The Irish standard., 1912-02-24
7. P. O'Connor Tells of Stirring
Scenes in the Commons During
the Session of '86.
The Bringing Forth of Gladstone's
Bill a Memorable Incident in
the Lower Chamber.
Thousands Waited in Intense Ex~
citement to Hear the Great
Premier's Plea.

In his cablcd letter of Feb. II, to
tho Chicago Tribune T. p. O'Connor,
NJ. p. grows reminiscent and sketches
vividly tho stirring scenes that have
taken place in the English House of
Commons on the occasion OF other
Home Rule struggles. He says:
1t is impossible at tho moment when
we are once moro entering on ses-
sion during which Home Rule is the
main issue. for one old In the fight,
not to recall the other two solemn oc-
casions when the struggle took place
on this same subject.
The coming session will doubtless
be full Of incident. and the fight will
be hard. but there are lacking many
of the melodramatic elements which
went to make the session Of 1886 tho
most remarkable that ever was seen
at Westminster.
Indeed. it is one of the advantages
of the present attempt to pass Home
Rule that there Is this absence Of the
melodrnmatic element. For one of the
causes which made Gladstone's pro-
posal excite such intense feeling was
that this proposal was SO novel and
SO startling that people did not yet
know where they stood.
One of the disadvantages from
which Gladstone suffered all through
his magnificent fight. was that though
he had been approaching Home Rule
for many ycars-the letter just pub
lished Of tho Duke of Devonshire con-
clusively proves this he had been
forced by the revolutionary outbursts
Of tho Land league of Ireland into
fierce opposition to Parncll and the
other Irish leaders, and that when he
started to propose Home Rule the
rafters Of the public halls in all Eng
land wcre still rcsounding with the
echoes of his denunciations of thom.
These denuncintions wcre used
largely against him, and Of course it
was difficult to expect that the ma
ton. not acquainted with the condi-
tions of Irish life or the story Of Ire-
l"nds centuries of wrong, could un-
dcrstand how a man could change his
point OF view with such rapidity.
And looking back on the whole con-
troversy now in the light Of retro-
T., To-
the long interval, I am inclined to
think that Gladstone was beaten
largely because he tried to rush the
policy.
But whatever tho cause, Westmin-
stcr saw Il sight when Mr.. Gladstone
brought forward his bill such as has
never, perhaps. been seen before in
the house. Members began to arrive
as early as a. m. The majority of
these early arrivals naturally belong
ed to the Irish party.
Having placed their hats on the
seats they meant to occupy, they tried
to pass the long interval between
o'clock in the morning and 4 in tho
afternoon, when the speech of Glad
stone was expected to begin, as best
they could. Most of them, of course,
had to take their breakfast in the din
ingroom of the House of Commons.
Then they wandered over the different
rooms, eagerly rushing to the reading
room, Of course, at the moment when
the morning papers arrived.
There was curious little episode
which is symbolical Of the times. We
had then in the Irish party good.
modest, brave but self-effaced little
man named P. J. O'Brien, one Of the
members for Tipperary. A curious
idea occurred to him for passing the
time.
Mr.. Saunders, who was then in
charge of the refreshment department
of the House of Commons, was great
cyclist. and he often had his machine
down on the terrace. It was lying
there on the morning of the great
Home Rule speech; and what should
poor O'Brien do but mount the tri-
cycle and run it up and down the ter.
race.
Unfortunately he was carelsss in