New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-17
THE CLOSURE IN ENGLAND
HOW THE TWO THIRDS PROPOSAL WAS RE
JECIED.


An onocb NJ tho session ends with the division OF
last chit and the rejection of Mr.. Gibsons amend
p,ent reuuiring a two.thrds majority 10 cioso "0
bate Tn, Government majority OF elHu'y-i"
was moro than halt as large again as was eApoSo"
This increase was due partly To inc rcso''e' ~"
Parn.llites to vote with Mlnlsiers lns'o"u
abstalning altogether. but IN iact siSo =" WV
oradnal hardening of the Influences Orough' " oo'
ON he, al members and the closer &C herence OF inc
o.,,v =, consequences Members found out that
their constituents expected them to vote for whs'-
aver iform Of closure the Government consoere"
most efficient With the exception Oh aoou'
dozen, mostly Wings, they did 30. Inc " n'H' orc
queer folk They pride themselves on oe.he r1i'os
OF a past age The three Fitzwiliiams' hir' hio0'.
cr,v and others of that digni6ed sort are almost
too good for the present day. LlDera' cona'''uo"'
Gle, woosd by these bdslgoes may some day an
.,r.r A. Rsatr,ce answers Don Pedroi . No. nv
lori unIess | might have another for working
a.. ronr grace is too costly to wear every day.
No Radical # note voted against Ministers tnoueh
.o,ne STAYED away. Mr.. Cowen. OF Newcastle
vo,ed both against Ministers and Mr. Parneh' Du'
NJ, Coren belongs to the Cowen party
Int, the details Of the First Rule, now certain 10
Ina adopted or Of the debates about IT, NO iorels"
audience can be expected to enter "hs' e"'ie".'
the English constituencies NAV perhaps s@'''i'
those who have far less direct interest I'd 'he SUI
ieot. You know already that this kuie' pailoo
,,opUb it be with intricate and puzzlng quallhca-
tions Ia respect of numbers, does In enect gNo
mai, rity of the House the power to bring neoae vi
n part,cular question to an end. ana t8he 'o'o
II restores to the majority the power oi i''o
usnrped by minorities. That IL lis JusIiucatio"
and every argument urged against IT, Woo to
d,,csd to its essence. becomes Argument for CIV
lac - AZ
Bri ,ht said to give to the Opposition, who are re-
.n,nsih,s for nothing. an equal authority with
Ministers who are responsible for the government
of the country.
Exactlv the same thing may be said OF the t"o-
thirds nronosal as of the opposition to the CLOSING
nower in general; and no more need DO saiu. 1
will content myself with this obserVation; thaS
when the new rule comes into use IL VIII DC 'ouhu
less oppressive and therefore less ehcieh' Vn"n
either Ministers or the Opposition beheVe' ooohoi
or later 1t will have TO be amended III the ulocV'on
of greater simplicity and stringency. Inc lrsh are
already boasting that they eau DIVE Whatever Is
the Irish equivalent for coach and SIX through IL
say a iaunting-car. The Irish apart. the opposi-
ton to it springs from two separate ana ulst'hc'
causes First,-and on both sides of Inc houSe'-
an exaggerated respect for tradition preceueh''
usage and customs which. hundreds OF years olu ds
they are have gone out OF date wlthlh 10" Seais
only M.mbers of the House feel that to lay hands
OIL the privileges Of members aud on tue preios"-
tive of the whole House like laying hands on the
Ark Of the Lord-Ittle short of sacrliege ms is
sentimental wien, but none the less powerful on
that account.
secondly. there is party IN the House and the
conntry opposed on the whole to legislation. They
arc for things as they are. They foreSee. as Lord
Randolph Churchill plainly charged upon his
leaders a long period of Liberal ascendancy. ana
they are not in favor Of any change IN the rules
which will make IL easier TO pass Lloerai oiiiS'
They oppose closure in any FORM ana they uIsou
the two-thirds amendment because undei 1t closure
could only have been enforced by consent Oh Tue
Opposition Legislation on such terms would nave
been a matter of compromise; which JUST "ha'
the Tories would have 1t, ii have it they must
The support accorded to Ministers by the Parnell'
ties gives rise to the usual talk about bargain
but the attitude of the Irish is applicable on a
different theory. They themselves have explained
It In a perfectly reasonable way. Closure py
twotbirds majority is obviously a weapon directed
avainst the Irish and the Irish only and there is
som.thlup to be said in favor OF Lord Randolph
CburchilIs view that such a measure might lie mis-
ch,eyous in oottllng up the dlscontent that has
found its way through the peculiar saiety-Value
now called obstruction. Closure oil any KIM INC
Irish oppose. though they Affect not 10 uread it'
But they prefer closure which, If capable or being
used against themselves, may also be used agalhs'
any larger minority. Furthermore. Mr. Parnell
meant the Tories to understand that they were not
10 count upon his voting with them merely because
he likes voting against the Government III Slr
Stafford Northcot- wants Mr. Parnells cooperation
it Is to be had Tor price. The Tory view has been
tina, it was to he had for nothing which now
proves " DC u mistaken view.
The Conservative party during this period has
been passlng through a series OF internal convul-
,ons; not without damage TO its constitution
or, at least, some temporary arrangement OF the
system Before the House came together, predic-
lions of what the IOies were going 10 do were oil
the most alarming character. They would consume
a week in resisting the motion 20 give PRECEDENCE
to the debate on Procedure. they would attack
the Government about Egypt From the latter
PURPOSE I he vast demonstrations of welcome to the
returning troops did something to deter them. The
new rules were TO he fought step by step, line by
line. An alliance was threatened and expected be-
tween the Conservatives and the Parncllites, and
the Government were then TO he taught what Oh
struetion WAS really like. The House would not
he up at Christmas The session would overlap the
usual time for beginning the next sesson.-and
MANY other dreadful things were to happen.
But they have not happened. The resolution
giving tho Government control OF the business OF
the House was PASSED by good majority the very
first night. No debate has occurred about Egypt;
indeed the chance for Irregular discussion was lost
when the precedence motion was allowed to be put.
There has been no alliance between the Tories and
the ParneIites. The only part of the programme
that has come off is tho threatened obstruction;
and it is the Conservatives who have had to prao-
tise that by themselves aoa in circumstances Of
much disbursement. The more Jealous and
Youthful members of the party were angry at the
Iukewarmness shown by their leaders the first day.
and took the reins into their own hands for some
DAYS altcrward. The debates on Tuesday. Wednes-