The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-16
IRISH MEMBERS
DEFEAT CABINET
But Balfour and Colleagues
Call 1t a Snap Division and
Won't Resign.

ment was defeated in the house, of
commons today, by al to 100 votes, on
a motion of John Redmond, the Irish
! leader, for reduction of the Irish
education estimates. AS it was in the
nature Of snap division, engineered
by the Nationalist, the government
refused to resign, but it was regarded
/! as another straw showing the direc-
| ton of the wind.
| Mr.. Redmonds motion was made
with the object of calling attention to
! Irish grievances. The division was
taken almost Immediately after the
! commencement of the discussion, when
! the Liberals and Nationalist were in
strong force The result was greeted
with great cheering, especially from
the Irish benches. The opposition i'm
| mediately moved to report progress.
Premier Balfour opposed the motion.
He admitted, amid much laughter, that
it was obvious the government had
been defeated on a proposal to reduce
vote for $500, but there was a con-
siderable amount of financial business
to be transacted before March 81, and
he did not see why any time should be
wasted.
Mr.. Balfour added that the honorable
member had succeeded in reducing the
vote for Irish education by $500, and
the government accepted the opinion
of the house on the subject.
Mr.. Redmond retorted: 1--WE have
defeated the government"
1t was then that Mr. Redmond
moved to report progress. This was
defeated by III to 146 votes, the gov
eminent majority being 25. The gov
eminent in the interim had succeeded
in mastering enough Ministerialists to
save the situation, as in the event of
a second adverse vote the ministers
would have to resign.
Origin of the Coup.
The defeat of the government was
the result of a successful coup planned
by Mr. Redmond and the senior whip
of the Irish parliamentary party, Sir
Thomas Esmonde, yesterday afternoon.
Seing short list of questions for to-
day and knowing that the majority Of
the house expected the Irish members
to occupy all the afternoon in discuss
ing Irish education, Mr.. Redmond and
Sir Thomas decided to force divi-
sion after question time. when the
greater number of the government
supporters would still be quietly
lunching at their clubs The nfaneu-
vers succeeded to perfection.
Mr.. Redmond rose, holding large
| sheet Of notes in his hand, as if in
tending to make lengthy speech, but
to the astonishment of all except those
in the secret, the Irish leader spoke
only a few words and then sat down,
while his party demanded the division
for which such careful plans had been
laid. A scene of indeScribable excite
ment occurred when Sir Thomas Es-
monde and Anthony J. Donelan, the
two tellers, went to the right of the
speakers chair, thus showing that for
the first time in many years the Unionist
government has been beaten. When
the clerk of the house handed the d.
vision paper to Sir Thomas Esmonde
there was perfect hurricane of cheers
from the opposition, lasting several
minutes. William Redmond, in his
eXuberance, snatched a hat from the
head of celIea que and waved it-wild-
ly.
The members rushed in and terri
bic din prevailed. Ultimately sufficient
quiet was resSO~ed to enable the figures
of the vote to be called out.
Mr.. Balfour, who was in the Distin-
guished Strangers gallery at the time,
appeared astounded at the jubilant
uproar.
The cheering of the opposition was
resumed when Mr.. Balfour entered the
chamber, and he was greeted with de-
risiVe cheers and cries of "Resign!"
and Another message for Joel"
Arthur Is Himself Again.
The premier, who had regained his
accustomed compoSure, philosophically
surveyed the excited house. The long
sustained jubilation did not tend to
the advantage Of the opposition The
government Whips had time to collect
their disordered forces from all parts
Of the house and various haunts in
London.
John Gordon MacNeill (Nationalist)
unintentionally gave the government
further advantage by a too lengthy
speech and when another division was
taken on the motion to report progress
Mr.. Balfour had twenty-five votes to
the good.
John Redmond said, subsequent to
the division:
''The government recently introduced
rule forbidding teaching Irish in four
of the first classes Of the Irish national
schools. This caused widespread in
dignation to voice which / moved for
a reduction Of the vote. Mr.. Wynd-
ham, chief secretary for Ireland, gave
no satisfactory explanation. and we
defeated the government. AS a result
of the defeat the Objectionable rule I'M
doubtedly was withdrawn. While the
general position Of the government has
not been weakened, my impression is
that dissolution will follow another
such blow. The time is at hand when
Ireland will hold the balance of pow
err"
Premier Balfour regards it as one
of the essential policies of his party to
hold on to the reins of government
for the present at least. What he may
do after Easter remains in doubt. The
blow today renders the premier's task
of holding his party together doublys
difficult, and many supporters of the
government frankly said tonight that
they favored an early dissolution Of
parliament rather than again under
going the humiliating experience Of to-
day.
aThose terrible Irish." as they are
described for the moment by the
Unionists, were entirely responsible for
Mr.. Balfour's defeat. On the question
of Catholic education Monday night
the Nationalist had voted with the.
Unionist government, but even while
so doing they were planning the down
fall of the Conservatives. This after-
noon the mine so ingeniously laid was
set off with success that thrilled the
country.
The strategy with which the coup
was planned and the scenes that mark
ed it's elimination recalled the times