do it! Suppose you fetch in a few policemen
too! (Great tumult.) Are you going to put my motion to adjourn, or not?'

Dr. Lecher continues his speech. Wolf accompanies him with his
board-clatter.

The President despatches the Ordner, Dr. Lang (himself a deputy), on
his order-restoring mission. Wolf, with his board uplifted for
defence, confronts the Ordner with a remark which Boss Tweed might
have translated into 'Now let's see what you are going to do about it!'
(Noise and tumult all over the House.)

Wolf stands upon his rights, and says he will maintain them until he is
killed in his tracks. Then he resumes his banging, the President jangles
his bell and begs for order, and the rest of the House augments the
racket the best it can.

Wolf. 'I require an adjournment, because I find myself personally
threatened. (Laughter from the Right.) Not that I fear for myself; I am
only anxious about what will happen to the man who touches me.'

The Ordner. 'I am not going to fight with you.'

Nothing came of the efforts of the angel of peace, and he presently
melted out of the scene and disappeared. Wolf went on with his noise
and with his demands that he be granted the floor, resting his board
at intervals to discharge criticisms and epithets at the Chair. Once he
reminded the Chairman of his violated promise to grant him (Wolf) the
floor, and said, 'Whence I came, we call promise-breakers rascals!' And
he advised the Chairman to take his conscience to bed with him and use
it as a pillow. Another time he said that the Chair was making itself
ridiculous before all Europe. In fact, some of Wolf's language was
almost unparliamentary. By-and-by he struck the idea of beating out a
tune with his board. Later he decided to stop asking for the floor, and
to confer it upon himself. And so he and Dr. Lecher now spoke at the
same time, and mingled their speeches with the other noises, and
nobody heard either of them. Wolf rested himself now and then from
speech-making by reading, in his clarion voice, from a pamphlet.

I will explain that Dr. Lecher was not making a twelve-hour speech for
pastime, but for an important purpose. It was the Government's intention
to push the Ausgleich through its preliminary stages in this one sitting
(for which it was the Order of the Day), and then by vote refer it to
a select committee. It was the Majority's scheme--as charged by the
Opposition--to drown debate upon the bill by pure noise--drown it