DISCIPLINARY POWER OF LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES. 



205 



said : " A new and exceptional proceeding is 

 imperiously demanded, and I am convinced 

 that I shall better respond to the intentions of 

 the House to refuse permission to any more 

 speakers, and to put the question to vote." 

 The vote was then taken on the introduction 

 and first reading of the " coercion bills," amid 

 incessant and excited cries, by the nineteen 

 Irish members, of " Privilege ! " " Privilege ! " 

 Mr. Gladstone immediately announced that on 

 the next day he would make the following mo- 

 tion : " When a motion to declare urgency in 

 the state of public business shall have been made, 

 if forty members rise to sustain that propo- 

 sition, the President shall immediately take 

 the vote of the House on the question. In 

 case the number of ' yeas ' shall be larger, a 

 yote by division shall be immediately taken, 

 and if the majority in favor of the proposition 

 is at least three fourths, the powers of the 

 House for the determination of the proceedings 

 during the different stages of a bill shall be 

 delegated to the Speaker, and remain in his 

 hands until he declares there is no longer ur- 

 gency in the state of public business." These 

 proceedings closed the session of forty-two 

 hours. 



At the session which was held in the after- 

 noon, the Speaker was asked what provision 

 of the rules he had executed in closing so has- 

 tily the debate. He replied that he had acted 

 on his own responsibility to discharge a duty 

 to the House. A resolution was offered by 

 Mr. Parnell, " that the conduct of the Speaker 

 was a violation of the privileges of the House." 

 The Speaker said it was a question of order 

 and not of privilege, and that there should 

 have been a previous notice of the resolution. 

 In the discussion that ensued the Speaker was 

 sustained by the House 278 votes to 44. The 

 act of the Speaker was practically a coup (Petat. 

 It would be necessary to search very far back 

 in the history of England to find a similar act, 

 thus violating all traditions, thus repudiating 

 all precedents, and putting one's self in a very 

 flagrant manner in contradiction to the very 

 idea of British liberty : 



u Ours is a land of old renown, 



Where freedom slowly broadens down, 



From precedent to precedent." 



At the session on the next day fixed for the 

 introduction of Mr. Gladstone's proposition, 

 the House of Commons was invaded by the 

 House of Lords and princes of the royal family. 

 Scarcely had he said a few words, when he was 

 interrupted by Mr. Dillon, one of the Irish 

 members, on a question of order. Amid cries 

 of " Order ! " " Order ! " on every side, Mr. Dil- 

 lon said, " Mr. Speaker, I claim my privi- 

 lege." Whereupon the Speaker decided that 

 he had voluntarily failed in respect for the 

 authority of the Chair. Amid the uproar Mr. 

 Gladstone was heard to say, "I move, con- 

 formably to the rule, that Mr. Dillon be sus- 

 pended from service in this House for the re- 

 mainder of the session." The Speaker imme- 



diately put the question, and the yeas, like a 

 formidable explosion, made the vault of West- 

 minster tremble. The nays were feebly heard. 

 The result was disputed, and a division was 



MB. PARNELL OFFEKS HIS RESOLUTION. 



required. A vote nearly unanimous was given 

 against Mr. Dillon. He refused to retire. The 

 respectable Sergeant-at-Arms then invited him 

 to go. He still refused. The sergeant then 

 touched his arm, but this was not sufficient. 

 Four assistants soon appeared, ready to remove 

 the rebellious member, who, in going out, 

 turned his back to the Speaker, instead of 

 making the usual mark of reverence. No 

 sooner was this scene over, than Mr. Gladstone 

 began to speak, when he was immediately in- 

 terrupted by Mr. Parnell, and the same scene 

 was repeated. This continued until nine other 

 members were led out, each one protesting 

 against the " illegal and despotic force " to which 

 he was subject. It was 8-|- P. M. when the last 

 was out. At 2 A. M. the bill granting extraor- 

 dinary powers to the Speaker was passed, and 

 urgency was declared, which invested him with 

 those powers. 

 Nevertheless, these exceptional powers were 



