, 1876-06-16
HOW ENGLAND IS GOVERNED.


HOW ENGLAND IS GOVERNED.
Thn Origin md Early I1tstory of Parliament
.-.fnyncnt Of nurgeasos nn'l forfeiture of
WnRe.-.-tiow Parliament Lives nutl Dlbs---
KniRhtn and 1lnrEeascn WIN Arc Nefthcr---
How tito h1nsacs Arn Btultiifrd in Repre-
srntntiUn.
Philadelphia 7t't7ronh.
Illc British representative SYSTEM, as, With
deltate lrony It IL usually termed, prcacllte fGl-
tt,rcs That are In striking CONTRAST to llle repre-
ecrtaeivu systcni nf the United atntcs; md It's
various complications arc altogether bcyond tic
enpaSiy Of cvc auel1 aHlutn politicians IS Thur.
law Weed to grasp anu appreciate In tlicir full
Significance.
Parliament, H. is known, was = continuation,
nr, sllore correctly, revival, OF tho Old Saxon
a1HI rcsislcncr IL tho uarona to tho onc-,nan
power which, in modern English politics, Is
called Cusarlstl. Iium It's pr!Htnry orHanzn-
tlu,i, and for several rrigas eucccettmg t;c ruia
meeting together, but vottDg tcpAsatetY; the
Peers tor Upper Chas.ber) holding NJ, fnallc,i-
ablc right " slarn III t1lu Government in
vrtuu of ttscfr orlsl'lp Of tls soil anl tic nc
campaigning patents II nobility; til. Comnons
for Lower lIuuse) representing the boroughs VI
which they were purEesses, nr thu countIes Of
Whit. tlcy. arc still, III iorsu, tllougl' not tu
rcnlfty, Knights.
Tho curly Partamcnts weto drawn, ns to tho
Cou,liol1s, from such PLACES. AZ thu diserctton
Of the rcigning King dictated, references being
had Ecnrrnlly to Tie actual or possible growth
Of population ur thu development Of important
interests, and, not tnfrcpucmtly to tc drntts VI
1sclI atd Of ships ntld munitions they could pro-
ducc Oh OecaelUn calling iur them fur service 10
tho military aud naval operations Of the King
dom. fle,icc the cities untl burroughs rrturl,tlg
may learn who takes J,alns To consult Rymer's
t'rdera, OF thu Fils ltols s9f The Court yf r.
ehe7atr, preserved in tile Rceurl Otlcc III MS,
ant', IN grcat part, printed under direction VI
Parliament assembled for centuries without
having a tlcllnitc home, being convened snlle-
timce In onu building sometimes n another,
1,'w In London or Mt Westminster inditlerensly,
nllon N some ~ ,s satl'tdTn slty iio last ocsaao,
metropolis WIS that OF the Great Piagnc, when
the Estates Of tic ltcalni transacted legislative
business ut Oxford, where tl!c Royal Court was
also gathered out of harln's way III le05. Strict
8nbbMtnrtan meinbcrs OF oste or other llousc,
Who cxnlt the nurriless laws Ut Elizabeth,
James l., Charles l. aud IT,, as patterns lur
imitation, now that. tho conditions Vi sucial
existence aro wholly changed, would oc
sat on Sunday to debate, with frnntic l!cnt, the
more stringent observance 1t tile day; bat the
fact stands prominently IN record In tho scdpa-
consulted Jnurnals Of the Lords md OF the
CoNlMuns, which, With slfght Interruptions,
luve continued to bu printed FROM the year
15u3-'1.
Ots,cr causcs than the Royal caprice would In
some instances operate to tlisfr7ncniso borougs
atorctlne represented. The origin Of tic re-
.;n, ..s @ s',.oa ~. s"9 nis.,t - tIo,,,
selves from, trllanltnt, must first obtain leave
uf the Speaker 30 to do, 10 TO bc foun!l III the
old prnrtice distinctly referred to liz tho Act OF
Sixth Henry VIII, Chap. xvi, 0t tho payment
The Statutes ol the Ncalm" III 1871. I1ls
net rcetcs:
For Gu u,ochc IA comcnly in tho end o. every
Parliament DIVERS md very g!ote and weyghty mat
md anurtic nt one snssfasno losd th9 kynE as inc
cominn wsic Of thls hS rca!t.s, ai,a sHb1Gtts afo
auctotito u tarijnnent 10 b. cunciudc. 50 IT VI
thnt yvsts k,,ynhtis Of sbrcs. citxcns foe citics
tcnqauJ ,ports long tyne hcioro tl,e end of tho
salt raralaneat o, tlrr own nuctorltecs ttcpart
nna goctl, hume Into tlctr count.sen. whereby tho
sah ssGet hha weJgmly etess n many ,yh,ea ",
smirjtyal Il apd III ,sI;oraIl anI Il. conons III In this
psrscnt Iar,lan,u,,t asson.blcd, and by arc-
ioryto Of the same, that iron, hcMccforth
nnne Of thu anld knyHhtis, citizens, bur.
Hereafter shal be ssety ts coma or be in any lsr'
amc 10 hot leicl aspnf1 an, tena' % .e sh,nc M
mem, no1 nosGM. myn L. sc !sci .tnm ~ aaG W.. w
nrowxM in,arn"m.Ji cScr,t ~ ~ Iicy a., }cT,r
.nS; haYr ixsans tiircnsci ri thn 5Snrakrr and
sonsyns in tue 6ookc oi tho cleske Of Inc Fariia.
inent appoyntcl or to be nppoyntcd for tho con,ua
aousc, upon payne to oyery o,ie IT t.em 90 d.
partyng or abscnsyng them hc1f ts!ej Ia an other
manner - laoss llos91 az! tn9s l'hoeG5 ronaGa "
oney % whISae Il. ~ Nc r Ut oy s n q to oasn " o 10
~. iios n a, "1n"hss ,xereT onv ~ any, n*t
tnr,,.on' sSaiM 40 ciscty, md In ,nLahia ants nf
ns saas shalSe cicreiy dyschsryd Of iii tho seyd
sates ascnst the no!d pson auI parsons and tIar
rho wages here alluded to were pal,l by the
constituencies, and, under pressure Of tic bur
excuse Of boroughs not returning members in
pursuance of tiv wits directed 10 lhcir Slcriils
pr oti,rr rcsurn1,c ofllcers, Klnrston.unon.
iiull. ior whirH plaeo tho incorrupt1io Andrew
Marvel sat, was thus at least once allowed to
forero ia r1cltt to rcnrcscntat1ou, The statute
hnYe riyea nt lcncth In thc nuatnt English Of
the t,mc Is Still in force, hut is constituenries
m lt.t,rer INV wages. Tint 1Iart OF It wltich
hran,lishes t,u pen9sty Ia inof,cratye fran tlis-
| us.. It ia sj,rrlur. however. That tic Chnrtists
| nf the Ic,noeratic Royal borough Of Green,
l xIch' withnnt susprion Of this inv. re.
| maininy @,od. aent to Parliament so,uu thirty
| vrara ia a1, a,,ctIoncer. nn1neI John TowiI.
send, Wno BECAME or!s II thu most crn;ncntly
lsarl1ed nf men uu Tie forms a,,l t,reccdcnts *