THE "STONEWALLING."

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 203, 26 August 1881, Page 3

THE "STONEWALLING."

Although the proceedings in Parliament with regard to the Representation Bill are of serious import to Nelsoa, aDd although we deeply deplore that the necessity has arisen for resorting to tactics, which are only justifiable under extrtma pressure, and the pursuance of which must, be a most distasteful task to those engiged in it, it i 3 impossible to avoid seeing the comic side of the affair, which is well illustrated in the account given by the Poit of Tuesday aud Wednesday's proceediugs, from which the following are a few extracts : — There were four or five *** counts out " up to midnight, and members grouped about the lobbies ready to come in aa soon aa the bell racg. While all this waste of time wa3 going on inside the senate hall, a .elect group started a vocal and instrumental concert in the whips' room. Here Mr Jones' fiddle was brought into requisition, and ever and anon the chorus of some motto song was wafted into tbe chamber, and added to the pleasure of the proceedings. During the greater part of the sitting the Nelson men rang the changes several times, aud made no secret of their intention to stonewall. Indeed Mr Shephard made an effort to explain the meaning of the term, going back to Stonewall Jackson's time. At 1.30 an attempt was made to recort progress, but without success, and Mr Levestam, relieving Mr Shepbard, kept up the agony till 2.10 a m., when the Chairman left the chair for half-an-hour. ********** *

Mr Pitt thought the Government were to blame for the obstruction, and said if they wished to go on he was prepared to sit till 2 30 p.m., when the debate might be continued with renewed vigour. It would be better to report progress now when possibly 9ome arrangement might be ariived at before nest sitting. Major Atkinson's reply was practically " fight it out and talk away." When the motion for reporting progress was put, there were only 8 for it, while 22 voted against it. Mr Gibb3 then took up the running. Shortly before 6 a.m., the chairman could stand it no longer, and he gave place to Mr Hamlin. Daylight began to pour its Eoft mellow light upon the Chamber and kissed the cheeks of the slumbering Ministers without arousing them from their peaceful dreams. It also glimmered on the " cheek " of the stonewallerß, but only to arouse them to renewed energy. At 6*30 Mr Bastings (who, it should be mentioned, was, in helping to keep up the jabber, only "entering hia protest " against his district being annihilated) once more entered the scene, and requested the chairman to leave the chair, but Mr Hamlin ia not often put into that seat, and he declined to comply with the request. Soon after thi3 Mr Shephard moved for the seventh or eighth time that progress be reported, but as no progress was made, the committee objected to go through the farce. Mr Shephard then proceeded once more to read from half-a-dozen very thick books. At 10 o'clock, Mr Seddon, who had spoken for nearly two hours, still continued to talk utter rubbish, occasionally complaining because the House would not adjourn and allow bim to get his breakfast. * * The stonewallers appeared to be as determined as ever to go on, and the Government were as equally determined to *■ see it through." At balf-past 10 Mr Seddon said he intended to fight it out to the last, but he would first take a little rest and food, and tien come back refreshed to start agaiD. He was prepared to divch the House on every word of the bill, and to ait for another month on it, but if the majority of the House intended to carry on tbe spirit of tyranny they had shown, there wou'd he a scene in that Chamber, and the Sergeant-at-Arms would he called in before the bill was passed. Mr Pilt followed at a quarter to 11, and spoke until a few minutes past that hoar, when he was relieved by Mr Levestam, who entered into a long dissertatation on the Public Works policy with the professed object of Bhowiag that but for the injustice done to Nelson in the past, that province would have been entitled to retain the seats proposed to be taken away. The Chairman (Mr Btyce) called him to order, and directed him to confine his remarks to the clause of tbe bill now under discussion. Tbis enabled an effective diversion to be introduced, and the point of order W23 argued at length by Messrs Collins and R.-evea with the utmost pertinacity, thu3 giviDg Mr Levestam an aecfpt-ible rest. * * ****** This -R-as negatived on the roices, but a division was * called for After the bell had ning Mr. Weston rose to speak, hut was promptly forced to resume his seat and put on a hat, according to Parliamentary etiquette on such occasions. Unfortunately he had not brought his hat, and had to borrow that of his next neighbour, which was almost half a dozen sizes too large, and when the hon. member put it on, dropped over his whole head and face like an extinguisher amid loud laughter. He consequently had t o hold it over his head like a canopy as he spoke. He disclaimed all intention of obstruction or stonewalling, and proceeded to speak to the measure, on which he was promptly called to order and subsided, politely restoring the borrowed hat to its rightful owner. The division then was taken, and the motion to report progress was lost by 28 votes to 14. Mr. Levestam then resumed his speech, addressing himself to the nonrepresentation of the North Island Maori population. After speaking for some time, he remarked that as tho Minister in charge of the biil did not seem to have caught his words, he would repeat them, which he did accordingly. On this he was requested by another member to " say it over again," but declined to do so. He at length resumed his seat, apologising for trespassing so long. Mr Seddon then rose just before twelve o'clock, ana raised another point of order as to the status of the Chairman, which he distinctly impugned, adding that he should decline to obey the ruling of a Chairman who did not legally occupy the chair. Mr Bryce repeated his former ruling, that he was regularly in the chair. ****** Mr Brown next arose, and complained that the regular Chairman of Committees was at that time " roaming about the 'ouse in good 'ealth," while his place was improperly occupied by a substitute. Mr Reeves moved that the chairman report progress. The chairman said progress could not be reported until progress had been made. Some motion would have to be moved and dealt with before reporting progress could again be moved. He explained that Mr Reeves might move that he should leave the chair, and then could move to report progress. Mr Reeves thanked him earnestly for his suggestion, and expressed his intention of acting on it. He moved " that the Chair man do leave the chair," which wbb negatived on the voices. Mr Reeves then moved that progress be reported. Mr Gisborne BtroDgly supported the motion an d pronounced the point of order wbich had been raised a most important one, on which the validity of all the proceedings depended He urged that the opinion of the Speaker should be taken as to the legality of Mr Bryce's occupation of the cbair. *•*■** Mr Ssddon next took up his " parable " on the part of order, iosibting that, no Chairma i could act unless expressly elected by the Hous . [The Hoa3e was still sitting when we went to press.]