or two to one. But though such a vote would have been a
sore discouragement if it had represented the real opinion of the
House, on the present occasion it meant little if anything. The
government had sent out a "five-line" whip for its supporters, and
so effective had this whip been, combined with Mr. Gladstone's
assertion that he would give up the responsibility of the bill if
the clause were carried, that 98 Liberals and 6 Home Rulers, known
to be supporters of our cause, voted with the government, even Mr.
Hugh Mason being among this number, while 34 Liberals and 7 Home
Rulers, also friends of ours, were absent from the division. We may
safely assume that had the government more wisely left it an open
question, upon which members were free to vote according to their
consciences, our defeat would have been turned into a victory. On
the other hand while our Liberal friends thus voted against the
amendment or abstained from voting, the bulk of our supporters in
this division were Conservatives, a circumstance unknown in the
previous history of the movement.

An important conference of friends and supporters was held the next
morning in the Westminster Palace Hotel at which Mr. Stansfeld
presided. To use Miss Tod's words:

Never had a defeated army met in a more victorious mood. There
was much indeed to encourage in the degree of importance to which
the question had attained. It had risen from a purely speculative
into a pressing political question; it had been debated during
two days, and it was heartily supported by the Conservative
leader.

The speeches at the conference were animated and full of hope for
the future. Mr. Stansfeld congratulated the meeting on having made
a new departure; their question had become one of practical
politics, and they had now to address themselves in all the
constituencies to the political organizations.

A magnificent meeting was held in St. James Hall the following
week. The hall was densely crowded in every part, and an overflow
meeting was arranged for those unable to gain admission. Some of
the speakers[562] proposed as the best measure for agitation, a
determined resistance against taxation.[563]

Repeated attempts to obtain a day for the debate and division were
followed by repeated disappointments. The session commenced in
November, 1884. Mr. Woodall at once gave notice of a bill. In
presenting it to the House, he concluded after consultation