Mr. Dillwyn brought on his resolutions for strengthening the. command
of the House over its own procedure on Tuesday night, in a speech candidly confessing that he had considered it his duty often to obstruct the carrying of important mea- sures in a very thin House late in the Session, by a Govern-. moat which had wasted its earlier opportunities of legislating in a full House, but denying that lie had ever approved Obstruction of a kind calculated to diminish the power of a majority in a working House. He pointed out how the Limo' of Parliament was wasted,—nay, how even the more legiti- mate rights of minorities were injured,—by the temptation this. caused to Governments to press through their important busi- ness in a thin. House during the last weeks of the Session,— and urged the Government, by reforming the procedure of the• House, to concentrate the force of Parliament on its most useful work. Mr. Rylands moved the adjournment of the de- bate, in a speech meant to be caustic on behalf of the rights of minorities, but really rather laughable to a House which is well aware of the pleasure Mr. Rylands takes in hearing his own voice; and Mr. A. Balfour seconded the adjournment, in. one of his lackadaisical harangues. Lord Hartingtou then• made a very vigorous speech in favour of giving the Cloture to a bare majority on condition of an adequate quornin,—the most important of Mr. Diliwyn's suggested rules,—but pointed out that it was a resolution far too important to be debated effi- ciently in any single sitting. Mr. Dillwyn, satisfied with the weighty speech he had drawn from Lord Hartington, then wisely withdrew his resolution, and for the time the question dropped.
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