New-York tribune., 1880-06-16
crrr sprrc1 IN THE CoMuoNS.

nobody.
FREE SPEECH IN THE COMMONS.
The dIsgraccful debate in the lIonse OF Com
mon1 on Monday night turned upon iuhua-
mental principle of Parliamentary privilege
| An Irish member vCnturcd to repeat scandal
Ions charge against the new French Minister IN
| LondOn. Whatever may he said III regard to
his responsibility for certain OutragcS Of the
Paris Commune, and whatever may be wills
pcrcd in the dark or brought to light in the
compost columns of the society journals con-
ccrning his domestic life, NJ. Challcmcl -Laconr
is the accredited representative Of great
Nation and the intimate friend of the most IN
flucntal leaders of the new Republic lie Is
one of the ablcst journalists and puhllcists III
France The President of the Republic knows
him well, aud has confluence Ill him the Presi-
dent of the Chamber is his political ally ana
constant companion; and he has been dally
visitor at the modest lodgings of the Premier $
family in the Boulevard lIaussmann. Obviously
thc Ministry could not allow any member OF
the Commons to insult the representative OF so
sensitive Il pcOplc as the French. Mr. Gladstone
unwisely suggested heroic treatment Ol an
abuse of Parliamentary privilege. lie tie
mandcd that Mr. O'DOnnrll should not be heard
mt all. In the course of the rancorOus debate
which followed this exciting incident, the Con-
scryativcs. under the leadership of Sir Stafford
Northcote. opposed the Prrmicr's motion as an
understandable attack upon Parliamentary priv
ilegc.
Free speech has been regarded for centuries
as the inaicnabc right of English legislators.
The great precedent was established i'll the
-, I,o nf Horny
WILL, and the principle was distinctly le-
affirmed in 1867. The House oi Commons
however, like every dclihcrdtlvc assembly re-
serves to itself the privilege of requesting any
,hing like disnldcrly conduct. Three hundred
vcals ago member could he fined, mpr>Oncd
and expelled from the House. During the scS-
sions of the Long Parliament, and, III iart' Tor
q whole century prior TO the English Revolt
tion, the dangerous practice of cXpclllnG MEM
bcrs for violating fine privileges OF debate was
followed. For two centuries the discipline oi
the House has been enforced by ccnSllrrS from
the char. The rules as recently amended
authorize the Speaker to name member who
has been twcc called to order. ! his penalty
was enforced not long ago in the casc Ol Mayor
orc oman, who was ordered To Withdraw from
the House. The same cCulSc might have bt en-
| taken in the present instance.
In actual practice, il makes little difference
whether member be ordered To leave the
IIonsr OF be objected to hold hi, tongue. The
result is the same in each instance; the member
is excluded from the proceedings Of the House.
The common piincIplc is this: The ulmoS; free
dom shall be- allowed in debate, hnt the Com
mons must protect themselves against hcrn>c.
| 4 . 4t,.., .I.,.t.. ttf.t in "a
single lucid sentence: " Freedom OF speech Is
unlimited 10y any authority except that 10y
(which the llousr ought always to restrain in
decent and disoid'Iy language in its mem
bcrsn At the same time national prejudice
should bc respected. Unnecessary and Ill
timed restrictions of freedom of debate should
be avoided. In ,hs respect the Prcmlcrs acnon
WAS il-iudgcd. lie was too anxious to silence
the Irish member on the spot His motion that
Mr. O'Donnc should not be heard was, at
best, an Cxpcditnt which had not been tired III
| the Commons for two centuries.
II must not bc forgotten that the member
who threw the House into uproar belongs to Il
| faction which has TcsOucd 10 dl>EGacclul
methods of obStructinS public business. The
| Conservatives were very inefficient in coping
with the Home Rulers in tine lat Parliament.
and on several occasions the Liberal inority
were compelled to interfere and TO show the ma
iority how to enforce the discipline OF the House.
| Mr.. O Donncll insrll has been conspicuous Of
frndcrand has heretofore bcrnI Icudcrly handlrd.
The present Premier would not allow him to
get of 80 easily. He was anxious, moreover, tn
let the Home RscS know in advance that they
would be dealt with vigorously if they at
tempted to renew their disoIdrlly tactics. 1t
was an error of Judgment The House WAS
turned into IL bear garden, his associates were
hootcd at and hisScd, and, while hIs party voted
with him, he was finally obliged to Withdraw
his motion and beat retreat. He bad run cOuI-
ter TO Il strong national prejudice.