The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-07-17
BRITISH PARLIAMENT,
A STORMY SCENE IN TIN: HOUSE:
REPORTED nN MACAILai.
0'G0NNELL AND LORD MAIDSTONE
III NoROIS A\ECDOTE OF THE BIt:
MAJOR III KCELI. O'GORMAN.
Mr.. PYAE AND HIS TRAGIC END
THE HERO Of IISFINNEl CASTLE
STRANGELY DISAPPEARS. ,,.

II. w. Lucy, the London parliament
tary reporter, has contributed some
amusing anecdotes Of the members of
The house Of commons to the North
American Review, from which the fol-
lowing are extracted:
The episode in the parliamentary
career of Mr.. Biggar, the all-night sit
tings, the wholesale suspension of Irish
members, the long series of Bradlaugh
scenes and the free fight on the floor of
the house which disgraced the session of
1893 appear to establish the charge of
degeneracy, writes Mr.. Lucy. But it
would be easy to parallel each one of
these incidents by passages taken from
daily records Of the good old times.
Here is a scene, reported by the
graphic pen of Macaulay, which in all
attributes of rowdyism need not shirk
comparison with the Hern free fight.
1t is entered in his diary under date
Thursday, June II, 1870:
l went from the Office to the house
which was engaged upon Stanley's Irish
registration bill. The night was very
stormy. / had never seen such u1l-
seemly demeanor, or heard such scurril-
GUS language in parliament. Lord
Norreys was whistling and making all
sorts of noises. Lord Maidstone was 30
ill-mannered that / hope he was drunk.
At last, after much grossly indecent
conduct, at which Lord Eliot expressed
his disgust to me, furious outbreak
took place. O'Connell was so rudely
interrupted that he used the expression
"beastly bellowings' Then rose sucl,
| an uproar as no o. p mob at Covent
Garden theater no crowd of Chartists in
front of hustings. ever eHualed Mem
bers on both sides stood up, shook rher
lists and bawled at the top of their
\ VOICES. Freshfield, who was in the
chair, was strangely out of his element.
Indeed, he knew his business so little
that when first he had to put question
he fancied himself at Exeter Hall or the
Grown and Anchor and said: "As many
as are of that opinion please to signify
.he same by holding up their hands, He
was quite unable to keep the smallest
order when the storm came. O'Connell
! ragged like mad bull, and our people -
for one-while regretting and con-
demning the violence, thought it much
extenuated by the provocation. A short
and most amusing scene passed between
O'Connell and Lord Maidstone, which in
the tumult escaped the observation of
many, but which watched carefully.
If said Lord Maidstone, "the word
beastly is retracted | shall be satisfied.
If not ! shall not be satisfied
II do not care whether the noble lord
be satisfied or not" said O'Connell.
/ II wish you would give me satisfac-
tion,' pleaded Maidstone.
| II advise the noble lord to carry his
liquor meelSly," answered OConnell.
At last the tumult ended from abso-
lutte physical weariness 1t was past
one and the steady believers of the op-
position had been howiing from 6 o'clock
with little interruption.
The dull responsibility of the present
! house of commons is condition of
things largely due to the change in the
personnel of the Irish members After
the election of 1874 they flooded West
minister with rich and rare individuality
of the kind hitherto familiar TO the
Saxon chiefly in the novels of Lever
! and Lover This type has disappeared
from the present house. Perhaps the
only Irish member who today habitually
| rises into flights of lumor Is Mr. Tim
llealy. A"'
| Among those who delighted the jar
lament of 1874-80 was Mr.. Delahl.1y.
member for Waterford city. His 2ara-
! cea for all the woes Of Ireland had some
thing to do with one pound notes. L
am ashamed to say. though ] have often
heard him discourse on the topic there
does not dwell in my mind clear i'm
preston as to whether he desired to
have one pound notes authorized OF
whether he would have had them abol-
ished. However that be, the peace and
prosperity of Ireland were, according
to his views. wrapped up in the one
pound note
One Wednesday afternoon in the ses-
sion of 1878 the fortune of the ballot
gave Mr.. Delahunty an opportunity Of
dealing with this burning question. lie
had brought with him a small black
bag, in which, according to the tes;1-
mony of his compatriots, he had been
accustomed to store the depositio,.s
taken before him as coroner of the city
and county of Waterford Now it was
primarily rccrisitioneh for holding inc
convincing notes cf his grafton. 1t is
preaumable that he had promised him
self when his tas'. was completed q f.w
hears relaxation in cne of the inne- .,i.-
cles OF London society. In view of
this arrangement of his evening he had.
after filling his bag up to the top with
manuscript notes, found jus+ rood
aftl