Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-02-14
REFORM IN The ENGLISH PARLIAMENT.

REFORM IN The ENGLISH PARLIAMENT.
1t has by slow degrees become realized
by the English Government that the House
Of Commons. notwithstanding its dignity
and venerable antiquity. is very difficult
body to manage and to do business
through. The Irish opposition during recent
sessions has made it apparent that some
way of bringing purposely protracted de-
bates to close, and of enforcing the will
of the majority upon the minority, is in
dispensable, unless the control of the pub.
lie business is to be given over to what
ever faction may be audacious and per.
sistent enough to ignore all decency and
fairness In order to establish such a
process of shutting off debate as is re-
quired it has been proposed TO adopt the
French method known as the cloture, by
which the Speaker is empowered to order
vote on any pending question, when, in
his judgment, useful discussion has ceased,
and flibustering has been entered
upon. The vote is to be on the question
of closing the debate, and it is proposed
that bare majority shall suffice to carry
the affirmative. The form of the cloture
already tried only enables the Speaker to
close the debate when large majority is
in favor of it, and it often happens that it
is difficult to obtain such majority, not
because of any difference of opinion, but
because of the absence of members. This,
however, naturally suggests another re-
form, which has been needed for years,
been made. We refer to the sitting &C.
commodation of the House. There is no
other national legislature on the earth
which is SO badly housed as the House
of Commons. The chamber in which it
meets has not seating capacity for half the
members, and one of the consequences of
this is that in cases of division the men,
bers are compelled to occupy the galleries,
and no little confusion and loss of time
occurs. Why the English people should
have reconciled themselves during SO long
period TO this anomalous state Of things
we suppose nobody could say, but the in
convenience of the arrangement has now
become SO natural to all concerned that
it is scarcely thought of.
No doubt the want of accommodations
has much to do with the uncertain, restless
way in which members are constantly
moving about, and with the difficulties
experienced by the "whips in getting
members together when their votes are
wanted. 1t cannot be expected that men
will settle down to patient work in
place where half of them cannot even find
sitting room, and it follows that there is a
great Geal of friction in the proceedings of
the House. But there are other defects in
its organization which have become SO con-
spicuous that Mr.. Gladstone is about to
attempt what will no doubt appear to the
majority of the English people radical if
not revolutionary changes. The House is
very large body, numbering, when all its
member are present, six hundred and fifty
seven. Yet its mode of examining bills
has always been by Committee of the
Whole, and the effect of this practice has
been to consume a whole session over one
or two measures, and to render impracti-
cable the giving of any attention to the
large number of minor but still important
measures which it is sought to procure
legislation upon. 1t is striking proof OF
the deep-seated conservatism of the English
nation that it should have held to this
clumsy and inefficient method for SO long,
and that even now it should be doubtful
whether the change proposed is not too
startling to be adopted at once.
All other legislative bodies do their
work by committees, and experience has
shown that this is the only way by which
the necessary consideration and close ex.
animation can be secured for important
measures. According to the modern prac-
tice each chamber is divided into num-
Der Of committees, each of which has
charge of some particular class of interests
and subjects. This is what Mr.. Gladstone
now wishes to introduce in the House of
Commons. He proposes that there shall
be six large committees, at least, such as
Finance, Foreign Affairs, Home Admins
tration, Trade and Manufactures, Justice
and Law, and Defense. In Congress the
list of committees is very much longer,
though it is perhaps open to question
whether we have not gone too far in SUBJ
dividing the work for our lawmakers, and
whether half the number of committees
would not really turn out better work
MIR. Gladstone, however, is probably right
in proposing only few committees to
begin with. Doubtless he wishes to famil.
iarize the members with the operation of
the new plan before he proposes further
changes. The advantages of the new scheme
are SO apparent that it might be thought it
had only to be stated to be adopted, but it
must be remembered that there are great
many people who prefer old methods, no
matter how clumsy they may be. for no
better reason than because they are old.
The Irish Parnellites are determined to
do all they can to prevent the adoption of
any form of the cIoture, but the latest in
dications are to the effect that the Govern.
ment is not likely to experience any serious
difficulty in getting that change adopted.
The Parnellites indeed have by their in
temperate action convinced all thinking
men that it is absolutely necessary to in.
troduce some means of enforcing submis-
sion to the will Ct the majority, and there
fore their desperate resistance will probably
have no other effect than to swell the ma
| jority for the clotue. It is quite under
stood that this precaution must be taken
before proceeding to the business of the
session, and no endeavors to postpone it
| are likely to be successful, When the