INSIDE THE HOUSE.

Southland Times, Issue 1188, 5 July 1869, Page 3

INSIDE THE HOUSE.

(From the " European fMail.") The following graphic sketch appears in a weekly contemporary : — " It was about five of the clock when Gladstone rose to unfold his wondrous scheme. The House of Commons was crammed and the appearence of it, taking a bird'seye view from a good position in the gallery, was imposing. Aud here note one significant fact. All on the right of the Speaker are Liberals to a man ; but all are not Conservatives on the other side. Liberalism, as you see, has overflowed its banks, and usurped some score of sea,ts below the gangway on the Opposition side. The House is divided equally ; room for so many Liberals on the right, and so many Conservatives on the left. But if the Liberals number a hundred more than the Conservatives, of course they must take possession of the seats which they have conquered. And thus below tlie gangway, on the Conservative side will come to have a new meaning ; and if this goes on we may expect to hear Mr Disraeli addressing his opponents as the honorable members opposite and honorable members below tj>e gangway on this side. What a curious result will i this be of his own measure ! But now the private and othee precedent business is done, and Mr Speaker, standing up, ctlls out 'Mr Gladstone,' and the Premier rises, and straightway a salute of enthusiastic cheers greets the great orator. Then there is a bustling as of wings, wi f h cries of ' Order, order,' as tardy members slink to their places, followed by a silence as profound as that of a secluded valley high up in the mountains, than which we know of no silence more profound; and then all eyes are turned to him who is, under these grave, solemn, deeply interesting circumstances, about to address the House. As this is a subject connected with religion, according to the rule of the House it must be considered in committee. The Premier, therefore, has to move that the Speaker do leave the chair. This is soon done, and Mr Do<?son having taken his. seat at the table, the leader of the House commences his task. There were two circumstances on this occasion which rendered the House so anxious to hear our great orator. Some scores of the new members had never heard him ; but beyond and above this, so well had the Government secret been kept, that probably not six members out of the Cabinet knew how Gladstone meant to accomplish his great work. The Conservatives anticipated a failure. 'It is easy,' they said, * to declare that the Irish Church shall be disestablished j and disendowed; but, when Gladstone 1

shall attempt to do it, he will find himself confronted by a hundred insuperable difficulties, on some of which he will be sure to get wrecked.' The Liberals, too, were anything but san^tr-ieV Whiggeiy feared that the measure would be too sweeping. Radical 'sti that it would not be sufficiently complete. No wonder, then, t' afc the attent-ou on all sides was profound. The Conservatives were anxious to discover some blot — some weataess — which they mi~ht fix upon in committee. The mere Whigs trembled lest vested interests should not be sufficiently recogn'sed and guarded. The Radicals fea -ed lesfc Gladstone should let his old Church aftec'iioas stand in the way of making an ultimate clean sweep of what they called this abomination."