The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-12-12
~ 81, :of Ills Fifteen Years d
4 Service in the British
Parliament. :
Spoke not as Partisan but as
a chronicler Of the
Scenes.
Gladstone one of the Greatest Or
sS.s '5s ators and Statesmen
,flrssSs 5tsE - q 78 5.t' a..
.5* s now Living.

ssstlSeteTe. sstss az tne broadway Iheater, New
York, last Sunday evening on Fifteen
Years In the British Parliament. -. The
audience greeted Mr., Redmond's appear
ySarlce on the stage with loud applause and
II cheers. &: Mr.. Charles A.. Dana presided
and introduced the speaker, says the
s. Irish World Of the 5th inst.
Mr.. Redmond spoke for about, two
hours and to the end he kept the .atten-
tion OF his auditors. He has a sympa-
thetic voice, an interesting presence and
an earnest manner, and whether in re-
lating q humorous story or describing
q tragic scene or event he is equally at
home. l~
Among other things, Mr.. Redmond
said: In relating my experiences I
speak not as partisan, but as chron-
icler. The situation when I entered
Parliament was complicated. England
was II the midst Of one of her most des-
perate Irish crises. The Irish party had
adopted an entirely new method of OBJ
tanning concessions to Irish demands 1t
had adopted the simple, mastery device
of preventing the transaction of all busi-
ness until those demands had attention.
On one occasion Joseph Biggar spoke be-
n tween four and five hours. At first the
house attempted to put him down by
violent Interruptions. Failing to en-
barrass him thus, they left the house in
"a body. In an hour or SO they came
hack to the doors and peered through to
see Biggar reading page after page from
blue books to empty benches. After an
5tsther hohr they came again. He, was
still Speaking. At the end OF three and an,d
a half hours tie Speaker endeav6red to
stop him by resorting to the rule that all
remarks made on the floor Of the house
must be audible to the Speaker. Poor
Biggar was quite hoarse and exhausted,
but when the Speaker said that what he
\ was saying was not audible, Biggar said:
Then it must be because am too far
away from you, sir, and gathering up
4 hts books and papers solemnly marched
i up and planted himself within three feet
Il sof the Speaker, and said, Since you
haven't heard me, sir, perhaps better
begin all over again." (Laughter.)
Mr.. Redmond outlined the situation
when he entered parliament. The Irish
party had kept parliament sitting for 20
. hours at the moment when Mr. Red
pond was elected. Urged by kilograms
/ .troom, London, he started at once to take
! his seat, and reached Westminster at Z
a o'clock on dismal winter morning, in
'SfIte fortieth hour of the continuous sess-
lion:
sssss ...'The floor was Uttered everywhere
With tpapers,'' said Redmond. "All
\ things were in disorder. dozen dis
\ heyEled, weary Irishmen were confront
Il ing some hundred or so infuriated Eng
{ 5liah1nen, some of them in evening dress
s1nd in shirts that had been white the
/. .esvening before last. OF intelligent de-
bate there was absolutely none. Over
against those young Irishmen, who were
salmostitoo tired to speak, the maddened
Englishmen howled and roared, and al
Hkest foarned at the mouth. TheSg gal
leriesF were crowded. Nosone knew what
vas to happen. There was no way to
stop debate, and the fight degenerated to
4 aait.mere physical struggle, which came to
Il ah unexpected end. At 9so'clock the
Speaker rose, and, against all precedent
and right, ordered the debate closed.
& #Theirfsh left. their}seats and the cham
! ber shouting Privilege a cry not heard
y there since Charles I. tried to invade the
Rights OF the: house. Thus England
found that, to suspend the constitution
Sof ireland, she had to surrogate her most
\. N, .,saered traditions Of; the liberty of
Speech. l ..z. t q n t 55=5l 4a= NJ
,The next day ! took my seat and
n |t,,ifk made my maiden speech, and was
Il Sgsseatpsfled from the house on the same ID
81 Ny expulsion. came about thus:
slliflon arose and protested against pa-
rest.ss and was suspended
u a3nell aTnses and made q motion Inat
& shas lpt been heard in two hundred
yaai q; mat Gladstone be not heard. The
j ,iial sker fused Ito accept the motion.
siis 3 Irish refusedsto to take part il the. di-
lpa. sever ot us were suspend.
declared that We would not leave a {
~ Ssuat ;ts uni superior force was en,-s
4 NM sa = den speech. m sh
DIX was employed and
Il a I HUI W undsr AZ ana ont
M 81 I md 4, laI a. merry Y
aIslg( ls ,ss a sE:,e