Morris tribune., 1883-02-21
Scenes in Parliament.

The popular branch of legislature is
not marked by that repose of manner
| which stamps the more aristocratic SEN
ate. The French chamber of deputies
has often been so disturbed by scenes OF
violence that the president has been
forced to adjourn the sessions. English
men boast that the house of commons is
an assembly of the first gentleman in
the land. Yet Lord Broughman once
compared 1t to a menagerle. A similar
sarcastic judgment has applied the cpl
tibet beer garden" to orr national house
of represe natives. .
In fact, the friends of representative
government have frequently been called
upon to say, with Edmund Burke we
must pardon something to the spirit of
liberty"
If an Englishman should be asked to
illustrate Lord Macauley's saying that
Parliamentary government is govern
ment by speaking" he would point to
the house of commons. There is" he
would say, ''such freedom of debate in
the house that any member is at liberty
to speak his mind on every topic which
comes before it,"
Theoretically the assertion is true, but
practically it is false. For the house fire.
Quently limits the freedom of debate by
informing a member that he is not
worth listening to, and that it won't hear
him.
Deaf Miss Martineau used to lift her
ear trumpet tired of listening to bore.
But the House of Commons silences an
obnoxious speaker by noises that justify
Brougham's sarcasm. At such times,
blind stranger, who should happen to be
present, would be pardoned for sup
posing himself in a geological garden
located in the vicinity of a barn
yard.
Some years ago an obnoxious speaker
YES assailed by this assembly of gen.
tlemeu" with adeafening uproar. At in
tervals, a drone-hke humming was heard,
as if some one in the distance was play
ing on bag-pipes.
From the ministerial benches came an
accurate imitation of yelping hound.
Amid coughing, sneeZing and yawning
there sounded the growing ola cock,
the bleating Of a sheep and the braying
of an ass.
Sir Charles Dixie, now member of
the Cabinet, was once the cause Of the
house turning itself into barnyard. He
uttered a protest against certain eXtrav
agant expenditures ofroyalty. A torrent
of groans answered him.
When member rose to second Sir
Charles protest, he was met with such
storm Of Kisses, groans, and shouts and
cock-crowing, that he could not be
heard. Every sort of fowl seemed to
have a voice in the assembly. The
hoarse cry of the cochin was answered
by the shrill note Of the bantam and the
dulcet piping OF a chicken.
One, however, "scene" in the
house was productive of great benefit to
British seamen. Mr.. Plimsoll, pnilan-
thropic NJ. P. had long advocated meas
ure%designed to 4prepen unprincipled
merchants from sending rotten ships to
sea. They expected the ships to be
lost, in which case they would receive
the insurance, usually much more than
the value of ship and cargo.
Seeing that scores Of seamen were thus
abandoned to death, Mr.. Plimsoll tried
to persuade the then government t. pass
a preventive bill. He was put off ses-
sion after session with vague promises.
One night his soul was stirred within
him, as he saw that his bill was likely to
be laid aside. He denounced the minis
try for 'consigning hundreds of brave
men to miserable death, and making
their wives widows and their children
.atherless."
The speaker called him to order, but
na proceeded in more violent terms to
'ienounce "the speculative scoundrels,
some of whom were members of the
House." who thus made gain out of the
lives of seamen. ST am determined, "he
shouted, Ito unmask the villains"
The speaker called him to order for
applying the word william" to member
of the house. Mr.. Pl1msoll refused to
retract the word, and the house called
upon the speaker to reprimand him for
disorderl7 conduct.
There was much excitement, and Mr.
Plimsoll subsequently withdrew the of
'ensive expression. But the papers
spread the "scene" before the country.
public a. tention was called to the fragrant
abuse, and then Parliment was forced to
pass the preventive bill.