Yesterday week, Mr. Gladstone gave notice of his inten- tion
to closure the Report stage of the Irish Home-rule Bill, with even more severity than he has previously closured its earlier stages, for last night it was to be closured absolutely, the remaining amendments standing on the paper—excepting those of which the Government has given notice—being not even put to the vote. Of course, the exception in favour of the Government amend- ments was perfectly reasonable, as almost all of them are concessions to the criticisms of the Opposition. But not even the Gladstonians-would have ventured to leave so large a proportion of the Bill wholly without Parliamentary criticism of any kind, if they had not relied implicitly on the kind offices of the House of Lords to prevent this hasty, botched, and ragged Bill from ever passing into law. The Gladstonians themselves pass it only because the House of Lords secures them against the evil consequences of their own rash act. Mr. Chamberlain at once gave notice of an amendment which, with a slight subsequent change to meet a possible objection to its being in order, ultimately took the form of charging the Government with " degrad- ing " the House of Commons, reducing it to the position of a "voting machine," depriving the British majority in the House of its constitutional right of discussing " a policy by which British interests will be seriously and injuriously affected," and with forcing on this important vote without any necessity, at the dictation of mere party motives.
