366 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



sirable to explain to the House of Commons 

 that the removal of the fleet to Besika Bay 

 was for the convenience of communication 

 with the Government at home and the embas- 

 sador at Constantinople, and was in no way 

 intended as a menace. The dilatory tactics of 

 the obstructionists were again made use of on 

 July 24th and 25th. Repeated appeals were 

 made to the Chairman, and at last the Chan- 

 cellor of the Exchequer required some words 

 uttered by Mr. Parnell to be reported to the 

 Speaker, who requested Mr. Parnell to leave 

 the House, which he did, but shortly after- 

 ward returned and joined his friends in re- 

 newed opposition to the Government. But 

 the most extraordinary scene ever witnessed 

 in the House of Commons occurred on July 

 31st. At 6 o'clock on the evening of that day, 

 the House went into Committee of the Whole 

 on the South African bill. At once the trouble 

 began. Every device in the shape of amend- 

 ments on which the House could be divided 

 was resorted to. At an early stage the motion 

 that progress be reported was resorted to. It 

 simply means that no more business can be 



BUCKINGHAM PALACE, LONDON. 



done on that measure. Again and again did 

 the members file out to the lobby for division, 

 and return to their seats and file out again. 

 But the Government had made preparations to 

 wear out the resistance of the obstructionists 

 by physical means. It was arranged that the 

 House should be attended night and day by re- 

 lays of fresh members, who were to carry on 

 the fight until exhausted nature compelled the 

 faithful to succumb. The leaders of the oppo- 

 sition cheerfully gave their assistance. The 

 names of the seven who thus-efiectually suc- 

 ceeded in obstructing the business of the House 

 were, Mr. Parnell, member for County Meath ; 

 Mr. Biggar, for County Cavan ; O'Connor Pow- 

 er, for County Mayo ; Francis Hugh O'Don- 



nell, for County Dungarvan ; Captain Nolan, 

 for County Gal way ; Harley Kirk, for County 

 Louth; and Edward Dwyer Gray, for County 

 Tipperary. Many of the English members left 

 the House at 9 o'clock, to return at midnight ; 

 a fresh relay arrived at 4 o'clock. The ob- 

 structionists now found the work telling on 

 them, and adopted the tactics of their oppo- 

 nents, and rested in turn. The door-keepers, 

 policemen, and even the Chairman, were re- 

 lieved from time to time. Several incidents 

 occurred during this session which were al- 

 most without precedent, and which created the 

 greatest indignation throughout Great Britain. 

 Sir Stafford Northcote, the Chancellor of the 

 Exchequer, declared in one of the momentary 

 pauses that the Government intended to pass 

 the bill if they had to sit through the vacation. 

 Upon this, Mr. O'Connor Power charged the 

 Government with having organized a conspir- 

 acy to crush the Irish members. Immediately 

 the House was in a tumult. The Chairman 

 demanded the withdrawal of the word "con- 

 spiracy." Mr. Power tried to explain, but the 

 cries of ""Withdraw" drowned his voice, and 

 he was finally compelled 

 to withdraw the expres- 

 SUjQ^fifer sion. Later on, Mr. 

 Gray, of the obstruc- 

 tionists, said the respon- 

 sibility for the demor- 

 alization of the House 

 rested on Sir Stafford 

 Northcote. Strong 

 measures should have 

 been taken at first. Sir 

 William Vernon-Har- 

 court, Liberal member 

 for the city of Oxford, 

 said the reason that 

 stronger action was not 

 taken was, not on ac- 

 count of the weakness 

 of the House, but to 

 show the character of 

 the contumaciousness 

 to the country, and to 

 give the obstructionists 

 rope enough. Mr. Gray 

 cried, " Hear, hear ! " 

 sneeringly. Sir Patrick O'Brien, a Home-rule 

 member for King's County, objected to this, 

 and intimated that Mr. Gray was a "humbug" 

 and a "damned fool," which expressions he 

 had to withdraw as unparliamentary. The 

 session continued in this manner for 26 hours. 

 Within recent history there has been scarcely 

 a parallel to this sitting. The House of Com- 

 mons sat 25 hours on the Slavery-Emancipation 

 bill, but not on account of obstructions. The 

 South African bill was read for the third time, 

 and passed on August 4th. In the Commons, ' 

 on August 10th, the Chancellor of the Ex- 

 chequer declined to say whether the Govern- 

 ment would regard the temporary occupation 

 of Constantinople by the Russians as so far in- 



