamy Mccarthy, Marnm, Hetge, I.
| p. O'Connor, 0 Donnell Parnell, Power, Red
mond, Sexton and Sullivan were then sus-
pended and quilted the House.
L At 0.35 O'Clock the chairman reported that
Mr.. ODonnell had said that the statement of
| the chairman was Infamous. Rt. Hon. Hugh
&c. ChildeFs, secretary for war, gave notice
that he would move to consider Mr.. O'Don-
nells conduct ON Monday, and 1t was agreed
to take mp the matter on that day. During the
| night Mr.. Dillon dehed the government to
provoking renewal Of the disorders which
attended the tithe war. This is sample Of
| the discussion throughout the night.
| MIR. ODonnell declared that DR.. Playfairs
naming him was infamous, because he had
| been absent from the House all night, and
| was therefore foully named. The chairman
had sinned against all the traditions of his Of
fee. Ma. Childers moved the suspension OF
| the members named and their suspension was
voted by I26 to 27, amid loud cheers from all
parts of the House, including the Irish nem-
bers. The speaker entered the House, and the
proceedings were reported to him. A member
protested that he had been in the House
| twelve hours, during which, as far as he was
iSaware, neither Mr.. Callan nor Mr.. Marum had
| spoken, and they ought not to have been
named
Mr.. Biggar declared that the chairman ought
to give reasons Tor his actions.
| Mr. Callan said the chairman, in declaring
him guilty of obstruction, had stated an utter
| falsehood. A motion that the named members
| withdraw was carried. The speaker proceeded
| to call on them individually to withdraw. Mr.
Healy suggested that they all Withdraw to-
| gether which they did, Mr.. Callan pausing to
shout, II am suspended on the false report OF a
| salaried government officer"
A motion to report progress was rejected by
| q vote of 159 to 16. Clause II was then adopt
| ed by a vote of 158 to 10. Clause IS, which de-
clares that person guilty of an offence against
| the act shall be liable, on summary conviction
| to imprisonment, with or without hard labor,
| for a term not exceeding six months, was then
| taken up. Mr. McCoan, Home Rule member
| the penalty to three months imprisonment.
| Mr.. Gladstone intimated that it might be
| necessary to ask urgency and that notice there
| fore would be given this afternoon. The
House at this hour q 80 p. m is still in session
| and is likely to sit until midnight. A fresh re-
! lay of members arrived this morning.
Mr.. Joseph Cowes gave notice that he would
| ask on Monday whether the suspension of the
| Irish members were regular.
| 4 p. IN. Clause Is was adopted by vote of
/ 1856 to 20 The government had previously
| consented to limit the penalty for attending
| proclaimed meetings and for night prowling to
/ three months in prison, but it opposed amend
| menis fora reduction in regard to other offen-
| ces mentioned in the clause, and those amend
ments were rejected. On motion to report
progress Sir William Harcourt stated that the
| government wished in the present sitting to go
through all the clauses in the original draft OF
| the bill except the postponed ones.
Mr.. Gladstone stated that on Monday, the
| rules for urgency would be proposed.
i Clause 10, relating TO the courtaof summary
jurisdiction, was dropped, to be replaced by an
amended clause.
6p. M Clause 20, relating to the proclama-
ton Of districts. was carried by vote OF 1S1 to
515.
7P.M The House is still in session. Short
| ~ after O'Clock Messrs. Leamy, Leahey and
O'Sallivan, Home Rulers, successively moved
| to report progress. The first motion was re-
| iected by vote of 172 to IL and the others by
similar overwhelming majorities. Upon Mr..
chair, the chairman warned the Irish members
against such course of obstruction The mo-
tion was rejected by vote OF 175 to 8. Mr.. A.
OConnor moved to report progress. This was
rejected. Mr.. O'Kelley moved that the chair
man leave the chair. The chairman then
named Messrs. Byrne, Corbett, Gray, Lalor,
Leahey, "A. O'Connor, O'Kelley, OSullivan
and Shiel, Irish members, and their suspension
was moved by Mr. Gladstone. On the chair
men putting the motion for their suspension
the named members walked out of the House.
| The motion was agreed to without a division,
but when the speaker, according to the rule,
appeared to receive the report OF the proceed
ingS, a division was called for and the 5uspen-
sion was confirmed by vote of 12S to Z.
After the expulsion of the second group OF
| Irish members, all the clauses up to the 3Oth
were adopted without division, and clause 80,
which is the last of the bill, and which pro-
vides that this act shall continue in force until
the expiration of three years next after the
passing thereof, was adopted by a vote OF 90 to
g. The House adjourned at T. M, having,
with the exception of an interval of two hours
in last evenings sitting, been in session con-
tinuously for 80 hours
The six minority votes in the division on the
Both clause were cast by Sir Joseph McKenna,
| Messrs. Nolan, O'Shaughnessy, Patrick Martin
and Errington, all Irish members, and Joseph
Cowen, member for Newcastle-on-Tyne.
LATER.
LONDON, July 2-The excitement caused by
| expulsion of the Irish members from the Com
mons last night subsided almost soon as the
| act was DONE Many members on both sides
began to perceive mistake had been commit
| tod Later when Gladstone entered and he
| learned the circumstances of the suspension, it
! was easy to see he felt some one had blunder-
ed Later in the day the whole story leaked
out that the government had laid trap for the
| Irish members, and that Its own supporters
| had fallen into it.. At the Cabinet council it
| had been arranged the Irish members should
| be suspended by surprise, something in the
| fashion Of last year. 1t was hoped that in the
| course Of the debate they would be'tempted to
| say or dc something which would give colora-
bic pretext for the action OF the chair. In this
| hope the following plan was adopted: When
| at midnight the Irish party divided into relays
| the government obtained o list of all the men
composing the Irish night relay and IL was
| then arranged with the Speaker that about
| O'Clock in the morning an alteration should
i be provoked which would offer an excuse to the
| chairman of the committee to suspend the
| whole relay en- bloc, SO that the government,
having suspended all Parnellltes present, could
| pass the bill through the committee before the
| day relay arrived to take their places.
The plan failed because, contrary to calcula-
| ton, the Irish members refrained from any act
| which would give the slightest pretense for in
| reference of the chairman. Thus disappoint-
| cd Harcourt endeavored early in the morning
| to fasten quarrel upon the Irish members,
| but was only partially successful The Speaker
| was anxious to carry out the orders of the gov
| eminent ana was l5iiOranb Ol tuo iaCt budt lis
list of Irish night relay was only partially COR
rect. lie sent word to DR.. Playfair to suspend
| the members on the list on charge of obstruc-
| ton. Then occurred the scandal which has
shocked even many Conservative members.
Members were suspended by vote of the
| House for obstructng business who had been
at home in bed all night and arrived to find
| them elves found guilty of the crime OF OBJ
| struetion.
The Irish party saw at once the blunder that
had been made, and were going to continue the
| discussion as if nothing had happened. Then
! a curious sight was exhibited, that of a
House which had executed a coup d'etat, strug-
cling for six hours against fifteen men, in order
to pass three lines. So far, force had failed.
Then Gladstone made the vague statement
that if sufficient progress was made he would
consent to adjourn till Monday. 70 meet this
coHciliatory action, the Parnellities allowed
several minor clauses to be passed.
In the meantime Cabinet council was held,
and resolution to take up thewhole bill at one
sitting was arrived at. Some notice was taken
of this by the Irish members, who extracted
definite statement from Gladstone, and there
upon hasty council was called, and it was de-
cided that after q little more progress was