Then came a great scene between Mr. W. H. Smith,
the Leader of the House, and the various badgerers on the other side, of whom Mr. Labouchere, Sir W. Harcourt, and Mr. Healy were the chief, in relation to Mr. Walter's call upon Mr. W. H. Smith. The First Lord of the Treasury admitted the call,—Mr. Walter was an old friend,—but denied in the most positive way that it had been anterior to the drafting of the Charges and Allegations Bill, that it had any influence whatever over that draft, or was intended by Mr. Walter in any way to affect it, though the Bill had been mentioned in their conversation. Sir W. Harcourt challenged Mr. W. H. Smith as to whether he had not settled the Bill with Mr. Walter, and on his indignant denial, declined to withdraw further than this,—" I think it extremely improper that, in a matter of this kind, the Government should have communicated with one party and not with the other. The fact stands, and the Government now admit it. I will not say how far they have arranged, or what was the character of their communications,"—which we take to be a quiet way of saying that Mr. W. H. Smith's denial was not accepted_ by Sir W. Harcourt.
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