Omaha daily bee., 1896-05-23
HOUSE OF COMMONS DEADLocKEp.
Contention over the Agricultural
Rating UiII.


LONDON, May 22.-At noon today the
House Of Commons was still in session hav-
ing been sitting continuously twenty
hours, with the prospect Of further weariness
| for the members
The deadlock began yesterday after the
! discussion Of the agricultural rating BILL pro-
vlding for the reduction of rates on agricul-
| tural land. The House was in committee Of
! the whole from 4 o'cloct yesterday afternoon
| and at o'clock this morning the closure
| was moved. But several members refused to
enter the division lobby, whereupon the
speaker, Mr. Gully, was summoned and he
named John Dillon, the anti-Parnellite
leader Dr. Tanner, Donald Sullivan, David
Lloyd-George and John Herbert Lewis, the
iatter two being Wlesh members, for dis.
| obeying the chair.
The conservative leader Mr.. Balfour,
moved the suspension of the members named
for one week and the motion was carried by
a vote Of 20g to So
Michael Davtt and Daniel Macalesse, mem
| berJ for South Mayo and North Monaghan,
| respectively, persisted in remaining in the
House during the division, whereupOn the
sergeant-at-arms was summoned by the
speaker to remove them. This was done in
the usual formal manner Messrs Davitt and
Macalesse repudiating any intention Of show
ing disreapect to the chair.
Sir William Vernon Harcourt, the liberal
leader, thereupon moved to adjourn the de-
bate, claiming the House was not in a 1T
condition to continue the discussion, but the
speaker declined to accept the motion, and
the discussion was continued.
Mr.. Balfour said the government proposed
to continue the sitting until the bill should
be completed
The secretary of state for the colonies, Mr.
Chamberlain, the under secretary of the for
eign office, Mr.. Curzon, the secretary cf state
for India, Lord George Hamilton and MIR
pppuDipl bench
long.
At 5 o'clock this morning the manager of
the coffee room made a s0rtie and succeeded
in purchasing the entire contents of a fish
store located in the neighborhood of the
House He loaded these provisions into
cab and conveyed them to the House He
then started On another foraging expedition
and eventually returned with two cabs full
of fresh bread, butter milk, coffee, tea rolls,
aausages, bacon ham, etc, and the pros
poets of starvation for the members soon
vanished. With a good breakfast the COM
moners began to look at the agricultural
rating bill in a more favorable light, and
amicable discussion was resumed.
Repeated closures followed, and at $50 a.
m. Sir William Vernon Harcourt, the liberal
leader again tried to adjourn the House, de-
claring that the governments fatal passion
for closure had destroyed the good feeling
and faith of the House." and adding, at is
an evil day when the House can no longer
rely upon the promises of the government.
In my long experience l have never known
a bill conducted in such an arbitrary man
ner."
Sir William Harcourt's motion was de-
feated
Finally, at 80 p. M, just as the mem
bers were getting hungry again and longing
for luncheon, the manager of the coffee room
preparing for another reconnoitering, all of
the clauses of the bill were agreed to- and
with many sighs of relief the House ad-
|
ried away to their clubs or homes for lun-
Cheon.