Mr. Gladstone moved, on Thursday, a postponement of the - Standing
Orders of the House till after the motion relating to Parliamentary affirmations, whereupon Mr. Gorst rose to ask the attention of the Speaker to the point of order whether a motion equivalent to a mere rescinding of the motion of last week could be made in the same Session. "The motion of the right honourable gentleman, the Prime Minister," said Mr. Gorst, "was of so disorderly a character, that it was of the utmost importance, in order to the proper conduct of public business, to obtain a ruling as to the course which should be pursued on a proposal which was, in effect, that the House should break the law in order to smuggle Mr. Bradlaugh into the House ;" and Mr. Gored argued his case for half an hour. Mr. Gladstone declining to reply, the Speaker ruled that Mr. Gladstone's resolution was in no sense a mere rescinding of the resolution of last week, since it applied to all cases of like character, instead of solely to Mr. Bradlaugh's ; ruled that he should be permitted to make an affirmation "without question" by the House ; and also that this should be made sub- ject to his liability to the Courts. So Mr. Gond took nothing by his elaborate impertinence to the Prime Minister, except a snub from the Speaker.
