The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-07-26
PARLIA1IENrARY CEREnoNIEs.
The Inner Life OF the House OF Com
F,nna

The Inner Life OF the House of Com.
mons.
The NetU Jersey Magazine, which is
a very sprightly monthly, contains in
the number for August, among other
matter, somewhat damaging article
on Horace Greeley, showing consider
able research, and likely to please a
considerable public; and a curious
sketch of the "Inuer Life of the British
House OF Commons;" from which we
extract some paragraphs:
OPENING OF THE SESSION.
1t is half-past three O'Clock; and as
| the House, when fairly at work, in the
middle of the session, meets precisely
| at four, it Is necessary, in order to wit
ness the entrance of "Mr. Speaker"
and other formalities which are part OF
the evenings proceedings of this great
national council, that we take onr
stand in the outer or "stranger's" lob.
by, where there are already assembled
| the numerous clerks, and other func-
tiouaries interested in the "priVate bu-
siness" of the House; some TO canvass
mem bers for their support of private
bills-others to Influence their opposi-
| ton to such measures.
Precisely at ten minutes OF lour,
voice is heard from the corridor lead
ling to the Speakers room, announcing
| the approach of "Mr. Speaker" The
! inspector OF police, who stands where
the corridor enters the lobby, cries out,
Hats off, strangers" and every man Is
Immediately uncovered. The doors OF
the House are then thrown open, and,
preceded by a messenger of the House
| in full dress, with his silver-gilt badge
! suspended from his neck, and the Ser
geant-at-Arns,i in court costume, win
| the massive mace on bis shoulder, MIR.
| Speaker" in his robes, and accompa-
| MED by his chaplain, is seen approach
| ing, his sweeping train being borne by
| another messenger in full court livery.
| On the Speakers approach to the door,
| the principal doOrkeeper proceeds TO
| the bar and calls out, "Mr. Speaker,
whereupon the members present at
once fall into their respective places,
and, standing uncovered, reVerenlIy
bow as that functionary passes.
PRAYERS.
On his entrance into the House "Mr.
! Speaker" does not at once take the
| chair, but stands ut the table while the
chaplain reads the prayers. When
PRAYERS commence the doors OF the
| House are closed, and the door-keeper
announces that "Mr. Speaker is at
prayers" and at tho same time rings "a
bell, or rather sets going machine
bells in all parts of the House where
! mem berS are likely to be. In about
seven minutes prayers are over"
which fact is formally announced by
the door-keeper, and the bells are again
set In motion. The doors of the House
are opened, and as soon as "Mr.
Speaker" has ascertaiued that the
REQ uisite "forty' members are in the
House, he takes the chair. The door
keeper then calls out, "Mr. Speaker Is
| in the chair" and the order OF business
| for the night begins. II sometimes hap
pens that when the hand of the clock
points to four there are not forty mem
| bers present. In this case the Speaker
adiourns the House.. This never, how
| ever, occurs on government nights, or
when the government wants ITO max e
| a House." for on these nights the
"whips" always take care to secure the
attendance OF the requisite number.
No QUORUM.
The circumstances under which fail
ures ste make Il House" occur are
generally these:-It is public night,
which means that motions of private
members takes precedence-there IS
nothing important on the paper; on the
contrary, there are severul notices ol
motions put there by members OF no
standing in the House, which 1t Is
known will lead 10 nothing but hours
mentis not interested, its agents will not
"make House," and when those who
have received notices have not sutti-
cieut influence to secure the attendance
of forty members-and the members
are not generally disposed to waste a
night watching proceedings which they
care nothing about, aud which they
know will be perfectly fruitless-it Oft
en- happens out of the six hundred and
fffty-eight memberS, 1t Is impossible to
get 40 to attend. Indeed, sometimes we
have known an active canvass TO Keep
members away; and 1t il no uncommon
thing TO see hundred members in the
lobby, when 1t is found impossible to
get thirty in the House. The failure to
make a House is often a severe disAp-
pcintment and modification to those
members who have motions set down.
Fancy a man spending weeks in pour
ing over blue books, extracting their
contents, celebrating his speech, and
then hurrying down to the House on the
great important day, full of his subject,
he finds the doors shut, and learns from
the solitary policeman who PAGES the
lobby that there is mo House."
The count out" is another favorite
and not uncommon mode of getting rid
of a dreary speaker and disagree
able subject. 1t generally takes place
between the hours of seven and eight,
and is managed in this wise: The time
we will suppose is hali-past seven. The
honorable member for - has been up
for an hour, and the wearisome tide OF
talk shows no signs of exhaustion.
Most of the members have gone 10 dim
ner at their respective clubs, or at the
dining-room of the House; and now
there are not more than forty-hve or
! fifty members present. There is gen :
eral disposition to get rid OF the speaker
and his motion. The government will
| I,a a n rnd tho trnO hIa Of FnDlV which bV
the way, is sometimes very convenient.
| The Young members want, perhaps, to
| 20 to the opera-the old members will
be glad of u nights rest, and all see that
a holiday may be secured without any
| injury to the State.
The first symptoms of a "count" is
the congregation of dozen or twenty
members in the inner lobby, anxious
| ly peeriug through the glass doors.
| Some knowing hand slides in and slid
ing up to different members in the
| Honse, tells them what is a-foot, and
then glides out again. Presently others
are seen leaving one by one, without
| any apparent concert. Some member
then goes to the back of the Speakers
chair and counts the members present.
| There are Just forty with 'Mr. Speaker
| There are too many for the count TO be
attempted, as others may drop In.
| Another leaves, and then another, and
SO on, until there are only thtrty-two
or thirty-three left. The member be-
hind the chair then comes forward and
calls "Mr. Speakers" attention to the
fact that there are not forty members
present. The orator drops down in.the
midst of his harangue, the clerk of the
able turns a three-minute and-glass,
the dOorkeeper rings his bell and when
the sand IN the glass is run out, Mr..
| Speaker" proceeds to count the mem
bers, and then, If forty be not present,
| he declares the House adjourned.