New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-04-05
MR.. HERBERT SPENCER.
AND HIS VIEWS OF THE PRESENT CONDl-
TON OF PARLIAMENT.

two noipts OF grent interest. The first Is the state
of his health which Mr.. Spencer declares to be such
that the discharge of Parliamentary duties would
be impossible to him. he has not dined ont for
nearly wear because be cannot stand the excite
mept of a dinnor-party. Az his best he can write or
rather dictate, but three hours day, and II lie
undertook the labors Of Parliamentary LIE WIN
is long night sittngs he would have to give mp all
his other work This work he regards as far more
important than listening to debates and giving !
votes and he does not think he should be dong
right in exchanging one for the other
This brings Mr.. spencer TO his second point ana |
TO the very striking criticism he makes on the pres
emf value of Parliament. and on the influence OF |
members OF the House of Commons. The common /
estimate of both he declares 10 be too high Ihe /
member has come TO be much more than IN pass /
times subject to his constituents. The House as /
whole is more subordinate TO public opinion. linen |
follows this pregnant paragraph:
II is becoming q common remark that we are 2p- !
uroaching "A state in which laws are pracL icA!N !
made ont of doors and simply registered bv PTla-
ment and II So then the actual work OF legislation
Is more the work o. those who modify the de.S .. !
the electors than OF those who ave effect TO tAriI
ideas. 81 regarding the matter. CONCEIVE that
shon!d Mt gain influence. hut rather should lose IN
nuenCe. 10y CeaSug 10 be writer ana oo'oi'i"s "
representative.
There X no aainsaying this nor is it easy to cXag
cerate the Importance Of the change 10 which hr |
Herbert Spencer is by no means the first to call at
tcntion The relation of the member to his couStit
uent, was once relation Of Independence, in many
eases complete: in all considerable. The nomTe e
of great landlord who owned pocket borough
might owe a certain Difference to ms patron, but
none whatever 10 the people he WAS supposed 20
represent IT, rs common enough III the last
century be simply bought his se't he was under |
obligatjop 10 nobody While Bun kesat for Wcadoycr
he was his own master When he went 70 Bristol
he fornd after time that the preiudiccs of great
constituency required from him sacrifices OF prime
pie which he -corned to make. and he parted from
Bristol in letters and speeches relating 70 the
Bristol election with which members of Parlia-
1uent in these DAYS would do well 10 be better ac-
quainted than they are
The exactng temper OF N odcrn constituencies can
hardly be- said Though IL is sometimes said. to date
from the Reform Bill of 1882. The idea of the
mandate is a French importation. The French
clcctor has turned the French Deputy INTO mere
delegate. suspicion, jealousy and a demand for
suhseryiencc 10 the wishes of the constituency on
every measure in which it takes interest are the
cb,racteri>tics of the French electorate. The
DENNY If he be a Radical accepts not only man
dI;e but an imperative mandate Both the word
and the thing have made their way across the Chan-
mel The English workiuglnan Ina taken lessons
from his French colleague. The English trades
unions though. a rule. they baye held alool from
general politics have educated their members IN the
have applied It and imposed it upon candidates for
Parliamentary representation. Then came the eau
cu. and with il a wide extension of the doctrine
that woud-bc members must make terms with those
who have the power accept or reject them as can
dldates Loyalty TO party no longer suinces. Ihey
must take specific pledges. and the fuIhlIheht Oh
those pledges Is vigorously cNacted. 10 make mat
ters worse every petty organization III the interest
of particular crutchet appears on the scene cate
dot ql1W Il a
of every interest but its own comedies or wthholds
s snfages inst as the victim promises or refuses to
obey its dictation The result is that by the time
an ordinary candidate reaches the poll there Is
hardly a question on which he remains free agent
There was less of this lntoerabic bullying az the
last general election and for this reason mat cleo
tion turned on one question. VIII YOU support Mr..
Ci9dstone7 IL Is of the most striking instances
+, rolitical history of the beneficial influence OF
great individuality. The English nation wanted
Mr. Gladstone 20 rule over them, and wanted
lIor.c of Common, which would give HIM genera
.upport Minor questions were lost sight OF, ana
men reserved their liberty on such questions bnt
this was only an eddy in the cnrrent. The general
direction of the stream was not changed nor It's
force much abated
What Mr.. Spencer says of the actual work Of
legislation is said more cautiously. The control OF
pubic opinion and its direct action on the business
Of legislation though considerable. are not com
nlcte The state of Parliamentary sub'cTyence IS
state which he does not describe as present but ap
rroachluc He does, however, believe that the IN
Auence of the writer Of him who modlies ideas, IS
superioT even to that OF the nominal eglSia'Pr
who merely gives effect To those ideas. in hls own
case he l. perfectly right. IT is not possible to con
c.iye of Mr.. Herbert Spencer as welding IN the
II,rse itself ANYTHING like the influence he Yields
ontside of IT, HIS indirect influence is and must be
for GREATER than any possible authority he could ac-
ouire IN the House itself Very likely ne had I'D
mind the memorable precedent OF the late John
Smart Mill While Mill sat for Westminster he
made every attempt to modify his habits III order 10
secure a hold upon the House lie was assiduous III
attendance He went through all the drudgery Of
legislation with touching fidelity to sense oil duty.
He accented every obligation imposed upon MN.
He strove for the ear tf the House hen he iouhd
himself a failure as q speaker, lac changed his
method The majority on both sides listened 70 MN
al first with respect. They never relaxed Tor mo
mont the inhexible demand which the House always
makes that an outside reputation, no matter now
speDdid shall Justify itself inside end ADAPT HseH
10 the canons of success which the House mas PslaO
lb4d on it, own account Mill puzzled bis hearers
and they finally left him. He used to speak 10
elnptv benches. and was seldom or never iuIiy re-
,,rted in the papers On the course OF a debate or
th, r,sut of a division, there were hundred men
in the House. most of them with not tenth Oh
Mills intellectual power. who had ten times more
influence than he There is no reason to suppose
Mr.. Herbert Spencer would succeed "hcro MIL
failed.
more recent and hardly less instructive example
Z, surnlied hv the experience Of Mr.. John Morley. |
sad 80 much Of him in recent letter ON journalism
that refer to bis case again only in the orieiest
way. He can speak and speak we'll aud Is likely
enough in the end TO attain to the exceptional ana
curiol, kind Of oratorical excellence lndispenS"I &c
''''' b.. hys all