Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-09-21
P~ARLIAMENTs OIL THE PAsT.
Notable Ones in English History
snd Work They Did.
Pail Mall ea.Otts.l

One of the longest sessions ofParlia'
ment in English history will terminals
on Saturday. 1t is indeed amusing tt
compare its length, not only with tina
of former sessions, but of former Par
liaments in their entirety. The mos
famous of short Parliaments is thai
which deposed Richard IL, thus lay,
ing the memorable constitutional pre-.
cedent afterward followed with such
benefit to the nation in 1859. 1t j:
true the Convention Parliament did
not technically depose James H., hav-
ing decided that the fugitive King had
abdicated; but it could not be pre-,
tended that the infant Prince O Wale:
1.-The ''old Pretender"-had abdi,
Gated his rights, so that Parliament
virtually effected the transfer of the
crown from the legitimate head tC
another head-a perfectly Legitimate
one, but only by virtue of the new
law Of the land.
P~rorogations were not much reserted
to in the olden times, and for the
simplest reasons. Till the House Of
Commons became a power, it was
~prorogued or dissolved. In what was
then, 10 reality as we'll as title, the
Upper Chamber, the component ele-
ments remained essentially the same,
and the King, having got as much
money as he could out Of Parliament,
thought it best to put an end to its
existence altogether. Henry VII Z
first Parliament met on the 2lst OF
January, 1910, and was dissolved on
the 23d of February following. His
next Parliament, however, lasted nc
less than two years and one month.
By and by we come to what may be
called the Reformation Parliament.
1t met on the Sd Of November, 1880,
and was only dissolved on the 4th O.
April, 1886. The Sd Of November is
a notable date. Exactly 10 year:
later met the Long Parliament, the
expressed purpose OF whose members
was to complete the work OF their an.
cestors who met in 1880. After dis.
solving the Parliament that had
helped him ito break the bonds oil
| Rome as the mild Gray puts it, the
majestic lord summoned another
Parliament, which met on the 9Th Of
June, 1886, and was dissolved on the
18th of the following month. The
pastors and masters Of Edward VI
summoned two Parliaments in his
name. The first lasted four years and
a half the second exactly thirty days.
March 1st to March 31st. Mary'sf first
Parliament lasted two months and q
day. In her reign of little more than
FIVE years Mary summoned five Parlia.
ments. According to Hallam hel
government was the first which reeog.
nized the Importance of the House o.
Commons, and sought to influence il
in various ways-chiehy by the crea.
ton Of constituencies under order.
from the creWn-in other words, rot.
ten boroughs.
During the reign, which extended
to its forty-ffth year, Elizabeth con
voked the Parlisments in all. Tht
longest was that Of 1871, which LASTED
till 1886, or about fourteen and one
halt years. One OF the shortest, i
not the very shortest, assembled OF
Monday, the second of April, 1871
and dissolved on the twenty-ninth o
May following. 1t was on the open
ing day o. said Parliament that tn
Queen, speaking from her "rega
seat willed the Lord Chancellor, Isl
Nicholas, father Of Francis Bacon) t,
show the cause of its assembling
T~hereupon the Lord Chancellor spoke
and declared that this assembly o
Parliament was for three causes called
namely, for the glory Of Almight,
God, for the preservation of He
Majesty, and for the welfare of tn
common veal" The welfare of tn,
State evidently came second in tn,
mind of government to the comfort o
the Queens Majesty, or Highness, o
Grace, as Elizabeth was Indifferent,
called. James |. gave a length o
nearly six years to his first Parliamen
Ito the second Of two months and
day, for evil ~precedents have force
James said he found in it "a kind 0
beasts called undertakers." Under
takers, in modern English, mean
managers of parties. In fact, Their,
was in the Parliament Of 1914, for tn
first time, a regularly constituted op
position. James fourth and last Par
lament was dissolved by his death
after an existence of thirteen months
Charles fourth and last was not dis
solved by his death, not merely beeaus
we were then in full revolution, bu
because the long Parliament had in
duced him to pass a law which forbade
the dissolution of the then sittin
Parliament without its own consent
Cromwell summoned two Parlia
ments, neither Of which sat long
Richard Cromwelrs Parliament lasteI
nearly three months. Monks restored
the monarchy and the House Of Lord
in a few days, and survived severa
months, after this extraordinary feat
It was succeeded by the longest of on
Parlisments, after that emphaticall
called the long, having met on May 8
1861, and been dissolved on Januar
"A, 1919. 1t was also called the Pen
%sionary Parliament, from the numbe
Of gentlemen sitting therein who con
sldered it quixotic to serve thei
country for naught.
The Convention Parliament settle,
our constitution in its broad outline
without clearly understanding wha
it was about in a little over lively
months. Its dissolution was an idea
more or less bright, of Williams own
He felt worried by the intrigues @
the two parties, and one Februar
morning IN 1890 went down and toll
the Commons he had no further nee
Of their attendance. Toward tn
close Of 1894 William passed tn
Triennial Bill-not till he had twic
vetoed it. The act remained in fore
for more than twenty years, wheI
GeorgeI. S first Parliament lengthene
its own existence and that Of all sub
sequent Parliaments. The hous,
which passed the Septennial Act taste.
seven years all but eleven days
March q, 1715, to March 10, I72e
Since then constitutional, as distin