TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3185, 13 September 1881, Page 2

TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1881.

A. somewh it similar scene to thst which :n our Parliament the , other day, which rpsulred in Mr Gisborne btiug fined £20. took place in the House «f Communs in July last. The House was in committee on the Irish Land iJill, and ?he ibairman refu?-■; , to y)ut au amen<lrn«at proposed by Mr ; r»b : !n on tbe g-'-irnd that it was inconsistent with a decision which the committee had just previously affirmed. Mr Gibson pror.esVc-d most efrom»l? 'o this ruling, amidst lea;' cries of " Hear. Hoar, ,, " Order, Order," aud " Protest." Mr Gib"op said he <3id not care from whn* charter intcrramiun proceeded, btit h- ; . •;.\; "i"i submitting to the comlo'i'ioc \-..!■•■: ;-MBonh which, to hi* mind, a["t '~'i.:l ■•■> "r. : : !;'ir'--; - - : : fvj in moving; his amendment. -vi j to tbs Chair man's ruling, of course. Fie was quite (•me ti;e rifc.hv liim. -;?ntlcnian in the Chair vrcuicj readily that he was tbo la»* in the liou.se to question hi* 'iiifhority ; but as fa:- <\-> he co»ld understand the arou'ide ov bis ruling ac nuis* submit that his amendment whs not out of order. Mr M. Heury ro.«e to order. The matter bad been repeatedly ruled that after the Chairman had declared a clause or amendment out of order no one was allowed to dispute it. The committee would stultify it«elf if the right bon. gentleman w*« avowed to proceed. The Chairmau said his ruling whs n->t that of a lawyer, and might therefore be sdtjecr to legal oninion, and he should be glad to hear the opinion of the right bon. gentleman whether be was wrong. Mr Gilaon ro«e to order. Mr M. Henry and Mr A. Sullivan rose to order. The Chairman : The right hon. and learned gentleman was speaking to order. Mr Gibson contended thaf bis amendment wae not in the slightest degree inconsistent with what tbe'coiumitteehad justafnrmed. It merely sought to qualify it. Mr A. O'Connor wished to know whether the authority of the right hon. gentleman depended on the capacity he filled as Ciia'rraan or a lawyer. The SolicitorGeneral took notice of the fact that the right hon. and learned gentleman had commenced his address by protesting against the ruling of the Chair. It was the use of tbat expression which had led to the observation of his right hon. friend. As to the point of order, the first sub-section provided two things—that the tenant of any present tenancy may from time to time apply to fix a judicial rent, and that the landlord and tenant might concurrently apply. But if the amendment ot the right hon, and learned gentleman was carried, the tennant never c >uld alone apply because, after the first, time, he could only do it with the consent of the landlord. His right would be exhausted by one application. The amendment would be entirely inconsistent with the sub-section Mr Gladstone wished to explain. He hid said across the table tbnt the ri>{ht hon. and learnrd gentleman could not " protest" against the ruling of'the Ohnir. He adopted vhac oourea beeausrf bethought it was the most courteous and delicate method of su'sestiug tha* , the right hon. and learned gentleman could nut use such a word which, in half a century, he had never heard used againsi - the Speaker or Chairman. He thought the right hon. and learned gentleman would have fipologhed for its u«e ; but, at all events, it should be withdrawn. 'I he above report, which we have taken from the Tisnes. shows how differently parliamentary business is conducted in London to what it is at Vv'diingtoa. Prom the ivo reports we are unable to discover tbat Mr Gisborne was worse iv bis dfccidin* than \t-i* Mr Gibson, but the one was reported to the House and fined €20 under pressure of almost terrorism of the Chair, while in the other case there wa« only a mild rebuke from the Premier. In both cases the Chairman's ruling was called in question, and that watt, us Car as we arc aware, the sum and KRbscance of the offending. It may be that the character of our General Assembly demand's vbe exercise of great severity on-the part of the Chair, but we cannot help thinking that when authority i« paraded at small provocation there is a lurking knowledge of weakness to maintain the dignity of the position.