Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-05-21
THE H0ME-RULE BILL.
Mr.. Gladstone Preparing to
Expedite Things
OPPOSITION FIIIBUMERIyG INToLERABLB.
Closure to the Utmost Point Will De In
troducsd-Ths Tory Storm Gather.
ing IN Consequence.
rBy Apelo-.mer,can cable 70 n, p,sp..cb.

tby Angio-Amer,cnn cable 70 tbs Dispatch.1
LONDON, May 20.-The question still con-
fronting the government is: How can
the persistent obstruction OF Balfour.
Chamberlain, and Churchill be reduced to
minimum? Another week has been
passed in factious. fruitless, platitudinous
discussion. and the home-rule bill has
been moved hardly hairs breadth by the
Liberal government. Neither the un-
stinted application of closure nor the self
enforced reticence Of the Irish and Libe-
raj members have suficsd to expedite the
work in committee TO even the partial
satisfaction of Mr.. Gladstone.
The Ministers have been forced to their
wits ends TO devise some heroic means to
stop the interminsble flow OF talk IN which
the opposition are trying to drown the
purpose of the government. Their plan
now Is TO accelerate the committees pro-
gress from clause 10 clause by suspendlng
the ~ o'clock rule Immediately after the
Whitsuntide. recess. The home-rule biii
would then be debated day after day aud
night after night to the exclusion Of
everything else. Mr.. Gladstone IS under
stood to approve of this plan.
GRAND OLD MAN AT BAY.
The old man has been driven to corner
by his antagonists. has developed there all
the pugnacIty Of his younge. DAYS, and
has now rallied himself TO find his way
out. Obstruction has not discouraged
him. as 1t has some of his followers, but
has served merely to strengthen his energy
aud determination TO force victory quickly
from the minority. he has madeii known
privately III the ministerial circle that the
bill must be brought through the House
of Commons by the middle of
July. without fixing tho exact date
for reporting the bill. he has formed a
plan for the purpose OF determining ap-
proximately the final day of the commit
tee stage. At the beginning of every week
he will arrange with the Cabinet for the
amount of work TO be done IN the suco eed-
ing days and will indicate the clauses
which must be passed before the next
weeks work shalt be begun. No protest
or plea for fair play from tho obstruction
lists will be permitted to thwart the pro-
gramme thus laid out. II necessary for
the fulflment of his plan some clauses
will be forced TO a vote without any pre-
hmInary debate whatever.
FINANCIAL qualifications.
The work of the committee will be fur
Their accelerated by the smplifcatlon Of
the complicated financial questions. on
which the opposition have built hopes OF
obS;ructlug 10 the point OF sheer e8-
haustion Mr.. Gladstone and his lIeuteu-
ants. The governments purpose u 10
substitute for the involved proposals OF
the bill clause providing for two.year
provisional arrangement between the Irish
and tho imperial eSchequers. This change
Is "a agreeable to the Liberal as TO the
Irish members. Both think that the post
ponoment of final action on tho financial
details Will not affect the main principles
of the bill, while likely to do away wit h
the necessity of two or three weeks OF
futile discussion.
Reports concerning these items OF the
ministerial programme have already
brought on signs of tho Tory storm which
will swell to hurricane of wrath when the
/ Unionists see their whole fabric of Obstruc-
ton collapse under the masterful hand OF
the Premier.
GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME JUsTIFIABLE.
The Liberals ana Radicals agree that
the government is justified in adopting
the proposed extraordinary plan of parlia
mentary coercion, although week age
many favored less extreme measures. The
I UnlOIists alone are responsible Tor the
! bonds which will bind them, "a they have
relolced openly IN their determination e
/ kill or MAIN the bill by means OF exhaust
/ Ing DELAYS IN the committee stage
! Already the House IN committee has di
/ vldei twenty tour times on two clauses. K
{ say nothing Of tho divisions on motions
/ Tor closure. With four pages of amend
ments behind them tho members still SCI
, ifty pages awaiting debate and division
Nine pages Of amendments have beer
4 added since tho committee began sitting
| Nor Is this all. In the last week alon
| several hundred amendments. which wer
/ not printed. have been noticed III commit
tee. No government making the leas
pretensions to regulating and facilitating
public business could long tolerate sucl
outrageous tibusterlng without losing al
prestige. The opposition are chuckllni
/ over the fact that they have compelled tn
/ committee TO SIT thirteen times TO pas
/ the first seven lines of u bill which cover
/ twszty pages. Their record Is, in fact
beyond all precedent in the parllanientar,
! history of Europe.