Chamberlain and his confederates had entered into a conspiracy to
destroy the power of the House of Commons, and to defeat the mandate of
the nation by obstructing a Bill they could not otherwise defeat. Spoken
with great fire--with splendid choice of language--with biting sarcasm,
of which he is a master--the speech was an event. Mr. Gladstone promptly
recognized its spirit; thanked the Irish members for their
consideration; and then declared, amid a great sniff from Joe's upturned
nose, that if the Irish members desired to express their opinions on any
amendment, he and his colleagues would wait before expressing their own
views. There seemed to be a slight hope among the Tories and the
ever-venomous Joe that this meant a rift in the lute between the Irish
members and the Government; but they were woefully
disappointed--especially when the amendment was indignantly rejected by
the House.
[Sidenote: The "Daily News."]
It is the outspoken, rather than the loudly uttered, that is often the
important thing in a House of Commons discussion. This was the case with
the curious little debate which Mr. Chamberlain initiated on June 6th.
The _Daily News_ had published a little article describing the manner
in which the Tories had shouted at--hooted--interrupted--Mr.
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