Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-07-12
PICKING AT PARLIAMENT.
The Process Necessary Through which two Dis
tlnguished Americans Get Sight OF
That Bsdy.


The Process Necessary Through which two Dis
tIasuished Americans Get Sight OF
That Bsdy.
delayed availing myself of Minister
Lowell's offer OF an .'order" to visit the
houses of parliament, and last evening
the notion siezed me to go, notwith-
standing, and take my chance to get ir.
A friend was in similar mood, and we
started off. My guide says. NO
body can be present at debate in the
commons without an order from a men,
Der of parliament" had met two of
the members in New York, my friend
knew another, and had n letter to still an
Others but, on sending our cards in
from the lobby, we discovered that
none of them were present.
My friend said to the doorkeeper. in
his sweetest voice, laying his hand on
my shoulder:
This is distinguished stranger from
America. He is one of the most cele-
brated readacteurs.
| Strengthened up and looked mod
estly away. "Hime truly sorry cahn't
let ye hup,. gentlemen. Hime very
frenzy to Mericans. But it would be
much ez my he'd wuz with to let We
hup without a ORDER
Il cant get used to your blamed
money!" said my friend, taking out a
shilling piece; now just tell me how
much that is in American money!
THAT" said the doorkeeper, slyly
taking the coin and biting it; ''his about
equal to your arr a dollar"
Now you give me a couple of or
ders, said my friend, '.for us two dis
tinguished Americans, and we will 90
in and sit with Mr. Gladstone while YOU
figure on this. I'll leave the coin with
you till l come out
The doorkeeper smiled, calmly lifted
up the gold-fringed Flap of his side
pocket and 6shed out two printed or
ders, saying:
.'Ez luck would 'av it, 'ere's couple
some Honble Member gave me to give
to give to some friend of ism witch was
coming in tonight which asn't come
We took the orders and passed in.
Among the vices we are compelled to
practice in order to get along with any
degree of comfort, l letmy friend do all
of the bribery-not SO much on account
of moral scruples. 1t costs something
to get through land which doesn't ap-
parently contain a man with strength of
mind enough to refuse a shilling.
WelL here we are, classified as "mem-
bersN friends in a gallery at one end
of the house of commons--a room sew
cnty-iive feet long and forty-five wide.
| should thinkit about one-thirtieth as
large as the house of representatives at
Washington, though the commons con-
tains one-half more members. just be-
low us they sta hundred or So
mostly with hats on, curled up in gro
tesque attitudes on uncomfortable
benches. At the other end, facing us,
sits the speaker in little sentry box in
the middle aisle, with what looks like
a bunch of pine shavings on his head.
AT his right slopes upward the bank of
Liberal (governmenD benches to the
wall; and at his left (our right the cor
responding bank of Conservative
benches. In the middle of the front
bench on the Conservative side sits the
Conservative leader-Sir Stafford North
Gotta tall man in Prince Albert coat
and gray trousers with a long, gray
beard, and small eyes that are concealed
most of the time by the stove-pipe hat
pulled forward and resting on his enor-
nous nose, as he sticks out his legs,
thrusts his hands deep into his pockets
and listens. He listens to Mr.. Glad
stone, Immediately opposite, who stands
in front of the lower Liberal bench, and
says few words in favor of the agri-
cultural bill. He speaks in CONVEX
sational tone, quietly, with correct
rhetoric and small infection. Presently
he sits down. 1t is noticeable that, all
the evening, the premier is about the
only man who does not put on his hat,
always excepting, of course, the man
with the crown of pine shavings who
sits in the sentry box. Extending from
the hall are the desks of the sclarks''
Uhree clerks, D, American congress)
containing a hundred or so
of books; and next to these, in front of
the premier, is elevated the great mace
of the sergeant-at-arms. 1t is q gilt
club. about the shape of the conven-
tional picture of Gains, six feet long
and Il foot through at the butt, and if il
is of metal it weighs at least ton. Mr..
Gladstone does not try to swing it
around his gray head, but he bows un-
der the shadow of it, and writes in
memorandum book in his lap probably
writing up his diary. To this work he
sticks earnestly, while the gabble goes
on. He is thin and feeble-looking, but
his clearly cut face shines with intel
ligence. and he chances up every now
ane then to catch some fleeting scrap of
the debate.
The members of the English parlia-
ment are VIGOROUSLY the worst takers
in the world. Daniel O'Connell must
have had a fine background of dullness
against which to show off his florid bril-
liancy The members all talk in con-
versational tone; they hesitate in speech
they hem and haw; they, go back to
pick up the dropped stitches in their
vocal knitting-work; they say 81 am
ur-trooly sOrry-ur-not TOTO be
able tn agree-ur. with the honorable
gentleman-ur-b the gangway-
ur"-but let us remember that TO cur"
is human
The house of commons like the hall
Of peers at the other end of Westminis-
ter PALACES small, cramped, meager;
and the commoners, like the lords, talk
badly; but, after all, one. cannot but
Lave respect for this British parliament
1t legislates for the whole of the great
realm, and it works cheap. 1t keeps
firm grip on the empire, but its annual
expenses are less than those of any
American Legislature that | happen to
be acquainted with. They are not q
quarter as great as those of New York.
A road can scarcely be laid out without
permission of parliament; new bridge
cannot be built without act of parlia-
ment new dock cannot be erected on
the Mersey at Liverpool without act of
parliament; and yet all the legislation
of last year amounted to only forty
seven pages, while that at Albany made
more than 1920 pages. - London Cor,
Pioneer Press.
Blind from Blow.
A young lady belonging to an aristo-
in f,t liz in, KAnsoctarer