New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-06-20
A PARLIAMENTARY SCENE.
THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON THE LAST
~,,rI1T or THE HOME RULE DEBATE.

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON THE LAST
NIGHT OF THE HOME RULE DEBATE.
s,sox THE REGULAR coRKKsroSDkS, or III, 49,, ,.
A stranger arriving yesterday ut O'CLOCK IN the
u.n.. would have thought it a joke had any one
,ola him that the occasion was one OF unparalleled
.,citement and interest. There was the Speaker
,ohcd and wgged as usual in the chair, tho CLERKS
,ere at th. table, business was proceeding out on
Oh. Ranches of the House not twenty members we're
90 no seen. He might have remarked that the
,+rargers' gallery ana the Speakers gallery were
c,owded but that is not uncommon on an ordinary
ought IL he had known that ere this sittlnR enueu
the House of Commons was to say Aye or NO 10 .ne
,oost mon,entous question of the century-to give
~ 70 DENY Home Rule to lreand-he would have
80 ,h.t e the English take their pleasures sadly
they perform grave business in the most nght-
h.r,ad WAY There was in fact, but single
,a;ootion inside the House of the gravity OF the
.oos;or Int that one though easily overlooked
.s dac;sive In the little frame at the back OF
zach seat was n members card. The caro- s'ghlhed
that its owner had come down to the House before
,rovers been present actually constructvely. at
that ceremony deposited his hat, and so secured
Abe seat which the card retained fo- him. Ana
not one of the little frames was empty except
hebind seats reserved for Ministers or great per-
con. The oblong bits of white card which gave
the green benches the look of curously con-
structed chess-board sgni6ed that presently the
House would be thronged TO its utmost capacity
For the moment it is priv ate bill business that is
coipo on and the owners of all these cards are IN
+bs lobby. the library, the smoking-room, OF
sonring danes on the terrace The Speaker
4ransacts this routine business in business-hke
way. ready. decisive, unfaltering. But ne VIII DO
aeon at his best later in the evening when anna the
Interruptions that beset orator after orator. MT.
SNEAKER Peel enfOrces order and restores the
dignity of debate by what can ouly be described as
the dignity of his own presence. When ne mas u
call An offending member. or q rotous party 10
order. his voice rings out with military sharpness
and the Irshmen themselves are not long III paying
heed 10 his authority. But for the present he is
doing the ordinary duty of the presiding oihcer OF
what Engshlien fond of calling the greatest
Parliamentary assembly in the world The word
which best describes him is urbanlty.
Al question time comes on the House slowly fills.
The front Opposition bench has long been crowded
before Ministers begin to arrive The Irish quarter
is densely populated while vet the Liberal anu
Tory domains are like a Western Settlement 1t is
n belief among the older members that the Garhcl-
ties never leave the House certain it is that they
are never absent nor their ranks ever thln when
work is TO be done. Their discipline is the admir-
alton and the despair of Liberal and Tory Whips
alike If Mr.. Parnel is not himself very punctual
in attendance. he is the cause OF puncuaty IN the
Parnellite phalanx. The martinez colonel OF a
fighting regiment is not stricter at roll-cail than
The champion of Irish liberty Familiar faces begin
70 light up both sides of the House. but they are
allowed TO come without much audible welcome.
The Tories have no greeting for their leader Sir
Michael Hicks Beach, nor for his leader, Lord
Randolph Churchill But it vas noticed that LORD
Randolph was the bearer OF a IT Onster petition III
was assumed that the petition was against Home
Rule and the Tories uted the great roll of paper
with the usual but not always apt cry OF Hear,
hear,r Then came laugh when Lord Randolph IN
his best House of Commons manner announced
that his petition was from 10000 of the Lords Day
Rest Association, who object to the opening OF
museums on Sundays.
The first real cheer was at quarter to five for Mr..
Gosehen who is to resume the debate Mr.. Glad
stones arrival a minute two later was the signal
for an outburst that started from the Parncllite
benches was caught up by the MInisterlalists
opposite and presentlyI seemed to kindle even in
Tory breasts spark of enthusiasm for their great
adversary. The acoustic properties OF the House
are peculiar and it not always easy to say where
the cheers come from or where they end. lime was
when the matter was SIMPLE. Torres on one side,
Liberals on the other and few mistakes made ny
pronps: on Mr. Speakers left. Tories above the
papgway, Parnelhtes below; while on the right are
buidled together Ministerialists, Hartlngtonians
Cbamberlainites. Radicals, Waverers, in mex
tricable confusion.
Mr. Gladstone has under his arm red dspatcl
BOX which presently is found to contain TIN
sopious notes OF his speech and III his hand thai
lar of yeow-and no doubt "julicious mixture
which is irreverentiy known in tie House as hi
pomatnm pot white rose in the buttonhole o
his black frock coat looks hardly whittier than hi
face. on which falls the strange light that enter
the chamber from the stained windows close TO tn
carved oaken cornice. The chemical composltor
of these CHASTITY rays whatever it be. produce
upon the human countcnance an effect like clectri
illumination. Complexons streaked with shar
gray shadows are to be seen all the House. b,
and by a soft yellow radiance streams through thu
glass panelling of the ceiling. puts out the deepen
ing dusk Of the afternoon, and restores to most o
these faces more cheerful look. But nothin
from the outside warm the pallor OF Mr.. Glad
stones rcountenance. though more than once 20
will see as the debate goes on flush of angr
carmne come into his checks.
tiie advances swiftly. along the narrow Ian
between the clerks table AMI the bench whenc
stretch out the innumerable legs of his colleagues
who seem to compose centipede Cabinet. Tn
Grand Old Mans STEP if less elastic than OF yore
f. firm and quick, his air confident if not buoyant
The pose of the head, which has sunk dcop per tina
IL once was between the shoulders Is still pose @
beautiful dignity; the head almost think, NOR
unapproachably magnificent. the whole bearin
more august than Right or wrong. neve
was he 50 great as in his loneliness of to-day whe
friends have fallen off from him. when his politica
associates are arrayed against him. when he
fighting all but siugle handed when the comrale
who once stood by him have set lance in res
against their old chief, when there is only tn
single white plume of Navarro to which his host
can rally If he wins this battle he may we'll say
aAlone did if"-bnt he is not to win it. and 5
one must be content to declare that if uncOnque
...l..a4 t.L.l