REMARKABLE SCENES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10295, 26 July 1911, Page 5

REMARKABLE SCENES.

IN THE BRITISH HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MR ASQUITH REFUSED A HEARING.

CRIES OF "TRAITOR!" AND "PATRICK FORD!"

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph-Copyright,

(Received Last Night, 9.30 o'clock.) J

LONDON, July 25

When the House of Commons asseinMied to hear the Prime- Minister's statement in regard to the Psarliamient Bill, it was evident that ihe atmosphere was electric. There was a general hubbub while questions were being asked. The galleries were crowded. Many Peers, diplomatists, aind QctmrtKHiers, being unable to find, seats, filled the gangway® and stood at the bar of tho House. Mr W. Redmond, Leader of the Irish Nationalist Party, was greeted with ironical Unionist cheeriing as he entered the House. MR ASQUITH ENTERS. A few minutes later, when Mr Asquith. entered, the Liberals, Radicals, Redmondites, and Labourites inistantly rose, waved their order papers, and cheered. The Opposition set up countercheers, mingled with cries of ■■"Traitor!'' This demonstration, had been, carefully prepared, and generally paragraphed in the newspapers. It was evident that the later disturbance was due to a number . of Tories determining on a counter demonstration. When Mr Asquith rose to make his ■ statement, he was greeted with cries of "Patrick Ford!" This caused fierce Liberal protests and cries of "Order!" THE SrEAKER APPEALS. The Speaker called upon members to exercise self-control, and to observe the ordinary courtesies: of debate; ' . ■•-•■-.;•.. .. .. . ■■ _ Lord Hugh Cecil, who wta,s sitting in a corner of the fronlt bench, below the gangway, shouted: "This; is not an ordinary occasion!" Mr Asquith again rase, whereupon a, group of Tories favouring a fighting policy, headed by Lord Hugh 'Cecil, and Messrs Goulding, Oa«tl«reagb, Cooper, Page-Croft, Mitchell and Thomson, cried "Traitor! Tradtor!"

FURTHER ROWDYISM. Mr Asquitli faced the xiouse, and tried to .speak, but every time he opened his lipsi he was greeted with "Traitor!" and' cries of ''Paitrick Ford!" "We will hear Redmond first!" The Liberals couniter-cheeTed. Other Undoniista pointed to Mr Redmond, and called upon him to address; ,the House. When- the rowdyism was at itsheight, Mr Will Crooks shouted derisively from the Labour benches: ' 'The British aristocracy and Paitrick O'BrienL blue-blood will tell for twenty minutes!" Mo* Asguith continually ■ advanced to his table, wad resumed his seat. APPEALS FOR ORDER, Tine Speaker .again and again sought to restore order.

Mr F. E. Smith, Unionist member for Liverpool, passionately ' declared' that the Prime Minister had degraded, the political life of the country. '■'.''' Lord Hugh Cecil shouted: "Asquajth! You are absolutely unworthy of yonir position!" ; . ~\y; ..TheJJjMakef-,pointed: ou£ tliat the Opposition,''wias in. the minority, and was therefore more concerned thati the Government in. maintaining the, s freedom of discussion. He appealed to the House to be worthy' of its ! high, traditions. Mr AsquLth's rising again resulted in a pandemonium unequalled since the Barnell episode. The House, was in. such, a, pitch of excitement that an exchange of blows seemed imminent.

Mr Winston Churchill continually threw excited ejaculations towards the Unionist front bench.

Mr Asquith seemed desirous of relinquishing his attempt, but his colleagues persuaded him to continue.

Finally .Mr Asquith was able to make .some progress. He recited the history of Bill, and recalled the resolution's of' February, l9ltf. "LEAVE THE KING OUT." . A statement that hut for the death lof King Fdward the Bill -would hav* been passed in 1910, aroused an instant storm and angry cries of "Leave the King out 6t it! Who killed the .King?" .:■-'■■ \ Henceforth, the speech was punctua-. ted .with. derisive, angry cries, until Mr Asquith angrily • folded his notes and cried, "I am not going to degrade myself by attempting to address members who obviously will not listen to me. I merely declare that if the Lords will not accept the Bill with, if they like, reasonable amendments, the Government will be compelled to invoke the Royal Prerogative." When Mr Asquith resumed his seat, the Liberals cheered himenthusiastically, waving their papers and hats for several minutes. MR BALFOUR EXPRESSES REGRET.

Mr Balfour, who was heard with comparative silence, frankly regretted that Mr Asquitli was not listened to;

but he said the subject could not fail to excite passion. There were loud Unionist cheers when Mr Balfour recalled the fact that Mr Winston Churchill was the ring-leader of the disturbance in 1905, by which Mr Lyttelton was kept standing at the table for an hour, unable to speak. The Leader of the Opposition quoted Radical newspapers to show that Mr Asquith had secured pledges from the King before the General Elections. Ho said that if this were so, Mr Asquith had incurred censure by forging a blank cheque from the Sovereign. Ho had arrogated to himself powers that no Republican dictator would have possessed.

AN INTERJECTION. A Liberal member, interjected: "Then you've been bad !" Mr Balfour replied : "That is true, if the member means it. It never entered my head that Ministers of the Crown could give such advice." Continuing, Mr Balfour said the Premier had asked them to discuss the Bill, knowing all the time that'they were not free agents. Mr Asquith had advised the Sovereign to make Mm an absolute dictator. Mr. Asquith responded: "I was going to give a reasoned argument in support of the grounds for my advice, but I am not allowed.". Mr Balfour admitted that this was so. He believed that Mr Asquith's action was due to a consciousness that it would have been a cruel trial to the Sovereign to have introduced discord at the Coronation. He concluded by saying: "The real heroes of the campaign are the Irishmen. Their decrees have been obsequiously obeyed."

A PROTEST. Sir Edward Grey protested against tho Opposition's refusal to hear Mf Asquith, and moved the adjournment of the debate, AN UNIONIST. SHOUTED DOWN. Tho Ministerialists wrathfuilv shouted Mr F. E. Smith down,'until the Speaker, after ninety minutes' disorder, rose ttnd exercised the right vested in him in cases of grave disorder, and suspended the sitting. No similar suspension has occurred in the memory of living pensons. Renewed demonstrations then took place. Members excitedly surged on to the floor df the House, and general confusion and shouting occurred until the Chamber was cleared.

INTERVIEWS WITH THE KING; His Majesty the King has postponed his departure for Goodwood. He received Mr Balfour and Lord Lansdown. and discussed the situition with them. Subsequently he had an audieix;? with Mr Asquith prior to the meeting of Ihe House* of Commons. < QVing t) tho unexpected develop mehts, Mr Balfour postponed his city meeting.