The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-04 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 1869.

The discussion and division, which took place yes-
terday i,n the Housa of Commons, on Mr. FawcErr's
Election Expenses Bill, were, in more ways than one,
remarkable. They illustrated afresh the significance
of the old saying about the wilful man—one whose
obdurate adherence to his own opinion so often brings
about a result very much like that attained by
"vaulting Ambition," according to SHAKSPERE'S
definition of it and its consequences, namely, that
"it overleaps itself." Yes--" it overleaps itself,
and falls on t'other side"—of the hedge ! It was, at
at any rate, precisely thus in the instance of the mem-
ber for Brighton and his pet measure. The Parlia-
mentary Secretary for the Treasury remonstrated
with him before the House went to a divi-
sion, suggesting that the Bill was merely one
portion of a large subject requiring comprehen-
sive rather than piecemeal treatment, and expressed
a very natural regret that its projector would not
agree to have it referred to the Select Committee on
Parliamentary and Municipal Elections about to be
moved for immediately by the right hon. gentleman,
the Secretary of State for the Home Department.
Mr. AYRTON advised, of course, that the bill should
be read a second time, but, as strongly as he could,
urged Mr. FawcErr to consent to its going before
the committee as proposed. Nothing of the kind,
however, would suit Mr. FAWCETT'S infatuation. He
rejected all notion of any compromise what-
ever. The division was in consequence duly
taken. Supporters and opponents of the measure
mustered to the number of 333 altogether, exclusive
of Tellers and Speaker—and as the upshot of all this,
the bill was thrown out by a majority of three, the
numbers being 66 for and 165 against it ! No
wonder the announcement of that division was received
with loud and prolonged cheering—particularly from
the side of the Opposition. It was, in one sense,
the drawing of the first blood—it was asc )re, first of
ftII, to the Conservatives or Constitutionalics. They
were naturally elate. And the bill itself was burked.
All because of Mr. FAWCETT's determination, coute
qui coute, to act upon his own opinion—to run directly
counter to the opinion of others, and those the chiefs
of the Liberal Party, as represented upon the occa-
sion by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury.
Another distinguishing peculiarity of yesterd ty's dis-
cussion upon this now summarily rejected Bill of Mr.
FAWCETT'S, was the fact of its introducing to the no-
tice of the House—for the most part a grave and
serious House, a new and rather whimsical jokemas-
ter. In the absence of the late, always facetious and
often exhilarating, member for Nottingham, the en-
trance into the House of Commons of any one having
a capacity (consciously or unconsciously it really
matters little) of provoking the House to laughter is
most certainly :matter for congratulation. Time
was, when we had drolls enough, there, of one
kind or another—from the utter absurdity of
Colonel SIBTHORPE, to the dry and eccentric
humour of Mr. HENRY DRUMMOND. Now, we have
still Mr. DISRAELI'S Wit, it is true, and we have Mr.
BRIGHT'S humour, and we have the grotesque oddi-
ties of the member for South Warwickshire,
but, beyond those, we have for the most
part serried ranks of serious faces confronting
each other upon the right and upon the left hand of
gr. SPEAKER. So that when a new representative
like the hon. baronet the member for Herefordshire
makes his appearance for the first time distinctly as
appealing to the House's sense of risibility, he is, on the
whole, rather acceptable than otherwise. It was frib-
bling fun, he indulged in, when you came to look at
it : but still, for all that, it was fun of a sort—and
the House laughed, as if grateful for the relaxation,
and the new member was, in that sense, hailed as a
success. All we can hope is that he will continue, and
that he will improve—like good wine, mellowing !
That at auy rate he wont fall back into the serious—
of which we have certainly more than enough—so
that we should have reason to muse over him regret-
fully, as HAMLET does over the skull of YORICK—
" Where be your gibes, your flashes of merriment ?
Not one, now—quite chapfallen?" Sir HERBERT
CROFT must keep to the line which he has adventured
upon at his first appearance. Another time Mr. FAW-
cETT will, possibly, have more discretion. Yesterday
he was over confident, and he and his Bill have paid
the penalty. It is matter for regret. But it has
so fallen out, and it is, unhappily, for the time,
past mending.