[Sidenote: Deeper and deeper.]
Friday, May 12th, I may dismiss in a few words. As the closure had been
refused on Thursday night, the Obstructives started again on the first
clause on Friday afternoon--Mr. T.W. Russell leading the van. He had
nothing to say beyond what he had said a hundred times already, even in
the course of the present Session; and his speech would have passed
unnoticed had it not been for a brisk but odious and ignoble little
storm which he and the Tories managed to raise between them. Mr. Russell
declared that he heard the phrase across the floor, "What the devil are
you saying?" and stopped as if the heavens and the earth must refuse to
go round on their axes because of this introduction into Parliament of
the negligences of private conversation. Mr. Gibbs--a very pestilent and
very empty member of the young army of silly obstructives--moved that
the words be taken down--an ancient formula not heard of for years till
the present Session, when everything is turned to account for the
purpose of occupying time and breaking down the House of Commons, and at
the same time accused Mr. Swift McNeill of having used the words.
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