Morning journal and courier., 1888-02-29
oLOTURE IN COMMONs.
The Liberals and ParnellItes Voted
Down All Around On the Rules of
Procedure.

| The Liberals and ParnelIItes Voted
| Down All Around On the Rules OF
| Procedure.
| LONDON, Feb. 2S.--Mr. Smith moved il
the House of Commons to-day the adoption
of the second procedure rule which reduces
to one hundred the majority necessary to en-
force closure. He said the experience of last
session had convinced the government that
it was desirable to reduce the majority in
/ order to secure the due transaction of bust
| ness, especially between 7 and 1890 p. m
| when the attendance of members was small
| Mr.. Chaplin, Conservative, opposed the
motion. He said he believed the rule would
| be the first step toward closure by bare
| majority and that it would not meet the real
| evil with which the House was confronted
| the 1oquacity and verbosity of members.
Mr.. Dillon said the Parnellites might be con
/ graduated by the House, or at all events by
| the Liberals, upon having converted the
1 Conservatives to closure Qaughter.) The
Conservatives now put rope arsand Their
| own necks Qaughter). The Parnellites would
1 get hold of it shortly and when passing the
/ home rule bill they would pull it sharply
| Qaughter). Even from Tory point of view
/ it was mistake to increase the stringency
of closure by which minorities must suffer. 1t
| would have been better to have tried other
| means before resorting to this ultima ratio.
I
| ure was limited to last years form beyond
| which he did not desire to go, although he
would not oppose the motion. The second
| rule was then adopted, 256 to 1874.
Mr.. Smith moved the adoption of a rule
| enabling the Speaker to order the withdraw
al of disorderly members or to ask the
House to decide upon the conduct of such
members. Mr.. Whitehead, Liberal, opposed
| the motion, but admitted that some increas-
ed power was necessary. Mr.. Dillon object
ed to placing the honor of member at the
/ mercy of anyone, even the Speaker or the
chairman The House itself ought to punish
guilty members. If the rule was adopted
| the House must consider the provocation
which members received. Major Saunder-
son had just boosted at a public meeting
that in every speech in Parliament he taunt-
ed the Parnellites.
Mr.. Sanderson, interrupting-I said on
some occasions. Oerisive Parnellite cheers.
Mr.. Dillon, continuing, said that Major
Sanderson had not only described his past
conduct, but had declared his intention to re-
peat it in future. Such conduct would nee
essarily aggravate the difficulty of maintain
ing order. The disorder of past sessions did
not originate with the Parneliites, but re-
suited from set made at them in an at
tempt to treat them differently from other
sections. He disliked the rule because it
must tend to make the Speaker party tool
instead of, at present, an impartial friend
of the House. If the House treated the Par
nellites with civility such a rule would not
be wanted. (Parnellite shouts of sthear,
hearty Lord Randolph Churchill
generally approved of the rule,
but criticised the wording of it..
Mr.. Morley said the rule was directed against
msn guilty of gross disorder, an offense
which no one could sympathize with. The
punishment proposed seemed appropriate
and not too harsh He did not object to
the exclusion of the members suspended
from the precincts of the House and he
could not see why the chairman should be
deprived of the power of peremptorily sup
pressing disorder, power which the chair
man of every public meeting possessed. Mr..
T. P. O'Connor said every section of the
House should reject the rule as an insult to
their self-respect. He especially objected to
the exclusion of the members suspended
from the precincts of the House.
Sir Lyon Playfair moved that the section
requiring the exclusion from the precincts of
the House of disorderly members be omitted
from the rule. Sir Michael Hicks Beach ar
| gued that it was necessary to render the pun
ishment of disorderly members real. The
punishment amendment was rejected-135
to IS.
Mr.. whitehead moved that the rule re-
| quiring the exclusion of disorderly members
| only apply when the Speaker or chairman so
| directs. Lord Harrington supported the mo-
| ton. 1t was rejected, 1T to SO.