With regard to obstruction, Lord Hartington intimated his opinion that
some Of the Members who take up most of the time of the House might be reduced to silence by a rule which would finally close their mouths after they had incurred the displeasure of the House for their waste of time. There would, of course, be no difficulty in making such a rule; the difficulty would be in applying it without losing the support of those Members who had not been present at the time when the offence imputed to the obstructionist was committed. Mr. Goschen showed, in the speech we have above referred to, how little Mr. Gladstone really sees of the obstruction which he denies; and the same applies to the great majority of the private Members. Yet it would be impossible to carry the House with the Government in silencing an inveterate ob- structionist if it had not been for the most part a witness of the acts of obstruction visited with this condign punishment.
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