The conduct of the few Irish Members who are paralsying
the movement of the House of Commons is indefensible, and their proceedings must be arrested, but we do not see what is gained by the vituperation hailed upon them. Their conduct would be considered quite legitimate, if they had the people behind them, and their own contention is that they have a people, which sanctions this form of insurrection against the Union of the Kingdoms. There is, we believe, no ground for their contention, which is repudiated by the immense majority of Irish Representatives and of their own section among them, but it is by no means proved that they do not believe their own case. Their conduct shows that the Rules of the House need revision, but so long as they adhere to those Rules, it is a bad precedent to single them out for punishment by ex post facto votes. Of course, if they disregard the Speaker, the recognised expositor of the Rules, they are liable to punishment ; but then they should be punished in the regular way, and not made special examples, and therefore martyrs. The truth is, the authority of the Speaker has not of late been sufficiently maintained. Mr. Whalley breaks rules quite as often as Mr. Parnell, though no doubt from a different motive; and wrangles with the Chair are constantly allowed of which the House in other days would have been ashamed. The ruling of a Speaker should be like the ruling of a Judge,—law, till altered.
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