SCENE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11629, 17 April 1901, Page 6

SCENE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

IRISH MEMBERS REMOVED BY POLICE. . x 'v ■ London, March 8. There was an extraordinary scene in the House of Commons at the end of Tuesday's sitting. Tho closure had been agreed to (in Committee of ' Supply) on a vote of £17,504-,000 for the Civil Service and Revenue Departments. The main question was then put from the chair, and, amid loud Nationalist cries of "Gag, gag," the House proceeded to divide. Though tho occupants of the Ministerial benches and members of the regular Opposition passed to tho division lobbies, the Nationalist members remained in , their places. The Chairman: I must ask the hon. members to bo kind enough to proceed into tho division lobby. Mr. P. MeHugh: Wo will not divide. (Cheers.) About 20 or 30 Irish members now remained in the Houso, and The Chairman then again appealed to them to pass into the division lobbies. (Cries of " No," " Certainly not," from the Irish members.) Mr. Flavin, rising in his place, said the Irish members felt it to be their duty to make a. solemn protest against the manner in which all the Irish votes had been closured without a single Irish voice having been heard. (Cheers.) He considered it a scandalous proceeding that all debates on Irish votes should be closured. (Cheers.)

Thc Chairman: Order, order. It is not possible to go back on the decision of the House. The House lias already decided that the question should be- put, and it is my duty to put it. An Irish Member: And it is our duty not to divide. (Cheers.) The Chairman: It is impossible to carry on the proceedings— Mr. Flavin: The Irish members have got no chance of speaking. The Chairman: Order, order. If the hon. members decline to proceed to the division lobbies, I must report tho circumstances to the Speaker. ' Mr. P. Mellugh: Bring in your policemen —(cheers) we aro not going to divide. The Chairman then despatched a message to the Speaker. Members now came back from the lobbies and reoccuuied tho benches, while Mr. Nicholson, one of the Clerks of the Table, proceeded to the Irish benches to take the names of the recalcitrants. This approach was greeted with loud cries of " No information,"' and he was compelled to pass down tho benches applying to each member severally for his name. By the time the Speaker had arrived the House was crowded.

The Chairman: Mr. Speaker, I have to report to you, sir, that during the course of the division I had put the question which I was ordered to put by the House as a result of the division upon the closure. During the course of that division a certain number of members of the House declined to leave their seats—(loud Nationalist cheers)—and to proceed into the division lobbies. I requested them more than once to proceed, but I gathered from 'he observations which fell from these hon. members or some of them that they declined to proceed. (A Nationalist member : " That they would not submit to the gag.") Thereupon I thought it was duo to the House, in the position in which wo found ourselves, that I should follow the precedent .vhich had been set on a former occasion, and ask you, sir, to return to tho chair. It was impossible for me, sir, to seo all the hon. members who declined to leave their seats, but I may say that among those whom I was able to observe wore the members for South-East Cork, North Kerry, South Tipperary,. North Mcath, North Leitrim, East Limerick, North-East Cork, West Cavan, East Tyrone, South Fermanagh, East Cork, and West Cork. Mr. Jovce: And the member for Limerick City. (Cheers.) Mr. Nannetti: And the member for College Green.

Mr. J. O'Dcnnell: And the member for South Mayo. Mr. K. O'Brien: And the member for Mid Tipperary. Several other members also stated their names, but were inaudible in the cheers which arose from, the Nationalist benches.

The Speaker: The order having been made for clearing the House, it is the duty of every member, in accordance with that order, to clear the House for the purpose of a division. I must remind hon. members that they are breaking the rules of the House in not clearing the House for a division. I must ask them whether they still persist in refusing to leave the House? I name you, Mr. Crean, Mr. Flavin. Mr. Cullinan, Mr. White, Mr. McHugh, Mr. Lundon, Mr. William Abraham, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Boogan, Mr. Jordan, Captain Donelan, Mr. Gilhooly. for wilfully obstructing tho business of the House and disregarding -the order of, ( the chair. An Irish member: And the rest of us.

Mr. Balfour: I move that these gentlemen be suspended from the service of the House. (Loud Ministerial cheers and Nationalist up roar.) The Speaker then put the question, and declared that the ayes had it, in spite of tho loud cries of "No" from the Irish benches. The House proceeded to clear for a division, but it became evident that the Irish members were determined to pursue their previous tactics of not leaving the House. They refused to name tellers.

Tho Speaker: Tellers for the "ayes," Sir William Walrond and Mr. Anstruther. As there are no tellers for the "noes," I declare that tho " ayes" have it. (Loud Ministerial cheers and Irish cries of " Gag" and uproar.) I must ask the lion, members whom I have named to withdraw from the House.

Mr. Flavin: You have named me, and I refuse to leave the House.

The Speaker: The Sergeant-at-Arms will see that adequate force is used to compel the hon. member.

The Deputy-Sergeant-at-Arms then went to Mr. Flavin to ask him to withdraw. Mr. Flavin refused. " It's not you personally, but you can .send any single man you like to take me out." (Loud Nationalist cheers.) - The Deputy-Sergeant then summoned two messengers, who attempted to reach Mr. Flavin on the bench below the gangway, but who were resisted by Mr. Crean, who sat in the gangway. There were Ministerial cries of " Shame," followed by Nationalist uproar. Mr. Flavin still refused to stir, end defied the messengers to remove him. After the uproar had continued for a few minutes, The Speaker said: I must call the names of the hon. members in order, and I must ask the messengers to see that they are removed if they will not withdraw. Mr. Nannetti: Everyone of us is the same. The Speaker: I must ask tho Deputy-Ser-geant to see that Mr. Crean leaves the House. Mr. Crean (who sat on the corner seat of the third bench below the Opposition gangway) : I will not leave the House. The Speaker: Then the hon. member must be removed by force out of the House. (Ministerial cheers, Nationalist uproar.) Three messengers then seized Mr. Crean, who clung to his seat, and was held down by the hon. member sitting near him. A body of police were then summoned by the Deputy-Scrgeant-at-Arms, and stood at the bar under the direction of Inspector Scantlebury. A number of police then went to the assistance of the messengers, and after a severe struggle, in which they were passively, and even actively, resisted by some of the Nationalist members, Mr. Crean was borne, resisting violently to the last, out of the House. « The Speaker then asked Mr. McHugh to withdraw.

Mr. McHugh: I refuse to go. (Ministerial cries of " Out you go.") Mr. Flavin: Why do not you come across and put us out yourselves? After some further uproar the Speaker directed that Mr. Cullinan should be removed. The lion, member was seated in the middle of the third bench below the gangway, and before* the Speaker's orders could be carried out it was necessary that the messengers and tho police, who had now boen considerably reinforced, should pass along the Nationalist benches to reach the hon. gentleman and to prevent his colleagues from holding him in his seat. After another long struggle, Mr. Cullinan, who resisted with all his force, was dragged across the tops of tho front two benches, and so out of the House. Mr. Flavin: Nineteen policemen to remove one Irishman. (Nationalist howls.) The Speaker: This scene is as distressing to an Englishman as it can be to any Irishman. (Nationalist cries of "No" and "Go on.") Mi. McHugh: Why are wo gagged (Cheers and uproar.) The Speaker: Have some respect for tho dignity of tho Houso to which you belong. (Uproar.) Mr. McHugh: We are absolutely defiant, and we will defy even tho Chair and the Government. Mr. Flavin (excitedly): May I point out, sir, that in your absence a vote of 17 millions of money (cries of " Order") was closured without a single Irish member having taken part in the discussion? (Cries of "Order" and Nationalist, cheers.) Mr. F. White attempted to speak, but was shouted down. ■,«■''■»». Tho Speaker: I must ask Mr. Patrick White, «vho is one of the members I have named, to leave tho House, and I appeal to him to leave it peacefully. Mr. P. White: 1 shall not leave the House. (Cheers.) ' The Speaker: Then th« hon. member must, be removed. : , , '~,'■ . -, •, -.•• ;■■ .':■ I

**————w ■ ■linn ■ "■■!■■ ■:■■■-'■;• miii.mwuag: : ';.;i;.;: The police, who had withdrawn below the bar, again advanced, and, lifting Mr. White bodily from his seat, '■: bore him struggling from the House, amid Irish cries of " Shame." Mr. Patrick O'Brien: Before this matter proceeds any further I would appeal, if I may, to the Leader of the House, and ask him if he would not let itho matter now end. (Cries of "No.") Tho Speaker: An order having been made, and a division called, and the hon. members having been named for refusing to proceed to the lobby, they should retire from tho House peaceably. A protest may be made on a future occasion, but their duty now is to retire peaceably. (Cries of "No," and " It's no use," from the Irish members.) The Speaker directed that Mr. MeHugh should leave the House.

Mr. McHugh: I shall not, sir. Mr. McHugh was then forcibly taken from his seat by a body of policemen, and carried out of the House, amid uproar. The same course was followed in the case of Mr. Condon, who offered some resistance, and of Mr. W. Abraham, who only passively resisted. As he was borne from his scat on the back bench below the gangway ho shouted out, "God save Ireland," whereupon the Nationalist members rose and loudly cheered the sentiment.

Mr. McGovern, Mr. Doogan, and Captain Don clan were next removed, each member insisting 1 upon beinqf carried out of the House. As Captain Donelan was borne away, the whole of. the Irish members rose and first cheered and then sang a verso of "God Save Ireland."

The Speaker then colled upon Mr. Gilhooly to leave the House, but ho proved equally contumacious and had to be removed by the police. Mr. Flavin's name was called next, and a large body of police approached the lion, member, who sat on the back bench, and whose physical development and threatening aspect promised a task of more than ordinary difficulty. An appeal to Mr. Flavin to go quietly was made by one of the messengers, but ho replied, " No. take mo by force." "Policemen then seised the hon. member by the arms and legs both from the front and behind, and though he struggled with all his strength he was at length lifted from his sect 'and carried to the gangway. Then, for a. moment, there seemed to bo trouble impendine, as there was hardly room, for ■» many policemen to act tffectivoly. Some of them slipped, but when the situation looked most ominous Mr. Flavin, who seemed to have recovered his temper completely now, and to have put asido the excitability which ho exhibited a few moments before smilingly reassured his cantors bv saying' 'All right, I am not going to hurt anybody. Before tlw» hon. member disappeared through the door he shouted, " God save Ireland"— a cry which was immediately taken up by tho Irish members still remaining in the House. The Speaker then left the chair and the committee resumed. Mr. Lowther at. once put the nuestion that the vote, on account bo agreed to. The Irish members cried " No" with great determination : but as they refused to name toll". ers, the Chairman declared that the " ayes" had it. and the vote was therefore agreed to Amid Irish cries of " Robbery" and "Gag" tho House resumed. The Speaker .immediately declared the Mouse to stand adjourned. This was at ten minutes past one, and, though the House was very crowded, hon members dispersed without any further inci-