Mr. Labouchere did what in him lay on Tuesday to
shorten the Easter holidays of the House of Commons, but the First Lord of the Treasury was equal to the occasion, and Mr. Labouchere did not find much help on the Radical benches of the House of Commons, which were thinly attended, and not by men who were willing to sacrifice their holidays to their enthusiastic hatred of the Government. Mr. W. H. Smith quietly moved that proceedings in Supply should have pre- cedence both at the evening sitting of Tuesday and on Wednesday ; and the consequence, in spite of Mr. Labouchere's efforts, was that there was no necessity either for the evening sitting of Tuesday, or for any sitting on Wednesday. At half-past 6 on Tuesday, the House adjourned till Monday, April 14th. The votes in Class I. of the Civil Service Esti- mates, which were necessary to take because contracts accepted by the Government were involved, were obtained, and the Report was also taken, one or two Bills being carried through their second reading. Mr. W. H. Smith's gentle tenacity in insisting on providing for the eventuality of the success of Mr. Labouchere's tactics, was just what was wanted to foil those tactics. Mr. Labouchere, in being forewarned, was in this case disarmed instead of forearmed. If the Government had vacillated, Mr. Labouchere would have triumphed.
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