The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-16
MR. BALFOUR
 IS BEATEN Premier Refuses to Re- sign However. THE IRISH MAKE A COUP Redniond's Maneuver Pecul-
 iarly Successful. Soon Afterward the Prime Minister Rallies His Forces and Again
 Takes Control of the
 House of Commons. K

London. March is-Premier Baifour,s government -today was defeated in the House of Commons by the combined Liberal and Nationalist vote. Thia re. verse was due to the prohibition by MT. Wyndham. chief secretary for Ireland, of the eaching of Gaelic in the junior grades of the Irish national schools. Mir. Baifopr though defeated by B majority of eleven on this question. does not re- gard the vote as one of want of con- hdence and he will not resign on this account. Ills determination not to re. sign was strengthened by the fact that shortly after the foregoing defeat he was able tn nsseeure a majority of 9.
 Tho failure of the government to carry the House with it on question of purely admAistratiye policy In its Irish depart- ment IS generally admitted to greatly weaken It's already waning prestige with the country, although 1t Ia not thought probable that any lnmediats develop ment will rnsne.
 Refuse to Quit oface.
 In the House of Commons itself, to use the words of prominent member of the opposition. ''all the artillery In the government arsenals would not make them surrender office"
 The Assoaiated Press learns that Pre- mier Balfour regards 1t as one of the essential principles of his party to hold on to the reins of government for the present at any rate. What he may do after Easter still remains in doubt The blow administered today makes the pre- rnier,s task of holding his party together doubiy difficult and many supporters of the government frankly said tonight that they favored an early dissolution of par lament rather than again undergo the humiliation experienced today.
 Those terrible Irish" as they are de- scrfped for the moment by the Unionists. were entirely responsible for MT. Bal four'e defeat. On the question of Catholic education Monday night the Nationalists had sated with the uhioniat sovrrninent. but even while so doing they were plan ming the downfall Of the Conservatives. This afternoon the mine 90 fnseniotisiy laid was set off with a success that thrill ed the country. The strategy with which the whole coup was planned and the scenes that marked it's culmination l'e- called the times when Gladstone and Pafs nell waged a Titanic struggle in the arena. ft-
 Politics Was Forgotten.
 When the House of Commons met at 2 o'clock this afternoon the metropolis was steeped in its usual murky tranquility. Scattered throughout the clubs, hotels and restaurants. the Unionist commoners Ianguidiy discussed the war news and everything else except politics. Tn this serenity of the luncheon hour hundreds of newspaper boys suddenly appeared yelling "The government defeated" 7,
 The early afternoon papers only gave the figures of the voting on divisions and readers were left to guess whether or not the government had resigned wild rush was made for the House ofCommons and many elderly members ran half a mile or more whiie others drove reckless ly to Westminster. '-.N
 Within the House of Commons itself strange scenes were being enacted. An unusually short list of questions had brought on the business of the day nearly half an hour ahead of the usual time Then languidly the house resolved itself into committee of supply to discuss the vote, for Irish education which had al- ready been debated Profound peace reigr- ed and there was not a sign of the com ing parliamentary storm except tos4he few initiated who keenly watched the whis- pered conference taking place between the Irish whips.
 John Redmond's Coup.
 John Redmond made a complaint about the prohibition of Gaelic In the schools. but Instead of a long speech. which 1t would seem he had prepared. judging by the volume of notes in his hands. the Irish leader said only few words. MT. Wyndham. replied with equal brevity and 1t was evident he was saving himself for string of protests from other Irish members.
 The Treasury bench was deserted save for the Chief Secretary for Ireland and three of his junior colleagues and barely twenty supporters of the Government were in their places. Sir Henry Camp Zimmerman, the leader of the Lib- eral Party, was absent. Mir. Balfour chatted merrIly in the spectators gallery with a friend. Then the bolt fell.
 No one rose to reply to Mir. Wyndham. the Irish party for once utilizing silence as It's deadliest weapon.
 MT. Redmond had said there were to be no speeches and though the rank and file of NationalistS did not know the req son. not having been admitted to the secret plan set on foot the previous even ing by their leader, and their chief whip, they obeyed implicitly Discipline tri- umphed, and not one word came from the Irish benches. The Liberals, too. sat silent, though they were ignorant of the protected coup, and without a reply division was inevitable. Only then did MT. Wyndham and the Government whips realize how deliberately they had been outwitted.
 The Government Desperate.
 The Associated Press learns that John Redmond and Sir Thomas Esmonde had planned the division for o'clock and inc bells therefor changed out through the house at 2:55. In desperation the Government whips sent messengers in cobs and with telegrams and to the tel anhones. but without avail. for when the teuers of the vote returned the Clerk of inc House handed Sir Thomas Esmonde the coveted little slip of paper, which is given to the winning side.
 Tn a second the members who had crowded in realized that the government had been beaten and there arose such a cheer as Westminster had not heard for many a day, The Irish and LlbeFNl members climbed upon benches and yelled themselves hoaFse and for nearly. five minutes pandemomium reigned Sew eral times Sir Thomas Esmonde tried to read out the figures. but his voice was drowned In the uDroar. Mr. Balfour