The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-04-24 00:00:00

stottrbribge &seam.

SATURDAY. APRIL 24. 1875.

PARLIAMENT AN D TdE PRESS.

The recurrinl disputes between the House of
comm...ms sad the nnwspvers seem to nom
extent strange atht tin .ceountable in these day,
a proms.. We coul.i have uud,*rstood ts ceo-
Wry ago. the lions' 0f Coinaions gr,tvaiy passing
e resolution that the publication et its procceo-
lags in the oewspapers Wll4 Ia oreach 01 privi:eg..;
butt reams extraordinary and incomprehensibk:
that such a motion should have been adopted it,
bite month of April, 1875. It is well known that
11 hundred years since, there was no publication
witieli could property be said to con•ain a satis
factory aecount of what happened in Parliament
11114 IMOD within the recollection of many persons
sow alive the debates were but very imperfectik
imported. From the cointuencement of the finis'
AI/18iiCill war, bewares., till the year 1814 ,
(»dual improvement took place in this respec, ,
entil at length the art of the reporters cud th
•
business of the publishers were prosecuted wi
a dogrsa of success. the etreo.zti of which
continue to he felt so long as freedom ant,
civilisation exist in this cour,!7y. When
°lose of the great French wa: it:1815, diniinia.,,erl
at once the importance and the supply of for
intelligence, public tentiol bncatue
almost exclusively to home affairs. Then it was
that the palnication of Parliamentary debate. 4
,
beasrad an object of ne ti, imp, Azce ; ans.
In the course of a ClO7 3ars ussorned its prsecn
full, detailed and accunto chivacter. let 1,.
Vats day in it contrary fo th., stay-out:4 orders o:
both Lords pa Commcoax au
_" scrangers "
be present, 'ml any raeuth,r
demand that the said stiresogers shad be elll9il d
—peers. torrign ambassadors, reporters, tirif
011. It also reruaina a breaen of privilege
any pubiication of the debates to take pisc,.,
although this offence against the oi,.j.iiry
Pardanseut is COlu:ititted
r. ci
I. it not time that the Prea.s of the Unie
Lagdoot should pro,est, against a
which has become intolerable ? Fietious art
ndurable only so long aa they are found to work
e
VC in pr bctice. A. aria rery rue enf, rc
with discretion rosy p rforiu fairly enough
Lb
functions of a setlird law ; bat itll alt due rob-
poet to the prow.rbial wisdotu.oi Partiament
may well b.. doubtcd wh,ZiUr tt4lthaq'y privi`og,,
weapon has been so ut Aare.
Pr* has has theirealed, in jø hands, aud Can
apply it at any momeut. Liao. Hon 5.,: of Cau-
tions, gio less thau the constitgune!,:e is no
insensible to the advantageo which it gains , y
permitting the infraction of :he rule forhiddio,..
say report of its debates. &t hug of ,be h2,.mh,r.
wno are rlloBt ACtiVe in 114,1"1"g 11.ecvspap,..rs
are atm. mot ambition. of toe nutort.ly whir::
tt.14..) newspapers are the sole agents for pr,
curing for them They would be amongst th
tint to come to terns if tne Press re(used, 3 ,
long as the prient system is t!laintained,
to
report any of the debates ofParlittuieut.
Ie
Issue of the debates is carried on at presew
Ude, unnecessary difficulties, and the Press, if
11 were well-advised, would refuse altogether to
report them unless the:rights and duties of news-
papers were clearly marked otr, the definite
basis of gigged rule. Nothing acts so power-
fully in ecnibiniag discordant elements as 44
oominon impatience of 'rotations interference ;
end the summons of a few more printers to the
bar of the House, on such motions .is that which
wily a few days ago declared tne publication of
parliamentary proceedings to be a breach of
privilege, would probaby -.rote the Press in a
•Imuletvegistanc4 to a d tctrino, which in these
enlittitened days snrdly °mot to he ohsolzte,
dead, and buried.
The abuse of this weal/Jo, if persisted it to
oay extant. must result irt rich a ntodifie„').Jn
a the standing order as vioulti deprive indivi.
dna', mowb, re of any contr3l ever a itt?r
t1(.9 tv!-elte represntitt ive9
el:rvah 8 hey are, front ,ssar, their
p,niamentary authority and tirstencu are
iris,' I, and b. whom that autoority wou:fi
doultless be AL,e,ol.ly wit..oirlwa mere any 'lt-
iainpl, made to:carry on the t, ieSl of the n:.‘
pub!icii), annecessurt;y to era li.irrti
-wee of its iwpoetant
the press in the perform
and renpnniiib:l- lt 14 as easy to order
otrangers to withdraw as to summons uliofTenri.
tint secret deliberetioue
bad printers to thr bar;
hay. born vo long renounced that the riht of
the pubic to be preP..nt throngh their agents
the reporters a olr.V e3t.:il).l,:lied now as if
no theoretic t! had ever eXteittid. It is
true that occ o.; . e• 1 . lo ig intervals,
when .op.. tinsllongn pr tsoCX ludo
the pu.olic. When we siiv ttie Howw," how-
ever, it shou'd b eip;(„1 :,,ja .:133.1111)ev
has no power tc, °raga -.;:%;o reczain if a
singlc. member ch0..3,4t0 in•iist upon their
exelusion. It is suMei, f,•- o-- t repres.;ntative
of the psoplo to say )I.leak4.r, I espy
strangers in the gallery," Out the Whol.,
body of strangers most o^t'l—s
This was done in 1870 over 1.-P4t;,stn w,,ich
was thought desirable nnt t: it; t aka A
fovr uights afterwards the ve,-t In Nlr
.:;erelY 11') show the iltant-di, y't
;ing stai:
power in ttic han,is ono l-
:,„1 the
galltrii /4 V lw :1%3 ,rh • W
c:owdeci fro is a " 14
TA ot
debate u'"u
• iliwitob Oumaliotos Was thin -
%Pointed. whia