ABSTRACT
The Irish members had prophesied in advance that this new Closure procedure was devised in order to muzzle them during the discussions on the severe Coercion Bill whose coming they predicted, and for which, indeed, The Times was seeking to prepare the way with a series of articles on Parnellism and Crime soon to become notorious. Even London had rarely seen anything like the dense masses called out to Hyde Park on "Bank Holiday Monday", April 11th, by the combined Socialist, Radical and Irish demonstrations against the Coercion Bill. The Government forced the Committee stage of the Crimes Bill to an end by a use of the Closure, denounced by the Irish and condemned by the Gladstonians. The Socialist and Irish Societies determined to contribute their utmost to make the Radical processions converging on Trafalgar Square from different points of the metropolis as imposing as possible and called on the War Office for assistance.
