On the question of Redistribution, the Prime Minister main- tained
that that matter could not possibly have been dealt with in the same Bill as the Franchise, without leaving an Imperial question—which the Government intended to deter- mine as an Imperial question—to be dealt with "on local, sectional, partial, and selfish lines." The Member for the University of Dublin (Mr. Gibson) had been very angry with the Prime Minister for looking at the Irish benches when he declared his unwillingness to reduce the Irish share of represen- tatives below its present quota. "The right hon. gentleman seems to me to be like a proud beauty, who will not allow you to look at anybody but herself." Evidently his jealousy had been stimulated by the fear that the Government were inclined to poach on the special preserves of the Opposition, for Home-rule support had been given far oftener to the front Opposition bench than to the Treasury bench. Mr. Glad- stone declined to re-argue the question as to the fall representation of the Metropolis, but he intimated much more distinctly than before that he was anticipating some small increase of the House, and did not think that such an increase would have much effect on excess of speaking,—the excess arising from the overflowing oratory of a few, not from the number of the speakers. He could not consent to look on the emigration of the Irish people as likely to go on, and therefore held that the number of Members must lie within the limits of the present number of Irish Members, 103, on the one side, and the 93 which relative population would at present suggest, on the other—no very wide margin. We gave Ireland only 100 Members at the Union, when she had a claim to near 200, said Mr. Gladstone, and we might be somewhat generous now, to atone for our stinginess then.
