Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1867-08-16
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Inner Life of the House OF
Commons.


Commons.
The New jersey Magazine. contains in
the number tor August. among other mat
ter Il curious sketch of the "luuer Life oil
the British House of Colninous, from
which We extract some paragraphs:
1t l. halt past three " CLOCK and as the
l.ousc, When Ialrly at work i'll the mid sle
Of tnr session. meets precisely at fur it
is ii,ccssaiy. III order 10 witness the en-.
trance OF MIR. Speaker and other for
uaiitrs winch are II p.rt OF the evening 5
proceedings ot this great national council,
that We take our stand in the outer or
strangers Iohhy. where there are already
assembled tue Numerous parliamentary
agents, clerks, aud other lunetiuiiarles M
tcrcsted III the private business OF the
ilou.e; so.Ae Ia canvass neiubcrs iur their
suplor, Of prlNatc bulls Others t" Influence
thrti Opposition IL such measures.
prr>isrly 1T ten minutes OF four Il voice
Is heald l.u,n the corridor leading 10 the
Speaker rum anunaneing the approach
ot MIR. Speaker The Inspector OF police
Nho stands wi here the cUfrluor enters the
luniiy. crlcs our, Hats ott, strangers, aud
every man Is immediately uncovered
i he doors ot the House are then thfown
omen. and, pr, coded by IL messenger OF
the HOUSE IN tuli dress, with his silver gilt
badge suspended from his neck, aud the
Sergeant III Arms, III court costume, with
I the massive mace on his shoulder, Mr.
i speaker. Ill his robes, aud accompanied
by his chapliiu. Is seen approaching, his
sweeping tram being hUrIe by another
messenger IN iuIi court livery. On tAe
Speaker approach To the daor. the priliti
pad door keeper proceeds TO the bar ant
calls out, MIR. speaker whcreupon the
members present at once fail into then
respective PAGES, and. standing uncover
rcyrrcmtly bow as that fame .ionary passes
On hs entrance INTO the House Mr.
+ speaker does not at oncr take the chair
J but stands at the taI,e While the chaplain
ne IDS the prayers. When prayers coui-
meucr, the doors OF the lluase are closed
aud the dootkccpcr Announces that Mr..
! Speaker Is itt praNc's. and ut the same
rings ii bell, or rather sets goin- IA nachimo
which causes IL simultaneous ringing ot
/ bells IN all parts OF the House where mem
brrs alc likely To lie. In about seven
minutes rtycrS are over which tact is
formally announced by the Guoikrcpcr,
and the bells are again set III motiou.---
The duurs Of the House axe then opened,
aud -oou as Mr.. speaker. has asc"r,
| tanned that the requisite 'lsrty members
are III the House. nr takes bis chair. The
loWkreper then cllls out, Mr.. Speaker,
| is III the char, and the order OF the huSi.
Ness Tor the night bcgtnS. 1t sometimes
happens that vi II tie hand of the clock
IN. fnItr fh,r,. tnrtp nI,..rs
present. La thus casr the Speaker at once
adjouins the lIuu.c. This never, however
pccdrs on government nights. or when the
gov crnmcnt wants to make House, for
on these nights the Whips always take
care to secure the Attendance of the re
quislte number.
The cIrcumst ances under which failures
ito make House occur are gene rally
these: 1t is Il public night, which means
that nations ot private mclnhers takes
reeedcncr- there is II, thing important on
the paper; on the contrary, there are
several notices Of motions put there by
members of no standing in the House,
hirh 1t Is known will lead to nothing but
iuuls OF dteary talk. OF course, as the
government Is not interested. its agents
will not mike Il House. and vixen those
v hn have received noticrS have not suihc-
eut Influence to secure the attendance oi
forty lnrnhcrs- tn" memhers general.
" are not dlsposcdt t" waste anlght watch
ings which they care nothing about. and
winch they know will be pe'fectIy iruitless
it often happens that out OF tie six hum
trcd aud fifty eight merhefs. II Is impos-
Sblc to get forty ta attend, Indeed,
l.,
yass Ia keep nrn.hcrs away and II no un
common thing tn see IA hundred members
in the lobby, wh"nitis found impossible
to get thirty in the HOUSE. The failure to
make a House IL often II severe dlSappnnt
mpnt and uortifcntiun to those members
who have mntions set down. Fancy a
man spending weeks in poring over blue
hooks extracting their contents. elaborat-
ing his spcach. and then hugrying down
to the House on the great important day.
full of his subject he finds the doors shut,
aud learns from the solitary policeman who
PAGES the lobby that thare is no House
The count out is another fuyorisc and
not uncommon mode Of getting rid of IL
dieary speaker and disasreeahle subject.
1t generally takes place between the hours
OF seven and eight, and is managed in this
wise: The ti.ne We will suppose is half
past seven. The honorable member for
has been up for an hour, and the wea-
rsome tide of talk shows no signs Of ex-
hauston Must oi the members have gone
to dinner ut their respective clubs, or at
the dining room of the House; aud now
there are not more than forty-tive or fifty
members present. There is Il general dis
position to get rid of the speaker and his
motion The government will he saved
the trouble of reply, which, by the way, is
sometimes very convenient. The young
members want, perhaps. to 60 to the ope
ra--the old members will be glad Of a
nights rest, and all see that holiday may
be secured without any injury to the state
The first symptoms ot count is the
congregation OF II dozen or twenty mcm-
beers III the inner LOBBY. anxIously peering
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