The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-29 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY. NOVEMBER 29, 1847.

We regard with no small degree of aston:shmen
the opposition raised on Friday evening to the propo
aition of Sir JOEIN PA KINGTON, that orders of the day
should have precedence over motions until the Christ-
mas vacation. Supposing the present was the com-
mencement of an ordinary session, the objections made
to the suggestion of the Hon. Baronet might be con-
sidered as reasonable ; but, remembering that Parlia-
ment has been prematurely called together, in conse-
quence of the embarrassed state of the country, it does
appear to us something extraordinary that the motion
of Sir JOHN PAKIN GTON should he declared to have
an unconstitutional tendency. The effect of this mo-
tion would be simply—to afford an opportunity to
the Government during an interval of five or six
weeks to carry their schemes into operation, by
giving orders of the day precedence over motions on
Tuesdays and Thursdays. Yet the bare proposition
of such a rational arrangement is scouted as
an infringement upon the Constitution. In
support of this extravagant view, Mr.
BANK E 5 observed, that "In the House of
Commons, Ministers were only known as Members of
Parliament ;" but he omitted to remark, at the same
time, that Ministers were responsible, not merely to
that House but to the entire Legislature, and the
country at large, for the maintenance of public order,
and the amelioration of the national miseries. It is,
moreover, because the miseries of the people are just
now of a peculiar multiplicity that the Imperial Par-
liament has been called together before the customary
period for the purpose of enabling the Administration
to lay before the two Houses the different plans by
which her MAJ ESTY'S advisers propose to afford as-
sistance to the empire in its necessities. Is it not,
then, reasonable that Sir Jous PAKINGTON should
demand of the popular representatives such a slight
co-operation with the Cabinet in its present accession
of embarrassments as would be implied by giving
precedence to orders of the day over motions on all
Tuesdays and Thursdays until the Christmas ho-
lidays ?

That %Qin, prreafeetriecnacle should be accorded to the
matured and
boveerrs
,tl,:e ledatnoptschemes of the Government,
andhudtesul,tory motions of Hon. Mein-
argue thmk most rational. It is pre-
posterous to thatconcession
such a preference would Ile
an unconstitutional
recognised in the House be-
cause Ministers are onlyt
because all Members
as
of Parliament are cons
right to bring forward their to
possess " equal
this argument can be regaraeropesitions. Bq. a
Before
shown that all Members of Parliaament are valid,
it
must be
swerable to the people for the condition
of alike an-
Kingdoms and their dependencies. Recollecting
the United
that the responsibilities of office are
able—that those responsibilities are so peculiarly alk.
\
creased at this moment, that Parliament has beenln- i
summoned to meet long before the usual period of
assembling, and that the motion of Sir JOHN
PAKINGToN was simply for affording the proposals
of the Cabinet precedence over the idle crotchets of
those Members who are not individually
for the government of the country, and that prece-
dence to be restricted to some ten or twelve days
only—we cannot but view with astonishment
course pursued towards the Hon. Barot by
fro Mr m
BANKES and Mr. Humg. One would imane
gine,
the language of those Honourable Representatives,
that Sir Jowl PAHINGTON was advocating the con-