PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1705, 7 August 1879, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS

. [FROM THE ” PRESS ” CORRESPONDENT.] WELLIN'OTON, August 6. Last night in the House may be called the •night of disappointment. Mr Barton has been - scheming all throngh the session, and making •bargains with the Government to get an evening for his great harangue against the Judges, as no other time but the early evening was considered good enough for him to be heard. Everything seemed all secure last night, and the Premier had, in the afternoon, duly announced the performance. But he had not quite finished bis own speech on the address to the Governor re the meeting of the new Parliament at 5.30, and when he stood up to finish at 7.30 the full gallaries tempted him to keep Mr Barton waiting whilst he made his stock gallery speech, which had been quite spoiled by being so roughly handled on Friday night. He thought he was apeiking in reply to the debate on his own motion, so that none else would have a right to reply to him, having overlooked the fact that an amendment had been moved, which left the door open to all the wicked Opposition to make fun of his oft told tale. The blank amazement of Sir-George when the. Speaker ruled that the hon. member for Cheviot was quite in order sent a peal of crnel laughter through the House, which was prolonged by the enraged look of the member for Wellington when he found that his friends were likely to be entertained by other tongues and other-subjects than his. When he did get to his attack it was quite in a different style to what he had ever exhibited before, and one that soon cleared both hoase and galleries. He spoke like a man in a witness box waiting for each sentence to be recorded, and the strict manner in which both the Speaker and Mr Steward kept him within the Standing Orders, and Mr Bowen insisted on the names of his authorities, seemed to qnite paralyse his eloquence. You will see that the Lords have come down ‘heavily on the Government and Sir G. Grey’s sailway this afternoon.