New-York tribune., 1910-12-18

hcre Known
-,ar with Mr. Henry Brand VINO ne'o
- -eat office from 1872 to 1854. who
u'' .f,eruard Sir Henry Brand. G. c
,,sn yiscount Hampden. He be-
- "a family of whom one was
- rampden: name whlch' ho'-
..x-.a,d;ng its connection with the
,.zraxe. I suppose even Mr. Lloyd
George would recognize as 1iius'i i0'S'
= the days when Mr.. Brand WAS
c-x.re- used to go now AND fhen 10
-, uoz,se of Commons. The figure oil
.h,s a-niahle gentleman was a rrepos-
..i-q one. All Speakers, / may say
=. ,beir robes and wig and seated IN
~-est chair. like a Chair OF STATE
en- air Of that dignity which Is
:,s,,.rable from this office.
Mr. Brand had it. He was not
.,;,t hv nature, a man of high au-
.,oritr. The habit Of command or OF
ouict decision WAS not natural TO hiffi-
such Is ne had, he had by practice The
oe7ce educated him into a competence
IT, ;-s dr5fies There was never any
6oubt that he knew the rules OF the
House and how and when to apply
them. And finally there came a mo-
,,enf. q memorable moment about 8
o'clock one February morning Of 1880,
when he rose TO the height of a great
occasion and reasserted once for ali
not only his own authority as Speaker,
hvt the prestige and power of the House
over its own rebellious members
han
called Obstruction had been brought by
the Irish Nationalists to a pitch of per-
section never before known. The pioneer
IN this business OF preventing business
nv an unscrupuious use Of the rules,
framed in order to carry on business,
YVES Nr. Biggar. The moral twist in Mr..
Biggar's nature had its outward coun-
Ierpart in a curious physical nalforna
ton and in a face which seemed in
tended as an example of Darwin's the
orr Of the Origin Of Species. He entered
-he House unknown but not unobserved-
Mr.. Disraeli observed him. put his glass
into his eye. surveyed this new species
for moment and turned to colleague
by his side with the question:
What is it?'
Mr.. Parneil was not above adopting
Mr. Biggar's tactics. He was like Mr..
John Russell Young when managing
editor Of The Tribune. I asked Young
one day where he got an idea he an
nounced and desired NE to carry out
Tt doesn't matter where I got It, j
would take an idea from Benjamin IL
he had ONE
BENJAMIN was the Office boy. Mr..
Parnell. with Mr. Biggar and other emf
nent Irish Nationalists TO help him, de-
Gberately set himself TO paralyZe the
legislative efficiency IF the House and
TO bring the House itself into contempt
Il was a policy in which he sloried- A
friend-if he had a friend-once asked:
afr. Parnell. how did you acquire
,scur extraordinary knowledge Of the
rules Of the House,"
"Ry breaking them" answered the
Irish leader. He broke them all, one
after the other, hut his real strength
lsv not in breaking them, hut in using
them. On this occasion obstruction had
gone on for three days. The Speaker
irtervened. the House sustained the
Speaker. but the ingenuity and perunac-
ity of Mr. Parnell and his colleagues
were, during these three days. more
than = match for both Speaker ana
House. II was thought afterward that
Nr. Brand might have acted sooner than
he did Down to that time he had been
thought rather easygoing. Probably he
Nas no more easygoing than other
Speak kers whose lot had fallen on easier
times. Nor does il matter. When ne
struck he struck home. He rose in MS
chair on that February morning and an
nounced to a hushed House that in his
Judgment the sense of the House was
that the question be now put And he
put St
did not see this great act. ! wish
had. But o'clock in the morning Is
rot an hour when cne IS likely TO nho
oneself inside the Palace Of Westminster
ner was there any reason TO suppose
that anything was going to happen.
was told afterward that Mr.. Brand hao
taken few members into his commence
i vas . secret TOO tremendous to be
rgsted to many. even of the party lead
trs. all Of whom. the Irish excepteo'
gere with hir.l. He had. however, coh-
tul,ed with The chief officials or the
House. Unlike most officials. they, or
torne IF them, were capable OF taxing an
unofficial view. The Irish, of course, DE-
nounced il az tyranny. a Violation Oh
their privileges. a coup d'etaf; and / know
no; what else But the Speakers VIE"
was q very simple one He saic later
'It cannot he that the rules OF 'ne
House were intended TO make a small
minority Of the House rulers over the
M ioritv The will of the majority ~
meant 10 rreyail. That is the object OF
tie rules. That was the evident sense
and desire Of the House as Whoie- IL
only remained TO find some means OF
giving effect both to the purpose ano
intent Of the rules and TO the evident
resolve of the majority. Only the
Speaker could do that. i thought
ought 10 take that responsibility and
took il: and there never was any
question that ] rightly interpreted and
executed the will Of the House. j wish
70 other defence than that"
But it has gone further than that
The power which the Speaker then
os'rped-if he usurped twas soon
Hter conferred upon him by the Stand