The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-05-27

PRIVILEGES OF THE PRESS.

i PRIVILEGES OF THE PRESS.
We have not the particulars, dates and
Details but it seems that few days ago, II
the British House Of Commons, ono OF more
of the unsalaried members, who wear thel'
hats to show that they are not obliged 70 take
them of, complained of comments made Dy
the press on the debates of the House, and
even went 80 far as TO assert tbs right Of any
one member to exclude all strangers from the
deliberations of that body. This was aimed
at the gentlemen who were geographically
recording the debates verbatim, for the use
and delectation of the readers of their re-
spective Journals
1t matters not how late at night o debate in
the Commons may take place, the reader of
the morning paper has the whole of it before
him next morning long before the ascending
London fog will suffer him to read without
gas The Times and all other journals are re-
presented there by relays of reporters whose
monographs pot hooks are carried away
every quarter of an hour, translated into
scrip in choice English, and at once put in
type. Many compositors set the short hand
directly from the copy. It sometimes hap
pens that an able member after speaking two
hours has laid upon his table in printed slips
the first part Of his speech. Always. if he
chooses, he may read his O'Clock harangue
by the time he sits down to his supper,
say clock in the morning.
Should the subject be important and the
debate interesting, its tenor, drift and sub
stance are made known all over the water
walled island and all over Europe at an early
hour, and read in the morning journals Of
Paris, Berlin, st. Petersburg, Stamboul,
Vienna, Rome and Madrid.
The complaint was made against this great
medium, and its immediate exciting cause
seems to have been some stringent editorial
comment on remarks made by members The
complainant in traditional parliamentary form,
called the attention of the speaker to the fact
that "strangers were present" and desired
that the gallery be cleared, meaning that the
reporters of the press should be compelled to
vacate their desks.
The motion aroused the press Of London,
which, with single voice. most emphatcally
denounced and condemned it. Among the
members, happened to be Mr.. Sullivan,
owner and conductor of the Dublin Nation,
and Mr.. Cowen, who is proprietor and editor
of a very able North of England journal, the
New Castle Chronicle. The latter indicated
the journalistic profession, and reminded the |
House that reporters of the press must be |
welcomed and protected as gentlemen, and
not merely tolerated, noting that it did not |
pay to print the debates Of Parliament |
The right Of the press to have and report the
proceedings of the House was asserted to |
be absolute and undoubted. The Times |
growled significantly at the conduct ct the |
House, by which its authority was impaired,
and its reputation compromised, using this
expression:
elf it once comes to be said that the Repre-
sentative Chamber of the nation is an assem-
blage Of wealthy mediocrities given over to
the pursuit of gossip, and incapable of rising
the eve of changes which no Englishman can
without apprehension"
In the same article the Times speaks of
Dsraeli as having abdicated his privileges
md responsibilities, "and of having made q
awful display Of paralyzed capacity" But
he Times expresses the hope that the House
will protect itself and not allow its proceed ,
ngs to be degraded.
A deliberative assembly has the right to
conduct its proceedings without annoyance,
pressure or disturbance of any kind from Q ,
abble in its galleries. Its members have the
light to exclude those strangers who annoy {
hem, as well as those writer's who revile and
'ersecute them. The right of the, represen-
atives of the press to be present. and to make
erbatim reports Of all that has been said,
nay depend on ancient and undisputed GUS
om. but it is still as sacred as any other.
y strict rule single member may object to =
be presence Of any one not belonging to the a
louise, and tho rule could be so stretched as
, include the reporters of the press, but the
Increment of the rule to such an extent d
ould be almost equivalent to Legislative sui q
de.
Thoroughly sifted, the right of the elected =
lember to sit in Parliament will be found a
} be guaranteed chiefly by custom. If the \
ght Of representatives Of the press to be Y
resent ct the debates of the House and to y
port and print the same is of more recent q
ate, It is no less sacred and no less supported p
J uniform custom.
Without reference to the superlative folly of ~
to keep parliamentary debates b
,noealed from those who are most interested, Of
|: to tho contemplate vanity of members 9
ho can not bear adverse journalistic COM -
ents, We should incline to the belief that
70 Legislative body which shuns the light of n