New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-26
HI1MORS OF THE HOUSE.
M c1JMpsEs OF THE ELEPHANT PICKING
UP PINS.

cueation, and nowhere moro sharpS '"
House of Commons. That matters Oh nisn ooa'o
'.oass .ho,,a he debated, and debated in radical
sn,rit can surprl.e nobody. But little things arc
,ookcd into at times just as closely The house
IA. heen engaged for the last week ,r two on wha'
A technically known rs Supply. Supply means vi.
,otns Of the money by which the government OIL
Aha country Ia carried Oh. The estimates ai0
prepared In detail by each departments. ana cvn.
.dsred In Committee Of the Whole House. i"v
sasplt ia that the whole question OF na''o"~
expenditure comes under the direct ''r"''"' -
.ach member who cares to look into IT, .
Ue ba, two opportunities. On the motion 'p"'
Aha Sneaker do leave the chair any member can
move q resolution relev ant to the estimates 'non "
he TAKEN and may call attention 70 any eu''
within this usually wido range. mo opcSAo' o
ont of the chair zach member may DISCUSS ""y
item or move to reduce the amount OF any pi"po'
vot. This privilege resolves itself very oIten n'o
49, 80. =, arno.ins abuses, or generally Of raising
~, o,a.tion or grievance relating to that orsncn
-, t,s ,dministration for which money Is asked
.,ni,ar nrinciple is In force In other countries
which rejoice In . parliamentary government. pus
there is perhaps none where the REPRESENTATIVES. y"
~bs peope use their preroaative more reeY 'nau Ia
Great Britain.
nns pectsd result of this practice 10 that the
6iscussion on Supply Is often amusing mere mas
.lvuvs been some momber OF the House OF
Comm on. with passion for prying into details. Tor
t.rretng out iuianities. for uuesrthing JOBS lot
.tooping leaks He may be an economist. Ike the
late Mr. Joseph Hume, or q seifspponted watcn-
dog of the treasury, like Mr.. Peter Ryands' OF
man in search Of amusement like MI. Laponohero.
Irish members have for some years past SHOWN
much ingenuity In handling questions OF supply
English aud Scotch Radicals arc now pressing
them hard. There oven time when too
chancellor Of tho E1ohequer and Leader Of tho
~ at
abnormal activity In these mstters-he and his
+hree colleagues who then constituted the Fourth
PARTY. Vile Is sometimes remindod.ofdt now.
ANYBODY who sits through an evening devoted TO
6upply will begin TO doubt whether the Enghsn
,sallv have much reverence left for mere custom or
nrecedept The most venerable eccentricties are
20 freely Inquired into as the newest Ministerial
indiscretion, whether English, Scotch or irish
Who ha. not heard Of Ulster King of Armsf Who
. vould believe that his position could be an
unstable onef The actual Ulster King of Arms is
air ferpard Burke saw him In Dublin In the
N..b. | confess with surprise that his amiable-
looking gentleman should be the possessor OF title
no MARTA and the author of a work so magnlhceh'
As the British PeerAge But there are people VINO
will make onsaughts on anything. and ulster
King of Arms was not safe from the iconoclastc
tonoh OF Mr.. Clancy At one fell swoop he would
abolish Sir Bernard and .his subordinates-nav the
Clancy fonnd abettors in this WORK of destruction
MIR Crilly Mr. Ohea and Mr. Kenny AL said the
office useless.
But worse was to come. weak defence is more
dangerous than a vigorous attack; and weak
indeed was tho defence offered by Sir Michael
Uicks.Reach. The Chief Secretary for Ireland SAID
he must canidly confess that he was not aOe 10
explain the duties of the office. Who asked him TO
sxplain them' If everyt thing that is to exist is to
al W
become the prey of the anarchists Could not the
Chief Secretary have quoted Pope" whatever Is
IA rightly That is the clear truth5to winch II
behooves q perD!exed Minister OF the Crown 10 holo
fast. If he lets 60 of that. he Is lost indeed ~
was he said very ancient estate and dignity III
which he Is wrong, for 1t dates only from Edward
vi. and nothing Is to called ancient in thu
kingdom which is not more than 3OO years old
relatsd sad Sir Michael in his smooth. plausible
wav 70 the history of Ireland. So does the potato
rot IL was part of the court appanage OF the Lore
Lieutenant's office. So it is, and myself have seel
Ulster King of Arms bearing part in a Vicerega
pageant He touched a true chord when he SAT-
A. onpht not to be abolished while similar Office
arc maintained in England and Scotland. liner
would be a new Irish grievance at once
3 Yet even this did not mitigate the wrath OF MIR
Clancy or Mr. O'Hea They renewed their protests
and presently Mr.. Biggar and DR.. Tanner. arcade
ambo Joined themselves to the Clancy and ID
O'Hea Sir Bernard Burke is Ulster King of Arm
but there is a rival Richmond in the field. There
Mr.. OiIart. The world now knows. GU III
unippeachable authority of DIR. Tanner. that VI
O'iart is learned genealogist. who has written
hook tracing the ped gree of the Queen to Moses
An irreverent House of Commons laughed the
vould laugh at anything in that House. But
know a Dustin guished American who would no
laugh at the attribution Of Jewish descent to an
person who holds great position in the worl'
DIR. Tanner of the same imnl. apparently. as OF
American, insisted that Mr.. O'Hart was bett
man than Sir Bernard Burke. and IL anybody wa
10 la Ulster King Of Arms it ought to be o Ha
and not Sir Bernard igrieve ito have to add TIL
the Chairman called DR.. Tanner to order fl
lrrelevancy.
But new champion appeared in the arena; ;
warrior of sterner temper than Sir Michael Hick
Bach This VAS Mr. John OConnor. There q
four O'Connors In the House and two Jol
OConnora This wa Mr.. John OConnor of Sout
T,pperary; described in bod" as a commerc
agent. Nationalist, Of course. But Natonali
though he be. Mr. John OCounor, OF Sout
Tipperarv. set his lance in rest against his C
National ists. and rushed to the defence Of Clst
King of Arms. He regarded. he said the office as
relic of old decency IN Ireland. The Irish peop
had not abandoned all liking for the prIde, pon
and circumstance of glorious war. Till the. Nicer
was abolished (which must say the Irish then
selves seem not to desired. this remnant Of herald
aplendor should not be abolished either. Thu
came a remarkable sentence: By race" said N
John O'Connor. of South Tpperary. By race,
religion and by tradition. the Irish people are n
democratic, but aristocratic" Can il be that
John OConnor IS not In favor OF the Irish
publIcf HIS eoquence at any rate was convlnci
enough to carry most Of his Irish fellow -memof
into the Government lobby with him, aud us
King of Arms vas saved for the year. by vote
172 to &C.
His Scotch colleague. Lyon King of Arms, had
long before escaped destruction by majority
only 81. On him Mr.. Labouchere had LED
forces of disorder. Mr.. Bradlaughs comrade
h. d,,fe Of 1 un Klnr of Ins "a q