Omaha daily bee., 1902-06-26
OCONNOR PAYS A TRIBUTE
Irish Leader Describes Scene When Kings
Illness is Announced.
ONLY SYMPATHY FOR A FELLOW MAN
House of Commons Proceeds with
Its Usual Red-Tape Routine
While waiting for News
from the King.

LONDON, June 25.-Of the scene In the
House Of Commons when the announcement
Of the illness OF King Edward was made.
T. P. 0'Connor, Irish Nationalist member
and president Of the Irish National league.
has written the following account for the
Associated Press:
The work-a-day world goes on in its
which wifi probably be true of the E-are
Of Commons, which Is even yet bound down
with the iron rules that no high destiny or
national crisis can unbind. .
Thus II was today, when the whole Of
London was shaken by the announcement
Of the ~postponement of the coronation and
everybody was waiting TO see the ministers
enter and hear some news, one way or me
o oar5 4 clerk nrd6,. at IT. q ,o table 5rom read : pr out tR1
town council, regarding an educational bill
The educational bill Is important, but to
have this presentation with It's. JTe6ry
tautology read when the fate of the mon
arch was in the balance was one of those
grotesque contradictions which exaspecated
and finally got on the nerves Of the house.
But as the clerk read stolidly on in a
muffled voice the house began at Iast 10
interrupt him with discordant and even
indecorous cries, and while the house was
thus descending into chaotic and undigniiad
disorder the ministers were still absent
from their places and the house was stlll
left without news.
Profound Depression in House.
Out III HDlNt VI III TINS dllu III elANI -
even the discordant and grotesque snouts.
there was that about the place which
showed that something. was in the air that
shocked, saddened and even anrightencd
men. II is no e~xaggeration TO say that
there was a look of far more protOunu
depression about the house than even in
those awful and trying hours for English
men when the disasters OF Colenso ana
Spionkop seemed to make the whole fabric
Of the empire reel: Many mt ebaIts o9 gat a 3 IL
a blow had fallen on them.
The local petition was at last finished, the
cries ceased and there fell a somber and
solemn stiffness on the house when Mr..
Balfour and the other ministers hled in.
Spontaneously and universally hats were
taken off when Mr.. Balfour rose and an
nounced that he had a message to deliver
in reference to the king.
The House of Commons always looks us
best and most impressive when II Is mus
uncovered. 1t is the custom for hats to
be kept on, and therefore the mere act OF
uncovering heads gives to the familiar
certain solemn exaltation, and so It was
today when Mr.. Balfour arose.
BaIfour for Once Is Moved.
Mr.. Balfour is not a man who ever shows
much feeling, and II is said of hin by some
of his most severe critics that he has much
nobody could deny that for once MIR. Bal
four seemed to be moved. and II was with
announced the seriousness of the kings
condition and the fact that the operation
had been already performed.
Mr.. Balfour's statement occupied but a
few moments and II was followed by a few
words from Sir Henry Cam~pbell-Banner-
man, the leader of the opposition, and then
The whole scene was over. II took but a
few moments and but for the general air
Of the house, to which. l have alluded. the
scene was not impressive,
There was no display of feeling until Mr..
Balfour came to the point where be fore
Swallowed the statement that the surgeons
were hopeful of the result. 1t was an evil
dence of how keen the feeling was that he
was not allowed to conclude his sentence.
There was an ~anticipatory and big out
burst of cheers from all parts OF the house.
Red Tape Not Omitted.
sion of the educational bill in its many de-
ally, as If nothing had occurred. But there
w WAS usual "a iel When Something tragic is in the
air, the real life of the house was In the
Hobbies and not on the floor. The members
the one topic Of conversation. There was
nothing but regret and sympathy; the
barriers and men only thought of their suf-
fering fellowman struck down at the mo-
ment when. If ever, the hand OF cruel fate
ought to have been stayed.
, The excitement was brought to a climax
when a report spread like wildhre that the
king was sinking and this was soon fol
tually dead. A SILVER as OF the passing of
the angel of death then passed over every
body ana the members Oh ut HOuSC TuS1tu
hitler and thither, but with that charac-
teristic quiet and apparent want of emo
ton which Englishmen so rarely lose.
scene in House of Lords!
The place to go at that moment for the
latest information was the House of Lords.
came at 4:2O O'Clock and at 4:SO the House
of Lords began its sitting. There was an
unusually full attendance and so many
ladies pressed for admission that they had
TO be demonstrated with by the attendants
and the poor things were rather hustled.
The peers had to begin. Ike the com
the reading in dumb show of some docu-
ments and other trivlalities. but this did
Isade last Of i the liberal ESra sa sRsnlG n the IS House foM 'o Of
Lords, the earl. OF Kimberley is dead and
Lord Rosebery has retired. Lord speA-
was called the @Red Early in the days
when ireland wss in the thross of shc
he has grown gray with the years, and
today when he arose he was pallid and
evidently unnerved; He asked the cues,
sympathy, after the terse fashion OF
Englishmen. Lord Salisbury was more
Lengthy. Indeed to tel the truth; he aR,,
usual Felicity of language had deserted
him.
Little Irony of Life.
II was not an Impressive scene, out wa
thought to be rather more striking thar
the scene in the House Of Commons, anC
here comes one Of the little ironies of life
Tea on the terrace, one of London'i
most fashionable gatherings; has been al
most abolished this year ey the baS
the result that the ladies came out lik,
butterflies after a shower, and never wal
the terrace so ~thronged, so gay and 81
grief, There was something mournful al
well as striking In the scene, and II any
mournful II was the gay bunting. tn,
Venetian masts and the giaring colors o
the decorations on Westminster bridge
The flags tapped lazily in the sultry air
the vast crowds passed slowly by, an,
the huge and groaning buses stood in row
OF six and seven at a time. The tide o
life flowed on strong and tumultuous an
the king Is lighting with death,