The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-04-09
IRELAND'S PARLIAMENT.
Gladstone Presents His Bill in the
House Of Commons.
A Scene Never Before Witnessed in
London.
The Crowd In and About the House
Of Enormous Proportions.
Many Of the Members Remain ALI
Night In Their Seats.
The Full Throatsd Irish Cheer Heard
to Perfection.
The Premier Accorded a Most En-.
thusiastie Reception.
Scenes and Incidents Of This Re-
markabIe Event.
The Premier Accorded a Most En-.
thusiastie Reception.
Scenes and Incidents Of This Re-
markable Event.

| LONDON, April Sat the houses of Parlia-
ment this morning, before the night watch
men in the House were relieved or the lights
were extinguished a number of members of
| Parliament, gentlemen sure of admittance,
| began to arrive to make themselves doubly
certain of their privileges by getting to their
seats. Mcdonnell Sullivan, a Natl onalist
member for South Westmeath, was the first
man to gain entrance to the House. He got
| in as early as $50 in the morning, and
| at once proceeded to make sure of his place.
| 1t is alleged, however, that Sullivan secured
| his advantage by bribing friendly police
man to permit him to have access by way of
the back stairs.
| The South Westmeath member was not
! long the sole occupant of the chamber. He
was almost Immediately followed by score
| of Parnelps colleagues. The rule regarding
| seats was first come, first served. Sullivan
| therefore had his pick of the whole floor. He
chose the very best 1t was not long before
and they pre-empted the best places in the
locality invaded by Mr.. Sullivan.
The rest of the British members followed
close upon the advent of ParnelPs followers.
1t was yet early in the morning when all the
seats on the floor were taken. A number of
| members were afraid to trust to the honor of
their colleagues for the maintenance of the
rules on an occasion like that of today, and
those retained possession of their chosen
seats by remaining in them bodily all day
The chamber is swept clean and busted ev-
every morning during the session. Today it
was thoroughly scrubbed as we'll. Disa-
greeable as all this was, it did not dismay
the gentlemen who were sitting for security,
and they maintained their positions Whom
they got hungry or thirsty they had food or
drink brought in to them. Some of them
had been there all night, struggling to get in,
and these generally fixed themselves as com
fortably as possible and slept.
A number of members disported them
selves ON the river terrace borrowed BIZ
cycle and had great sport, racing up and
down the terrace with it until finally it col
lapsed, throwing P. J. O'Brien, Parnell
member for Tipperary, who was riding it at
the time, upon his head on the tagging. He
was picked up bleeding profusely and very
badly stunned. His forehead was deeply cut
over the eyes, and his face and hands were
much torn and bruised He was, in fact, so
seriously injured that he had to be removed
to an hospital, but he insisted on going
bareheaded, and after his wounds were
dressed he returned to occupy his seat. After
exhausting all expedients to kill time outside
the members assembled in the House after /
o'clock In an hour the floor was pretty
well covered with groups of members, ami
I11o
day.
The crowds outside the House by this time
had increased to thousands. The Conserya-
tive politicians were not without hope to in
fuence the feelings of this crowd against the
orator of the day, even in the last available
moment, for they had sandwiched men and
placard bearers among the crowd, carrying
such appeals as 'Let us consolidate and not
dismember the empire" etc.
At o'clock the crowd outside the palace
gates was enormous. 1t covered all the space
down to the Westminster bridge and extend
ed pretty well up Parliament street toward
Whitehall. At that hour a perfect jam of
people filled Downing street, where Mr..
Gladstone's official residence is situated This
crowd was patiently waiting for the premier
the House of Commons
Mr.. Gladstone finished reading his papers
and telegraphic and mail correspondence at
an early hour. He spent the remainder of
the morning and part of the afternoon in
contemplation. He refused to permit HIM
self to be disturbed by calls from any of the
large number of persons who attempted to
see him, making but one exception, and that
in favor of John Morley, chief secretary for
Ireland, whom he sent for and conferred
with for short time.
The enormous clock for which 'Big Ben,'
England's giant bell, rings the time in Vic
toria tower, on the southwest corner of the
Parliament building; stopped this afternoon
Its stoppage was noticed by the crowds in
the streets, who depended on it's tones for
knowing the time of day, and it was re-
garded by the thousands as an occurrence of
i'll omen.
Soon after 3 o'clock all the thoroughfares
about ST. Stephen were so crowded with
people that attempts to carry on traffic in the
neighborhood had to be suspended. Mounted
police were placed IN duty because it was
impossible for officers on foot to go about.
In the House of Commons the members
now began to divide themselves into parties,
with view to their probable support or op-
position to the coming speech. They also
INDUCED in considerable bantering of one
another MI. Peter Rylands, Liberal men,
Der for Burnley, who had failed to secure
seat on the floor, but had one in one of the
galleries, attempted to make a speech from
his lofty position. He was greeted with
volley of yells which rendered his voice in
audible, and compelled him to relinquish his
purpose Of giving the House some informa-
ton. 1t was ascertained that no less than
450 of $50 members had entered and secured
their seats by personal occupation or shot
ting" Before - o'clock the wives, daugh-
ters and female relatives and friends Of these
members thronged the waiting rooms. They
were provided with provisions with which to
subsist and pass the time during which they
were waiting.
Soon after O'Clock, the Parnell members
began to take possession of their seats. They
arranged themselves in serried ranks on the
Opposition benches in front of the places
where Gladstone was to speak. Thomas
Power O'Connor, Nationalist member for
the Scotland division of Liverpool, explained
the haste exhibited by his party to secure
seats by saying that the Tories had organ
lied plot to take possession OF the seats in