5H ENGLISH POLITICAL HISTORY 



Commons. They also resisted the proposal, made in an amendment moved on Novem- 

 ber 5th by Mr. Snowden, to make the local government register and not the parlia- 

 mentary the basis of elections to the Irish Parliament and thus include women voters. 

 The defeat of this amendment, by 314 to 141, through Government and Nationalist 

 pressure, caused considerable irritation among the more active supporters of women's 

 suffrage, but the case against it was strong; if this was purely an Irish question it was 

 one which, it was contended, the Irish Parliament itself should decide, while, if a deci- 

 sion was to be taken on the general question of women's suffrage for the whole kingdom, 

 the proper occasion would arise when the Government's Franchise Bill came on. 



On Friday November 8th a further step was taken to expedite the work of the 



session by the introduction of a " guillotine " time-table for the Welsh Church Bill. 



Mr. Asquith moved a resolution allocating 14 days to the Committee stage, 



Government 2 to R e p Or t anc } one to third reading. So short a shrift excited much 



defeat and . . . _ ... . . 1111 i i i 



its result. - bitterness on the Opposition benches, and it was hotly debated, the discus- 

 sion that day being (adjourned; and on the following Monday (Nov. nth) 

 the whole situation in the House of Commons was changed by an unforeseen event. 

 The Resolution required as a preliminary to discussion of the financial clauses of the 

 Home Rule Bill was in its Report stage, having been carried in Committee by a majority 

 of 1 20, and Sir F. Banbury now moved an amendment without notice, providing that 

 the total payment from the Imperial to the Irish exchequer in any one year should not 

 exceed 2,500,000. It was early in the afternoon, and the Government Whips had not 

 realised that the Unionists were in unaccustomed force and had temporarily a majority 

 in the House; but on a division the Government was defeated, the amendment being 

 carried by 228 to 206. Mr. Asquith immediately moved the adjournment of the 

 House in order to consider what action should be taken, but the idea of resignation was 

 scouted at once; and next day it was announced that the Cabinet had decided to move 

 a resolution rescinding the vote " notwithstanding anything in any Standing Order," 

 and providing (so as to regularise further proceedings under the time-table, which was 

 entirely upset by the incident) that the next day on which business was taken on the 

 Home Rule Bill should count as the " i6th allotted day," though, as previously fixed, 

 the i6th day was November nth; when this had been done, they proposed to reintroduce 

 their financial resolution and proceed as though nothing had happened. On Wednesday 

 the 1 3th Mr. Asquith accordingly moved to this effect, arguing that all the circumstances 

 showed that the defeat of the Government had not been a genuine one and that they 

 were not called upon to pay any attention to it. This proposal to rescind the vote and 

 set up the resolution afresh was, however, as the Speaker agreed in reply to Unionist 

 objections, absolutely unprecedented in Parliamentary procedure. It had always 

 been held, and was laid down by Erskine May, that no question or Bill could be brought 

 up in the House that was substantially the same as one on which judgment had already 

 been expressed in the current session; and when the Speaker nevertheless ruled that 

 Mr. Asquith's motion, though unprecedented, was in order, Opposition exasperation 

 became intensified to a point beyond control. After Mr. Bonar Law had argued the 

 case at length, and had moved the adjournment of the debate, which Mr. Asquith 

 curtly declined to accept, a state of organised disorder prevented any further proceed- 

 ings. With the approval of their leaders, the Opposition showed their resentment by 

 keeping up a chorus of cries of " Adjourn," and refusing to allow any continuance of 

 business. The Speaker at last took the only course open to him and adjourned the 

 House. There seemed likely to be renewal of the same scene next day, since the 

 Opposition were determined not to allow what in their view was a defiance of the 

 " common law " of Parliament. Before the House met however on the *4th, calmer 

 counsels prevailed owing to the exercise of the Speaker's influence. At the opening of 

 the sitting he suggested that, if more time were given for reflection, a less objectionable 

 way might be found for regularising the proceedings. Mr. Asquith promptly accepted 

 this suggestion, and moved that the House should adjourn for the purpose till Monday 

 the 1 8th. As Mr. Bonar Law concurred, this course was accordingly adopted, and the 



