New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-14
PARLIAMENTARY TUMULTS.
TYtE LORDS AND TIE LAND ACT-MR. BRAD
LAUGHS EXPULSION.

Tho b,s.orv Of the last six OF seven days III Far
lament il of kind which can give pleasure to no.
DO IL but TIE opponents Of parliamentary govern"
xent In tho liouse of Lords and In the House VI
Commons alike the proceedings ;nark the preuoHn
nance II tAe spirit of faction over the spirit OF
patriotism or regard for the public welfare iheman
difference hetween the two is that The Lo'oS carry
~, ,bir most ,nis,,levous work with decorouS OBJ
s.rvance of forms whics in the House o. I"mrl"'s
l. prtty otter neglected. The fact that the mScief
Is substantive and not formal does not make II the
less raischiegcuS
There has been a question. which imagine Lord
ealsburys frjoi.ds havs raised, whether Lord Sats-
bury was not Il the bottom oi the D"h0ugt-
more Committee business. You may hear assertions
and co,.nter-aSscrtons usual when such dispute
occuIs To go uto the evidence would take too
long. Imust ccr tent mySals in cxpTessingmy belief
that the motion did, in fact, originate with Lord
Salisbury-ti2. at any rate, have his hearty sup
port though he did not speak IT, Tic proposal lor
committee h inquire into tie Irish Land Act had
two motives one avowed. the other It1nentioned.
On its face il was an attempt 10 hScTeit the
Act Def ri il had been six months operation Less
oSteusibly but lust us really The effect of it to
renew The dcmad Cor "A restoration to the House OF
Lords of its old coordinate authority, and 70 place
1t ona level with tho House Of Commons as a Min
istry-making ard Ministry unriaking body. The
credit of the existing Ministry is staked upon the
Land Act. If the DOnoughmore Committee had
been moved aud carried in the House cf ComIHous,
there is 10 doubt whatever that Ministers would
have been driven 10 resi- gn OF dissolve Lord Sails
bury can scarcely have hoped to put them in that
dilemma by the vote Of the Lords but he did hope
10 embaTraSs them, and in that nc has succeeded.
II is one more step in The process entered upon last
year then. also. with reference to the Land Act.
Then Lord Salisbury, having amended the Act into
hal q q
the country on II. His challenge was treated with
neglect by the Government, and taken up by tie
country in a way sufficiently decisive to convince
even Lord Salisbury that persistence would bring
ruin on him and his order. The direct attempt
which he then forced t. abandon he now renews
Indirectly. The Government had to choose be-
tween tacit acquiescence in scheme which
threatened TO upset all they bad done,
and 10 Illustrate all they trying
u do in ireland--between that and rcasserting III
SOME form the disputed supremacy Of the Honsc Of
Commons. Tho may be stated even more
strongly. They had to make the Lords understand
that they wero not at liberty IT, anGul Act of Par
lament by a side-wind. The Donoughmore Commit
Tee could he so worked to parayle the Land Aot
Tories proclaimed with every note of exulJation
that the passage of Lord DonoughmoTe's resolution
was equivalent t. a Withdrawal of the assent 10
the measure cxtortcd from the Lords last session
If tie Government appeared - he parties 70 this
novel form of repeal. if they sat down under ,he
oeusurc passed the Act and on themselves and on
the Commissioners, the 1rlsh would he entitled to
say that they had longer any thing to hope
from the Act The work of paciicatio would have
e. bo begun all over again. Hence II was that Mr.
Gladstone last Monday gave notice of tho resolution
which has been widely oavillcd at as a motion Of
rensuIe the House of Lords. Undoubtedly il is
and undoubtedly Also such a censure is the only
parliamentary way Of neutraiilng the effect Of the
step taken by the Lords.
Uulucklv the necessity Of Introducing such n res
olution added one complication L. the already
oil hut ineYricahle parliamentary tangle N the
House Of Commons. The mere announcement of il
gave rise to a sccne. Tory after Tory. recovering
more or less rapidly from his hewildermert, to
pomplau and protest. Mr.. Gladstous's speech on
The new rules Of procedure was delayed. and ho had
ultimately to deliver il to House heated TO boiling
point Scenes moro violent common
That this passed without attracting much notice,
bnd has been almost totally forgotten amid the
greater excitement which has followed. Mr.. Drad-
iaugh has once been privileged TO concentrate
upon himself the attention Of tLr IIonse and of the
whole country. ! don't donht YOU tired Of
hin everybody is here: nevertheless it is iupos
sihle not TO say word about hun.
TIE first word shall I've a good one Mr.. Bradlaugh
does represent a constitutional principle lie abds
Us the incarnation of the night Of q constituency TO
elect its member and If the right and duty of
that elected member 10 take his seat In the IOIse
Of Commons He is n flesh and blood protest against
ts iEiquitons imposition upon duly elected mem
Der of IN Illegal and irIelglous test He has main
tanned his representative and protesting position
with uulinching perinaCitv. There eulogy must
stop. He has committed in the course Of his hard
contest nearly every mistake which il was possible
70 commit He crowned them all Tuesday night by
an attempt at iockeying the House. Slipping I'M
perceived round the back benches AID down by the
eangway Mr., Bradlaugh appeared at the table,
whipped a Testament ont If his pocket repeated
The formula If the cath. signed something On a slip
Of paper, flung down paper and Testament oil the
table and need arl the ev-r-increasingly
nngry upro.r Of an indignant Chamber that he had
now qualified himself according to law aud wOnld
take his seat. In vain had the Speaker risen in his
place when Mr. Bradlaugh appeared. The Speaker
his legs is danger signal no mcmber can diSro-
gard with inpu nlty. When he is up every body
else must Ia down; no word spoken by
anybody else can be in order, act
can DO valid. From tho moment Sir
Henry Brands figure was erect Mr. Brad
laughs performance. supposIug it otherwise of
my virtue became a meaningless mu,uIncIy. But
Mr. Bradlaugh OF course. is not tie to stick at
triRrs OF that sort Ii was not till he bad completed
his ceremony that he took note CT the Speakers
bidding 10 retire. At first he occupied d place
within the bar. below the gangWay where none but
O member duly swornl may sit. Upon the further
Instance of the Speaker he Withdrew to tho Cross
benches which are constrncuvcly. though not
sir1icturaly. without the bar
Tumult rose high. Nobody quite knew what to
DO. Lur,l Randolph ChnrclIll. assuming, as is ms
wont it, moments of excitement, the leadership Of