The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-30

In concert. must noid the balance OF DO yer in tine
next Parliament, and II the strength OF the two
great parties Dc anything ike equally div ided the
All questions that Involve the Inc or death OF the
Ministry 10 power. The position OF the home
rulers will be, therefore, stronger one than ever
rRANscESDESr AUTHORITY or THE COMMONS.
In order 10 give some insight into the powers pos
| sessed by Parliament, the qualifications OF men,
| bers ana voters and the manner Of exercising sur
Britain and Ireland the appended particulars are
given Formerly the Commons aud Lords were
one assembly but the date OF their separation Is not
known. Parliament has almost unlimited author
ity. According to Sir Richard Coke Its power Ia
trNRscendent and absolute that IL cannot be con-
| nned Tor cause or favor within any bounds IL has
changed the religion OF the country aud has al
tered the succession 10 the throne. rhe Premier,
| who IL the oracle OF the House OF Commons and
who can only retain ONCE 80 long as he represents
the dominant majority OF its members, il actually
the ruler OF the Kingdom. But, having majority
on his side in the popular branch OF the legislature
his power and theirs are well nigh absolute, over
riding the Opposition OF tue House OF Lords and
| compelling them even against their wills, to as
| sent TO his measures. member Of the House, to
be qualified, must be q natural born subject over
twenty one years Old. naturalized subject is not
qualified unless special law Is passed Tor the pur-
pose. Members are entitled to a guinea $50 a
day for their services but the allowance has not
been drawn Tor two centuries.
DURATION OF PARLIAMENTs.
There was originally no limit to the durat ton of
Parliament except the will OF the sovereign In
the reign or William and Mary the continuance OF
parlament was limited to three years. term
seven years. at which figure 1t remains me same
act OF william aud Mary enacted that Parliament
shai assemble once IN three years at the least but
the practice OF granting the budget and passing
the Meeting act, by which only the army rs kept in
existence lor but year at a time, makes 1t neces
sary that the sessions should be annual The
average duration or Parliament is three years
ana q habits natural term is seven years. Par
Lament comes TO all end by dissolution, which is
It's civil death. This dissolution may be at the Will
orr .ae soveaeigm as Ia the recent instance with
mon law Parliament is i1s0 Tacto dissolved at the
demise OF the Crown, but by an act passed in the
mad thu
alter the demise unless sooner dissolved by the
successor TO the throne. The same act requires 1T
Crown, and IL provides that IN no Parliament
Ii in being at that time the last preceding shall
at every general election has lease OF seven
years and no longer but Is liable to be dissolved
any time before the expiration OF that period.
THE LAw-MAKING POWER.
The iaw-maklng power In the United Kingdom
consists OF the King or Queen, the lords spiritual
and temporal, and the knights, citizens and bur-
gesses IN Parliament assembled. The House OF
Lords numbers ans members, and is made OF 2
barons, % Irish Representative peers and
ID scotch representative peers. irish Prot
estant bishops are excluded from the House Of
Lords since the passage OF the Church Dsestablish-
ment bil The number OF members OF the House
OF Commons has been, since 1917, $685. and has
varied very little from that number during the
present century. England and Wales, 500 repre-
sentauves-l5l Knights OF the shire aud 34l citi-
zens and burgesses; Ireland los members-64
Knights OF the SHIRE and Al citizens and burgesses;
Scotland, SO members about equally divided be-
doms 256 gentlemen represent counties and 800
boroughs. The universities have six members.
PERSONS DISQUALIFIED As MEMBERS.
No member OF the House OF Lords Is eligible tn
seat In the House OF Commons. The representative
Guided. but other peers OF Ireland are qualified.
No peer OF Scotland can however, be elected, and
It may be said that Scottish peer. not one OF the
the only class OF men in the British Empire who
are ineligible to the House OF Commons. Their
heirs were formerly excluded. but tins disqualif-
cation was removed in 1885, The clergy OF the
Church OF England are excluded in body. BY the
Emancipation act OF 1929 no Roman Catholic priest
Is capable OF being elected a member. The exclu-
sion does not Apply to Methodist. Baptist other
Kind Of traditionsl doctrine that the clergy are
excluded from Parliament as the lay council Of the
monarch. NO person oinciaIiy employed about
crown or contractor with the governments no
! persons convicted Of crime are excluded. Any
member OF the Commons who may accept any
Der must vacate his seat, but he may again ne
elected during the same session. The Jewish dis
! abilities were not removed until 1864.
RIGHT SUFFRAGE
The passage OF the Reform bill OF 1857 made 1t
necessary that an appeal should be made to the
country by the conservative party, with Mr.. Dis
raeh at its head. which was in power. Mr.. Glad
stone had carried In the Commons before the dis
solution the trst important measure toward the
disesrablishment OF the Irish Church. The torres
who iercely opposed establishment, had
brought the Abysslnian war to a satisfactory con-
cuslon, and we're confident that they would obtain
| working majority at the general election In 1862
They mad carried the Reform bill, and they thought
! that they could reasonably count upon the con-
fdence OF the lately enfranchsed voters. In this
they were disappointed, for Gladstone on the
assembling OF Parliament had a majority Of liz
The ministry, however, soon after the result Of
the elections was known, resigned, which was the
similar occurrence had taken pace-that is, a
ministry that had advised the Crown to dissolve
Parliament refusing to remain in office until the
| newly elected members had organized.
FRANCHISE IN ENGLISH BOROUGHs.
The Reform bill OF 1857 added. as indicated, very
extensively to the voting population OF the
counties and borou. hs. The franchise mas not
since been EXTENDED, and the elections now In
getner with the privilege mentioned elsewhere Of
voting by ballot. The act conferred on every man
registered to vote for q member or members OF
Parliament, with the qualification that he must be
year and during the whole OF the twelve months
nave been an inhabitant Occupier as an owner or
tenant OF dwelling house, and have during the
occuper In respect TO the premises so occupied by
Nun WITHIN thS law to all rates ut any made for
and have on or before the 10th Of July in the same
year paid an equal amount in the pound to that
paid by other ordinary occupers In respect to all
poor rates. No man is entitled to be registered as
voter by reason OF his being joint occupant or
any dT bel 5 aq Te as odges
must have occupied in the same borough separate
and as sole tenant, ior twelve months preceding
the same lodgings, such lodgings being part OF one
and the same dwelling house. and OF a clear value,
If let unfinished Of fl0 $50 or upwards and a
residence OF twelve months.
FRANCHISE IN COUNTIES
The man must be seized in law in equity OF
land or tenure OF freehold for his Life the
lie OF another OF clear yearly value Of not less
than Is (S25I, over ana above all rents and
charges. AS to occupation franchise, the man
must occupy, as owner or tenant lands or tene
ments within the county lat rataDle value OF fl2
($60l or upwards, and pay poor rates.
SCOTCH AND IRISH FRANCHISE
The reform acts Tor Scotland and Ireland, passed
in the session Of 1868, Offered in some important
respects. The borough franchise In Scotland
conferred upon every male person OF full age and
subject to no legal incapacity who had been for
twelve months occupier or owner or tenant Of
any dwellings unless that at any time during that
period he shall have been exempt from poor rates
on the ground OF poverty, or who shall have failed
to pay his poor rates shall have been in receipt
or parochial relief The ledger FRANCHISE in Scot
land consists IN the right or any person to vote
who has occupied in the same building separate
and as sole tenant for twelve months lodging OF
the clear annual value, unfinished, OF f10. In
counties the qualifications are Is annual rental
clear OF any deduction, with residence OF not less
than six months. The irish Reform act, which was