The Government carried their resolution yesterday week for closing this
week the Committee on the Irish Criminal Law Amendment Bill, after a protracted eitting, in which Mr. W. H. Smith showed that thirty-five days had now been consumed in the discussion of the Bill, and that no end to the discussion was visible unless some strong resolve of this kind were taken. Mr. Gladstone threw the blame of the waste of time chiefly on the in- competence of the Government and ite loose drafting. Neverthe- less, he fully admitted the scandal of the situation, and held that, under the circumstances, though they were circumstances which the Government itself had made, some sort of remedy should be applied. The remedy he advised was to limit the duration of the Act, and to strike out all the clauses which are aimed at combination against rent; still, he was not prepared to counsel opposition to the Government, even if his advice were not taken. Still less was he prepared to advise the Irish Party to withdraw their opposition. For his part, he threw the responsibility of the situation on the Government, and declined to offer to Mr. Smith's motion an opposition which could not be effectual.
