First of all , though , I will tell you of some of the heavier experiences of the " rough houses " at Westminster ; later , I will deal with the more pleasant side .sx The stormy passage of the Trades Union Bill is too recent to need comment here .sx There you had such a measure of public interest that the debates were fairly fully reported in the daily newspapers .sx Now , inside the Chamber itself , during that measure's passing , passions were roused that are seldom exhibited at Westminster .sx To the average newspaper reader , I dare say the whole thing seemed unreal .sx It seemed , perhaps , to him that the Government were taking certain safeguards in the light of the " General " , and that Labour was getting its claws clipped , and that was about all .sx Nothing could be further from the truth .sx The Trades Disputes Bill was the real touchstone between Mr. Baldwin's Government and the progressive mind .sx I am quite satisfied that if the Premier had had a free hand he would never have introduced such a Bill .sx Indeed , he practically said as much .sx He said that certain principles , embodied in about two clauses , were to him the life of the Bill , or sufficient ; but take a glance atthe rest of the Cabinet and ask , if it is necessary to ask , how could Mr. Baldwin's gentleness possibly do battle with the Jixes , the Winstons , and the Birkenheads ?sx Believe me when I tell you that it was no simulated passion that was demonstrated at Westminster by the Labour Party in the Trades Union Bill .sx Those of us who had been working on the side of moderation for years and years , even while we were being dubbed cowards by our followers , and revolutionaries by these same people who sponsored the Trades Union Bill , simply gasped with horror as we read clause after clause of that Bill .sx Over and over again Members defied the Chair in using epithets of an unparliamentary nature to fling at their opponents , and over and over again the Speaker suspended Members of my Party .sx Then we came to the time when the Government introduced a Guillotine Measure , to allow so many hours to each section of the Bill , and so great was the indignation of the Party about that , that , led by the Front Bench , the entire Party left the Chamber in protest .sx I often think now that it was wisdom on the part of the Front Bench to take that stand because , had they not done so , there would certainly have been some ugly scenes .sx What was left of the Clydesiders would certainly .sx have joined with others in making matters hum that night !sx But that is recent .sx I propose to tell you of some hot nights that happened some years ago in my first Parliament .sx My first serious clash with the Chair was on the troubled subject of Ireland , surely a very excellent precedent for rough houses and trouble .sx In those bad far-off days , of course , the whole of Ireland was in a seething mass of faction and feud .sx The Government had committed themselves to a policy of reprisals .sx District after district was raided by the Sinn Feiners in search of arms , and ambush after ambush was laid for our forces .sx The Black-and-Tans , so called after the famous Donegal terriers , wore khaki breeches and puttees and police tunics .sx They carried rifles occasionally , but always revolvers and side-arms .sx They were , I understood , recruited from young temporary officers who had left the army , who could not be absorbed into the regular army and who found it difficult to get back into civilian life .sx I remember once asking what percentage of officers formed the ranks of the Black-and-Tans , and a fiery old colonel , who had carefully investigated the truth of the alleged Black-and-Tan outrages , shouted with a furiously red face :sx " There is not a single officer of the BritishRegular Army in that wretched rabble .sx There is not a single officer of the British Regular Army who would remain with them for two minutes !sx " I often wondered if that was really what the " pukka soldiers " thought about the Black-and-Tans !sx Whenever he was asked a question about any of the doings of the Black-and-Tans , the Minister , Sir Hamar Greenwood , almost invariably took refuge in the formula :sx " I am not in a position to give any further information regarding the matter , " and that was all we could get .sx I told him that he ought to get his answer set to music have a gramophone record made of it .sx Then , after a series of accounts of " Reprisals" , on December 21st , 1920 , the Minister , in response to a charge that the methods of the Government were unworthy of our great name , replied :sx " We are not sinking to unworthy methods !sx " " You certainly could not sink much lower than you have !sx " I replied .sx There was nearly a scene then , but I held my ground and would withdraw nothing .sx Then arrived a day in June , 1921 ; there came a story true or untrue of a number of absolutely noncombatant people dragged from their homes and murdered .sx Even in those days when we were .sx used to receiving these reports , this seemed particularly horrible .sx I called down the Speaker's wrath by calling Sir Hamar Greenwood an assassin .sx The row that developed was terrific , and finally I left the House , bidding Sir Hamar good night as the chief assassin of Ireland and coupling all who sat behind him and tolerated his methods as equally murderous .sx Between the howling , cheering , sneering benches I made my way to the door .sx There was nothing dry and disinterested about the House that day , I assure you !sx Then , in October of 1921 , we had a pretty little scene in connection with the Unemployed Workers' Bill .sx Feeling ran high because there were a number of things to which Members of my Party wished to call attention which were skipped over .sx Mr. Will Thorne , not quite seeing what had happened , for a vote had been distinctly challenged , shouted angrily :sx " You are a lot of political tricksters , including the Rt .sx Hon .sx Baronet , the Member for the City of London .sx " The reference was to Sir F. Banbury .sx " I must ask the Hon .sx Member for West Ham to withdraw that remark , " ordered the Chairman , but Will was defiant .sx " I will withdraw outside , " he shouted , and I,who felt as sore about it as Will Thorne did , supported him .sx " We will withdraw nothing , " I said , associating myself with his remark about trickery .sx The Chairman took no notice of that .sx " Perhaps the Hon .sx Member for West Ham will leave the Chamber , " the Chairman next said , and Will left .sx Then old George Thorne , the aged Liberal whip , got up .sx " On a point of order , " he said , " I may say that I distinctly challenged a division .sx " Our whip , Mr. McLean , then rose and said :sx " The vote was challenged .sx " The Chairman seemed in a difficulty and took the only course he could .sx " I am afraid , " he said , " that I did not hear the challenge .sx " It all seemed so cunningly arranged , to me , to avoid an awkward division , that I decided to give them a bit of my mind .sx " We took you for gentlemen , " I said .sx " That is the reason we did not challenge you .sx " The Chairman was on my track in a second .sx " I must ask the Hon .sx Member for Silvertown to withdraw that remark , " he said sternly .sx I replied that I would not .sx " Then I must ask the Hon .sx Member for Silvertown to leave the House , " came the inexorable command .sx " I am going , " I replied .sx " You have all scored a great victory over starving children .sx " I think in this case I had a considerable amount of sympathy from even the Tory benches , from some of them , at any rate , because there had certainly been slick work somewhere in whipping that Bill through without a division at that particular moment .sx Now I was never accused of being a Pacifist .sx When blundering Governments had thrown Europe into a hell of carnage I only saw one thing possible and that was to win the War .sx The lads who went from Silvertown and came back are all my pals .sx You should see them at my meetings !sx Without any undue sentiment and slobbering , I have religiously set out all the time , in my plain , simple way , to do my very damnedest to secure adequate allowances for the poor cripples who have come back , and for the widows struggling with wonderful courage to bring up their orphaned little ones .sx Their fight is truly great .sx But of all the wreckage of the War I think by far the most pathetic is that of those men whom the War left mentally afflicted .sx I think that is terrible .sx Sometimes the poor chaps commit silly crimes and , when we think that this is a legacy of the War , well , surely we ought to be able so to provide for them as to keep them safely out of gaols and workhouses .sx Now we were dealing with mental cases on November 22nd , 1922 .sx The newly-appointed Pensions Minister , Major Tryon , was being questioned about a number of cases where men had served in the forces , returned mentally afflicted , and were not in receipt of pensions .sx Major Tryon had a difficult case to defend an impossible case but I think anything at all would have been better to say than the words which follow .sx I quote from Hansard :sx " I have myself examined some of these cases , " said Major Tryon , Minister of Pensions , " and they have been clear cases of men who had been for a long period certified as insane , and who , having been well at the moment , were enlisted by mistake , and then a few days .sx He got no further I simply had to let myself go or burst .sx " You dirty dogs !sx " I roared , and the place was pandemonium in a second .sx The Minister looked horrified .sx " Order .sx Order .sx Turn him out .sx Turn him out !sx " cried the Tories , while the Speaker , after getting over the first shock , intervened .sx " I cannot allow observations of that kind , " he said decisively .sx But I was furious .sx The incredible meanness of the defence appalled me .sx " I don't care a damn for you I " I shouted , not .sx at the Speaker , but at the howling mob of Tories opposite .sx The Speaker then ordered me to withdraw from the House .sx " I will withdraw , " I said , making myself heard above the din .sx " I am glad to do so .sx You are a dirty lot of dogs , slobbering over dead soldiers and starving the living .sx " Reprehensible as this may seem when read , I make not the slightest apology for it .sx I was moved to depths beyond conventional control by this piece of economy in the very wrong place .sx And there is just a point that I would like to make in passing .sx As I went out that night there were certain members on the Tory benches who sat , white-faced and still , with folded arms while the mob was howling at me , taking no part in the demonstration at all .sx These were ex-service members and two of them were generals .sx They showed a manifest understanding and a sympathy .sx I left the precincts , and as I walked across to the Tube Station I felt a friendly tap on my shoulder .sx I turned and saw a colonel who sits as a Tory .sx I will not put him into his Party's bad books by mentioning his name .sx " Come and have a drink , old man , " he said , .sx and we went and had one together .sx Very shortly .sx after that the Pensions Ministry made considerable .sx improvements in the conditions of mental sufferers .sx Of course , there is a pleasant side to the life of .sx the House of Commons .sx It is not called the " best club in London " for nothing .sx I shall deal later on with a few of its amenities , but I'll tell you this , that it is unlike any other club in the sense that you are never free from disturbances .sx Settle down to have a chat with a pal and you are sure to be disturbed in a very few minutes .sx Somebody wants to " pair " with you on a certain division .sx